Decayed

by Jessica Sutherland

  Decayed

  J.N. Sutherland

  Copyright2011 by J.N. Sutherland

  Smashwords Edition

  ISBN: 978-1-4660-4672-6

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Original photograph for cover art by Payal Patel

  Photoshopped cover art created by J.N. Sutherland

  and so the Vampire story between Cain and Abel begins...

  One

  Confetti streamed across various purple tables , landing in a few red plastic cups. Girls in sparkling dresses and overlarge earrings danced across the floor, their eyes glittering with excitement as they pointed out their dates to each other. Lady Gaga blasted across the rented complex, and a few kids were standing closer to the stage dancing.

  "May I have your attention, please!" Principal Cleghorn stood at the stage, his suit of black and silver mixing in with the glimmering balloons that stood around him. "Now we will begin the coronation for Mr. and Mrs. 2012!"

  Everyone stopped and turned to face the stage, except rag tag groups of stragglers, nerds, and antisocials that stood in the back and watched with rolling eyes. A line of beautiful girls and boys from the Senior Class of 2012 lined up on stage behind the principal. I lined up with them, beaming from behind the giant rose bushes that lined the stage.

  This was my night, I could feel it. I brushed my perfect, platinum hair back...more out of anticipation than anxiety. The lights from the cieling sort of blinded me, but I could still make out some of the excited faces closer to the stage. My friends-- Chloe, Amy, Sarah, and Raechal grinned stupidly up at me, giving me a thumbs up.

  "The third runner up is.... Sylvia Owens!"

  A small, pretty girl with a constant sneer on her face sasheyed to the secretary and recieved her small bouquet of purple and gold flowers.

  Next was Brian, a studious but popular boy. They stood beside each other, holding their prizes and grinning sheepishly out at the spotlight and quiet applause. The next two people to step up were Sarah Bakersfield and Justin Haven, who both wore crimson and white. They shared an awkward stare down with Sylvia before taking their places on the far right side of the stage.

  I had waited for weeks for this moment, and suddenly the fear dawned on me that I might not get prom queen. Admittedly, I had come to a realization that it wasn't the most important thing in my life. However, I was still a vain, superficial teenager, so what the hell? You didn't get another chance to be prom queen. I gripped my perfect blue dress in my hands, feeling my throat close with nervousness.

  "Prom King for the Fultdon Valley Senior Class of 2012 is, Cole Ryans!"

  Cole beamed, moving smoothly across the stage to where the shorter principal stood, shaking his hand, and recieving the crown. I shuddered with desire as he turned to grin at me, his blue eyes beaming and contrasting perfectly with his dark complexion. The football player waved at his friends, who made whooping noises and cheered goofily. I was now twisting the tulle of my Cinderella dress impatiently.

  "And Prom Queen for the Graduating Class of 2012 is...." the principal waited with a ridiculous grin on his face, proving he could irritate people's nerves as good as Anderson Cooper. "Georganna Blake!"

  I felt my mouth dry as I watched my friends squeal their approval, clapping their hands happily. I smiled, beaming, and strode forward with all the confidence in the world. My eyes were blinded by the sudden flash photography whirling around me, capturing my big moment. Palms sweaty, my heart still shaking, I let out one funny-sounding laugh.

  "Yay," I called out, quirkiness taking over as the stage fright began taking over. Cole chuckled, his eyes twinkling down at me, or I should say, my cleavage. I felt irked, as I thought about our nights in his car, but pushed them aside. This was my night, and no one was going to take that away from me.

  The lights dimmed and one spotlight appeared at the center of the dance floor. I took a deep breath and followed Cole down the narrow steps to the hole of light piercing the room. Everyone that mattered squeezed into a tight ring around us and watched, while camera-men circled the spotlight greedily snapping photographs. I rested my hands around Cole's broad shoulders, remembering the sensation of his naked torso against mine, and grimaced. He seemed to think otherwise about me, as he slid his hands suggestively down my back. The girls that hated me and my friends glared at us, their arms crossed and their heads cocked. Tabitha Fields watched as her former boyfriend swayed against me, showing her just how comfortable he was with another girl. My head swam, and I felt a mixture of shame and excitement. This is what high school was about. The drama and suspense, the popularity and crazy gossip wars. I thrived in it. But Cole's attentions seemed to thwart my happiness on a deeper level. Memories of my mother sleeping around with friends at work while my dad suffered through heart disease flickered through me. I had never wanted to be like her, but it seems that I was headed in that direction after all.

