Help From My Friends

Part 3

 When he heard the deep bass of music, Kevin knew he was at the creek. The car felt as if it were shaking underneath him. He pulled his car off to the side of the road before turning it off. They were hidden amongst the abyss of darkness.

A trail of smoke was rising in the air. The bonfire provided a faint glow through the trees. He could see a collection of his students dancing around the fire as they waved their beer cans in the air.

"Remember when I did this?" Ethan asked. His elbow was resting on the door and his chin sat in his hand. "They told you it was unrealistic."

"So why will it work when I do it?" Kevin asked.

"Because I had no sense of humanity to me," Ethan told him. "I was just a drunk who got behind the wheel and killed people. The audience will sympathize with you though. You're a man going after his dream."

"My dream?"

"To write a horror story that will be a classic," Alyssa reminded him.

His grip tightened on the wheel and the sweat was building up on his palms. His future would be full of book signings and interviews. Everyone would want to know where he got his inspiration and he would say it was a secret. No one would know he was the real killer behind the wheel, staring at a group of teenagers.

Cooper stumbled away from the campfire. He had his beer in his hand and his arm around a girl.

"Who is she?" Alyssa asked.

"Hailey Cunningham," Kevin said. "I taught her last year. Her mother called me one day screaming. She couldn't believe I was failing her."

"How dare you give my little girl an F?" Ethan said in a high pitched voice.

Kevin chuckled. He let go of the wheel and wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans.

"I passed her so she could graduate next year," he said. "I shouldn't have."

"This is a chance to kill two birds with one stone," Alyssa told him.

Cooper was struggling to keep Hailey on her feet. She giggled and grabbed the trunk of one of the trees. Cooper took a swig of his beer before throwing the can over his shoulder. He held his hand out and waved for Hailey to come closer.

"No!" Hailey yelled. "I don't need your help."

She let go of the tree and began stumbling forward. Cooper watched her as she staggered toward the road. Kevin grabbed his keys. He was ready to turn them at any moment.

Hailey's foot got caught on a rock and she fell down onto her hands and knees. She held her hands up to see her scratched palms.

"Hailey!" Cooper ran out onto the road. He reached down to help her out.

"Do it,' Ethan said. "Before you lose the chance."

Kevin turned the key in the ignition. The headlights flooded the road. Hailey and Cooper held their arms up to shield their eyes. Kevin slammed his foot on the pedal. He lurched forward in his seat.

Cooper's eyes grew big. He grabbed Hailey from under her arms and tried to pull her up. She struggled to get onto her feet. Cooper let go of her and took off running.

Kevin heard Hailey's body smash against the hood before the sound of her skull popping under the tire. Cooper was running as fast as he could. His drunk steps caused him to waiver. Kevin pushed his foot farther down on the gas and felt the car speed up.

Ethan was howling in the seat next to him. He clapped his hands as he threw back his head and laughed.

"Look at him!" he shouted. "Look how scared he looks."

Cooper kept his head looking over his shoulder to see the car gaining speed. He turned around and held his hands out in front of him.

"Mr. Boleyn!" he screamed.

Kevin drove into him. He grabbed onto the hood of the car and held on. His long dark hair was blown in front of his face.

""Get him off the car, Kev," Alyssa told him. "This is just a test. The audience will want to know whether or not you'll actually kill him. It causes tension."

Kevin jerked the wheel from side to side. Cooper screamed as his body slid further down the hood. He looked up at Kevin and shook his hair out of his face. The tears were rolling down his cheeks were reflecting the moonlight.

"Stop the car!" he screeched. "Stop!"

Kevin slammed his foot on the break and Cooper rolled off the hood. He felt the seatbelt tear into his collar bone. He couldn't see Cooper on the ground, so he pressed his foot on the gas and hoped he would hit him.

The car rocked and Cooper screamed. Kevin stopped the car once he felt his wheels back on the smooth pavement, and he looked in the rearview mirror. Cooper's body was crumpled on the ground. He wasn't moving. Kevin's lips curled into a smile. He put the car into reverse and ran over Cooper's body again.

He had flipped over and now he was lying on his stomach. A trail of intestines spilled out from his body. His limbs were twisted and his face was pressed against the pavement.

"That was better," Ethan said.

"You are definitely approving," Alyssa said. "Who's next?"

"Scarlet," Kevin said.

"Your ex-wife? Good choice," Ethan said. "Does she live close to here?"

"Yeah, only a couple of minutes," Kevin told him. "You just need to go down Haig Street and then take a left on Bethany -"

"Kev, don't give directions in a story," he cut him off. "It's banality. No one needs to hear it."

"Will she be awake?" Alyssa asked. "That's all we need to know."

"Yes," he said. "She's an insomniac. She rarely ever sleeps."