by Nicky Shanks
She nods.
I try and think of what it could be, but I know nothing about medicine so it’s no use. It doesn’t matter anyway—Heather woke up from it, so Julie will too.
“Good news, jerk-offs.” The man that kicked my ass comes into the room with a smile on his face. “Your savior Lord Oliver Jackson will be arriving soon with my money. We’re going to give him this one for good faith and then torture the other two until the money is in our hands.” He nods at Oliver’s mom, who comes in after him and walks toward Heather, who whimpers and tries to inch her way closer to me.
“Don’t you fucking touch her!” I scream, rocking my body so hard that I trip the woman and she falls to her knees on the floor. “I’ll rip you to pieces!”
Veronica laughs. “You lot are so damn dramatic. Kids these days have no respect for real life.”
“I’ll be okay,” Heather whispers, letting Veronica pull her up to her feet. “I won’t let Oliver leave without you.”
“He won’t leave without him,” Julie says in a small voice as she sits up. She isn’t blindfolded anymore, but the swelling around her eyes makes it hard to see where she’s looking. “Oliver won’t leave without any of us—don’t worry about that.” She glances at Veronica. “Don’t tell him I’m hurt,” she warns her. “He’ll freak out and do something stupid.”
Veronica laughs harder. “Both of my sons are coming, so it could get interesting.”
Julie groans. “You just love the upper hand, don’t you? I hope Oliver takes you down.”
Veronica grunts and yanks on Heather’s arm. “Let’s go, little one.” She laughs and tugs her alongside her, through the door, and out of my sight.
I don’t fucking like this.
If she hurts her, I will destroy anyone in my path to get revenge.
I love her.
Oh, shit.
“She’ll be okay,” Julie says once we’re alone. “Oliver won’t let them hurt her.”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “I know,” I say. I want to wipe the tears away that’re streaming down my face. “I don’t want to lose her.”
Julie smiles. Even in a situation like this, she can still focus on the good in someone.
“I’m glad you have her, Brandon.” She sniffles. “You deserve someone who can handle you at your worst and make you a better person. I was wrong about what I said in the parking lot at school: You’ve changed. I mean…you’ve really changed for the better. I like this person you are now.”
I smile at her. “This situation is so fucked up, it’s unreal.”
We both laugh and look into each other’s worried eyes. “I hear someone outside,” she whispers. “A car just pulled up and two doors just shut…I think it’s Oliver!”
We try to stay as silent as we can while we hear Heather start to cry. My body twitches.
“She’ll be okay,” Julie whispers. “Calm down so we can hear.”
I hear Oliver’s voice first. “If Julie is hurt, I’ll fucking end both of you.”
I nod at Julie. “Good, it’s Jackson. I feel better about Heather being out there now. Are you still dizzy from the meds they gave you?”
Julie nods. “A little. Why?”
“Because we’re getting out of here,” I growl before groaning as I stretch to look at the knots around my feet. “If I get in front of you, can you undo my hands?”
Veronica’s voice wafts through the open door. “Here,” she says. Heather grunts and sobs as she hits the ground. Rage flashes through my body, but I know I can’t do a damn thing with my hands and feet tied up. I hurry—despite the searing pain of getting my ass handed to me and the bruises from where Mac jammed his fist into my stomach—to scramble in front of Julie, and since her hands are tied in front of her, she’s able to start fiddling with the knots behind my back.
“I told you not to fucking hurt her!” Oliver yells outside.
“Shit, he’s getting lit up out there. I need you to hurry, Jules.”
Julie squeaks. “I’m trying!”
She’s no use to me in a frantic mess, so I lower my voice. “I know, just keep trying. I need to get out there and help Jackson. Just go slow and don’t panic.”
She fiddles with the knots more and I feel my hands being set free. I somehow manage to bend over and untie the knots at my feet, but it takes so much of my energy that I feel like I’m going to pass out again. Julie shakes me and looks into my eyes—we know this could be the end for us, and it seems like she’s okay with me being the last person she ever sees.
