“You are tired?!” He started laughing like a maniac. “ I am tired of seeing such a stupid, pathetic excuse for a human being that stole my brother away!”
It hurt. For some reason, every single word was like a shard, slicing my insides and leaving brutal scars.
You’re not supposed to care, Sarah. You hate him, and you’re not supposed to care about his words.
I attempted to shut it out, but it was impossible. It was suffocating, and I couldn’t stop my tears, so I squeezed my eyes closed and cried in silence. I really was a pathetic excuse for a human being.
“Are you crying?”
I despised myself for showing him my weak side. I never wanted to cry in front of him, but I was scared to death as the merciless gusts of wind hit my face. He drove too recklessly. I counted seconds until the end of this drive, but it was so long, and it felt endless.
“It’s none of your business.”
“Everything yours, including your tears, is my business.”
I found nothing to respond to that; not that any answer would make a difference.
It took us around half an hour to reach Hartford. Hayden exited the highway, but he didn’t go deeper into the city. Instead, he entered route 44 and continued west.
I finally figured out our destination when Hayden proceeded along route 202. The sun was going down, which gradually painted the sky with darker shades, and the change in temperature was becoming noticeable, announcing a big degree drop.
The shivers ran down my spine. It was a physical proof of my unwillingness to be alone with Hayden in the dark.
He slowed down only to turn right at the Nepaug State Forest entrance. As he followed the forest path, I chewed over how he knew about this place, which had been one of Kayden’s and my most favorite places. We’d visited it and camped at our special spot that offered a clear view of the sky a few times, always stargazing after hours of forest hiking, which was my unlimited source of inspiration for drawing.
Did Kayden tell him? Did he mention what we were doing here? And most importantly, did he tell him that ?
“Why did you bring me here?” I doubted he wanted to have a picnic with me.
“Be patient, Sarah. You’ll find out soon.”
His secrecy only amplified my tension. The relief that I’d survived this crazy drive was short-lived, replaced by sheer uncertainty. Who knew what he would do? Besides, this forest was huge, so getting around it would prove to be a daunting challenge, even more so during the night. Kayden had been the one who led our way, and without him, I would’ve been completely lost.
“Are you sure you know your way around here?”
He let out another dark chuckle. “Awww. The poor little girl is afraid of getting lost. Imagine what would happen if I left you here.”
I shivered, hoping against hope he was bluffing.
The depths of forest were dark and chilly, erasing almost all presence of light. I was wearing a thin jacket that did a poor job of keeping me warm, and I couldn’t stop trembling.
“There is only one way for you to find that out. Wait and see.”
He took a few turns, following a route I didn’t recognize, reaching a path that was bumpier and hemmed in with much denser trees compared to the rest of the forest. I saw a clearing in the distance, which prompted alarms to activate in my head. It was our spot. No.
At last, Hayden stopped his bike and turned off the engine.
“Get off.”
I was more than glad to obey him, this time taking care of the exhaust pipe. My body was stiff because of the uncomfortable sitting position, and my hands hurt from holding the handles too hard.
I glanced over the deserted clearing, which was encircled by tall trees that looked somewhat scary in night. Currently, they cast a shadow on the ground underneath the sunset sky that was colored in shades of purple, orange, and pink. However, this beautiful view didn’t provide its usual solace. I was restless and perturbed by the sight and a rather piercing silence. Even with the sounds of leaves rustling in the wind, it was too silent.
I rubbed my arms to stop the chills, but it was useless, since fear wouldn’t free me from its grip.
“Why did you bring me here?”
He took off his helmet. “You had such a nice time with Kayden here, right? Such love birds.”
I gaped at him, my heart leaping into my throat. Kayden wouldn’t have told him that . He’d promised me he wouldn’t.
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the sweet, romantic meetings Kayden and you had here. Did you have fun watching the stars?” His voice was mocking me, as if stargazing was the stupidest thing one person could do. I still didn’t get what he wanted to say.
“I never had romantic meetings with Kayden here. We were only friends.”
“Friends?!”
He threw his helmet to the ground and stomped toward me. Frightened by his sudden move and the deadly look in his eyes, I bolted and tried to get as far away from him as possible, but he caught me easily. He veered me around and pressed me against his solid chest.
He was breathing fast, already furious, and I was taken aback by another one-eighty in his behavior. My instincts screamed at me to get the hell away from here.
“You were in fucking love!” He yanked my shoulders violently.
“What? That’s not true!”
“Stop lying to me!” He pushed me with all his force to the ground, and I crashed on my side, scraping my arms and legs. My backpack fell off my shoulder and rolled away from me. “You loved each other! You were so close—the perfect love birds no one could separate!” He formed a cruel smile. “But death separated you.”
I watched him, mesmerized, with tears in my eyes as the rage in his black eyes morphed into sadness and then violence as he approached me. I was terrified of him. His mood swings were happening so fast, and I didn’t know what he was going to do the next moment. I didn’t dare move from my spot on the ground.
He stopped right above me. “Forget about Jessica.”
“What the...? Is this all about Jessica? What the hell is wrong with you?!”
“You’ll forget about Jessica. If not, you’re both going to suffer, and what you’ve survived until now would be a child’s play.”
I wrapped my arms around my waist to make myself warmer. “I doubt that,” I said with a defiance I certainly didn’t feel. “You already did all the monstrous things you could do.”
A predatory grin tugged at his lips. “Now that’s where you’re wrong.”
He pounced on me and pushed me down on the ground, covering me with his body, and I screamed. He held his face a few inches above me, and I could smell alcohol on his breath, which scared me witless. He was drunk all this time? Oh God, what was he going to do to me?
I tried to set myself free, but it was no use. He pulled my hands above my head and pinned them against the uneven soil, clasping them with one hand, while he put his other hand on my waist to keep me in place.
“You can’t escape from me, Sarah. You always forget that.”
“Please, please, please. Let me go. Please, Hayden, don’t do this.”
“Do what?” He smiled. “This?” He removed his hand from my waist and slid it upward, coming dangerously close to my breast over my jacket. A second later, he inched it down and over my stomach, reaching the waistband of my low-rise jeans. I felt so sick. No.