Anguish Unfolds

by A E Faulkner

  Before he can finish the thought, we’re both knocked to the ground. As we fall the knife sears along my cheek, a burning sensation trailing its wake. The moment I land, a hand shoves me away. Instinctively, I tuck my head toward my chest as I roll.

  As spots burst before my eyes I squint to focus on the unfolding scene. Jim and Dylan wrestle in a tangle of limbs, their grunts and profanity renting the air. Jim must have tackled Dylan while he was distracted. Blinking rapidly in an attempt to tame the stars shooting across my vision, I raise a hand to my right cheek.

  Dan and the guy named Hunter are arguing, throwing their arms around. Their sounds are just vicious snarls. I can’t make out the words. My head must have hit the floor harder than I thought.

  Refocusing on Dylan and Jim, I see the other guy—Alex—trying to break up the fight. He takes more hits than he stops, but he stays at it. The guys are all practically on top of each other sandwiched between the sofa and dinette. I slink into the hallway, willing my body as far away from the ruckus as possible.

  Among the fading bursts in my vision, a glint catches my eye. Locating the source, time slows as I see Jim grasp the knife that my blood still clings to.

  I’m paralyzed with fear and fury. My watery eyes catch Jim’s for a split second and I recognize his determination. He shoved me away and now he has to stop Dylan.

  The scene pauses when Jim raises the knife behind his head. With the little bit of space left open from Jim’s retreating arm, Alex attempts to wedge himself between the brawling bodies like a roadblock. He closes his eyes and inhales a deep breath in a silent victory. In that moment of eerie stillness Jim plunges the knife into unsuspecting flesh.

  Chapter 16

  Tears erupt from my eyes as the scene unfolds around me. Jim bounces up on his feet and wipes his mouth as he waits for the others to react. Dan and Hunter stand in stunned silence for a few beats.

  Dylan reaches around Alex’s quivering body, wrapping his hand around the hilt of the knife protruding from his brother’s abdomen. In one smooth movement, he eases out from under Alex and gently rests his head on the floor.

  “What did you do!” Dylan booms. He alternates between fury and concern. “Alex, can you hear me, man?” Alex watches Dylan, but his response is a choked gurgle. His eyes convey a hopeless panic, as if he’s a fish flopping in the desert in search of nonexistent water.

  Hunter rushes over to Alex’s other side, silently conveying his concern to Dylan. As they turn to Jim, he thrusts an accusatory finger at them.

  “Get out. Now!” he commands. “You should have left the first time I told you to.”

  While Hunter tends to Alex, Dylan jumps to his feet, taking a step toward Jim. “And what the hell are we supposed to do? You killed him. You see that? There’s nowhere to get help out here. You killed him.”

  “I did what you were gonna do to us,” Jim says with an eerie calm. “That knife was meant for you! It’s not my fault he got in the damn way.”

  A gasp of pain pulls all of our attention to the floor. Hunter sits on his haunches over Alex. He holds the knife in his hand as Alex clamps a fist to the space previously occupied by the blade.

  Dylan strides two steps over to them. “What the hell are you doing? You never remove a knife. Now he’s gonna bleed even more!”

  As the two argue over what to do, I see Jim motioning to Dan. Whatever Jim wants, Dan does not want any part of. He vigorously shakes his head in disagreement. Dylan continues to berate Hunter as Alex turns on his side, hunching his back as if he can will the slice on his stomach back together.

  Dan must sense the rage radiating from Jim because he finally gives a defeated nod and turns his attention to the intruders. In one swift move, Dan rushes Hunter, swiping the knife out of his hand. Without missing a beat, he charges toward Jim, stopping short next to his brother.

  My well of tears dries and the scene comes into sharper focus. I scramble in a backwards crab walk until I bump into the wall. Using it for support, I rise. I just want to disappear into the background.

  The movement catches Jim’s attention. “Riley, go wash up. You’re bleeding all over the place.” Raising a shaky hand to my cheek, my fingers land on viscous goo. Throwing Jim a quick nod, I’m relieved to be dismissed. I sway toward the bathroom on shaky legs.