She deserves more than that.
She deserves Oliver.
We hear Oliver again outside. “Mary? What the fuck is this?”
Julie sighs. “So, Mary is still here. Brandon, you gotta hurry—he’s going to lose it and something bad is going to happen.”
I fumble with the knots a few more times and feel my legs being released from their chains. I turn and burn my fingers on the rope as I untie Julie’s hands and feet; it’s eerily quiet outside for what’s going on.
“Stay here,” I tell Julie and stand up, limping to the door so I can peek outside. Heather is in the arms of Casey, which should bother me, but right now it doesn’t. I just wanted to know that she’s safe. She sobs on his shoulder and I feel bad; I shouldn’t have brought her along.
“You really don’t remember me, Oliver?” Mary scoffs. She’s behind Casey and Oliver, creeping up on them like a predator. “You took my virginity in high school and told everyone about it…only we never had sex. Remember me now?”
“Jesus,” I whisper, covering my mouth.
All of this over money and something that happened years ago?
I shake my head and look at Julie. “Mary is out there behind Oliver and Casey—he’s got Heather now. Mac and Veronica are right outside the door. I have to find another way out. Are you going to be okay here alone?”
She swallows hard and nods. “I’m not scared.”
I smile at her. “Yes, you are. You don’t fool me.”
She sobs silently. “Just get us the hell out of here.”
Before I can move, we hear Mary screaming outside. “You ruined my life! People never looked at me the same…my own parents never looked at me the same!”
Oliver’s voice bleeds through the air. “Whoa, look. I’m sorry I did that do you. I was a selfish asshole back then. I can’t make it up to you…all I can say is I’m sorry, okay?”
I look at Julie, tears running down her cheeks. “He has changed, Jules—even I can tell you that.”
Mac starts raising his voice outside now. “Hey! All we promised you was money, you little bitch! What the fuck did you bring a gun for?”
I leap toward Julie and we hear a loud bang, followed by Heather’s screaming. Mac and Veronica come bursting through the door, nearly knocking me over. Once Mac realizes that I’m not bound anymore, his eyes fill with more fury and he reaches for me.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he growls. “Get back here!”
“Brandon, run!” Julie screams. “Just go! Go get Heather!”
I don’t know what the fuck to do. Mac stands up and squares his shoulders at me, but I won’t let him kick my ass a second time. As I dig my shoes into the wood floor, Veronica stands up and smashes a lamp over Mac’s head, sending him to the ground.
“You fucking bitch,” he grunts before passing out at her feet.
Veronica and I stare at each other as Heather screams outside and gunshots ring out in the distance.
“Go help my son.” She closes her eyes and grabs her shoulder. Blood starts spilling onto her shirt as she tries her best to cover the wound. “That crazy bitch is chasing him through the forest with a damn gun. Don’t let her shoot him.”
Julie gasps but doesn’t say anything.
I open my mouth and close it again. “I’m not leaving you here alone with Julie.”
Mac starts to wake up and I shield Julie’s body from him. The adrenaline pumping through my ve
ins lessens, and I quickly realize that I’m not in the best condition to be running through the woods looking for a crazy woman with a gun. Mac jumps on me and tackles me to the ground; Julie limps away so she doesn’t get crushed by us falling on her.
He punches me in the jaw twice. “You should’ve listened to her and ran, boy.” He puts his hands around my neck to choke me. “Now you’re not gonna have another chance.”
“Leave him alone!” Heather squeals as she opens the door, racing inside. “Get off of him!”
Veronica catches her and our eyes meet before the air starts getting thicker and harder to breathe. I can hear her screaming something and Veronica shuffles to keep her away from us. Casey bursts through the door next, but his leg gives out from the strain of his injury. His crutches clatter to the floor before he follows them down.
There’s no one to help us.
“You can sleep now, boy.” Mac grits his teeth and laughs.
