“Are you okay?” he asked.
“No. I mean, yes. I don’t know.”
“Paul, what did you do?” Shay asked, cocking her head.
“She came on to me,” Paul insisted.
Shay’s face screwed into an angry snarl. She walked up to Paul and smacked him. Gwen pulled her back. “Calm down. He isn’t worth it.”
“Everyone, relax,” Jim said.
“Relax?” Darren said, shooting to his feet. “You want me to relax?”
Jim stood between him and Paul.
“He tried to rape me,” Melinda said, tears streaming down her face.
“That’s bullshit,” Paul shouted.
Darren took a step forward, but Jim intercepted him, putting his hands on the big guy’s chest.
“Get out of my way, Jim,” Darren warned, not taking his eyes off of Paul.
“Give me the machete,” Jim said.
Darren looked at the tool in his hand. He smiled, a wicked sparkle in his eyes. He turned his gaze on Jim, then handed the weapon to him.
“I don’t need a sharp instrument to hurt Paul,” Darren said. “My fists will do just fine.”
Jim tossed the machete aside.
“Darren,” Paul said, buckling his jeans. “I swear, man. I didn’t try to rape her. Yeah, we were going at it, but she came on to me.”
Darren growled and shoved Jim out of the way, but Jim was quick and recovered, pulling on the man’s shoulder. Gwen joined in, standing in front of the football player.
Darren stared at her. His cheek muscles bulged, eyes filled with malevolence.
“It might be true,” Gwen said. “They’ve hooked up before.”
Darren’s eyebrows rose. “What?”
“I just found out today,” Gwen said.
“You’re so dead,” Shay said.
“I’m so sorry, baby,” Melinda said, crying.
“I can’t believe this,” Darren said. His shoulders sagged. He looked at Melinda, his lips quivering.
Jim moved to stand next to Gwen, wanting to stay between Darren and Paul.
“I need to hear it from you,” Darren said, walking over to Melinda. “Is it true?”
Melinda nodded, then buried her face in her hands.
Darren’s emotions were all over the place. Rage built in his heart, quickly conquered by immense sadness, then rage, then sadness again. He felt dizzy and wanted to hurt someone. No, not someone. Paul. But he had to straighten all this out first. Once everything was discovered, then he would react. And as pissed as he was, Melinda still might need his help. Regardless of her cheating, she didn’t deserve to get raped by the guy she had an affair with. He wanted to hate her now, but his heart was telling him otherwise. His heart ached at seeing her so upset. Before he did anything, said anything, he needed to know exactly what had happened.
With his anger coming to the surface, Darren spun and pointed at Paul. “Don’t even think about running. I’ll only be more pissed off if I have to catch you.” He turned back to Melinda, took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to extinguish the anger a little. “Look, for now, forget about—” He paused, unable to think about his girlfriend having sex with Paul. He took another deep breath. “Forget about what you did. Just tell me if he tried to rape you or not.”
“Yes,” she said, nodding, still covering her face.
Darren ground his teeth, feeling his insides boil. He was going all out, trying to remain calm. He’d always used his smarts when dealing with problems, never reacting outright with emotion, even on the football field. This was a serious situation and he couldn’t allow himself to go crazy.
“I slept with Paul,” Melinda blurted, her face glistening with tears. “I got drunk at a party when you were away. He…he took advantage of me.”
Darren closed his eyes at hearing the words, like knives to his heart.
“When?” Shay asked. “What party?”
“Does it matter?” Gwen asked.
“I’m not talking to you,” Shay said, speaking to Gwen, but still staring at Paul. “Melinda? Really, you asshole?” She moved to attack Paul again, but Gwen held her back, wrapping her up in a bear hug. “Let me go!”
“Stop it,” Jim said. “We’re all friends here. Let’s figure this shit out.”
“What’s to figure out?” Shay asked. “Paul can’t keep his dick in his pants. I’ve been dating a cheater and a rapist.”
“Come on,” Paul said. “Do you really think I’d rape someone?”
