Chris

He had her against the wall. That sick, disgusting, evil man had my girl against the wall… with a knife to her throat! He was leaning in to kiss her but she had her head turned away. That’s when I stepped into the light and shouted, “Let her the fuck go.”

He glared at me, “Wha-w go away, boy. Thissss is not yooour concern.”

I headed over to them, “I said. Let. Her. Go. Or we’re gonna have trouble.”

He laughed and I punched him. He released his grip on Danielle and she stumbled backward. I caught her arm before she hit the cement and I pulled her back to her feet.

“You okay, Danielle?” I asked. She nodded and smiled.

The man laughed and I turned to glare at him, intertwining my hand with Danielle’s and leading her away from that wretched bastard.

I lead her back to the park and checked her arms and neck out for any scratches or bruises.

“C! I’m fine.” She laughed.

“I’m just making sure.” I wrapped my arms around her small waist and kissed her tenderly. Once I pulled away, I rested my forehead against hers, “Don’t you dare leave me again. No matter how pissed off you are.” 

“I’m sorry…” 

I laughed a little, running my fingers through her hair. I lead her to our tree and lie beside her, my arms around her protectively. She smelled like vanilla and heaven. 

“Hey! You’re the guy from the library from last year! With the awesome hair!”

“And you’re the girl with the gorgeous eyes. Can I sit with you? I don’t know anybody else here.” Well, actually I did, but… I needed an excuse to sit next to Danielle. 

She blushed a little, “Y-yeah, of course!” 

I smiled warmly and took the empty seat next to her. Our language arts class was set up with 5 rows, 4 desks in each, with the two kidney-shaped tables in the back. At one of those tables in the back was where Danielle and I now sat. Everyone else took the regular desks, other than a skinny boy with long brown hair who took a seat at the other kidney table, as far away from us as possible. 

“Danielle, right?” 

She smiled, her eyes lit up, “Yeah. And you’re… Chris, right?”

I nodded and she grinned triumphantly. 

“What have you been up to all summer?” I said, after a few moments passed.

“Um... just listening to music. Long walks. Sneaking out to the beach at midnight. You?”

“That actually sounds pretty fun. Let me join you sometime to the beach? My life’s pretty boring. Just lazy me lying in bed eating potato chips and doing whatever random shit I feel like on the computer.” 

She chuckled, “You can join anytime. As long as you don’t try anything.” She raised an eyebrow.

“I promise I won’t. Unless you want.” I winked, “But seriously… I’m not like that. Distrust men? Or people in general?”

She shrugged, “Fear of men. Unless they’re hot. Especially one particular guy with dreads and brown eyes that I met in the library. He’s pretty cool. Hot, too.” 

“Hmm. Well in that case, we should… go see a movie Friday?”

Her whole face lit up, “W-w-whaaat?”

I laughed, “Do you want to go see a movie Friday? With… me?”

“Yes! I mean… sure.” 

Time in this dream skipped Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday right to Friday. Right to me pulling into her driveway with my dad’s black Malibu. Probably shouldn’t tell her I stole it, though. Or that I was a runaway living in a small mobile home my parents were using for storage. Right now they had no clue where I was. All they knew was that I had run away with some ‘mystery chick’ and that I was ‘happy’. Lies, but it would be kept that way.

Her house was small and white. On each side was a pine tree and there was a rose bush growing under the window to the living room. Through the window I watched Danielle stand, check herself over in the mirror then burst through the door and run towards the car and jump in the passengers’ side.

“Go! Before they come outside!” she shrieked just as a middle-aged couple followed her outside and came to the driver window to meet me.

The woman was a tad bit chubby, with freckles and short red hair. The man had blackish-gray hair and had cold gray eyes that made you feel like an intruder if you stared into them for so long. I rolled down my window and held out my hand, “I’m Chris. You’re Danielle’s parents?”

“Yes. I’m Shianne and this is Bill.” Shianne shook my hand kindly, but Bill didn’t. 

“Hi.” He said, expressionless.

“Hello, how are you two?”

Danielle rolled her eyes beside me, sighing impatiently.

“Oh, we’re fine, thanks for asking! I can tell Danielle’s getting embarrassed by us, so we’ll just leave you too alone. Now go have fun at the movies! Have her home by 10, dear!” 

“Of course, Shianne. Have a good evening.”