I move my gaze toward Julie, but she’s gone.
Heather screams my name, but things are going dark. I can’t fight back because my entire body feels like it’s on fire and he’s pinning my arms at my sides. The blows that he’s bringing down on my jaw stop hurting after a while and only tingle—that’s how I’m know I’m drifting off into nothing.
I feel running footsteps and Mac’s eyes come into view.
They’re cold and wide open.
“Julie!” Heather screams, falling to her knees.
Mac groans and starts grabbing behind him, trying to catch her.
“Brandon, get up!” Heather calls to me. “Get up!”
I try my best, but I spit out blood and can’t see much of anything. Julie stands back with her hands covered in blood and Mac stumbles around the room trying to pull the small kitchen knife from his back that Julie’s stabbed him with. He finally knocks it loose enough to grab it and slide it from his skin like a stick of butter.
“Jules.” I cough and spit out more blood. “Run.”
She looks at me and shakes her head. I can see her take another knife from behind her back and hold it in a defensive stance against the man three times her size.
“You little bitch.” Mac coughs and stumbles toward her. “I’m gonna fucking kill you.”
Julie holds up the knife to stop him. “Don’t come any closer. If you leave now, I won’t hurt you.”
He laughs. “You’re not doing a fucking thing. I’m going to break your neck and then torture every single person that you’ve ever loved. Starting with that good-for-nothing Colin Jackson look-alike.” He looks back at Veronica, cowering on the floor, and snarls. “Go get our fucking money and come right back inside,” he demands.
She nods and leaves to do what he says.
I can tell by the look on Julie’s face that she pities her.
The air returns to my lungs and I’m able to find some sort of will to stand back up. Mac notices and swings at Julie, knocking the second knife to the floor and grabbing her by her arm. Heather tries to slip outside beside him, but he grabs her too. Casey stands up with his crutches and stares me in the eye; we try to devise a plan without speaking.
“Pick one.” Mac laughs. “Pick the one you want to keep.”
“What?” I snap, my hand holding my aching side. “What the fuck do you mean?”
He licks his lips and sniffs Julie’s hair. My fists tighten into a ball and it makes him laugh even more. He starts to move toward Heather and I think my fingers are going to break each other.
“You have ten seconds, boy,” he snarls.
I look at both of the girls; Julie swallows and presses her lips together. Heather narrows her eyes at me because I’m even hesitating to answer him. She knows it should be her, but I can’t leave either of them behind. “I want both of them.” I take a step forward.
Casey moves silently behind Mac and he doesn’t notice.
“I said pick one. Three seconds.”
I shake my head and Heather scoffs, but she notices that Casey isn’t next to her anymore. I watch her catch up to the situation as Julie breathes in deep, ready for what’s next.
“I want that one.” I point to Heather, and Mac looks at Julie to laugh in her face.
She doesn’t show him any fear.
“Guess you’re coming with me, little girl,” he says, releasing Heather and pushing her toward me. I catch her before she hits the ground and stumble under her weight; searing pain shoots down my side when we fall, making it hard to concentrate. I manage to look up just in time to see Casey hit Mac with one of his crutches and he drops Julie to the ground.
I pass out just after I hear Heather scream Julie’s name.
“Julie, watch out!”
The pain shakes my body into a deep sleep no matter how hard I fight it.
When I wake up, nothing is going to be the same.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Oliver
My feet can’t run any faster than they are right now.
Any faster and smoke would rise up from the ground, but it doesn’t matter. I’m running through the thick, wet brush and shrubbery deeper into the woods. My knee still isn’t completely healed so I’m slower than normal, but I fucking hustle the best I can. I’m not sure if Mary is still chasing me, so I take a sharp left and start to circle my way back to the shack I left Julie in.
I trip over a hole in the ground and fall on my face because I’m distracted.
I left her there.
