Page 62 of Fueled Fury

I quickly decide to keep my mouth shut when I realize there’s no reasoning with Eli. His deranged thinking isn’t that of a sane person, but a truly sick and disturbed one. All the times he said something bad about Austin, warning me to stay away from who I thought was the menace. Austin never had a chance. My judgment was constructed, embedded in my mind before I had a chance to make my own conclusion. And I was so busy listening to Eli’s words, that I missed his actions.

Eli presses the knife to my throat and says, “Let’s go.”

“Where?”

“You’re new home. It was the place you wanted to live with him. After he torched it, it only makes sense that he murders you there. After all, the sweet heroine dies only to get a surprise return when she rises from the ashes with a halo of flames, full fucking angel-blooded and conquers the evil demon that gutted her. Too bad your story won’t have that same happy twist at the end.”

An ominous surge flows through me as I listen to the casual way my best friend tells me he’s going to kill me and have his brother framed for it.

Eli jerks me to my feet, warning me to be quiet again. And I decide to. I want him out of the house, but I can’t get in the car with him. I can’t let him take me anywhere.

He walks me down the stairs and I pray Dad doesn’t wake. When he doesn’t, I’m only slightly relieved when we step out into the dark. Looking around, I see that Eli has his truck stashed around the side of the house near the brush leading to the backyard, the darkness.

As Eli anxiously looks around, he removes his grip on my arm as he goes to open the truck door, and I take the opportunity to run. Darting straight to the backyard, I count on the darkness engulfing me. I hear Eli behind me as I sprint, too afraid to look back because I can hear that he’s close as he curses, demanding I stop. Running down the boat dock, I don’t hesitate as I reach my arms out and dive headfirst into the darkness. The cold water knocks my breath out of me as I surface, swimming away for a few seconds before looking back to the dock where Eli stands, looming over the water. He’s afraid of what he can’t see in the dark water, and I’m more terrified of him than anything beneath the surface of this lake.

“You have to come out eventually,” he says, as I tread water, looking to the house behind him. He doesn’t want my dad. He wants Austin, and he’ll come after me to get him.

Turning to my mom’s house, I stroke my arm out, kicking my feet, thrashing against the water as I swim across the lake. My limbs tire quickly from the cold water, but with my adrenaline powering full force at the thought of what is on the other side of the shore, I power forward. The thought of what could be waiting if I take too long to reach the finish line spurs me on.

My lungs burn, my muscles ache, but I keep going. Pushing harder as I hear my name being screamed, I can’t tell where it’s coming from, but I have to get across the cove.

I can’t go much more, slowing as I look up, seeing that I’m almost there when I spot a dark figure on the shore. Halting, I’m afraid I’m too late, that Eli beat me. But between my harsh breaths, I hear Austin scream my name and then the figure dives headfirst into the lake. I don’t have to see his face to know that’s Austin. Only he would jump headlong into the darkness with me.

Pushing myself forward, I swim until he’s there, wrapping an arm around me as he helps me reach the shoreline. I struggle to catch my breath. I’m shivering but still crawl onto the boat dock, collapsing as I gasp, “My dad. Eli. In the house.”

Austin yells across the yard, but I can’t understand what he’s saying over the chatter of my teeth. I’m shivering so hard they feel like they’re gonna break. “We have to help my dad,” I climb to my feet as Austin loops his arm around my side as we trudge, sopping wet, towards my mom’s house. Looking over my shoulder, I see my bedroom light still on. “He’s in the house.”

David runs outside as Austin tells him that Eli was in the house. But is he still? Scanning around, there’s only darkness to see everywhere.

A flash of metal catches my eyes as I scream, but it’s too late. Eli charges Austin, who was focused on me instead of watching for the madman.

Austin quickly recovers, his fist surges forward as his hand smashes into Eli’s stomach, his other arm blocks the metal blade Eli swings through the air.

Knocking the blade out of his grip, Austin quickly gets the upper hand, towering over Eli, pummeling his fist against any part of his brother’s body he can make contact with. Austin doesn’t let up as Eli’s movements become defensive, shielding himself from Austin’s continuous fury. Like before when I feared Austin was going to kill Eli, I have that same fear now. I can’t lose him—not to prison, not to regret, not to guilt. He can’t leave me again.

Running to Austin, I scream for him to stop but he doesn’t, so I yell his name and wrap my arms around him as I hang on. He finally halts, automatically stilling, nothing moving but his chest rising and falling in quick bursts.

“It’s over,” I say to Austin as I move beside him, grabbing his hand and trying to pull him away.

Eli lets out a deranged laugh as he says, “It’ll never be over.”

Austin lunges away from me, eager to continue his assault of the menacing tyrant on the ground, but I hold onto him.

“Please don’t,” I plea, not for Eli but for Austin. Because if he does what I see in his eyes, he’ll never recover from murdering the menacing psychopath lying on the ground.

Deliberately, Austin takes a step away from Eli and towards me. He’s made the choice to not be the monster he’s always been accused of.

Snaking my arms around his torso, I hug against him as we stand together.

Eli gargles, spitting blood onto the ground as he rises to his feet. He moves to close the distance Austin put between them.

David hollers, stepping in front of Austin and I, a shotgun pointed at Eli who halts at the sight. Wobbling a bit as he takes a step forward.

David cocks the gun, aiming it directly between Eli’s eyes. “Don’t move, or I will put you down.”

Swaying, Eli lets out a snicker as he falls to the ground, sitting while David keeps the gun pointed on him. The three of us stand there, unmoving, until we hear sirens in the distance.