The First Cut: A Dark Psychological Thriller (Gushers Series Book 1)
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The First Cut
Boredom and the occult make strange bedfellows.
The popular kids of Tenafly High School were bored with upper middle class life. With a few months left before graduation, they made a decision to spice things up. What they intended quickly got away from them.
Aiden is the shy one. The one who follows along quietly. But now he will find himself forced to stand up to his tormentors. Or die.
Will the secret society devour the band of friends? How can the members maintain their individuality while submitting themselves to the authoritarian dictates of the cult? And how far are they all willing to go to achieve their own dreams?
The First Cut is an intense cornucopia of occult horror with sexually explicit matter. Fans of shows like True Blood will love this series.
The First Cut is the first novel in the Gushers series by Chuck Buda. It is approximately 60,000 words and contains adult language, sexually explicit scenes and graphic violence. Reader discretion is heavily advised.
The First Cut
By Chuck Buda
Edited by Jenny Adams
Copyright © Chuck Buda (2016).
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or otherwise, without written permission from the author.
This is a work of fiction. Any semblance to actual persons living or dead, businesses, events, or locales is purely coincidental. The author has taken great liberties with locales including the creation of fictional towns.
Reproduction in whole or part of this publication without express written consent is strictly prohibited.
The author greatly appreciates you taking the time to read his work. Please consider leaving a review wherever you bought this book, or telling your friends or blog readers about this book to help spread the word.
Thank you for supporting my work. Without you the story would not be told.
Cover art by Biserka design.
Contents
The First Cut
Copyright
Dedication
Special Thanks
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Continue the Thrills
Beneath the Blood
Join the Gushers
About the Author
I Need Your Help!
My Other Series
Dedication
Dedicated to those who push the boundaries of life.
Special Thanks
I would like to thank Christopher Zingaro for his input on this novel.
Chapter 1
Todd knocked the kid out. All it took was one punch. Todd had warned him. But the stupid kid didn’t listen. And now he was laying on the ground with his arms stretched up to the sky. The brain hadn’t yet signaled his limbs to lay down with the rest of his unconscious body. The kid’s friends swarmed around to drag him away and shout at Todd. Aiden hated Todd.
“Fuck off, assholes. I’ll fuck your shit up, too. You want some?” Todd held his strong arms out to the side, taunting the group of guys on the other side of the movie theater lobby.
The head usher ran over and shoved Todd out the door. Todd laughed the whole time, holding his hands in the air like a prize-fighter who just won a heavy weight bout. As soon as he reached the sidewalk, Todd spat on the plate glass windows to the theater. He stuck two middle fingers in the air and continued to taunt the kids inside who struggled to revive their friend.
Jordyn giggled as she exited the theater. She hugged Todd and congratulated him on his victory.
Aiden hated Jordyn, too.
He had grown weary of life in Tenafly and all the trappings of upper middle class suburbia. Aiden was down to earth and quiet. His parents called him a loner. “Stop being a loner and go out with your friends.” “Girls don’t like brooding, quiet guys. Loners scare them away.” Pathetic.
So Aiden found himself out with his “friends” for an often repeated cycle of movies, diner, gossip and fighting. Not always in the same order. But all the pieces of the puzzle were present.
Todd and Jordyn walked ahead of the rest of the group. Spencer and Zoe argued over the movie. Spencer was super-smart. So he thought the movie was a rich tapestry of modern decay or some other pretentious high-conceptualized critique. Zoe, ever the opinion leader, complained the lead male character wasn’t attractive enough for such a role. He needed chiseled looks and messy hair if it was to be believable he could capture the beautiful actresses heart.
Aiden walked silently alongside Leah. They were the losers of the group. Well, losers would be harsh. Quiet ones?
Jordyn spun around, tossing her silky black hair over her shoulder. “Hurry up, douche bags. We’re hungry.” Spencer and Zoe picked up their pace. The foursome clumped together and entered the diner without looking back. Aiden and Leah might as well be ghosts. Aiden thought of saying goodnight to Leah and walking home. It would be far easier to leave now while the others were busy finding a table inside. Otherwise, they would brow-beat him into sticking around and mocking him about having nothing else to do anyway but go home and jerk off.
Aiden reached the top step of the diner. He held the door open for Leah. She smiled and went in without saying a word. Aiden thought Leah was beautiful, even if she wasn’t like all the other girls. Her long, auburn hair smelled fruity as she brushed past him.
“Over here, homey.” Todd shouted above the tables, waving Aiden and Leah over as if they hadn’t seen where the group sat down. An older gentleman in a booth shot Todd a dirty look for his boisterous behavior. Todd glared at the old man until he turned back toward his wife. Todd would bully anyone. Anytime.