Mary’s running footsteps start to get closer, so I speed up and taper off against the tree line.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are.” She laughs and shoots off the gun into the air; the shot echoes around me. “If you don’t show yourself, I’m going back there and shooting your little wife.” She snorts. “Oh, that’s right. She’s not your wife yet. Fiancée.”
My body gets hot, but I don’t step away from the thick tree I’m hiding behind. I can’t see her, but she sounds close enough to get a good shot.
“What do you want from me?” I holler.
She giggles, and it makes me uneasy. “I want you to suffer like I did.”
“How? By shooting me?”
She pauses, and it’s hard to tell if she’s moving or not. “I want you to suffer like I did…I want you to feel the pain that I felt. I’m going to enjoy it too, just like you enjoyed watching me get pulled out of school and sent to a boarding school because my parents were so ashamed of something I didn’t even do. You ruined my life, Oliver.”
My heartbeat quickens. “I can’t say anything except I’m sorry. I told you—”
“—I know, I know. You were an asshole back then. Oh, except you were still an asshole when I tried to take care of you in the hospital, right? I tried to put the past behind us, but when you didn’t recognize me, it hurt so much that something snapped inside of me. Then you treated me like trash when I tried to call Julie out for not being your real wife.”
I snort. “She’s as real a wife as any. You’re right: I did treat you like trash, and I’m sorry for that. I have tunnel vision and it leads straight to Julie.”
She says nothing, and I hear the brush around me start to move. Panicked, I start to run back toward the house and hear screaming, but I know she’s right behind me. I’m no use to Julie dead. The thorns and sharp branches cut my arms and she shoots off another shot into the air behind me.
“I know these woods, Oliver!” she shouts. “You’re not going to be able to hide!”
Boom. Boom. Boom.
That’s six shots she’s fired since she pulled out the gun.
I don’t know much about firearms, but I know she’ll need to be reloading soon, so I pick up my steps and the shack comes back into view. I don’t see anyone outside, but the bag of money is still sitting in the dirt, so I bolt toward it and tuck it under my arm.
“If you don’t give that to me, Mac won’t like it,” my mother snarls and walks down the steps. She startles me; I don’t even realize she’s there until she’s got
a hand on the bag and she’s inches away from me. “He’ll strangle those girls in there before you can even escape that.” She points, and Mary is emerging from the wooded area with the gun aimed at me.
“Why are you fucking doing this to me?” I growl at Veronica. “Why couldn’t you just stay away like you’ve done for twenty years?”
“I tried! Mac pressured me into this—he wanted the money.”
I don’t fucking believe anything this woman says. I have to figure out what I’m going to do. Quickly.
“Move,” I say to Veronica, and her diseased body swiftly moves to her right.
“Julie!” I hear Heather scream, and without hesitation, I leap past my wretched mother. I hear a gunshot but don’t look back as I scramble up the stairs and burst into the shack.
Casey is on the floor in front of me, writhing in pain.
Brandon is lying unconscious across the room.
Heather is crumpled on her knees next to him, her eyes wide with horror. Her gaze meets mine, and she points to the other side of the room, where we see Julie escape Mac’s grasp, pick up a small knife from the floor, and start swinging it at him. Mac dodges the first three swipes, but the last time she swings, she’s able to stick him in the stomach and he stumbles backward, falling to his knees. Quickly, she sticks him again in the shoulder and he screams in pain.
She looks at me.
She’s covered in blood and terrified.
This is my fucking fault.
“Julie!” I hiss at her and reach for her arm. She reaches out for me, but Mac isn’t going down without a fight. The rage that builds inside of me is bursting from my fingertips as I push her aside and pounce on him, bashing in his face with my fists. I start stomping his arms, his bones breaking under my feet.
“I’m going to kill you for touching her!” I scream into his now-unconscious face. I turn to Casey and point to him. “Call Randy, now!”
Casey nods and finds the satellite phone Randy forced us to take with us in his pocket. I hear him talking to someone as my body vibrates and I continue to wail on Mac until I can’t see anymore through the blinding rage.