  With one last look before I escape the overwhelming tension, I catch Alex’s eyes. My heart swells with sorrow. I’ve never seen life drain from someone but certainty sweeps over me. He’s not going to recover from this injury. Alex’s life force slithers further out of reach with each stream of blood flowing to the carpet.

  Chapter 17

  Shuddering, I rush to the bathroom. My trembling hands claw at the door. I rush inside, turn the lock and lean up against the flimsy barrier protecting me. After a moment, I swipe the closest towel. White, of course. Sorry, Steve and Jamie.

  Leaning over the tiny sink, I turn the water on full blast. It does little to drown out the escalating voices a dozen feet away. I nearly jump out of my skin with every thud and thump.

  Running the cloth under cold water, I dampen it and gently dab the gash, trying to clean it without inciting more blood. In a valiant distraction attempt, I inventory all the times I’ve done this sort of thing for Quinn. I’m not used to turning a healing hand on myself.

  I was always the cautious one and Quinn made up for that tenfold. Whether she was getting her foot stuck in a bike or shoving a Barbie doll shoe up her nose, I was usually playing with her at the time, and thus the first one to act as a medic. A lopsided grin spreads across my face as my mind flashes through some of her most creative injuries.

  After gently washing away the dried blood and wringing out the hand towel that’s now spotted with pink stains, I prepare to investigate the sudden silence on the other side of the door. I don’t even realize I’m wringing my hands until I have to separate them to unlock the door and turn the knob.

  Quietly, I open the door a crack and peer into the living room. Dylan, Hunter, and Alex are gone. The only remnants of their presence are the deep red blotches marring the carpet. Steve and Jamie aren’t going to appreciate that.

  Dan and Jim speak in hushed tones as they attempt to cover the stains with blankets. They stop in their tracks when I emerge from the bathroom.

  “Riley, you okay?” Dan asks, turning toward me.

  Jim drops the blanket he’s holding and takes slow, careful steps toward me as if I’m a cornered animal about to bolt.

  My eyes volley back and forth between the guys as I try to steady my breathing. “A…are they gone? Are those guys gone now?” I look to the door and release a breath of relief when I see the lock latched.

  “Riley, it’s okay. It’s all over now.” A fresh trickle of blood rolls down my cheek. Without a word, I rush back to the bathroom. With a shaking hand, I press the towel against my check to stanch the blood. I pick through the tiny medicine cabinet but nothing useful sits on the narrow shelves. If I needed shaving cream, toothpaste, or eye drops, this would be a jackpot. Do Steve and Jamie not believe in first aid supplies?

  “Hey!” Jim’s voice outside the paper-thin door startles me. “You doing okay in there?”

  “Yeah, I’m okay. Just cleaning up my face...again,” I say dejectedly.

  “Well as soon as you’re done, we’re gonna hightail it outta here. Now that this thing’s running, we might as well get back on the road,” he says through the door. A fresh wave of panic courses through every cell in my body.

  No! We can’t go. I’ll never make it all the way back to the campground from Virginia. Maybe I can still get away if we stay here one more night. In a panic, I throw the door open, using my hysteria to my advantage for a change.

  “No, please! I can’t go anywhere!” I cry in a heaping mess of words. Shocked, Jim takes a step back. It’s my cue to continue.

  “Jim, please, let’s just stay here one more night. I…I just…it’s too much. Too much has happened, and I want to…just not think
about going somewhere new right now,” I allow my panic to overflow and await his response. The outburst draws Dan’s attention and I feel his eyes watching me.

  Jim scratches his head, shifting his attention back and forth between me and Dan. Tilting his head back and releasing a huff of breath, he exclaims a hearty, “Fine! But come morning, we’re outta here.”

  I allow myself one deep breath. Somehow this small win is soothing. It’s a small battle, but I won it! I swallow the smirk, attempting to declare my victory while Jim storms to the front of the RV. Dan narrows his eyes, silently questioning me. Maybe he can tell I was overreacting a bit. Maybe he knows that I’m trying to stall this trip in its tracks. He gives me a slight nod and opens his mouth to speak just as Jim calls for him.

  “Dan, come here. We’re gonna have to take turns keeping watch. In case those rats try to come back.”

