Preface:
Mom always told me never to go walking around the city alone at night, especially on the bad side of it, the side where all the biker gangs, and pot dealers roamed. But Missy begged me to go to the movie theatre with her, and although we had a perfectly good one a few blocks down from my house, she dragged me over to Aurora Theatre, on the bad side, just because Sinister was playing there that night and it wouldn't be in our theatre for another two weeks. Missy couldn't wait that long, I agreed.
It was later that night when I ran into the most tragic situation, my death.
You see, I'd still be alive and well, if Missy had waited, long enough for my Mom to come and get us. We were waiting in the small 'lobby' of the movie theatre (that consisted of one actual TV screen, a small concession stand, and a ticket booth, all cramped in to a tiny two room building), we were watching outside the glass doors waiting for Mom to come, when Missy looked behind her and recongnized the boy she hooked up with at a seventeen years and older club last weekend. He saw her too, and feeling as if he'd get lucky again, he approached us, well not us. He approached me.
"Hey, pretty girl." He whispered, leaning in close. I took a step back, gave him a look and turned back around to face the window. Missy was more then engaged with him.
"Hey, Riley." She cooed, busting up to him, leaning forward so she could touch her hips to his. He gave her a slow reproachfull look, but paid her sweet attention.
"I remember you.." He said, giving her a dazzling smile. And I knew how he did it that night at the club, he paid her an ounce of sweet attention, gave her that same dazzling smile, and pretty much talked his way into her pants. All week, she'd been pouring out the cringing details to anyone who asked us how our weekend was, or what we did (or who), or if we actually got into the club.
"Of course you do." Missy smiled, trying to keep her cool, brushing back the mane of frizzy blonde hair. Missy wasn't beautiful, or she was, but not in the 'right way'. She was supposed to be pretty, stereotypically speaking. She's short and skinny, with blonde hair and sky blue eyes. But that's the description of half the girls in my school, the rest of her, doesn't do much good. She's not as short as she is stubby, and she's not as thin as she is anorexic (been in the hospital twice already, parents were planning to send her back). And instead of her blonde hair being long, soft and silky, and perfect, it's reaches just past her shoulders, and it's rough, like when your annoying uncle rubs his hand over your hair to mess it up, it's like that naturally. And it's big. It looks like she crimped it...but she didn't. And her eyes aren't really the common gorgeous blue eyes, more like a five year old scribbling with a blue crayon, they're messy, and if you look at her dead on, a tad bit uneven. She knew she wasn't gorgeous, or even pretty enough to even be noticed by a sexual creature like Riley. So when he took extra attention towards her both nights, she melted away, consumed in his compliments and sweet talk.
They were talking about something I didn't care about, their voices mumbles. I was gazing out the window, and occasionally my phone, checking for Mom's texts. There weren't any so far, and it was almost a half hour since the movie ended. My stomach still a bit jittery from it. I found Mom's contact and pressed send, putting my phone to my ear.
"Carmen, I am so sorry! I got held up at the meeting, I'm on my way now. I'm like thirty mintues away." She says into the phone immediatly, but the background noise on her end was...silent. Now sound of her on the road. I sigh. I open my mouth to say it's okay and tell her to hurry, when Missy reaches out and bats me on the arm.
"Uh, hang on a sec, kay, Mom?" I say, covering the speaker. I look over at Missy, raising my eyebrows. "What?" I say to her.
"Riley said he can give us a ride...isn't that so chivalrous of him?"Missy asked, turning away from me at the last part to give him a kiss. I roll my eyes.
"Don't sweat it, Mom. Riley, a friend from" I almost blurted out 'that we met at the club' but caught my tongue, remembering she didn't know. "School, says he can give us a lift." I said, eyeing Riley, who even though he's making out with Missy, is gazed intensely at me. On the other end, Mom sighed.
"Well, tell him thanks, he's a life saver. Just make sure you're home soon." Mom said hurriedly. "I love you, Carmen." It's what she says after every phone call, just to make sure that's the last thing she says.