Paul’s statement struck a chord with Darren. He’d known the kid for a long time. Paul could get almost any girl he wanted, but as far as he knew, Paul had never cheated on Shay with girls from the same school, always going outside the district for his pussy. Darren also knew that once Paul had a piece of ass, he rarely went back for seconds. Maybe Melinda was different. Maybe this time Paul wanted more, to fuck her right under his nose, but Melinda had refused. She was sorry for the mistake she had made. That’s why she’d been acting so quiet lately, distant. Going that extra mile and trying to please him—because she felt guilty. As much as he couldn’t imagine her cheating on him—and with Paul for that matter—there was no way she would do it again, and with himself present.
“And you, Mel,” Shay said, breaking Darren from his thoughts. “You’re a fucking whore. You deserve what you get.”
“Everyone, just shut the fuck up,” Darren yelled. His need to smash something made him think of the Hulk. Becoming the big green monster wasn’t a good idea. He reminded himself of who he was and all he had worked for. He was going to college, had a clean record. Paul was a scumbag who just might be the kind of scumbag to press charges, should Darren throttle him. Right now, it was looking like they at least had him on attempted rape charges. “I want answers.”
Darren stood, still feeling like he might lose it and do something he regretted. His mind flashed with images of Paul and Melinda—the two naked, exploring each other’s most intimate parts. Did she suck his dick? Did he come in her mouth? Did he make her orgasm? Did she enjoy it? Maybe he’d even gotten her pregnant.
“I think we should leave,” Jim said. “Me, Paul and Gwen will take one canoe.”
“No one’s leaving until I get answers,” Darren said, making sure to look Jim in the eyes. “I’m trying real hard not to lose it. Let’s say we all help me not to lose it.”
Melinda got up and hugged Darren, burying her head into his chest. He tensed, not sure if he wanted her to touch him, feeling somewhat repulsed.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, bawling, her voice muffled. “I made a terrible mistake, but it was only once. For the past week, Paul’s been trying to get with me again. Calling me on the phone and harassing me at school. He even cornered me in the girl’s bathroom. I kept refusing him, then tonight, he threatened to tell everyone what happened if I didn’t sleep with him again.”
“Bullshit,” Shay said. “Stop trying to blame this all on Paul. He doesn’t need to chase you. You’re a fucking whore, and when we’re out of here, I’m going to—”
Jim turned on Shay. “Shut up, already, you’re not helping.”
Darren had tears rolling down his cheeks. He couldn’t believe any of this, and wanted to run away like a little kid. Forget any of this had happened.
“I’m so sorry,” Melinda said, looking up at him. “I couldn’t take it anymore, and figured I would talk to him tonight, with you near. Tell him to leave me alone once and for all, that I wasn’t going to be with him again. He laughed at me, then shoved me to the ground and ripped open my shirt.”
“That’s not true,” Paul said. “I swear, you guys. She came on to me.”
Darren’s world was falling apart. He was seeing red, his anger surfacing. He and Melinda had the perfect relationship—at least he’d thought so. He took a deep breath, needing the oxygen, and smelled the wonderful scent of Melinda’s hair. He loved that scent, loved her.
He’d never cheated on her, and he’d had plenty of opportunities. He didn’t know the future
. He was still young, but as far as he was concerned, he had planned on one day marrying Melinda. She’d felt so right.
Now, it was all ruined. Maybe not over, but there was a lot of damage. Couples survived cheating, but he wasn’t sure he would be able to get over it. She and Paul had ruined everything. But he put more of the blame on Paul. Paul was a cheating dog, selfish. The typical playboy. Melinda was kind, thoughtful and big-hearted. He knew her, or rather thought he did. She wouldn’t have slept with Paul unless she was wasted and Paul was being a snake.
Paul needed to pay—but not tonight, and in order to keep something from happening tonight, Darren needed to leave. “I’m out of here.”
“No, you can’t go,” Melinda said.
Darren tried to pry her off him, but her grip was surprisingly strong. A searing heat engulfed his midsection, as if Melinda were on fire. He struggled harder to free himself as the heat spread into him, traveling through his chest and up to his head. He found that he could not move, and began to panic. He was burning up on the inside, but unable to scream.
He finally broke Melinda’s grasp, then to his shock, he shoved her. She cried out and tumbled into the weeds. He hadn’t meant to do that, and went to help her up, but had no control over his body.
“What the hell, Darren?” Gwen said, running to Melinda.