Aiden slumped into the end of the booth, allowing Leah to sit first. He had to keep one cheek hanging off the bench just to fit in.
“Where the fuck is Ryan?” Jordyn made sure the curse word was extra loud to irritate the older customers. The old man who Todd pissed off shot another dirty look their way. Todd laughed out loud. Then Jordyn joined in.
“He’s probably up to no good somewhere. I didn’t see him leave the movie, did you?” Spencer wadded up his chewing gum and wrapped it in a sugar packet. He drummed his fingers on the table.
“Who cares? He’s been so obnoxious lately.” Zoe roll
ed her eyes and twisted a lock of hair in her fingers. She glanced around for a server. Zoe was very type-A and couldn’t stand to wait on anyone to get around to waiting on her.
Todd giggled. He elbowed Jordyn and mumbled to the group. “Here she comes. We got her again.”
Like clockwork, they all looked over their shoulders or stared at the waitress as she came over. Aiden hated how obvious they always had to make things. It’s like they wanted people to know they were talking about them. He felt bad for the waitress. She was grossly overweight and walked with a terrible limp. Her make-up was exaggerated to hide her age and poor skin condition. Aiden cringed for the oncoming brutality. It was always the same when she waited on their table.
“What can I get you folks?” The waitress asked them like she had never seen them before. Aiden knew she was aware of who they were and how it would go down. They always ate here and usually got her section.
“Hey, babe. You look spectacular tonight. What fragrance is that you’re wearing?” Todd giggled openly while Jordyn buried her face in his shoulder. The waitress ignored the open mockery, holding her pencil and pad until somebody ordered something.
“I’ll have a coke and a cheeseburger deluxe. Medium.” Spencer mercifully ended the awkward pause.
“Same.” Aiden piped in to keep the orders rolling. The sooner it was done, the better.
“Can I have a salad? Small. Dressing on the side. Water. No ice.” Zoe rattled off the order from memory without looking up.
“Me too. I’ll have ice in my water though.” Leah smiled at the waitress. The woman didn’t acknowledge Leah’s friendliness. She was probably already upset with the usual behavior.
Todd jumped in with a loud tone. He had to make sure the whole diner heard his order. “Liver and onions. Medium rare. And a big bottle of hot sauce. Oh, and a Coke, not a Pepsi.” He knew damn well the diner only carried Pepsi products. The waitress gave up a long time ago explaining the difference in colas. She knew the deal. He asked for Coke. She brought a Pepsi. He would complain within earshot to not leave her a tip for bringing him the wrong drink.
“I’ll have a plate of French fries. And can you make sure they aren’t too undercooked or too crispy? You guys always make them wrong. And water. With a straw.” Jordyn leaned toward the waitress with attitude.
The waitress finished scrawling on her pad and left to fill the order. Aiden wondered if her pad had a pre-filled order form for their table since it was the same order each time.
Todd and Jordyn slid up in the booth. Their eyes widened as they looked toward the door. Aiden spun around to see what they were staring at. Ryan had walked into the diner.
And he was dressed in the movie usher’s uniform.
Chapter 2
Ryan told everyone how he came to be dressed as a movie usher. At some point during the film, Ryan had gotten bored. He thought he would get a box of candy to kill some time. When he entered the lobby, the manager’s office door was slightly open. Ryan, being Ryan, decided to pop in and check things out. He didn’t find anything interesting until he discovered the drab black pants, white button down shirt with crimson vest hanging on a hook behind the door. He put the uniform on over his clothes so he could fuck with moviegoers. His original plan had been to stroll through the aisles and eject people for various reasons.
Until he met Sheila.
As he exited the manager’s office, a young “hottie” approached him for directions to the restroom. Ryan couldn’t help himself so he escorted the “fine young lady” to the bathroom. He flirted with her the whole way and she seemed to be into him. When he left her at the restroom door, he kidded her that he could help her with anything she needed in there. She grabbed his vest and pulled him inside the bathroom. Turns out, she blew him in the stall while she pissed. And of course, Ryan loved it. The girls thought it was gross. The guys high-fived him. Todd had to take it to new lows, asking if she “squeezed out a butt nugget” while she blew him.
“I wish. That would’ve been so cool.” Ryan laughed along with Todd. Spencer lowered his head into his hands. The girls groaned out loud.
“You’re a fucking rock star, man. Did you bust your nut in her hair?” Todd wanted all the details. Raw and unedited.
Zoe tossed her napkin on the plate. “On that note, I’m gonesy.” She slid out of the booth and stomped for the door.
