The Deep Prick

~Chapter 17~

 
 
 
 
     The pine trees on Bluff Mountain had snow reaching almost to the very bottom of the trunk of the pine. Time was almost up. The three sisters barely had any strength left. Caroline's eyes opened, fully immersed in the present moment. Suzy and Grace’s hands were about to slide apart. Their fingers slowly slid further and further away, as the sweat made their hands more slippery every second. They were seconds from falling. Seconds from falling from the love, which had tainted all their minds and hearts. But before their hands could separate; a hand pulled them up, a strong hand. Who was this mysterious helping hand? It was Thomas Hill. He was tall and lanky, with a youthful face that did not say he was twenty-five, but much younger. Young enough to see that he was still quite juvenile and in desperate need of love.

      The girls all made it up safely to land. They sat on the ground, hugging one another, not yet figuring out who their savior was. The girls held each other so tight, neither of the three sisters wanted to let go. They breathed hard. They then calmed their breathing to look up at Thomas.

     “Thomas?” Caroline said, almost unsure if it was him. Then she felt that burn in her eyes. She immediately covered Grace's eyes with her hand and Suzy so quickly covered Caroline's eyes with her hand. And if the three sisters were a rose, Grace was the scent; the secret pollen protected by Caroline, who was the beautiful petals; held up by the strong prickly stem that was Suzy... Suzy's thorns could prick you deep if necessary, but this did not mean vulnerability could not find its way to those thorns. “Wicked Game” undoubtedly took over the minds of all three girls; their minds so in sync.

     “What are you doing here?” Caroline asked Thomas, worried and with eyes closed and still covered by Suzy's hands.

    “I think you know the answer to that,” Thomas said.

     The moment felt like it was frozen in time, and no one knew what to do. Then a loud bang echoed like a giant cymbal in the sky. The pistol's trigger had been pulled by Thomas, shooting the bullet, that hit Suzy in the chest, making her collapse back to the ground. Both Caroline and Grace's clenched bodies held tightly to their tension and closed eyes, and then finally released all tension, as the loud sound died down. They opened their eyes, to see Suzy on the ground next to them, trying to breathe from the bullet that was so close to her heart; it was a surprise she hadn't stopped breathing instantly.

    “Suzy!?” Caroline yelled. She quickly tried to stop the bleeding with her hands.

    “Suzy!?” Grace cried out; her tears fell fast, just as fast as the bullet that was now lodged into Suzy’s chest.

    Suzy was attempting to breathe, but so very shallow. Caroline screamed at Thomas, “what did you do?!” She got up from Suzy and ran towards him with an animalistic fire in her eyes and blood on her hands. But that fire in her eyes did not sustain its strength as Thomas seemed to take it all for himself. He stopped Caroline from even touching him. Caroline stopped in front of Thomas and just stared there, under a serious spell-binding pull.

    Grace yelled, “no, Caroline!”  She too got up, about to pull Caroline away from Thomas' hold, but failed to do so, as Grace also looked into the intense green eyes of Thomas Hill. His eyes were the hooded kind. Where the almond shaped seemed to match perfectly to that of a wolf's; and he was ready to catch his prey. He reached both of his hands out and took Grace and Caroline's hands and walked away from Suzy, who was still struggling to breathe on the ground; nearly coughing up blood.

    Thomas, Caroline and Grace walked hand and hand, on a path back down the Bluff Mountain. When what seemed to subconsciously strike their minds, was the knowledge that the Ghost flower was minutes away from catching that frost; the frost that would make it wilt and die for another season; but they could do nothing. Suzy could do nothing. They were all trapped. Trapped in the spell that they may now never be rid of. But another loud echoing sound bounced off the trees on that tall mountain. Another bang, from a pulled trigger, which shot the bullet, out of the pistol, which was in the hands of Madeira.
     She was now beardless and beautiful, with long silver nearly chrome curly flowing hair down to her lower back and a soft face, which looked youthful and vibrant for her age. The bullet hit Thomas right in the back and through his back, right into his black heart. His heart stopped and so quickly did Caroline and Grace's heart for Thomas. Thomas fell to the ground, instantly. Caroline and Grace woke from their hypnosis like magic and looked at Madeira in amazement and with wide eyes. They then opened their eyes even wider and ran back to Suzy. Suzy was not moving a muscle on the ground, and she had a pale face that no amount of sun could turn warm.