With that, I finally rolled up the windows and we were on our way. I looked over to Danielle a few times to catch her staring at me. She was in a very pretty black, sleeveless, ruffled dress that went down to about an inch above the knee.

Her neck… her shoulders… her arms… her legs! All so perfectly smooth and pale. So teasing. Touchable. Kissable. To die for. This girl would be mine. Had to be.

So far, looks definitely passed the test. Now to learn more about her and see what her personality was like. That would be the deciding factor. 

It was 4:00 and our movie didn’t start until 6, so we decided to kill time by grabbing some Chinese food. She ordered fried rice with orange chicken and I ordered chow mein with a side of shrimp. We took our food to a table next to the fountain in the middle of the mall. Not too many people were here today, which was a good thing.

We shot the breeze until it was time to head into the movies and we, of course, took seats in the back row. We were the only people in the theatre, which was weird but cool. Halfway through, she intertwined her hand with mine, which sent shivers through me. Something told me she was the one then. There was something there I’d never felt before with anyone else. She was mine.

My eyes flicked open long before Danielle’s. The first sun rays were already peeking over the horizon. I lie there, watching Danielle sleep like an angel. So still. So peaceful. 

Peaceful… I wonder how that feels. But I would never feel peace again. No, the guilt took that away from me. Along with many other things.

I didn’t want to wake her, so I gently played with strands of her hair. Sometime later, she groaned and rolled over, curling up against my chest. I leaned over and kissed her forehead, wrapping my arms tightly around her again. 

She looked up at me then, blinking a few times. 

“Morning, gorgeous.”

She stuck her tongue out at me and stretched, almost hitting me. She was so cute. I brushed the hair from her face and kissed her gently on the lips. Until she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me closer, our kiss growing more passionate and urgent.

I let it go on for a few minutes before pulling away. Her eyes were wide and there was a huge smile across her face. It made me bubbly on the inside, to see her smile. Just as I remembered it.

“I want to show you something.” I stood, holding out my hand.

“Um… okay?” She said uncertainly, grabbing my hand and climbing to her feet. 

“It’s nothing bad, I promise.” I laughed, holding her hand. 

I turned us to the south and lead us down the road. We headed straight past Jaclyn’s house. We went on for maybe 2 miles or so before we reached the dirt road I was looking for. It trailed off the main road into the woods. The woods that were all too familiar to me. At least, I was far from that damned house. 

I hoped it was still here. I hoped I was in the right place. We stopped on the dirt road for a moment and looked at each other. We were both drenched in sweat. It had to be almost noon. We’d have to get used to this walking around in the blazing sun all day every day.

For about a mile into the woods, was nothing. It seemed dark and desolate from where we stood. Danielle shivered beside me, “We have to go in there?”

“Danielle, you used to love the woods! Especially these.”

She looked around, “I do… but something about these woods seems weird… off… negative.”

And I know why.

“It’s okay, Danielle. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.” I squeezed her hand and she squeezed back. 

The woods were quiet. We were quiet. The only sounds were the birds, the crunching of leaves beneath our feet and the voices in my head. I was trying to tune them out. It was because of these woods and what had happened. I didn’t want to let it bother me right then, but it always bothered me. I couldn’t escape it. I just had to hold it in. Repress it. 

After the 1 mile of plain woods, there were driveways. Each long and gravel, reaching far into the vast expanse of darkness, eventually leading up to a house with a big property. Most with horses.

I counted the driveways. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 

7. Here it was.

I turned down the seventh driveway, but Danielle wouldn’t follow.

“Danielle, come on!”

“But we’re trespassing. And you know how those country folk are about trespassers. ‘violaters will be shot. Survivors will be shot again.’ “

I rolled my eyes, “Come on. Nobody’s shooting you.”

She shook her head and followed behind me up the road. It led to a big two-story house with a backyard that was basically a fenced field of 5 acres. With 3 oak trees. Behind the house were two empty stalls for horses, both with a trough and a bucket. This was made of wood and obviously added in by a previous resident. The house was white with a teal blue roof. There was a white truck parked in the driveway. In the grass in front of us, was a ‘For Sale’ sign with 3 bd / 3 bth written on it plus a phone number. It was completely surrounded by trees, which gave it an isolated feel. 

Danielle looked around, amazed by its size, and ran to the wooden fence and looked around. She was entranced by the oak trees there. They were her favorite trees in the world. The oak trees were spaced about 10 feet from each other, somehow forming a perfect triangle. One of them was split down the middle, struck by lightning, but still alive and growing well. 

