Page 37 of Unbinding the Demon
A quiet moment passed by. He kept glancing through the rearview mirror at Belzar, who I could have sworn was glaring at him. It left me alone to wonder where he had gotten the stupid idea that something bad could happen to me while I was with that priest. I supposed it had something to do with being a criminal, but I honestly didn’t know. His warm hand squeezed mine, pulling me away from my thoughts.
“Remember when I told you that you could trust me?” he asked softly.
“Yes.”
He brought my hand to his mouth and kissed it. “So then trust me. I want to be here for you.” His tone was pleading for my honesty. “We’re partners in crime, after all.”
I remained silent and stared out the window, watching the autumn trees and open fields speed past. I didn’t want to tell him why I’d gone to the church. I was afraid of what his reaction would be if he found out that it was because I felt guilty about the man he’d killed. It was also embarrassing that I had wanted to hear stories and talk about my dead aunt. I didn’t want to seem like some sorry sap who was still stuck in my ever-festering grief.
And so,he interlaced our fingers and continued to drive in silence.
16. The Falls
Tires softly crunched over gravel as Ashton pulled off to the side of the road. We were in a dense forest with a crooked wooden sign nailed to a tree marking the entrance to Mockernut Falls. “What are we doing here?” I spared him a curious glance. My eyes were still somewhat puffy, but my tears had dried.
“There’s something I want to show you.” He unbuckled himself, slipped out of the car, and then opened the back door to let Belzar out. I slithered out of the car as well, wondering what he might have to show me.
As we strolled hand in hand down the short dirt path, I was careful not to trip over the many large roots and jutting stones. I smiled as I took a deep breath of the crisp forest air, filling my senses with its earthy aroma. The serenade of chirping birds and wind rustling through the trees was like a serene song floating all around us. Little squirrels busily rustled around and chattered as they prepared for the long winter ahead. The prismatic leaves were dense from the sky to the ground, enveloping us in a pantheon of burning colors. I envied the leaves, thinking they must be proud to become so radiant in their death.
It wasn’t long before we came upon the sight of huge roaring torrents pouring out from the side of a steep cliff. A peaceful sense of serenity surrounded the falls as the water cascaded down the rocks. They crashed upon the sharp, mossy stones below, creating swirling clouds of mist and violent rapids.
“Come on, we’re going up to the highest ledge,” Ashton stated with a slight laugh as he pulled me from my waterfall viewing.
After commanding Belzar to stay down below, we climbed the steep terrain together. The roughness of the stones made them easy to grip, but my feet slipped on the mossy ones a few times. Ashton was quick to help me regain my footing each time and lifted me up some rather steep ledges I couldn’t reach on my own. We eventually traversed the highest ledge reachable. It was flat and overlooked the treetops and rushing water below. The chilly breeze blew through our hair, causing our wispy hair to dance playfully around us.
Ashton pulled me close as we gazed into the distance, admiring the blazing autumn mountain range. The lofty peaks stretched across the skyline and softly dipped down to a small glistening lake below. A red-tailed hawk screeched as it glided gracefully over the landscape like a sword skimming the surface of still water. Crepuscular rays slipped through small cracks in the heavy clouds, creating bright patches of foliage throughout the ridge as if the sun were kissing the rusted hills with its golden light.
“It’s so beautiful.” I was breathless because of both the view and the fact that we had just scaled to the top of the falls. “Is this what you wanted to show me?”
“Yes, it’s a lovely view,” he murmured while gently caressing my upper arm with his thumb. “However, the real reason I brought you up here was to show you thatyou can trust me.” He seized my forearms and yanked me over to the very edge of the cliff.
“Whoa! Wait a minute! What—what are you doing!?” I stammered in fear as my heels were dragged right next to the massive drop-off. Large, jagged rocks and rushing water lingered like howling whirlpools of death below me.
Oh my God! Is he actually going to fucking kill me!?
“Don’t worry, I’ve got you. Now, I want you to lean back,” he spoke with complete sincerity, as if he seriously believed I’d blindly throw myself off a fucking cliff for him.
“You can’t be serious! No way, José! This is way too dangerous! What if you drop me? I’llliterallydie!” I tried to squirm away from the edge, but he held me firm. The damp wind gusted up along my back as though teasing my lack of stability. It felt like I could swallow my heartbeat from how hard it was pounding.
“I want to show you that you can trust me, even with your life. Now go on,lean back.”He gave his strict instructions while maintaining a stern expression.
“No, please, I trust you. I really do! Just please don’t make me do this!” Panic seized my soul, growing tighter by the second, just as I seized his forearms.
“Hmm, now that didn’t sound very trusting to me,” he tsked. “You’ll be fine. I swear I’d never drop you. Just trust me, Buttercup.” His voice had an unsettling calmness, sending a chill up my spine as he gazed directly into my terrified eyes.
I gulped and glanced back down at the rushing torrents, feeling the mist whisper across my face. They crashed onto the sharp rocks that could easily bring about my demise in the span of a single breath. My gaze then lifted back to him. The wind blew his long black hair in twisting strands around his taut yet handsome face, while his mesmerizing eyes held a strange, maniacal plea.
Fuck, he’s actually crazy.
“Please, Ashton, can’t you just earn my trust like a normal person?”
“Oh? And how exactly donormal peopleearn trust?” He shoved me a little closer to the edge, causing a few pebbles to plummet down to the rushing water below.
“I don’t know; it just builds naturally with time! But certainly not like this!” Panic rang like an alarm bell in my voice.
He laughed darkly. It was the kind of laugh that came from a chainsaw-slinging maniac chasing some poor, unsuspecting soul. “Well, that priest didn’t have to build your trust with time, now did he? So I’ll ask you again,lean back!”
I couldn’t believe this lunatic actually thought that this, of all things, would get me to trust him. Regardless, the fact of the matter was that he was an unpredictable, psychotic fruitcake, and he literally had me on the edge of a fucking cliff. If he wanted to, he could easily shove me off. There was no flipping way I’d stand a chance against him. So, with much reluctance, I looked into his crazed eyes for a moment and gripped his forearms even tighter.