"Bye, Mom. I love you." I answered, because I definetly want that to be the last thing I say to her as well. I hang up the phone after that, and stick it in my back pocket, turning to smile at Missy and Riley, who have finally broken apart. Riley wasn't the normal boy you'd see on the street. He has white skin, and I mean paper-no snow!-white. His lips are soft, and his blonde hair is so light and so perfect...he's perfect. He itches his blue eyes a lot though, and goes to the bathroom a lot, and whenever I seen him, it was always nighttime.
"Are we good?" Missy asked.
"Oh, we are so good." Riley answered for me, taking Missy's face in his hands and kissing her again. I rolled my eyes. They finally break apart and Missy gave me a happy smile. Riley took Missy's hand, but walked in the middle of us, wrapping one arm around my waist. When I tried to slither out, I realized he pretty much had me in the death grip, I looked up at him, a little scared. But he smiled like it was normal to hold me that tightly. "This way, ladies." He said in a voice that whispered like wind-chimes, leading us from the lobby and into the bitter October evening.
Missy jumped into the front seat before Riley could offer it to me, like he was opening his mouth to do. Riley gave me an annoyed look, but I know it was directed at her. I couldn't help but flash him a light smile as I got into the backseat. Riley poked his head in Missy's window.
"Sorry, ladies, I'm getting a call." He told us, as we hear the ringing. "I've gotta take this." He said, leaning back, he walkedto the hood and leaned against it. He kept glancing back at me, but so is Missy.
"Who do you think it is?" She asked, getting bubbly. I turned to her wishing I didn't have to pretend to care.
"I have no clue." I answered, sounding a bit dry. Not my fault I just did not want to be in that car with a complete stranger.
"But you know everything!" Missy giggled. Actually, that part, is true. I always knew when something was going to happen, I knew everything. I blamed it on common sense, but my friends and I always had a feeling it was something different, deeper...almost supernatural.
"I do not." I grumbled. She caught me bad mood and turned back around. The way Riley kept glancing back at us, gave me bad vibes and even as he got back in the vehicle, I kept my hand on the door handle, ready to yank it open at any time. He smiled as he buckled himself up.
"Sorry about that, ladies." He said, but he didn't add anything on the subject, so naturally I didn't press. But I could tell Missy wanted to, but I willed her to stay quiet. It didn't work.
"So, who was that?" She asked, trying to keep her voice light and happy, even though I could tell she was deeply concerned. He gave her an annoyed look.
"Nunya." He grumbled. I rolled my eyes, of course I knew that joke.
"Nunya who?" She pressed on, completely oblivious.
"Nunya DamBizness!" He snapped back, she got the feeling he was joking (stupid kid) and she laughed.
"Oh, Riley. You are so funny." She giggled. He rolled his eyes, but kept that hidden from her as he began to drive.
We drove for a lot longer then usual, Riley seemed to be taking the long way for everything even if the shortcuts were so obvious. He kept his eyes on the road, trying to concentrate on everything but Missy droning on about how much the girls were jealous of her for hooking up with him. Something changed in his blue eyes and they seemed to have a bit of a fiery tinge to them, not because he was angry, the color was almost red.
We finally reached the four way, two roads leading to our side of town we called the 'Higher', two other roads staying in the place where we called the "Ghetto". "Our houses are just a few minutes that way." Missy told him, pointing down the road heading into the Higher.
"Great." He mumbled, whipping the steering wheel the wrong way, taking us deeper into the Ghetto. Missy laughed nervously.
"Wrong way, Riley." She said, trying to sound ditzy, like she wasn't scared. I swallowed, keeping one hand on the button on my phone that said Emergency Call. I knew nothing good was coming from this night. Riley kept driving through the streets of the Ghetto, no sign he was kidding, or turning back. Missy tried again. "Riley, stop being silly. Take us home." I could tell she was terrified, in a way, Riley was scaring me too. But he was getting very tired of Missy. "Riley..." She whispered. "Take us home." She said again, he rolled his eyes.
"Talk, talk, talk." He said suddenly. Missy glanced back at me, I shake my head. "That's all you do, Melissa! You just talk." He snarled. Surprise came to her face after that.
