Page 11

Eve

It’s been a week since the night at Clover when Jason and I slept together, and in that time we’ve met up a few times at the club, or the nearby strip mall for some lunch on his breaks from Everlast. He even brought Maya one time, and it was the first time I saw her let go of that strict exterior. She and I actually hit it off, chatting about Jason and the workings of Everlast, while watching Jason smile and shake his head. Turns out, Maya knows a lot about history, and we spent over an hour drinking and sharing stories and facts about Ancient China, the brutal forms of punishment and sacrifice that took place centuries ago, and so much more. She was dark, like me, and we left lunch that day with a heightened sense of respect and admiration for each other.

Tonight was just for Jason and me though, and as I pull back into the driveway, I can’t wipe the smile from my face as I relive the night. The way he held my hand under the table at Clover was endearing; how he struggled to let go of his brooding exterior and relax was equally charming. Still, there was part of him I couldn’t seem to get through to, something that he was holding back from me. I could see it in his face whenever I started diving deeper, but he always managed to deflect or change the subject.

I’ve tried to be patient, but the more serious we get about each other, the more I’m wanting the full truth from him. And as I walk into my house and toss my keys on the end table nearby, I can’t stop myself from dwelling on it.

Meh. I just need to let it go for now: God knows I have my own darkness I struggle with, and as much as I enjoy sharing myself with Jason, I know I haven’t let him see all of me yet, either.

It’s already nearly midnight, and the walk up to my front door is long. Sleepy and tired, I reach into my pockets to grab for my keys and realize I don’t feel my wallet on me.

SHIT, I must’ve left it at the club.

I’m sure Derek must’ve picked it up, or maybe Jack, so I’m not too worried. The club is a quick trek back down the freeway, so I turn around with a sigh and make my way back to my car.

As I get halfway down the driveway, I see a truck parked a short ways down the street. Living on such a quiet road, I’m pretty used to identifying my neighbor’s cars, or the ones that belong to their guests and families. There’s never a car on our street that I don’t recognize…not until tonight. I’m too far away to make it out clearly, but as I get closer to my car, I squint and I see a silver sheen from the truck catch in the moonlight. The same silver sheen that belonged to the truck that followed me last week.

FUCK.

I hear laughing: the glow of a cigarette in the driver’s seat is followed by a trail of smoke snaking out of the window. I don’t think they noticed me, so I try to move as quickly as I can towards my car, but my movement catches their attention. Their laughter dies the moment I reach my car, and the silence hanging in the air is deafening.

I stare back at my front door, rapidly assessing the distance and wondering if I would be better off running back inside. No, no fucking way. At least in a car I can drive away to safety. If they get me inside my home, I’ll be trapped, and God knows what these men plan on doing to me.

Car it is.

I rush to put my keys in the lock, but the sound of shoes slapping on the asphalt sends a chill up my spine and it takes everything in me to keep my hand steady. Whipping my head around, I see two men running up the street towards me, nearly at my driveway. My heart is beating through my chest as I manage to get my door open, jumping into my seat and thrusting my keys into the ignition as quickly as I can.

But it isn’t quick enough.

“Hey HEY, where are YOU going, beautiful?”

A man hollers as he grabs my car door, wrenching it open and grabbing my wrist. He reeks of cigarettes and liquor, his palm is sweaty but his grip is like iron as he tugs at me

“LET ME GO!!” I scream at him, swinging my leg around and kicking at his knee. I feel my heel connect with his shin, hearing a sharp crack as he cries out in pain.

“FUCK YOU, YOU BITCH!”

His grip on my wrist loosens, but the second man comes up from behind him and reaches past his friend, grabbing a fistful of my hair and dragging me from the car. My phone falls from my pocket and he kicks it up the driveway, away from my grasp, where it comes to rest near a pile of my father’s old tools.

Too far away.

“Come here, come here,” he grunts as he pulls me out, my arms swinging as I claw at his forearm.

“You really think we’d let a girl as gorgeous as you out of our sights? Come on now. Once we saw you at Clover, it was only a matter of time.”

“FUCK YOU!” I yell at him, scratching and kicking and flailing with all of my strength as he continues to taunt me.

“You’re too much of a woman for one man. See my friends and I, we like to share. And we know some people who would LOVE to get a taste of a fiery piece of ass like you.”

He pulls me to my feet and moves behind me, grabbing my arms and forcing them behind my back. I try to kick out at him, lashing in any way I can, but he keeps his grip on me as he locks his arm through mine, forcing my arms together so harshly I feel my elbows touch. I try to go dead weight and break free, but he only tightens his grip: I scream as I feel my shoulder pop, the pain surging through my body as I kick back with my legs and thrash around like a wild animal. He calls out to the guy I kicked, who was still sitting on the driveway clutching his shin.