  I smiled a fake smile at everyone, moving my hips perversely against Cole's grip. Cole's friends guffawed, and the one with a top hat laughed so hard it fell off his head. Everyone seemed to think that tonight, I would be putting out for Cole. Heck, considering I all ready had-- I most likely would. It wasn't such a bad thing, after all. We had all ready had a pregnancy scare once, and that had been alleviated quickly. I now had birth control, and I'm sure he had condoms, so why not? It wasn't like I didn't find him attractive, and it was fun.

  I blinked back my doubts and grinned nastily at Tabitha and her friend Candice. Yes, tonight Cole and I were going to have fun.

  "Hey there, found yourself a raccoon to wear to prom?" I sneered down at a small, shy girl from my class. Her eyes darted wearily from me to Chloe and Cole, and back again.

  "I don't know what you mean, why don't you go on and leave me alone."

  I smiled, her shyness and awkward retort was amusing. I calmly ignored the part of me that wanted to leave her alone. "Sorry. Did your mother let you come with a boy? Can you go to a party after prom?"

  Bethany lowered her dark-lined eyes and tried not to make eye contact. She was so afraid of people. "No, I-I rode with my dad."

  Cole's face turned red as he covered his mouth, and Chloe opened her mouth in a smile of surprise. "Oh, well maybe he'll let you come to our party. You can if you want to."

  Bethany swallowed, glaring at us with angry awareness. "No, thank you. Nice chatting, I- I have to find someone."

  "Have fun, witch," Cole said through a hearty chuckle.

  "Oh," Sarah approached us with some drinks. "You three are so mean."

  "Not like you tried to stop us," Cole grinned through the cup she had given him. "I'm bored all ready. Let's go eat while we still have time."

  "Ugh," Chloe rolled her eyes at her twin, "can you not go one hour without stuffing your face? Pig."

  "Awwww," Cole grasped Chloe's bare, glitter-dusted shoulder. "Calling names now? I'll remember that, dork!"

  I laughed, noticed something large and green, and stepped up to Cole's side. "Hey, Tabitha! Having fun?"

  Tabitha's brown eyes pierced me devishly and she curled her lip. "It's awesome, you know they did a better job than I thought they would."

  "Eh," I frowned. "I don't think the colors are good. Gold would have been nicer, don't you think so, Cole?"

  Cole smiled, nodding.

  Tabitha narrowed her eyes. "Well, whatever. We're going to the Waffle House and Bethany wante
d to know if you're coming."

  "Ahem," Cole cleared his throat. "Honestly, I doubt it. Not really interested in hanging out with a bunch of retards tonight."

  "No," Tabitha said smiling, her neck straightened, "you're too busy hanging out with whores."

  I placed my cup down, "You wanna start something, bitch?"

  Tabitha exhaled sharply, put her hands up flatly in the air. "You know what? No, actually not. I'm going back to my friends, let's just forget this happened."

  "Why? Because you're too much of a cheap skank to fight by yourself?" Chloe snapped.

  Tabitha growled, her brown hair becoming a bit erratic the more she shook her head. "I have nothing to say to you, you cheating loser."

  "Stop name-calling," Derrick Hughe called from a nearby table. The new, young math teacher sat with his narrow legs crossed. A purple tie stood out against his pearly white suit.

  "Um, this is none of your business," Chloe snapped.

  Mr. Hughe's gray eyes sparkled. "It is if you want to stay in prom," he warned.

  I sniffed and smiled at him. "Sorry, sir. We were leaving anyway."

  "Then goodnight," Mr. Hughe replied, his face never losing its bitchiness.

  "That stupid bastard is a pain!" Chloe whined in a nasal voice. She and Cole lead me to Cole's car.

  "So what's the plan?" I asked.

  "Well, I told Keith where we're going. He's too busy flirting with Samantha to care where I go."

  "Wait, he's your date--don't you care?"