"What did you just call me?" She whispered. "I told you my name was Missy. Nobody knows I'm Melissa. The schools don't even call me that." She was getting very scared by now. "Riley! Take us home! Now! Riley!" He began to drive faster, ignoring her shirll cries. "Riley, pull over!" She yelled. "Pull over! I want out!" He pressed his foot furhter down on the gas pedal until it was flat against the floor, it was an odd sensation though. Because even though we were probably going to die, he was driving way to fast, and he wasn't about to let either of us out or turn around, I felt completely...safe. I kept my eyes on him, a bit amazed, and even a little impressed. He had complete control over the vehicle even though he was driving faster then i've seen racecars go, he had amazing reflexes and he was turning the vehicle so perfectly, the ride was so smooth, like I was flying.
Missy did not share this same feeling.
"Riley! Riley! RILEY!" She was screeching at the top of her lungs now, it was all that was making noise, but yet, I barely heard her. I could tell Riley barely heard her either, because we kept our eyes locked on each other, even as he swirved past the oncoming traffic. It was wrong to feel this good. When something so terrible was about to happen.
Missy kept screaming, yelling at him to pull over, let us out, and just flat out screaming. But I stayed silent, and so did Riley.
"Riley..." Missy pleaded, trying a different angle, and her voice was so sincere Riley took his eyes off me and stared into hers. "Please...Riley, let us go." She begged, tears in her eyes. He rolled his eyes, that were definetly turning fiery. Missy was enraged. "RILEY, YOU LET US OUT N-" The movement was so fast that at first I didn't understand why Missy cut off mid-word. But then I finally comphrended it, watching Riley's arm just whip out. And for a moment I didn't understand why he did that, until we hit a bump and Missy's head lolled, and her neck gave way, her head slung forward.
Riley had broken Missy's neck.
Oh my God, I thought my throat closing up, a lump rising. Riley just killed Missy.
And then I managed to look back up at him, and his eyes had completely changed. They were now a livid red, like a burning crimson. The color of blood. Like the eyes my baby sister Macy drew on her picture of a vampire, a demon. That's what Riley was, he was a demon.
He finally reached the edge of town, and he kept driving, until we were in the middle of a farmer's field. He cut the engine, and we sat there in the silence. My phone lost service and dropped between my feet while we were heading out of town. He barely glanced at it, or made an angry move. We just sat there, him staring at me from the rearview mirror. I'm staring at the place where Missy's bones detached, her spine poking out at the most unnatural way. Somehow, Riley had broken her back as well.
"I'm sorry about you friend, really, I am." He said, his voice a little low. I looked out the window and shook my head, staring back at Seattle's big shining lights. I thought about the fact that I'm probably going to scream while he murders me or rapes me, or tortures me even. I'm going to scream until he breaks my own neck. And nobody will hear me. I didn't want to look back at him, stare into my demon's glowing red eyes. He got out of the vehicle, and blurred, unnaturally fast, to my door. He had it open and me lying in the wheat field in an eightith of a second.
"What are you going to do to me?" I ask, my voice abnormally calm. He looks down at me, pure joy and greed in his eyes.
"When I first saw you at the club last weekend, I knew you would be an exceptional add." He whispers, making no sense. He grabbed my left leg in one hand, and just in case I tried to run, he twisted his wrist, and with one flourishing movement, I heard a snap. Like stepping on a dried twig. It took me a moment to realize he'd just broken my leg, it took another moment until the unbearable pain came on. I opened my mouth to scream, but he pressed his lips against mine, jabbing his tongue in my mouth. I couldn't breathe, and the kiss was burning. Not in the desirable way like people in the movies and books explain their first kiss with the true love. It actually hurt to kiss Riley, not because I thought about how maybe thirty mintues ago, dead Missy was kissing this mouth too. It hurt because at the same time he was manevering his tongue around my mouth, he was spitting something in it, and it wasn't spit. It was poisonous, and my body reacted. It was in my veins, burning. Like someone and stuck matches into my veins and lit them on fire, but that can't even compare to what I feel now. It was like millions of snakes that were enflamed were slithering through every inch of my body.
The process was slow, unbearable. And eventually, everything went black.
And I realized, that was it. I am now dead.
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