TITLE:FAYETTEVILLE
***********************************
***********************************
***********************************
***********************************
"It's not Derrick. It can't be Derrick."
"Natalie, you've been pushed away and hidden
for so long. Please, listen to me and get out
of there." Zach was desperate, and she could
hear it in his voice.
Derrick's presence was hovering in the open
door frame. He managed to creep the door
open without her noticing. It wasn't like most
front doors; it was quiet. And he used that to
his advantage. He stepped out onto the cold,
wooden front porch.
"Okay. I'm sorry, Zach . I'm leaving." Natalie
told him on the phone, not knowing Derrick
was standing right behind her. If only she
knew... she would never have to live with
what happened next. The wrong place, the
wrong time. It was one word. One name.
He snapped.
Derrick lunged forward, knocking Natalie off
the porch and onto the shivering blades of
grass and mud puddles.
Natalie's hair flung around her face, some of
the frosty red mud splashing on her now
rosy cheeks. She landed on her hands, letting
her phone rumble to the grass. Zach was still
on the phone listening to the struggle.
Derrick bucked his shoulders up, trying to
show his dominance over her. He hopped off
the porch and landed on his feet in front of
her. He pushed her foot out of his way with
a kick.
"You did that to Genni," she tried to gasp out.
Her lungs were struggling for air from the
impact of the ground. Her breath was long
gone.
"I didn't touch Genni."
"Shocking," she tried to snap as much as she
could. The fighter in her was loading up and
ready to launch. She bundled the grass in her
fist, and when her breath was finally back...
she didn't let go of the tension in her hands.
She ripped the grass up, roots and all, to try
to punch him. She was on the ground, but
close enough to go for his knees.
Derrick was too big. Too strong.
He grabbed her grass-filled fists and slung
her down on her back. He leaned down over
her.
"Help! He's going to kill me! Just like he did
Genni!" she yelled, praying Zach was
listening. The phone had dimmed, but the two
bars of signal was enough for Zach to hear
enough.
Derrick grabbed both of her cheeks with one
hand, covering her mouth from any cry for
help.
Derrick's anger was like a pot forgotten on a
glowing red stove. It was boiling to a new
temperature every minute. Sometimes, he
was able to turn the temperature down, but
not now... definitely not right now. His anger
was bubbling over the brim of the pot.
Blinding. Red. Sizzling. Powerful.
He couldn't see anymore. His brain was
spinning into darkness, with his strength
pressuring his "girlfriend" into the ground. At
this point, she was so helpless. Any move
she made he would counter it. There was
nothing she could do, but she was trying
everything.
Natalie was the noodle stuck in the boiling
pot. No way out. Not anymore. The pot was
boiling over, and you couldn't even see her
anymore.
In the distance, a buzz. A hum. A spinning
siren.
Blue lights dancing in circles with red ones.
Bouncing off the naked trees and pavement.
The lights were coming down and coming
fast, waking everyone on this back road in
Fayetteville.
She was crying and yelling at Derrick. But,
Sheriff Mullins was louder.
"Cool it, kid! Step away and put your hands
up. Now!"
