Page 5 of Last Summer
More sticks snapping. Something rolling. I swear there’s something out here.
“Did you hear that?” I ask as I look around, but it’s so dark now that I can barely make out anything besides the six of us around the fire pit.
“Not a thing,” Julie says as she stands and brushes her hands off on her jeans. “You stay here, I’ll get us a drink.” She smiles at me before walking towards Chris, who’s now standing and grinding on Lucy while the group plays more ridiculous music.
They’re all crowded around one end of the fire pit while I sit alone at the other end. They laugh and dance while sharing a bottle between them. Part of me longs to join and be that carefree. But that’s not me. I have to be diligent. I can’t slip up and make a stupid mistake that could ruin someone’s life… not again.
“Sarah look out!” Danica shouts pointing behind me.
The sound of gravel and twigs snapping is so loud now. Something is rumbling and crashing behind me.Fuck!I don’t even think, I just run. Shooting to my feet, I dart towards the group. I stumble slightly over a rock in my haste but I manageto catch myself. A flash of something huge and metallic flies through my periphery as I scurry across the dirt. My heart riots in my chest.
I manage to make it to the group and spin just in time to see the giant truck Julie drove here in careen past our campsite. It’s going so fast. It would have run me over and killed me. We don’t even have phone service. If I didn’t die instantly, it would have been a slow and painful death.Holy shit. The pickup crashes into a tree with such impact that the front end lifts from the ground. The back gate crunches and caves inward on impact.
We all take a moment to look between each other, everyone’s eyes wide with fear. The music still plays in the background but I can barely hear it over the blood pounding in my ears.
“That was close,” Abby finally whispers
We all nod in agreement, too overwhelmed to say much more than that. Danica is so pale, her large brown eyes staring into the fire as though she’s just seen a ghost. Her arms are wrapped protectively around herself.
“My parking brake was on. I know it was,” Julie finally states. “Someone must have released it.”
We all stare, our eyes flicking between each other. No one says another word.
I need to get out of here.
Chapter three
THE HILLS HAVE EYES
JULIE
SaturdayNight
I saw the way she was looking at us all earlier—as if she was judging us. I observed the way her eyes narrowed and her nose wrinkled in disgust as she watched us. She thinks she’s so much better than the rest of us but I know the truth—she’s just as fucked up. We’re all depraved assholes, she’s just hiding her skeletons deeper in her closet than the rest of us.
Maybe uptight little Sarah needs to be taught a lesson.
Turning my back to her, I pull a tablet from my pocket and drop it in the bottom of the cup before covering it with beer. In the low light of the fire you can’t even see the drugs dissolving in the bottom of the cup. Sarah needs to let loose a little and have a little fun. After all, if last summer taught me anything, it’s that you never know how long you have left.
“Hey, you okay?” I ask, my voice laced with concern as I take a seat next to the ginger on the log.
“I guess. That was just kinda intense, you know?” the uptight little thing says as she takes the cup from my extended hand. Itry to hold back my smirk as I watch her take a sip of the fizzing liquid.
She gulps it down but makes a face. This girl doesn’t even drink, the drugs are going to hit her hard and fast.Good. Little miss goodie two shoes needs to be taken down a peg.
“Yeah, the truck thing was crazy,” I state as I watch her closely, waiting for signs of the drugs hitting her. “Good thing you weren’t like a foot further over.”
She drinks down another large gulp.Good girl.
“What is this?” she asks, looking down at the cup. I bring my hand to the bottom of the cup, tipping it back and forcing her to drink more.
“Drink it all down, baby girl. We’re going to have some fun,” I whisper in her ear as she guzzles down the remainder of the liquid. She shivers in response.So responsive. This is going to be fun.
Once she finishes, I pull the cup away from her and place it next to us. I assess her—her pupils are starting to expand. The drugs are already pumping through her veins, lowering her inhibitions and blurring the lines for her. I sense eyes on us. My gaze flits up and clashes with Lucy’s. She’s an interesting one. I haven’t quite figured her out yet. She seems cool. She’s rocking some bad ass biker vibes, but I get the sense that her scars run deep—deeper than anything you could see if you were to simply examine her flesh. She stands and saunters over to us, her eyes narrowing as she assesses the situation.
“What are you two up to over here?” she asks as she takes a seat on the other side of Sarah. Lucy’s hand lands on Sarah’s exposed thigh,right below the hem of her little skirt. She then begins running up and down her pale flesh.
“I feel a little funny,” Sarah says as her eyes start to roll back and her head lolls along her shoulder.
