Break Me // ONC 2022

CHAPTER EIGHT

The streets of Ruby Creek are dead quiet. It doesn't help that the fog has stuck around and it's billowing off the roads and rooftops like a smoldering fire. His car rumbles to life with the sounds of rock music pumping through the speakers. He's quiet as he checks his mirrors.

With a finger I draw a line over the frame of the door. There's a DeJa'Vu feeling sitting like a lump in my chest. Ignoring the sensation, I focus on him. His hands grip tight on the wheel causing his knuckles to pale, his eyes searching in every direction as we drive down the street.

"Shit."

His foot hits the brakes a little too fast and furious making the tires squeal in a painful eardrum shattering way. I pull my attention from his tight jawed face to the front of the car. Standing in the beaming headlights is one of them. Red eyes and all. As the car jerks to a stop, I place my hand on the dashboard, and stare out at the eyes watching me.

The female presses her hands hard on the hood with a thud. Her lips tug into a sinister grin, showing off pearly white fangs.

"Close your eyes."

My head snaps in his direction at the same time he looks at me. Crunching metal and grinding rings in my ear. I listen to him, close my eyes, and grip the spinel in my necklace tight. The engine revs and I can't help the cringe or the sob when flesh hits the car and bounces.

My shoulders tense and I tuck my chin into my chest. He picks up speed. Within seconds we stop again, this time he cuts the engine. Our heavy breathing falls in sync, as the sounds around us settle into an eerie quiet. My seatbelt clicks open, and I'm pulled into his grasp.

I'm trying to put on a brave face, but it's so hard right now. I'm not the heroine in a novel who starts her journey weak and then twenty pages in can kick a nightwalker's ass. I'm just me, Nore Mcguire, writing teacher at Ruby Creek High. I love cats, writing, and reading smutty romance novels, I'm not cut out for this shit.

A thud crashes against the car door, the window shatters, exploding glass falls inward. Jaime hovers over me, protecting me from the burst.

Someone - no something grabs hold of me. A manic scream bursts from my mouth. I try to fight it, holding onto Jaimie with everything I've got, but my fingers are slipping from my grip on his leather jacket.

"Use the necklace!" His voice is loud enough to carry over the deafening growls in my ear.

"How?"

"I'm sorry, I promise to fix it."

As my body tugs further away, he reaches over, grabs the cocoon surrounded gem and pulls the piece off. He doesn't let go of it but makes a motion as if he were stabbing it into their arm. A sound between a hiss and a pop makes me jump, but the grasp is loosened. Squeezing my eyes tight, I lunge at Jaime.

"Let's get inside."

He releases me, then rushes around the front of the car, maneuvering over crunched glass. I'm confused, where did the thing go? My arms sting with tiny cuts, as he helps me get out of the car. We step up to a small bungalow with a porch, and then into darkness. He slams the door shut behind us. His breathing heavy on the back of my neck. A light flips on revealing a large open mudroom. It's void of decoration, just plain simple and gray walls throughout.

In the light he gazes over my cuts, his thumb gently pushing at the skin to check for shards. His hands are in my hair, checking for glass at a frantic pace.

"Are you alright?" He asks, slipping the spinel back into my hand. Wrapping his hand around mine.

Lifting my chin, I meet his gaze. It's hard to pull away, but he does first, reaching for my hand and pulling me along with him. We pass through a kitchen which has a stairway to a basement. There's not much down here except his washer, dryer, and some packed boxes. The concrete floors and slab walls make it cold and dreary.