New Dawn

Chapter 8 | Cougar

The cicadas played their wings violently through the night, a near pulsating rhythm as the soles of his shoes made the grit crunch beneath them as he walked through the trailer park. Except, he did not walk. It was rather a frantic motion that almost turned into a jog as he hurried between coloured metal canisters, lonely motorcycles and withered flowers. The bonfire seemed larger than before, casting long and hungry shadows across the ground while the flames roared in their attempt to drown out the sound of the tasteless grunge that rung through the night. Most seemed to have retreated from the night's festivities, but a few dedicated souls still clung to the scent of grilled meat and the lather of frothy beer. Or perhaps it was the promise of whatever hid beneath short skirts that kept the old and rugged leather vests going. Raising a drink, Madeye declared a toast while he drooled over a blonde woman dressed in a short leopard dress. Owen could only imagine what he was toasting for.

Beneath fairy lights and a sparkling night sky the blue trailer lay wrapped in a veil of dust and darkness. Two short steps was all it took before he banged on the door and broke the sweetness of the fable. The screen of his phone lit up his face, tone after tone ringing without a destination. Inside of the trailer, something moved. A pair of dragging feet.

Shit, he thought the second before Bill Cox opened the door with dark circles painted beneath his eyes. Eyes that were slightly red, hair that was scruffy and a hint of alcohol on his breath. His pants were still unbuttoned and in the same movement as he opened the door he pulled a shirt over his head.

"Owen?", he said in a groggy voice, squinting his eyes at what little light reached him.

Owen continued to call, persistent to reach her, and asked her brother if he knew where she was.

Bill gave him a confused look. "I thought she was with you."

"If you see her, tell her to call me", he said and stormed down the metal stairs. He pressed the phone against his ear, the screen burning and clinging against his skin.

You have reached Audrey Cox. "Where the hell are you?"

He passed a yellow trailer before he walked past the foot of the long, wavering shadows of the bonfire. He moved past a fence: the cold squares turning pearlescent beneath the starlight, like drops of morning dew caught in a spider's web. The next thing he knew, he was pushed up against it by the hand of the spider, his clothes glued against the metal.

"I knew I smelt junkie kid around here", the dark and annoyingly smooth voice of Nero Cox taunted with a knavish smile.

The green, gleaming eyes was the only real resemblance between him and his half sister. His dark hair had been cut short, his face freshly shaved and his skin gently touched by the sun. A shot of cologne blended with the alcohol on his breath. For a man who had spent the last six months in prison, he looked more neat and tidy than most. It made Owen's fingers itch, longing for the impact by knuckles against skin.

He tried to push himself free, but was pinned beneath Nero's lower arm. A second hand gripped his and wrung the phone out off his grip.

Nero put the phone against his ear and listened to the voicemail that seemed to be stuck on repeat. "You still can't take a hint, can you?"

For a moment, they stood eye to eye, the air between them so tense that it seemed as if it would ignite by the mere gust of breath. Especially given the toxicity levels on the spider's breath.

Owen was the one to break the spell. He pushed Nero backwards, a work light from the garage casting a shadow across his face before he ended up in its spotlight. The black tee shirt was tight over the man's chest, sweat gleamed by his collarbone and a toothpick hung loosely between his lips. Nero moved forward, about to allow his fist to fly when a whirl of pink hair and blue silk stepped in between.

"Stay away from him, Nero", Audrey said and clenched her fists. Her hair had fallen out of place and her blue shirt was plastered against the small of her back. The night was searingly hot and the air felt as if it was sweating as much as anyone plagued by its humidity.

Nero grinned, grinding the toothpick between his teeth. "I missed you at my party, sis. But I guess you had more important things to do", he said and threw Owen a glance over her shoulder.

"There wouldn't have been much of a welcome home party if everyone knew what you did", she argued and took a step forward, her chin nearly impaled by the toothpick.

"There won't be much left of your boyfriend either if they find out that he's been bringing drugs into our camp. I mean, the club's really been slacking since I left, haven't they?", he said with a smug smile, the sweat on his forehead infused with a narcissistic luster.

"What are you talking about?", Audrey said, her back still facing Owen.

"Why don't you tell her, Kelly?"

He desperately wished that Audrey would step out of the way so that he could nail the bastard. "Where is it?"

"Where's what?", Nero said and chewed amusingly on the stick of wood in his mouth.

"You know what."

He rose both of his eyebrows, a wrinkle appearing between his eyes in an act of surprise. "Oh, you're talking about the half kilo of coke you smuggled into our camp?"

A strand of pink hair whipped Owen's nose as Audrey turned around. The heels of her boots dug into the ground, her left nostril raised with the silver piercing gleaming in the light from the garage.

"That's what was in your bag?", she said with disappointment in her voice.

A content smile danced over Nero's lips, a look of amusement in his eyes.

"I need to talk to you", he mumbled, his words meant for her ears only.

"We're talking right now", she said and crossed her arms.

"In private, I mean", he wheezed.

The heat was palpable against his skin, the night air pulsating around them. In a moment of silence, he had the time to think that it felt strange.

Audrey bit her nails, pulled a hand through her hair. "You're in trouble, aren't you?"

"I didn't mean to bring it here. Those drugs belongs to someone else, and if I don't deliver them tonight—", he grew quiet, his attention diverted over to the scene by the bonfire.

A laugh rung through the night, eyelashes fluttered and blonde hair was spun around a finger with a crimson nail. The leopard dress seemed even shorter than before. Red heels, as lustrous as the paint of the Mustang, flattered long legs. Greasy fingers slid up soft skin, and all she did was to giggle like a schoolgirl.

"Owen?", Audrey nearly shouted and shook his shoulder, calling for his attention.

He tore his gaze from the scene, his mother's laugh still ringing in his ears.

"Are you okey?", she said worriedly.

"A real cougar that one", Nero said and smiled unpleasantly, nodding towards the bonfire.

The toothpick cracked between his teeth. The sound made something revolt inside of Owen. His fists qluenched, the skin over his knuckles turning white. In a blur of dirty yellow light, pink hair and crackling flames he flung forward. His fist landed against Nero's jaw, the leftovers of the toothpick leaving his mouth together with a cascade of blood and saliva. He pushed him up against the fence and left little air to find its way down his lungs.

"Where is it?", he growled.

"Up your mother's—"

He punched him in the face."Where is it, Nero?"

"It's gone", he hissed and placed a cold hand around Owen's wrist. "That shit's worth over a hundred thousand dollars. Won't take long to find a buyer."

Owen squeezed his throat slightly harder, a blood vessel bursting in his right eye. Then, he let him go. Nero leaned against the fence, hunching over and gasping for air as he took a step back.

A pair of green eyes, dark eyeshadow smeared with sweat, met his as he turned around. He wanted to say something, but her expression told him everything he needed to know.

He left and headed towards the garage. The bike was his, after all.