by Sara Clancy
Benton dropped down onto a knee as the ball sailed over his head. He ran a hand through the tufts of his hair as he got back up. The shock had faded. Now he looked almost as enraged as Victor, if not as crazy. The catcher reeled in pain, Lam screamed about safety, and Zack protested that the batter had been crowding the plate. The next time Zack looked over to the stands, Benton followed his gaze and locked eyes with Victor. They stared at each other with barely matched rage, then, without a word, Benton turned back to Zack and lifted the bat again. Zack was given a final warning, but Nicole knew it was nothing compared to the unspoken promises Victor was making. Her heart clenched in time with the muscles of her legs. She inched forward.
“Don’t,” Danny whispered.
Nicole turned to find Danny watching Victor, her breathing unsteady and the first traces of actual fear seeping across her features. The ball was thrown. Benton swung. A solid crack cut the air as the ball streaked back to Zack in a blur. It drove into Zack’s stomach, forcing him to double over in pain, the air forced from his lungs. The ball bounded down the mound.
“Sorry,” Benton smiled as he twirled the bat around his hand. “I guess it got away from me.”
Zack snarled and charged for home plate. Coach was faster and within a second, had both by the back of their shirts.
“That’s it! Laps. Both of you!” She shoved them hard enough to get them moving. Still glaring at each other, they reluctantly obeyed. “And best break any plans you had for this afternoon. You’re both mine!”
As the boys began to trace the edges of the field, the rest of the class erupted in excitement and badly hushed whispers. Nicole didn’t hear a word of it. Her attention was focused on the now empty bleacher seat and the trails of blood that slowly seeped from it onto the grass below.
***
Jeans were not built for running laps.
After close to an hour, that point was painfully clear. Sweat dripped from his face and ran in very annoying rivets down his spine. His legs felt useless, but it was a welcomed change from working his shoulder. Coach had watched them like a hawk as Zack had lobbed in pitch after pitch. Apparently, their punishment wasn’t over until she was satisfied that they now knew how to ‘play nice.’ Benton had lost count of how many he had hit, but his shoulders felt like there were razorblades lodged within the joints. Zack didn’t seem to be doing any better.
“Is she still looking?” Zack panted as they lumbered along.
“Yeah.”
They had to run side by side, and their original contest to outpace each other was, in hindsight, a bad idea.
“This is your fault.”
Benton resisted the urge to trip him. “Mine? You were the one taking orders from the ghoul in the stands.”
“That ghoul happens to be my best friend,” Zack snapped before his voice softened. “And he didn’t always look like that.”
“So he was alive at one point?”
“How do people stop themselves from hitting you?”
Benton decided that silence was the best response. It also allowed him to catch his breath again.
“And it’s still your fault,” Zack said out of nowhere. “You just had to mess around with his girlfriend.”
He jolted. Idiot, the mocking voice in his head laughed. Of course, Nicole has a guy. The thought was out before the rest of his mind caught up, throwing out facts. Like that he wasn’t interested in Nicole. Also, he had in no way been ‘messing’ with her or anyone else.
He settled for snarling, “What the hell are you talking about?”
“He said you were messing with his girl.”
“Who is his girl?”
Zack looked almost bashful. “I don’t actually know.”
“Sorry?” he hissed.
“He hasn’t introduced us.”
“What did he say I did?”
Zack was suddenly paying a lot more attention to his feet.
“He didn’t actually–”
Benton latched onto Zack’s arm and yanked hard. He was shorter than Zack, but anger had a way of making people seem a lot bigger than their bones.
“You don’t know this girl, you don’t know me, your friend is obviously deranged, but you’re willing to give me a concussion over it?” he screamed into Zack’s face.
“You saw him, right?”
“Reanimated corpse. We covered that.” The words flew from his mouth as he steadfastly refused to hear Coach Lam behind him.
“Would you have said ‘no’ to him?”
“Yes!”
His body quaked with the amount of force he put behind the word, and he was sure he popped a blood vessel. But it was worth it. Anger pulsed through him, shaking him like unspent adrenaline as they forced themselves back into a trot.
“No, you wouldn’t have,” Zack muttered.
Benton fumed, but the need for air was more demanding than correcting him. The loaded silence remained between them as they rounded in front of the building. The further they went, the harder it was for Benton to hold on to his anger. It eroded under the tide of exhaustion, pain, and the nagging feeling that Zack had a point. Benton wasn’t exactly a stranger to letting fear trump his better nature.
“I’m sorry.” Zack said, keeping his voice so low that Benton almost missed it.
“Sorry,” he mumbled back. “How’s your stomach?”
“I feel like I got kicked by a horse.”
Benton grinned and Zack instantly whacked him.
“You just said sorry.”
“Yeah, but I used it in the regrettable sense, not the actually feeling repentant sense.”
“God, I want to hit you.”
“Alright, boys,” Coach Lam hollered from across the field. “What’s the lesson here?”
“Play nice,” they said in unison.
“And if you do this again, I’m going to be really mad. And I’m vindictive when I’m mad.”
They both knew the correct response and wasted their lungs on it. “Yes, ma’am!”