The group followed Zoe out. Todd refused to pay for his Pepsi. Spencer peeled off some cash and tossed it on the table. Aiden did the same. He knew what was expected of him. When it came to paying for things, it was typically up to Aiden or Leah. Spencer often felt sorry for them so he usually helped out. Once in awhile, Spencer would quietly offer to pick up the tab for Aiden and Leah.
As they walked up the hill to their lavish neighborhood, they gossiped about some of their classmates. Aiden wondered what they would talk about in a few months, when they graduated from high school. He was sure the summer would be spent doing more of the same until they parted ways for college.
Spencer was on his way to Harvard. He wanted to be a doctor. Zoe was going to Rutgers for business. Ryan got a partial scholarship to Michigan for swimming. He was going undeclared for now, until he figured out what he wanted to do.
“You ready for Clemson?” Aiden asked Leah. She wanted to get into media and broadcasting. Aiden thought it was funny she was interested in something which required interaction with lots of people, seeing how quiet she was.
“Yeah. As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess. Did you make a decision yet?”
Aiden shook his head. “Not yet. My father wants me to study engineering. But that would mean I would have to accept the offer at Virginia Tech. I’m really leaning toward computer science and Stevens Tech.”
“You should do what you want, Aiden. It’s your life.” Leah placed a gentle hand on Aiden’s shoulder.
“Doesn’t always feel that way.” He glanced at his shoes to avoid eye contact with Leah.
Jordyn started shouting at the night sky. “I’m so fucking bored with this place. I want some excitement.” She snapped her fingers and twirled her curvy figure in a circle. Ryan and Todd joined in, screaming at the darkened windows watching them walk by the houses.
Zoe spoke up. “We should totally start a secret club, where we can do fucked up stuff and nobody would know it was us.”
“It’s gotta be like Eyes Wide Shut because there has to be a lot of fucking.” Ryan was always horned up. It didn’t matter that he just got a blow-job less than an hour ago. He was always ready for sex.
“Or Fight Club. First rule of Fight Club is you don’t talk about Fight Club.” Todd shadow-boxed at Spencer.
Spencer thought the club should be more mysterious like the famed Hellfire Club or Knights Templar. He was well-read and had been a fan of esoteric traditions since grade school. Jordyn had a better idea.
“How about like True Blood?” She bit her lower lip and grinned as she walked backwards in front of the group. Her eyes pleaded for agreement.
“The fuck kind of club is True Blood?” Ryan challenged Jordyn’s idea.
“Well, you know how there’s the fang bangers who worship the vampires and want to be with them? Give them blood?”
“You want us to give blood?” Todd teased Jordyn. She gave him the finger and continued to plead her case.
“No, ass-wipe. I mean we start a club that everyone wants to be a part of, like the vampires. And we hold them at bay, use them for our bidding, like the fang bangers. It would be so fun.” Jordyn clapped her hands together with excitement. Her dark eyes twinkled in the street lamps.
“That was SUCH a great show.” Zoe seemed to consider Jordyn’s idea. “But if we aren’t vampires then what would we be?” The wheels were spinning as Zoe probably imagined a new group of people she could lord over.
“Let’s pretend to be vampires. We’ll act all gothy and dark, in a sarcastic way, of course. Oh, I so want to do this.” Jordyn hopped up and down.
Aiden
and Leah exchanged knowing glances. They understood any new-found group would include them on the bottom. They looked away from each other before the rest of the friends took notice.
“I’m in as long as there’s fucking.” Ryan gyrated his hips as he had air sex with some invisible tramp.
Zoe clucked her tongue. “You can fuck whoever you want. Just keep it away from me.” She waved her hand at Ryan to dismiss his request with disgust. Todd laughed at her reaction and jumped on Ryan’s back. Ryan ran up the rest of the street with Todd on piggyback. They both whooped it up as Ryan carried the bigger kid without struggling.
Jordyn hugged Zoe. “This is going to be so fun. I’m so glad you are with me.” Jordyn and Zoe planned the organization and the pecking order. There was so much to do. They needed a cool name and there would be clothes shopping and they had to find a secret place to meet.
Aiden and Leah shot glances at each other as they brought up the rear. Aiden exhaled as he looked at the starlit sky above.
Things were about to get more interesting.
Chapter 3
Holden Fisher watched his daughter, Leah, wait for her ride to school. She stood at the end of the driveway and waved at her father. Holden waved back. His daughter had the same reddish, auburn hair and blue eyes. When they went out together in public, there was no doubt they were related.
Todd pulled up to the curb in his new BMW. Leah opened the passenger door and climbed into the back seat. She left the door open for Jordyn, who hustled across the street. Holden smiled. The kids always had to wait for Jordyn. He imagined her primping and preening long beyond the amount of time necessary to make herself presentable. She was a gorgeous kid. Takes after her mother, Holden thought.