Read Online The Origin of Dracula by Irving Belateche - Free Book Online
Authors: Irving Belateche
Ads: Link
going to let Lee skate.
“The fucker had me by the throat!”
I shook my head. “He didn’t touch you.”
“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. He would’ve killed us all.”
“We’ve got to go the ranger station.” I knew that was the only option. “Tell the ranger what happened. Maybe the man is still alive.” If cell phones had existed, I would’ve called the police right then and there, and that would’ve been the end of it.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Lee stepped closer to me. “We’re not gonna blab to a ranger.”
I moved past him, dipped into the tent, and grabbed my backpack. I stuffed my empty food containers inside, then zipped it up.
Lee popped into the tent. “What are you doing?”
“Going to the ranger station, then calling my dad and going home.” I grabbed my sleeping bag, brushed past Lee, and emerged from the tent.
“Are you coming with me?” I asked Quincy.
Before Quincy could answer, Lee burst out of the tent and grabbed my arm. “You’re not gonna talk to the ranger.”
I shook him off and stared Quincy down. “Are you coming with me or not?” Lee couldn’t stop both of us. “Maybe the man made it to shore and they can help him,” I said, trying to convince myself that the man had survived—that there’d been no murder.
Lee smirked and wiped the sweat from his face. “Can you believe this guy?” He was addressing Quincy.
Quincy took a step toward Lee. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“Fuck you! I told you. He came after me.”
“Let’s see if we can help the guy,” I said.
Quincy glared at me. “News flash! We can’t! No way he survived!”
I headed toward the trail, but Lee lunged forward and grabbed my arm again. “You can go, but first we get our stories straight.”
I tried to shake him off again, but this time his grip was firm.
“If our stories are different,” he said, “it’s not gonna help any of us.”
“I’m not going to lie about this.”
“Neither am I,” Lee said.
“Great. Now get the fuck off of me.” I whipped my arm out of his grip and marched toward the trail. If he wanted to fight me, then that’s what he’d have to do.
“I’m telling them exactly what I saw,” Lee said. “ You pushed that guy over the edge.”
I whipped around.
Lee was grinning. “You did it accidentally. You two were horsing around, but still…”
I looked over at Quincy for support. His mouth was agape—he, like me, couldn’t believe Lee would stoop so low. “Lee—this is real,” Quincy said. His tone had shifted—upset, not angry. “This isn’t like the trouble you usually get into.”
Lee didn’t even look at Quincy. He stared at me. “That’s why we’re sticking together. You got that?”
I got it all right. If I wasn’t willing to cover this up, he was going to pin the murder on me. And if I told the truth, it’d be his word against mine. Except there was Quincy’s word, too. His word would tip the balance.
“Quincy, you’ll tell them what really happened, right?” I said.
Quincy shifted uneasily. Then his body sagged as if the weight of the world had been dropped on his shoulders.
“Quincy doesn’t know what happened,” Lee said, “because he didn’t see anything. Right, Quincy?”
“Why the fuck did you do it in the first place?” Quincy shot back.
“I told you—the weird motherfucker attacked me!”
Quincy needed to stand up to Lee now more than ever, but he was more panicked than aggressive, which wasn’t going to help.
“I’m not going to cover it up,” I said, hoping this would give Quincy the courage to stand up to Lee—and head with me to the ranger station.
Lee reached out and thumped me hard in the chest. “It’s not up to you, buddy.”
I didn’t say a word, but I glared at him and stood my ground, which made him angrier than he already was.
“We could say it was an accident,” Quincy said. “That we saw the guy fall off the cliff. That
“The fucker had me by the throat!”
I shook my head. “He didn’t touch you.”
“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. He would’ve killed us all.”
“We’ve got to go the ranger station.” I knew that was the only option. “Tell the ranger what happened. Maybe the man is still alive.” If cell phones had existed, I would’ve called the police right then and there, and that would’ve been the end of it.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Lee stepped closer to me. “We’re not gonna blab to a ranger.”
I moved past him, dipped into the tent, and grabbed my backpack. I stuffed my empty food containers inside, then zipped it up.
Lee popped into the tent. “What are you doing?”
“Going to the ranger station, then calling my dad and going home.” I grabbed my sleeping bag, brushed past Lee, and emerged from the tent.
“Are you coming with me?” I asked Quincy.
Before Quincy could answer, Lee burst out of the tent and grabbed my arm. “You’re not gonna talk to the ranger.”
I shook him off and stared Quincy down. “Are you coming with me or not?” Lee couldn’t stop both of us. “Maybe the man made it to shore and they can help him,” I said, trying to convince myself that the man had survived—that there’d been no murder.
Lee smirked and wiped the sweat from his face. “Can you believe this guy?” He was addressing Quincy.
Quincy took a step toward Lee. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“Fuck you! I told you. He came after me.”
“Let’s see if we can help the guy,” I said.
Quincy glared at me. “News flash! We can’t! No way he survived!”
I headed toward the trail, but Lee lunged forward and grabbed my arm again. “You can go, but first we get our stories straight.”
I tried to shake him off again, but this time his grip was firm.
“If our stories are different,” he said, “it’s not gonna help any of us.”
“I’m not going to lie about this.”
“Neither am I,” Lee said.
“Great. Now get the fuck off of me.” I whipped my arm out of his grip and marched toward the trail. If he wanted to fight me, then that’s what he’d have to do.
“I’m telling them exactly what I saw,” Lee said. “ You pushed that guy over the edge.”
I whipped around.
Lee was grinning. “You did it accidentally. You two were horsing around, but still…”
I looked over at Quincy for support. His mouth was agape—he, like me, couldn’t believe Lee would stoop so low. “Lee—this is real,” Quincy said. His tone had shifted—upset, not angry. “This isn’t like the trouble you usually get into.”
Lee didn’t even look at Quincy. He stared at me. “That’s why we’re sticking together. You got that?”
I got it all right. If I wasn’t willing to cover this up, he was going to pin the murder on me. And if I told the truth, it’d be his word against mine. Except there was Quincy’s word, too. His word would tip the balance.
“Quincy, you’ll tell them what really happened, right?” I said.
Quincy shifted uneasily. Then his body sagged as if the weight of the world had been dropped on his shoulders.
“Quincy doesn’t know what happened,” Lee said, “because he didn’t see anything. Right, Quincy?”
“Why the fuck did you do it in the first place?” Quincy shot back.
“I told you—the weird motherfucker attacked me!”
Quincy needed to stand up to Lee now more than ever, but he was more panicked than aggressive, which wasn’t going to help.
“I’m not going to cover it up,” I said, hoping this would give Quincy the courage to stand up to Lee—and head with me to the ranger station.
Lee reached out and thumped me hard in the chest. “It’s not up to you, buddy.”
I didn’t say a word, but I glared at him and stood my ground, which made him angrier than he already was.
“We could say it was an accident,” Quincy said. “That we saw the guy fall off the cliff. That
Similar Books