  With one last glance, Dan closes his mouth and turns toward his brother. “Coming.”

  Chapter 18

  While the guys discuss next steps, I return to the bathroom and finally convince my cheek to stop oozing. I take advantage of the toothpaste in the medicine cabinet and use my finger as a makeshift toothbrush.

  With nothing else to do, I open the bathroom door. Jim and Dan stand in the cramped living room as if they were waiting for me. Jim’s tone and expression have softened.

  “How’s that cheek?” he asks.

  “It’s okay. It finally stopped bleeding at least,” I answer honestly. I think what hurt more was the act of it. The fact that someone could so easily hurt me, intentionally. And that I was helpless to defend myself or prevent it from happening in the first place.

  “Riley, you should get some rest. Dan’s gonna take first watch.” Turning toward his brother, he continues. “If anyone comes around here, you get me right away,” Jim commands. Dan gives a salute and turns toward the door. He pauses when his eyes scan the kitchen.

  “Any beers in there? I could sure use one tonight,” Dan says, smirking, motioning toward the compact fridge. Jim’s not amused.

  “Don’t worry about that right now! You gotta stay sharp. Now go on outside and take watch.” Without another word, Dan steps to the door and exits the RV.

  I turn away and slog toward the bedroom. While my feet are slow, my mind races. I can sneak out if I just wait until the guys fall asleep. Dan can’t stay awake all night. My mind teases running away in the night, finding my way back to the campground.

  Well, that’s if Quinn is still there. I push away thoughts of her waking up to find me gone. If she stayed with the group, she may be headed in the same direction as us.

  I’m startled when Jim wraps a strong arm around my waist. Guiding me to the bottom bunk, he yanks down the blankets and turns to face me. “Just try to forget about tonight, okay? They’re gone and they ain’t coming back.” He motions for me to lie down. Kicking off my shoes, I climb onto the bed and let him pull the covers up to my chin.

  “It’s all right now, Riley. You’re safe here with us.”

  He hovers for a moment, watching me, but I stay silent. Letting my eyes drift closed, I allow his words to wrap me in a blanket of security. Since my life split at the seams, all I’ve wanted is to feel safe. And to have my family back. At this one moment in time, feeling safe, even if it’s just for a short time, sounds pretty good.

  As soon as Jim’s footsteps fade from the room, I force my eyes back open with a sharp command for my brain to stay awake. Quinn always said my superpower was sleeping. I can fall asleep virtually anywhere and sleep through almost anything. Right about now I’d give anything for a splash of insomnia. If I can just stay awake until Jim falls asleep, I’ll have no problem getting away. Even if Dan’s on watch, I know he’ll help me.

  I start planning my latest escape attempt, but after a few minutes, I sink deeper into the mattress in defeat. The odds are stacked against me. Even if the squeaky door doesn’t sound the alarm on my escape, even if Jim didn’t try to find me, and even if I could find my way back to the campground, there’s no guarantee Quinn is still there.

  Lying on my side, I stare into the RV’s kitchen area. The thin blanket and squishy pillow invite me to shut the world out. Jim showers in the tiny bathroom, the hum of streaming water lulling my eyes to drift closed.

  Nowhere is safe. I can’t just run off by myself and expect to find my sister. She could be anywhere. And she’s not the only one out there. People like Dylan and Hunter lurk, and not just in shadows and corners.

  The last thing I see before my eyelids meet is Dan sneaking into the refrigerator and swiping a six-pack of beer before he high-tails it back outside.

  Once again, I lose the battle to stay awake. I must sleep for hours because when my senses start to awaken, daylight streams into the RV. Even with my eyes still closed, I can tell it’s morning and I’ve missed another chance to sneak away.

  I start to stretch my muscles but jolt into a constricted posture when an agonized scream punctures the air. My unfocused eyes widen when Jim throws open the RV’s door, staggering through it. He’s half-carrying Dan and attempts to lower his brother onto the kitchen table. Stumbling to my feet, I launch myself toward the guys.

  “Dammit, Dan, hold still!” Jim hisses. No part of Dan is calm or still. His whole body convulses as a swarm of tiny red-brown bodies flow over his skin like a dancing river.