  Chloe whined. "He's not that good in bed, and I like Keven. He's got a nice voice when he sings."

  I rolled my eyes, "Great for you and Keven. Except Keven's with Carter."

  Chloe laughed, "Not for long. I sent him a text last night, and he wants to come to my house this weekend while Carter's at her Deca trip. I can't wait!"

  I groaned a little inside, but chattered, "Oooh, that'll be fun. But you are such a whore."

  "From what I've heard from Carter, he is packing. Oh my goodness, did you know she made him do it in the bathroom at the mall?"

  I giggled, "No way!"

  Cole shook his head, tearing his eyes away from the road to look at us, "That's gross!"

  I chuckled, readjusting my sparkly dress, and laughed in a mocking tone. "I know, right?"

  As Cole pulled onto the forest road, we began to gossip about everyone's issues, entertained at their stupidity and craziness, and forgetting our own. Chloe indulged her plan to get into Keven's pants Saturday, and I shared awkward glanced with Cole. I swallowed, feeling myself grow familiarly aroused as his hand on my knee traveled upward to rest at the inside of my upper thigh. No wasting time for the quarterback.

  "What's that?" Chloe pointed ahead of us.

  A piece of metal glimmered in the headlights.

  "A car, what else?" Cole replied tersely.

  Chloe fell back into her rant about Keven's music ability, and I concentrated on not having an orgasm at Cole's touch. We never expected the sudden crashing sound as metal broke against metal, and glass busted around our heads. I screamed in horror as Cole's face collided with the glass, and his nose was slashed open. Chloe's screams died as she was thrown up against the roof, and her limp body came crashing down. I gasped, choking on my own blood, as the airbags smothered me and held me in place as the seatbelt dug into my waist.

  "Ohhhh my goooood," I moaned, warm tears streaming down my bloodied face as our car came to a halt. "HEEEEEEEELP!"

  I wailed against the airbag, sobbing hysterically against the numbness that tore through my body. The sounds of Cole choking to death on his own blood revurburated through the car.

  The crunching sound of metal being ripped resounded, and I called out desperately for help. There was no response, except for the sound of the car being torn apart. I shuddered as a hand landed on my head, pulling me away from the airbag.

  "Nnnnnnn," a deep voice groaned over me. I spat blood, whispering, "please, help us."

  The figure chuckled, running their hand through my perfect hair.

  More hands accompanied the figure, and I found myself being unattached to the car, my dress being torn away and left in the burning remains of the destroyed Kia.

  "Chloe! Help Chloe!" I wailed, as they dragged my half-naked body away from the wreckage. Cole was pulled out of the car by a large figure, and draped over their shoulders. I listened to his struggling chokes in terror. "Help him! Call 911! Please do something, please!"

  "Shut up, whore," I felt a cold sting slap across my face.

  I gaped, puzzled and overcome with fear. "LET ME GO!"

  I cried out as the man gave me another thrashing, hurling me to the road.

  "You pathetic human, I should drink you here."

  "Stop," the figure with Cole interrupted. "She's needed for the Judge. Adelbrecht won't be happy that you're slaughering his young females."

  I snarled. The men holding Cole and I in the middle of the road were dressed well, with nice suits and Rolex watches. Wasn't this supposed to happen to sour goth kids or something?

  "Let us go," I said through clench teeth, "please!"

  "Silence her," the man carrying Cole ordered.

  I struggled against the cold asphalt as my attacker held me down. I widened my eyes as he reached into his pocket, expecting to see duct tape or a rope. Maybe he would use my necklace--it was certaintly thick enough to gag someone.

  He pulled out a small clear box, and I narrowed my eyes. "What is that?" I asked, and felt my blood turn cold as he chuckled. "WHAT IS IT?" My voice was shrill, panicking.

  I lifted my legs and thrashed at him, landing a punch in his nose. He laughed, "Oh, you're cute."

  I shifted and turned, trying to crawl away and shrieking into the dark woods before me. "Nooo!" I moaned, turning against my will to face him. "NOOO!"

  He slapped me again, and I wailed, watching the man with Cole walk to another car parked behind the one they had wrecked.

  "COLE!" I screamed, "COLE!"