“How’d you know about this place? Did you used to live here?” She turned to me.

“No.” I stepped over to her and wrapped my arms around her as she turned back to further observe the trees, “Two years ago you used to tell me all the time… you always wanted a two-story house with a big backyard. You wanted it next to the woods and for there to be at least one oak tree on the property. Well, after some research, I found this house. And for a year I’d saved up for it with the money I made from the computer repair shop. So when I finally had the money to buy it, I called the owner and we set up an appointment. For that night. So he could sign it over to us.”

She looked at me after a moment and frowned, “Are you okay? Your eyes are all watery…” 

“I’m fine… So I was all excited about the appointment, you know. I knew you’d be happy too. But… but…”

I had to blink several times to fight back the tears threatening to break free. It seemed like there were always tears in my eyes. I was such a pussy.

Danielle kissed me, hugging me tightly. Then she whispered, “It’s okay… you don’t have to go on…”

“I went home… to tell you… but… when I got there… you were gone. Everything was smashed. Many things were missing. Even the box where I’d kept all the money I’d saved. I panicked… I didn’t… know… what happened… to you…” 

My knees gave way under me and I collapsed to the ground, my face buried in my hands. Danielle sat beside me and let me cry on her shoulder while she ran her fingers through my hair and whispered sweet nothings in my ear. 

She tried to take away my pain, my sadness. But she couldn’t. Memories are forever… well actually no. Not if someone smashes your head against a tub. Unfortunately, nobody did that to me and I was forever imprisoned in my cell of memories, torment and guilt.

“Danielle? Danielle!” 

I couldn’t believe my eyes… 

The couch was turned over. The fridge was wide open, the milk leaking all over the floor, the eggs crushed against the wall and many other things were destroyed within the fridge. The books were all tossed across the room and the lamp had been thrown against the floor. Danielle’s favorite jacket was lying there on the couch… torn halfway down the middle. 

“W-Where is-is sh-she?” I stuttered, trying to hold back my sobs as I picked up Rex, Danielle’s jacket. He was a simple jacket. A black one with a hood and CONTAGIOUS printed on the back with the band’s new album cover. It was a simple rotting zombie. Now his head was torn in half. I’d bought the jacket for Danielle when we went to the Contagious concert after graduation. It was our celebration, you know. For some reason she just loved it and always curled up with it when I wasn’t there.

I looked around. I searched thoroughly. For any clue as to who did this. But none I found. So I collapsed on the living room floor and cried. For hours I sat there and cried. I was numb. I couldn’t feel anything. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t stop crying. I took a sewing needle and black thread and stitched Danielle’s jacket back together until it was secure. I held it close to me and cried in it until I finally fell asleep, the night after Danielle’s disappearance. 

Maybe she hated me. Maybe she did all this, tore her own sweater and ran away. But that wasn’t like her… she wasn’t violent in any way. Plus she expressed her emotions. If she hated me she wouldn’t be with me.

What if she was dead… what if whoever robbed this place shot her or stabbed her and took her body away. I turned to the couch where she always sat waiting for me, with Rex at her side. No blood stains. 

She was probably kidnapped. By who? Who would want to kidnap a 19 year old girl Who was engaged? She didn’t have any enemies. Not that I knew of.

Wait. 

Then it hit me. 

Danielle had one enemy. Not that she knew about. Until now. I thought I didn’t have to deal with her anymore! Wasn’t my leaving enough? 

But she wouldn’t just take her and not want something from me. She must’ve left a note or something. Where would she leave a note…

I checked the couch. Nothing. The table. Nothing. Rex’s pockets.

I unfolded the note before me.

Chris

Real stupid of you to leave me.

You thought it’d be that easy? 

How’s this for a home-wrecking whore?

Well.

Surely you understand the need for this.

I must claim what is mine.

There is a house, about 10 miles into the 

North woods. My Brother lives there.

We are here. 

If you want your precious girl to survive,

You will find me.

You will dump her. 

Then we can finally be together

Happily forever after!

<3 <3 <3

~ Amber

That evil, wretched woman! How could she do this? Why now? It’d been a month since I’d seen her. And today was Danielle and I’s anniversary… the news about the house was my anniversary present to Danielle. 

Kidnapped. On our anniversary. By the girl I’d cheated on her with.