“Dude,” Jim said. “Come on. That wasn’t cool.”
Before he knew it, he was charging at Paul. Jim put a hand on him, but he batted it away. Paul’s eyes widened and he went to run, but Darren reached out, grabbed him by the throat and tackled him to the ground. Darren was up in seconds, straddling Paul. Reaching back, he sent a fist into Paul’s nose, breaking and disfiguring it. Blood exploded over Paul’s face.
As frightened as he was, Darren took pleasure at seeing Paul’s broken face. Maybe this was what losing control was like. An individual’s emotions went out of whack. He lost all ability to reason and control himself, going along for the ride. But that couldn’t be right. He hadn’t gone into a rage until now. He had been thinking—still was, in fact. Hitting Paul was on target for what he wanted to do, but shoving Melinda like he had? No way he would have done that to her, let alone any female.
Now, he needed to gain control of himself. Paul was pretty fucked up, and would probably need surgery to repair his nose. Hopefully, the guy wouldn’t squeal on him, but who knew?
Someone had jumped onto his back. He felt their weight. The person was hitting him, but it didn’t hurt. He reached back, grabbed whoever it was by the hair—a female—and tossed her into the woods, then returned his focus to Paul.
Looking down at his hands, he saw that they were wrapped around Paul’s throat, the kid’s eyes bulging, face turning red. How did that happen? he asked himself. It felt good, squeezing the life from Paul’s body, but then he realized what he was doing. He was killing Paul. No, he had to stop. He wasn’t a murderer. He attempted to release his grip, but like everything else he tried to do, his fingers only seemed to tighten.
Paul struggled to free himself, pawing at Darren’s arms. He dug his nails into Darren’s skin, drawing blood, but Darren felt no pain, and continued to strangle Paul. Then, something gave in Paul’s neck, and Darren’s fingers collapsed into his flesh. Darren screamed inside his own head. Paul stopped fighting, his arms going limp, like an off switch had been flipped. He stared blankly at nothing.
Jim watched Darren tackle Paul. Damn it, he thought, this is bad. He needed to break it up before someone got hurt. He saw Shay jump on top of Darren. She was trying to pry him off of Paul. Good, he might need some help. But then Darren reached back, grabbed her by the hair and threw her into the woods, as if she weighed ounces.
Even for Darren, that was a great feat. The big guy was a terror on the football field, but off the field, especially among friends, he was a teddy bear.
“Get him off of Paul,” Gwen said. “I’ll help Shay.”
Jim came up to Darren and saw what was really happening. Paul was getting the life choked out of him. Paul wasn’t fighting back. “Darren, stop. You’re hurting him. He can’t breathe.” He tried to pull the linebacker off Paul, but it was like trying to lift a car.
The longer Jim looked at Paul, the more the kid looked dead. He wasn’t moving, blinking, or struggling.
Jim jumped on Darren’s back, putting the kid in a chokehold. Darren stood, finally releasing Paul. Darren pried at Jim’s arm, loosening the hold. Jim had succeeded at getting the big guy off of Paul. He just hoped no serious damage had occurred.
Jim had prepared himself for a fight, the big guy enraged, but instead, Darren cried out, as if in immense pain. His body trembled, as if an electrical current ran through it. Jim was thrown off, but managed to land on his feet. He was ready to take Darren on if he had to in order to calm him down, but the big guy simply fell forward and crashed to the ground.
Chapter Twenty-One
A gust of wind exploded over the area, circling like a mini tornado, letting loose a screeching cry before shooting into the woods, leaving a wake of broken tree limbs and falling leaves behind.
“What the hell was that?” Gwen asked. She was kneeling next to Melinda now, making sure the girl was all right. Darren had shoved her pretty hard. She stood and saw Shay coming from the brush, pieces of forest debris clinging to her hair. She looked okay.
“How’s Paul?” Gwen asked. “Mel’s going to be fine…” Her words faded away at seeing the look on Jim’s face.
“I think…Paul’s dead,” he said.
“What?” Shay asked.
Gwen hurried over to Paul, almost hesitating when she saw him. His eyes were open, unblinking. She knelt and felt for a pulse.
“Oh my God,” Shay said. “Do something, Gwen.”