  He held me down with his arm against my throat and I screamed in manic terror against him. He clamped my mouth shut and began to poke my bottom lip with a sharp needle. I whimpered in terror, tears blinding me and snot clogging my throat, as he slowly drug a strand of plastic thread through my lips, binding them together.

  "Mmmmmmmm," I cried through his fingers, dirty and covered in oil, as they worked their ministrations.

  His dark eyes were gleeful as he finally tied the knot, and admired his bloody handiwork. I couldn't open my lips, not even a little, and the thread holding them shut hurt like hell. I bled down my chin, crying and gagging through the sheer agony and terror of it all.

  "Oh, don't worry," he said. "It'll be over soon enough."

  I wept as he slung me over his lean shoulder, and watched my blood drip all over his tan suit. I was thrown into the back of the car, a luxury vehicle from the feel of the leather. The two men turned on the radio to a channel that played classical music, and listened to Beethoven as we slid from the forest corridor.

  The car sped through lights, humming alongside other cars. I wondered if anyone had found Cole's destroyed car, and Chloe's dead body. I wondered if they would think we had abandoned her. I cried through my pain, trying to cover my blood-caked chest and thighs with my thin arms. My skin, which had once been sun-soaked and glowing, was now pale and miserable looking. I cried, the thread tearing at my lips, and thought of my family. Would I die without making amends? I know my mother had loved me, despite being a drunk, but I suddenly felt devastated that I would never get to hear her say it. My dad, all ready dead, would be greeting me on the other side. Perhaps I would finally get to tell him I was sorry about not being there for his last Father's Day. I wept, tugging at the tight pressure of my bra around my shoulder blades. The blood caked there was layered by more veils of slick blood, tears, and snot. I moaned against Cole's body, sobbing into his beautiful jacket as his body tensed in shock. His nose was gone. I couldn't look up to where his hands
ome face once beamed. It was now swallowed by mangled flesh, bare bone, and a sea of blood.

  "Just sit tight, sweetheart!" the driver said through the music. "We'll be at Daddy's soon enough."

  I tensed, closing my eyes and whimpering in irritation as my fake eyelashes started to come lose. The soft bristles were falling awkwardly with my running eyeliner, jabbing my eyes. I choked on saliva and fluids, and beat against the tinted windows of the car.

  "I love watching this," the one infront of me chuckled. He lit a cigarette and lowered the window. "Go on, girly, scream at the world!"

  I wailed. I felt my lungs grow weak as I screamed in agony out the window, and was heard by no one in the nearly empty traffic between Fultdon and Hamburg. The two monsters laughed, and rolled the window back up. I beat at it with my broken hands, forcing a shrill sound from the depths of my throat to once again pierce the tight folds of my lips. Smoke began to fill the space, and I choked. The harsh cigarette was strong, and reminded me of my uncle's cigarettes. Weakly, I hid my face in the seat, breathing in the smell of oil, smoke, blood, and dying flesh. My stomach dropped as the car came to a slower speed, and a cell phone rang. The tune was a violin playing a sad, but powerful melody. The driver answered tersely,

  "Hey, yeah. We got two lovebirds from the dance. Should be fun. See ya."

  I watched him put the phone back into his jacket. I needed that phone. I wondered if I could somehow distract him enough to obtain it. I could send a text to someone...My thoughts were shattered when we came to an abrupt stop. We pulled into the driveway of a very nice house. It was situated in a small, rural neightbourhood. A water fountain was illuminated by a group of small solar lights. The car's headlights were never turned on, so I couldn't see anything that the moon or small lights didn't show. I could make out small trees and plants, a swing set, and some random toys. Garden equipment was strewn across the front of the house, and several angels, rabbits, and gnomes peeked at me from the porch. The white sheet of metal covering the garage lifted, and the car pulled into the shelved space. I quivered, struggling as the passenger guy pulled me out. The driver tugged Cole out unmercifully. I whined as I was led into the kitchen through a screen door, into a room that was partially painted peach and white. A litter box sat in the small laundry room next to the door, filling my nostrils with stink. I blinked through inky tears, my eyeballs still being scratched painfully. I was led past a modest kitchen and into the living room.