“Brian, get the FUCK over here and help me man!”

“FUCK YOU ADAM, she fucking brOKE MY LEG!” The man on the ground is nearly in tears. “You’re telling me you can’t handle one fucking woman?”

Adam laughs as he uses his leg to kick out the back of my knee, forcing me to kneel, and he presses his full weight on me to keep me from moving my body.

“You broke my friend’s leg, did you? Well we’ll be doing a lot more than that to you, gorgeous. A wild thing like you needs to be broken, too.”

Think, Eve, THINK.

I stop thrashing around and go still, my head slumped over towards my chest as I try to control my breathing. I feel a darkness welling up in me, sweeping aside the panic and fear and replacing them with a calm, murderous, calculating sense of rage. I move my eyes upwards, glancing through the curtain of hair to search for my phone, and scan the pile of tools that lie next to it. A hammer, some screwdrivers, nuts, bolts…

And a crowbar.

My lips curl and twist into a slow, deliberate grimace.

Adam notices I stopped fighting, and leans in close to me. I can feel his breath on my neck as he leans forward and pushes his face into my hair, breathing deeply.

Just a little closer, you asshole.

“Oh come on, where’s that fighting spirit? You’re gonna need that if you’re gonna last with us.”

I feel his mouth move towards my ear, his tongue flicking out to graze my earlobe, and I seize my opportunity. Touching my chin to my chest, I throw my head back as fast and as hard as I can, and feel my skull connect with his nose. The cracking sound is loud, sharp, and delicious. His scream of agony even more so, and as he releases my arms to grab at his face, I jump up and bolt for the crowbar.

“GET BACK HERE YOU BITCH!”

The metal is cool and slick, sliding up my fingers as I palm the crowbar and turn to face Adam. He’s already on me and I ignore the pain in my shoulder as I grip the bar and swing with all my might, right into his temple.

CRACK

The blow splits the side of his head, blood gushing down his cheek and mixing with the blood from his nose as he doubles over in pain. I don’t give him a chance to recover. Gripping the crowbar like a baseball bat, I bring it above my head and swing down onto the back of his head with everything I have in me. He falls onto his stomach, writhing.

I know I should stop. I know I should grab my phone and call the police. But my common sense is drowning, and all I see is red.

“YOU SICK SON OF A BITCH!” I yell at the man in front of me as I bring the crowbar back down on the back of his head.

CRACK

“YOU WANT TO brEAK ME? ME!?”

CRACK

“YOU DON’T KNOW WHO YOU’RE FUCKING WITH!!”

CRACK

I’m not here. I’m not in control. It’s like I’m watching from outside of my body, staring as I bash in this man’s head over and over. The next blow cracks his skull like an egg, the crowbar sinking into him with a sickening squelching sound. Warm liquid hits my face, grounding me as I slow my blows, panting and snarling like a wild animal. I feel blood on my face, taste it on my tongue, smell it in the air, and I fucking love it.

I don’t even notice his friend rise to his feet, staring at me in horror as I look at him, grinning maniacally, my eyes wild and pupils pinned. He doesn’t say a word as he turns to run back to the truck, limping and yelling at his friends to get the fuck out of here. In seconds the truck fires up and they peel away, and I let the crowbar slip from my hands.

My ribs feel like they’re cracking from the pressure of my heartbeat, and I start to feel a dull ache in my shoulder. Looking down at the carcass before me, I am hypnotized by the sight of brain matter and blood vessels oozing out of the shattered skull. I can’t believe how incredibly easy that was…how satisfying to feel the metal in my hands connect to his bones, to feel them cave and crack and split apart.

I try to keep my breathing steady, my heart beating a mile a minute as I assess the situation. I have no idea what to do right now.

But I know someone who might.

Shuffling over to my phone, I pick it up and push the green call button, selecting a name from my list of recents.

RING RING

….Come on, pick up…

RING R—

“Eve? Hey, what's going on?”

I try to speak, my lungs still clutching for air as I take a deep breath and steady myself.

“J–Jason….Jason I need you. Right now. Something happened…”

My words fade as I sink to my knees, holding the phone to my ear as I stare at the lifeless body before me.

“Eve what happened? Are you ok?”

Blinking slowly, I weigh my options. If I tell Jason what happened, I run the very real risk of Jason turning me into the police, where I might get off on self-defense. But the desecrated body in my driveway screams overkill, and I don’t want to take that chance.

Still. If I’m going to jail anyway, I just want to hear Jason’s voice one last time.

“EVE. TALK TO ME. Are you OK??”

I inhale sharply, taking in as much air as I can.

“Jason. There’s a body in my driveway. Come quick.”