  Chapter 19

  My hands fly to my face, covering my gaping mouth. No. I can’t be seeing this. This can’t be happening. He writhes on the table, twisting as if to escape his own skin. Jim hovers over him, swiping the swift-moving insects away from Dan’s exposed arms and face.

  Memories flood back to when I was six and we discovered I was allergic to bee stings. A gulp of air catches in my throat as I recall the constricting vice my throat became, making it hard to swallow or speak. The burning, the swelling. Dan looks like he’s been stung by the furious residents of a massive hive.

  Except these bugs have no wings. Their little legs carry them over Dan’s body faster than a roller coaster plunges down a steep hill. It’s as if an ant hill has erupted on his chest and little soldiers evacuate in all directions.

  Throwing a glance my way, Jim belts out orders. “Riley! Open the shower door! Turn the water on!”

  I force my shaky legs to act. Scrambling to the tiny bathroom, I burst into the shower and twist the knob. Icy water blasts through the stall. I back away and sidle out of the bathroom.

  “Help me lift him!” Jim shouts.

  I stumble to the table and grab Dan’s left shoulder, hoisting him up in tandem with Jim.

  “We’re gonna try to wash all this shit off him,” Jim commands.

  Like a small gang of drunks, we clumsily sway toward the tiny bathroom. There’s no way we can all fit in the miniscule space. Jim must realize this as we crest the threshold because he angles himself through the doorway first, pivoting Dan around himself and into the cleansing stream of water.

  An idea bursting to life in my head, I run to the kitchen, yanking every door and cupboard open. There must be a first aid kit here somewhere. We just didn’t look hard enough. And something is seriously wrong with Steve and Jamie if they’re traipsing all around the country without even one skimpy cotton ball or band aid.

  I yank open the closet door in the living room area. My eyes track along the narrow shelves, silently inventorying each item: towels, sunscreen, bug-spray. Nothing that can help us right now. Once again, this faceless couple has let me down.

  “Riley! Where the hell are you?” Jim roars. “Find some towels or something and help me get him out of here!”

  Ignoring the harshness in his words, I yank a towel off the closest shelf and dart toward the bathroom.

  Both Jim and Dan are a sopping mess. I help boost Dan’s limp body as we make our way toward the master bedroom. Gently we lower Dan to the bed and I towel off the parts of his skin that look normal.

  Although he remains silent, Dan’s eyes drip with mise
ry. His face is contorted in a mask of pain. The silence breaks when I gently dab one of the open sores on his neck.

  “Ooooowwww,” he shouts, throwing his damaged arms up to protect his neck. I back away and examine his injuries. His hands, arms, neck and face are marred with dozens of angry red bumps. Some bulge with white bubbles.

  Jim steps beside me, a towel wrapped around his shoulders. He must have found the closet stash and dried off. He rubs his forehead, staring at his brother.

  A shriek of thunder startles all of us. “Another damn storm!” Jim booms. “What the hell’s going on?”

  I hunch my shoulders in reply. Wind blasts the exterior, emitting a low howl. Lightning flashes through the windows. An involuntary shudder courses through my body. This storm isn’t the only thing lurking outside the RV’s walls.

  If those guys come back, they could sneak up on us at any time. Dan’s in no shape to help guard the place and I certainly can’t protect us. I couldn’t even manage to stay in a campground for one night without being abducted.

  The lights flicker for a moment and I meet Jim’s worried eyes. Please don’t let us lose power. Shallow breathing pulls my attention back to the bed. Dan’s body begins convulsing. This was just a temporary breather. A sinking feeling in my gut promises that this is about to get worse.

  Chapter 20

  Running a hand across his stubbly chin, Jim sweeps his gaze over me and Dan. His eyes betray exactly what he sees in us right now. Weakness. He heaves out a deep breath. As if that cleared his mind, he’s suddenly focused. He’s always got a plan, doesn’t he?

  “Look around in the closet and cabinets. Try to find some lotion, like calamine or something you’d put on a sunburn.” When I don’t respond, his voice rises. “Come on, Riley, snap out of it! I need your help!”