“Good. I’m going home. You guys can do the same, showers are still open.”
They staggered to a stop. Benton braced himself on his weak legs and just focused on sucking in deep breaths. Zack folded his arms behind his head and continued to pace in slow circles. His heart was still pounding when footsteps raced towards them. He wanted to ignore them, but survival instinct forced him to straighten up. It wasn’t exactly a surprise to see Nicole walking towards them, two bottles of water in her hands. A small smile tipped his lips.
Her smile dropped, her eyes flicking over his shoulder. Brow furrowing and still panting, he turned to see what she was looking at. Victor was right behind him. Before Benton could move, Victor’s fist smashed down against his jaw. Pain cracked out under his skin. His vision turned white. He staggered back, blinking wildly as rage boiled under his skin. Saliva flew from Victor’s mouth like a rabid animal as he pushed Zack aside and charged.
Benton ran to meet him and ducked just before they collided. His shoulder drove into Victor’s shoulder, hard enough to make him grunt. Grabbing his legs, Benton used the momentum to lift Victor off his feet and drop him onto his back. They hit the earth hard, not bothering to detangle themselves before they started to swing. Victor was taller than Benton and had a strength that his frail appearance didn’t give him credit for. Benton knew that he couldn’t let Victor throw him off.
Benton clenched his aching jaw as he took the pain of the blows. Victor swung savagely as Benton shifted his weight to try and keep him down. With his shoulder still driving his weight down upon Victor, Benton slammed his knee into Victor’s side. The taller man released a pained cry, his legs stilling the split second Benton needed to straddle. It was easier to pin him down like this, and it left Benton’s arms finally free to attack. He got in two decent punches before arms looped around his chest and pulled him off of a now raving lunatic. Victor thrashed, kicked out, trying to land a blow into Benton’s exposed chest.
Zack grabbed Vic
tor’s arms, trying to pull him back as he begged him to calm down. It didn’t change anything. Victor howled like a wounded beast, frothing at his mouth, lunging at Benton until his joints strained in Zack’s hold.
“You can’t have her!” Victor screamed. He gnashed his teeth hard enough to crack them, blood spurting out from his possibly broken nose. “She loves me!”
Benton threw himself forward, gaining a few inches before he was dragged back. “Touch me again and I will kill you!”
He lost sight of Victor as Nicole filled his vision. She placed her hands against his shoulders and crowded in until he couldn’t swing without the risk of hitting her.
“Benton,” she gasped. “Stop!”
“Let me go,” Benton shrieked.
More voices joined the static filling his head. The hands continued to shove and pull. Someone kept screaming his name into his ear.
“Get off of me!”
He tore himself free, spun around and shoved the person who had been holding him. His brain staggered to a stop the moment he felt the rough, unforgiving texture of a stab vest under his palms. He gaped up at a very angry Constable, the urge to fight fleeing on a huffed breath.
“Hi, mom,” Nicole said with a nervous little wave. “I can explain.”
Chapter 7
Benton flinched at each dab of the alcohol swab against his split lip. He tried to stifle the urge, but it burned and he had lost too much adrenaline not to notice. It was distracting, especially when he was trying to keep up with Constable Rider’s questions. Somewhere between Benton pushing a police officer and his mortification at realizing it, Victor had slipped off, leaving Benton to face the consequences alone. He quickly discovered that Rider would make a great poker player. He couldn’t get a read on her at all. Nicole blotted his lip again and he hissed.
“I’m a trained first aid administrator,” she defended.
“My pain receptors don’t care about your qualifications.”
She flushed as Zack chuckled.
“I’m good at this,” she snapped. “His body’s just weird.”
Zack snickered into his hand, but Rider managed to stifle her smile before it got too big. She placed a reassuring hand against the back of her daughter’s head. Nicole sulked into the touch as she cracked a single use ice pack, shook it to make sure the chemicals mixed, and handed it over to him. The chill grew and felt like heaven as he pressed it against his already swelling jaw. Victor had one hell of a left hook.
“So you have no idea why he would attack you?” Rider clarified.
“And hadn’t even seen him before last period,” Benton said.
“You’re sure? Not even around town? In the hallway?”
“I’m good with names and faces.”
Nicole tilted her head, “You didn’t remember she was my mom.”
“I didn’t make the connection,” Benton corrected. “There’s a difference.”
Her only response was to dab him again with the alcohol swipe.
“And you never met his girlfriend?”
“I already gave you the list of everyone I’ve talked to.”
Rider lifted her note pad and read off the list. It was short. Aside from the teachers that he had been forced into communicating with, there were only the two teens present, the twins, and a guy he asked to borrow a pen from. Rider cocked an eyebrow at him.
“A whole day and those were the only people you interacted with? Do you suffer from social anxiety?”
“No,” he said. “I just didn’t want any trouble.”
“How did that work out for you?” Zack smiled.
“Pretty good until a psychopath started putting hits out on me,” Benton shot back.
“What was that?” Rider asked.
“Nothing. That got resolved on its own.” Benton pulled his free hand through his hair, scratching at his scalp as he released a sigh. “Could this have something to do with Miss Williams?”
