Breaking Deluce (5 page)

Mona replied with her address and put the phone back down. A minute later it buzzed again. Another text from Damon. “Okay great see you in an hour.”

Mona closed her cell phone and couldn’t believe what time it was. Panic set in as she realized she had less than an hour to be ready. She showered quickly and ran back into her room while she brushed her teeth, still brushing as she sorted through her clothes, throwing them over her shoulder and onto the bed until she decided on an outfit. Once dressed, she grabbed her phone and checked the time. She had five minutes before he was going to be here. She looked in the mirror; her hair was a mess and she didn’t have time to do anything special. She grabbed her white headband and put it on. It would work for now, she had decided. She gave her herself one last look in the mirror. Her black shorts and white halter-top worked well. She smiled; she knew she looked cute. Her phone started buzzing. It was another text from Damon—he was outside. She grabbed her running shoes and headed downstairs.

At the bottom of the stairs, Mona sat down and put on her shoes. Once she had finished, she looked up and saw her mother’s teak china cabinet. At the top of the cabinet were six silver steak knives. Walking up to the cabinet she stared at the knives as they shimmered in the light. She gave a quick glance around before reaching up and grabbing one of them. She held up the steak knife; the handle was perfectly contoured for her hand. Touching the blade with her finger, she found that it was sharp, real sharp. After yesterday, she knew she was going to need protection if these imps attacked again. Now she just had to figure out where to keep the blade. Her pockets wouldn’t work and she didn’t want it anywhere it could be seen.

While Mona was busy placing the knife in different places, to see if it could be hidden on her body, her phone buzzed. She grabbed her phone and checked to see who it was. Damon was parked outside. Panicking a little bit, she hunted for a place to hide her knife. Her lower back became itchy. When she itched it, she realized she had found the perfect place to hide the knife. Reaching into a nearby drawer, she pulled out of a roll of duct tape. She lifted up her shirt and peeled off a few strips of tape. Holding the knife with one hand, she reached back and taped with the other hand. When the knife was firmly in place, she lowered her shirt and checked her reflection in the glass to see if the blade showed. It was a little uncomfortable but perfectly hidden as she took off running out the front door.

When Mona opened her front door, she could hear the distinct roar of a large engine rumbling. It belonged to the large muscle parked in front of her house. She assumed it was Damon so she walked up to the car. The passenger door swung open and sitting in the driver’s seat was Damon. “Hey beautiful,” he said.

Mona climbed in the car and said, “Hey.”

Unsure of what else to do or say, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. She looked around his car before she said, “It’s a gorgeous car but gas must cost a fortune.”

“Eh, I really don’t mind, plus I built her from the ground up. She’s family,” he said as he smiled.

Damon shifted his car into first and pulled out onto the road. They were on their way. Once he got onto the main road he asked, “Did you do anything fun last night?”

Mona shifted in her seat, feeling the knife rubbing in her back. Uncomfortable thoughts flooded her mind as she lied, “No, I just went home, studied, and fell asleep. What about you?”

“Yeah pretty much the same, home and sleep,” he lied as he rubbed his freshly healed wound.

The tension in the car was so thick you could cut it with a knife. They both wanted to open up and tell each other the truth but they didn’t out of fear of being judged—or worse, simply not believed.

Damon tired of the tension in the air and started some small-talk; he asked her what her parents did, and where she wanted to go to college. It passed the time and soon they were turning onto the dirt road that led to the trail for the waterfall.

When they pulled into the parking lot, they both looked around and noticed it was completely empty. “Hmm, that’s strange,” Damon said. “You’d think it would be busier.”

Damon got out of the car and his eyes immediately went to the bushes. He scanned them for trouble didn’t really notice anything, which bothered him. Mona stepped out of the car. She was amazed at the wilderness and she lost herself in looking around.

When Mona came back to she looked at Damon. He had a funny look on his face, as if he had seen something. “Everything okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, it’s fine. I’m just checking out the scenery,” he replied. “Wanna start our hike?”

“Yep let’s get going!”

Damon popped his trunk open and grabbed a backpack. Slinging it over his shoulder, he reached out his hand. “Shall we?”

Mona grabbed his hand smiling. “Yes, let’s,” she said.

Walking hand in hand they followed the trail, observing the beauty of Ellensburg in the spring. Damon spotted some wild flowers along the trail. “Close your eyes,” he said.

“Why?” she asked.

“Just trust me.”

Mona closed her eyes as Damon reached down, creating an impromptu bouquet. Holding the flowers in front of her, he said, “Okay open them.”

Mona’s eyes lit up as she saw the bouquet before her. She grabbed the flowers as they were handed to her. She closed her eyes as she took in the scent of the wildflowers. The scent was intoxicating as she smiled. “Thank you! You are so sweet,” she said as she kissed him on the cheek.