Gwen knelt next to Paul, already knowing he was dead. His throat was crushed, his eyes lifeless. Her stomach felt queasy. She turned to look at Shay. “He’s gone.”
“No,” Shay said, shaking her head. She shoved Gwen out of the way. “Come on, baby, wake up. Wake up.”
Gwen looked at Jim, put a hand over her mouth. Tears rimmed her eyes and she blinked them away. Jim looked stunned. “Jim?”
“Yeah?”
“Paul’s dead.”
“I know.”
“Stop saying that,” Shay said, and slapped Paul’s cheek.
Gwen grabbed her from behind and pulled her up. “He’s gone, sweetie.”
Jim couldn’t believe this was happening. His best friend was dead, killed by Darren. Friends killing friends. None of this made any sense, including the screaming wind that had kicked up.
“I…” Shay said, then fell quiet. She looked at Darren, the big guy face down on the ground. Her face scrunched into a grimace of hate. “He killed him.”
“Guys?” Melinda said.
Everyone turned to see Melinda sitting up.
“You!” Shay screamed, pointing. “This is your fault.” Shay broke free from Gwen and ran at Melinda.
Jim moved quickly and wrapped Shay up into his arms. She fought to break free. “Let me go. She got Paul killed. I’m going to strangle her. Let me go.”
“Stop it, Shay,” Jim shouted. “Something’s going on here. Can’t you see that? We need to figure it out.”
“Screw that,” Gwen said. “We need to get off this island and call the cops.”
Melinda stood on shaky feet, her eyes darting around. She looked frightened and confused.
“Let me go, Jim,” Shay said.
“You promise to relax?”
“For now.”
Jim released her, staying ready in the event he needed to react.
Shay launched a ball of spit at Melinda. “I’m gong to make sure your boyfriend spends the rest of his life in jail.”
“Guys,” Melinda said. “Something’s not right. That wasn’t me before. I couldn’t stop myself. It was like someone else was making me do things.”
“Shut the fuck up before I beat your ass,” Shay said.
; “Paul didn’t try and rape me…” Melinda glanced down at Paul’s body. She covered her mouth. “Oh my God, is he…?
“Yeah, he’s dead, you whore,” Shay said, then charged toward Melinda, but Jim was ready and grabbed her. “You don’t get to say his name. Don’t say his name.”
“Paul didn’t want to hurt me,” Melinda said. She shook her head. “I mean, I came on to him, but it wasn’t me. I was sitting in the chair by the fire and then all of a sudden I couldn’t move, yet my body did move. It felt like I was burning up inside. Something else was controlling me. I never even wanted to talk to Paul.”
“Nice try,” Shay said, “but we aren’t buying it.”
“Wait,” Jim said. He released Shay. “Why would she say Paul didn’t attack her, after having told us he had?”
“I don’t know, but she’s fucking crazy,” Shay said. “Darren’s going to jail and she’s going to a psych home.”
Movement from Jim’s left caught his attention. Darren was coming around.
“Shit, he’s waking up,” Shay said, and kicked Darren in the ribs and the head before Jim grabbed her.
Darren grunted and rolled onto his back, putting a hand to his head.
Jim wasn’t sure what to do. Maybe Shay had the right idea and Darren needed to be knocked out again, then tied up. He didn’t know what to do.
“What do we do?” Gwen asked. She picked up a branch that had been lying on the ground.
Jim spun Shay around so she could look at him. “Paul was my best friend,” he said. “I’m all messed up in the head right now, but we need to stay calm, okay?”
“I can’t promise anything, but there’s no way I want to be here anymore. We need to leave, get the cops.”
“Okay, but I need you all to get behind me until we see what’s up with Darren.”
Gwen moved toward Jim, but Melinda grabbed her wrist. “Mel, let go of me.”
“Wait,” Melinda said. “I’m telling you guys. I wasn’t myself. And I don’t think Darren was either. There’s something going on. I think I was drugged.”
Jim thought for a moment, fear taking hold of him. Melinda’s words hit him like a punch to the gut. It was the island, had to be. Everything in his head told him to run. Leave them all and run, but he couldn’t do that. He should’ve stayed away, made his friends change their minds about the camping spot. Should’ve listened to his grandparents and parents.
Witch Island Page 16
