hand. Jer stroked his hand encouragingly as Thomas white-knuckled Jer's, using the last bit of strength he had. He stared at Jer wide-eyed as a tear rolled down his cheek.
“It's okay, Thomas,” Jer comforted. “Don't be scared. It'll be over soon. Try again, please. She's right there.”
Thomas didn't respond.
His hand went limp. His head lolled to the side. His empty eyes locked on mine. He was dead.
“Goddammit!” Sean yelled, punching the ground next to the body before turning to look at me. His expression was not a promising one.
“Finally!” Jer yelled. “We can end this, Sean...like old times.”
Run.
Sean leaned back and let out a cry so ungodly that it shook me to the core, making the hair on the back of my neck stand at attention. I prayed it wasn't a call to battle.
Run. Now.
He rose slowly, uncurling himself away from the body he'd just collapsed onto after his outburst. His eyes were black as night.
And they were all for me.
6
For fuck's sake, Ruby, RUN!
As Sean approached, my eyes betrayed my plan, shooting a glance towards the street and ultimately the TT. Jer was coming at me too, which did nothing to improve my situation. My legs twitched in preparation, and I wondered how far I would actually get before they brought me down and killed me. I wondered if Scarlet would take over in an attempt to survive and which one of the big men would be the one to ultimately do me in.
I hoped it was Jer. I couldn't stomach the alternative.
When they were only moments away from me, I turned quickly to flee and immediately regretted it. The swimming sensation took over and I struggled for balance with my first and only step. My escape was not only halted by my earlier concussion, but also by the blinding pain that shot through my head as the visions from a psycho overtook my own.
He stood on the river bank, looking through the surrounding trees. What he saw amused him greatly. The chaos fueled him.
A cacophony of voices drew his attention, summoning him with promise of violence. He tread carefully through the water, not wanting to disturb the scene as it unfolded, content to be an onlooker, rather than participant.
A new role.
He was careful not to get too close — more careful than ever before. They circled something, looking inward as two men in the center squared off. A break in the bodies showed the source of all the hostility. A woman, curled up in a ball with her back towards him, her white-blond curls spilling over the ground.
The shouting continued, begging him closer, but he didn't dare. The show wasn't worth the cost of admission — he knew that all too well.
He delicately retreated, unable to stay and withstand the urge to advance his position. As he made his way back through the water, fading into the trees, he whispered softly into the breeze, “Be careful the company you keep, Ruby. Those that play with matches tend to get burned.”
He was nearly out of sight when he uttered his final warning, “Choose your sides wisely. People are so rarely what they seem.”
He released me suddenly, just in time to roll ninety degrees out of the path of Jer's body. He crashed violently to the ground before Sean scooped him back up again, preparing for another blow. They didn't seem to notice that I was conscious.
“Stop!” I shouted, immediately regretting the volume of my voice. They froze in mid-fight, Sean holding Jer by the collar, his right arm drawn back to strike, and Jer with an arm extended to block the punch while attempting to unhook his shirt from Sean's grasp. “I'm sick of this! You want to kill me? Well then get in fucking line. If you really think I killed that boy, then do it, otherwise leave me the fuck alone.”
“You don't have to ask me twice,” Jer said, a smile crossing his face. The expression looked wrong on him—alien—as though his face wasn't meant to look pleased.
“We were just discussing that, Ruby,” Sean said, wiping a scant amount of blood from
“It's okay, Thomas,” Jer comforted. “Don't be scared. It'll be over soon. Try again, please. She's right there.”
Thomas didn't respond.
His hand went limp. His head lolled to the side. His empty eyes locked on mine. He was dead.
“Goddammit!” Sean yelled, punching the ground next to the body before turning to look at me. His expression was not a promising one.
“Finally!” Jer yelled. “We can end this, Sean...like old times.”
Run.
Sean leaned back and let out a cry so ungodly that it shook me to the core, making the hair on the back of my neck stand at attention. I prayed it wasn't a call to battle.
Run. Now.
He rose slowly, uncurling himself away from the body he'd just collapsed onto after his outburst. His eyes were black as night.
And they were all for me.
6
For fuck's sake, Ruby, RUN!
As Sean approached, my eyes betrayed my plan, shooting a glance towards the street and ultimately the TT. Jer was coming at me too, which did nothing to improve my situation. My legs twitched in preparation, and I wondered how far I would actually get before they brought me down and killed me. I wondered if Scarlet would take over in an attempt to survive and which one of the big men would be the one to ultimately do me in.
I hoped it was Jer. I couldn't stomach the alternative.
When they were only moments away from me, I turned quickly to flee and immediately regretted it. The swimming sensation took over and I struggled for balance with my first and only step. My escape was not only halted by my earlier concussion, but also by the blinding pain that shot through my head as the visions from a psycho overtook my own.
He stood on the river bank, looking through the surrounding trees. What he saw amused him greatly. The chaos fueled him.
A cacophony of voices drew his attention, summoning him with promise of violence. He tread carefully through the water, not wanting to disturb the scene as it unfolded, content to be an onlooker, rather than participant.
A new role.
He was careful not to get too close — more careful than ever before. They circled something, looking inward as two men in the center squared off. A break in the bodies showed the source of all the hostility. A woman, curled up in a ball with her back towards him, her white-blond curls spilling over the ground.
The shouting continued, begging him closer, but he didn't dare. The show wasn't worth the cost of admission — he knew that all too well.
He delicately retreated, unable to stay and withstand the urge to advance his position. As he made his way back through the water, fading into the trees, he whispered softly into the breeze, “Be careful the company you keep, Ruby. Those that play with matches tend to get burned.”
He was nearly out of sight when he uttered his final warning, “Choose your sides wisely. People are so rarely what they seem.”
He released me suddenly, just in time to roll ninety degrees out of the path of Jer's body. He crashed violently to the ground before Sean scooped him back up again, preparing for another blow. They didn't seem to notice that I was conscious.
“Stop!” I shouted, immediately regretting the volume of my voice. They froze in mid-fight, Sean holding Jer by the collar, his right arm drawn back to strike, and Jer with an arm extended to block the punch while attempting to unhook his shirt from Sean's grasp. “I'm sick of this! You want to kill me? Well then get in fucking line. If you really think I killed that boy, then do it, otherwise leave me the fuck alone.”
“You don't have to ask me twice,” Jer said, a smile crossing his face. The expression looked wrong on him—alien—as though his face wasn't meant to look pleased.
“We were just discussing that, Ruby,” Sean said, wiping a scant amount of blood from
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