“No, I don’t believe so. There was very little connection between them.”
“What about the body in the barn?” Nicole said.
Less than twenty-four hours in town and he was already connected to two deaths. He groaned. Even scrubbing his scalp couldn’t bring a measure of comfort anymore. He buried his face against his hands as Nicole asked if they had found a name yet.
“Oliver Ackerman,” he muttered against the palm of his hands.
“Pardon?”
He sucked in a deep breath and lifted his head to make sure his voice was clear.
“His name was Oliver Ackerman.”
“How do you know that?” Rider asked.
The stern voice seeped through the fog in his head and he sat up straighter.
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I guess I heard it somewhere.”
Rider held his eyes even as she poised her pen over her note pad. “But you can’t remember where?”
All he could do was shake his head.
“Have you eaten?” Nicole asked abruptly, not so subtly trying to change the subject.
“I had that muffin you gave me.”
Zack perked up at that. “She gave you a muffin? Choc-mint?”
“What is everyone’s obsession with muffins?” Benton snapped.
“That’s how she gets everything she wants. She bribes people with baked goods.”
“I have never bribed anyone.”
Zack ignored her. “If she pulled out that recipe, she really wanted something from you.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, but it was just part of a welcome basket.”
“Wait,” Rider cut in. “Is that all you’ve had?”
“I forgot to grab my wallet this morning.”
“And gym clothes,” the officer noted.
“Yeah,” he sighed. “Is there any chance I can go soon?”
“We really should get him something to eat,” Nicole said.
Rider considered that for a moment and put her notepad away. “I’ll swing by Victor’s place and have a talk with him. If you have any more problems or if you see him, notify me immediately.”
“Sure,” Benton said as he slid off of the picnic table and handed the icepack back to Nicole.
“And I would like you to have a discussion with Aspen before you head home.”
He froze, watching the officer carefully, trying to judge if he had any wiggle room in this.
“I reek.”
“Oh,” Nicole chirped as she happily passed him a bag. “I got you these. I had to guess your size. I hope they’re okay.”
His brow furrowed as he looked into the plastic bag and found another tee-shirt and a pair of worn jeans.
“You didn’t have to,” he stammered.
“Truthfully, I got them at the thrift shop. The whole outfit cost me five bucks,” she said. “And I didn’t want you stinking up my car.”
Benton chuckled, his lips aching anew as they stretched. Still, it felt good to smile.
“Thanks.”
“Go have your shower and we’ll have Aspen around by the time you’re out,” Rider said.
It took everything he had to keep his back from hunching up.
“Nicole’s my ride,” he said quickly. “I’ve already held her up.”
His gut clenched when Nicole cut in, still using her overly happy voice.
“I’ve been meaning to mention. Trish just remembered that today is her anniversary so she needs me to cover her shift at the diner. Good news is that you’ll have time for the chat.” She held his gaze as she added, “Bad news is I won’t be able to get you home until after eight. Maybe even nine.”
With everything that had happened, Benton had completely forgotten what was waiting for him at home. The excuse for an out seemed like a lifeline, and he found himself floundering towards it instantly. He was once again blindsided with that warm, sweet, and all too alien feeling that he actually had someone looking out for him.
“Thanks.” He cleared his throat before looking away. “I’ll let the
m know I’ll be late.”
***
Nicole was taller than Trish and not quite as well endowed. It made the uniform sit a little awkwardly and, now halfway through her shift, she was more than a little tired of adjusting it. The twin braids of her hair swung as she bustled around the tables. Even as her feet began to throb, her step was light. She liked working at the diner. There were limited restaurant options in Fort Wayward, so each one was the perfect place to catch up with people you hadn’t seen in a bit. While everyone referred to it as a diner, the menu pretty much revolved around burgers, which made it a favorite for school kids and families.
The wall opposite the counter was devoted to windows and booths. A small dirt parking lot separated the diner from the highway. Normally, the nearby streetlight filled the area with enough of a glow that they had never put in an independent light source. A few days ago, probably in an act of boredom, someone had broken the light. It left the parking lot completely at the mercy of the night. The only time the parking lot was even visible from inside the restaurant was when a random passing car’s headlights flooded the area. For Nicole, it added a bit more excitement to the night. She never knew who was coming in next.
She had tried to keep track of the conversation happening in the booth closest to the door. It was the least popular of the tables, and so the owners didn’t mind Benton occupying it for the length of her shift. Benton wasn’t exactly shy about showing his annoyance at Aspen’s presence. They had spent an hour eating burgers, drinking milkshakes, and making polite but forced chitchat. Just when she thought they were going to finally get to something interesting, the evening rush had hit and she hadn’t been able to get into earshot again. By the time she had a second to look over, Benton only had his phone for company.
The rush had continued longer than expected and it was closing in on ten by the time the crowd thinned. She had just rung out Mr. Dodger, the last straggler keeping them from the closing clean-up, when the other waiter came to the counter. Rick was a year younger than her but had hit puberty early and was very proud of the chest hair he had grown. For reasons she couldn’t fathom, he seemed to think women were very impressed with his body hair and popped open a few extra buttons whenever the managers weren’t looking.