A couple of rabbits came scurrying out of the brush and rushed past the couple. They both smiled as they watched the rabbits dart around the bend and into the bushes. Mona grabbed Damon’s hand and pulled him along as they continued down the trail.

The trail was soon joined by a creek that flowed parallel to it. Everywhere they looked, life was blossoming all around. As they continued to walk, the woods thickened, and soon they could see wild animals roaming all around. Deer galloped across trail and into the woods. A snake soon followed the deer, causing Damon and Mona to stop as it crossed their path.

Damon’s eye darted around the woods. Something was wrong and he knew it. The animals shouldn’t all be headed one way. It was as if they were running away from something.

Soon the roar of rushing water filled their ears as they neared the waterfall. Damon saw the waterfall just off the path and slowly walked towards it. He inched closer, trying to look over the waterfall. Mona grabbed his hand and slowly followed. They both looked down at the fifty-foot drop and slowly stepped back.

A loud splash behind Damon and Mona sent water soaking their backs. They both turned around to see Jason. His pupils were glowing bright red, his face filled with rage. Damon knew something was wrong and he tried to pull Mona behind him. “Get away from her!” Jason screamed as he thrust his fist forward, hitting Damon in the chest.

The blow lifted Damon off his feet, sending him flying over the waterfall into the water below. “Damon!” Mona shouted as she watched him fall into the shallow water below. “You monster! How could you!”

Mona balled up her fist, throwing her first punch ever. She hit Jason as hard as she could in the stomach. “Ow!” she hollered—punching him felt like punching a brick wall.

Jason reached out and grabbed Mona around her neck. He gripped her firmly as he lifted her into the air. He slowly walked forward as she hung helplessly. Hanging over the edge of the cliff, she just looked into his eyes and choked out, “Why?”

The red in Jason’s eyes flickered for a second before he answered, “Because I have to. My master commands it.”

Jason pulled her closer, but as he was about to throw her over the edge, he loosened his grip and Mona spoke to him. “You are stronger than this. Don’t let him control you.”

The words cut right through Jason and he froze in his tracks. His eyes flickered red before finally returning to their natural brown. He smiled, and then he looked down at her as he set her down and said, “You’re right. Thank you.”

When Jason turned around he found himself face to face with the doctor. The doctor sighed, “Another failed experiment.”

The doctor reached behind his back, pulling out a silver dagger. He shoved it into Jason’s stomach. Jason clutched at the dagger but the doctor just put his boot into Jason’s chest, sending him falling over the cliff. “I’ll show you how to kill, son,” the doctor taunted.

Mona had just recovered from Jason choking her when the doctor grabbed her by the throat, squeezing even harder than Jason. She started to panic; she could no longer breathe. Struggling to get free, she could feel the blade taped to her back coming loose. She tried to reach for it but it had fallen right in the middle of her back where she couldn’t quite reach it. The more she wiggled, the more the tape peeled away. She struggled until she felt the blade come loose, as it fell into her hand. She stopped struggling as she drove the blade deep into the doctor’s forearm. The doctor just laughed, “Aww, poor child, did you think that tiny blade would save you? It’s too bad for you I don’t feel pain.”

Mona grabbed the blade, yanking it out of the doctor’s bloodless wound. She stabbed the doctor in the pit of his elbow. His strength disappeared from his hand as she fell to the ground, rolling dangerously close to the cliff. “Yeah, but you still have tendons,” she taunted.

“You bitch!” the doctor screamed. “It’s a good thing I only need one arm to kill you.”

The doctor lunged at Mona with his good arm. Just when he was about to shove her off the cliff, there was a flash of blue light and his arm fell to the ground.

The doctor and Mona looked up to see Damon standing there soaking wet, his sword ready to slice the doctor in half. The whites of his eyes had turned blood red. The doctor flung his bad arm upward to block as Damon swung. The blade glided through doctor’s arm like it wasn’t even there. The doctor fell onto his back, his cauterized stubs flailing around as he struggled to get onto his feet. Once on his feet, the doctor had the strangest look on his face.—though he was standing there armless, he didn’t look worried at all.

Damon raised his blade to strike him down and the doctor just smiled as he dove over the cliff. He bounced off the cliff face a few times as his cauterized wounds were ripped open but still no blood fell. He flipped and twisted as he hit the water face first with a “Slap!”

Slowly sinking into the shallow water, he disappeared from Damon’s vision.

Damon reached out to Mona. “Come on, I have to get you out of here,” he said.

Mona grabbed his hand and nodded in agreement. They started running away when they heard a loud thud behind them. Damon turned and saw the doctor standing there; both of his arms had regrown. The doctor ripped off his tattered shirt, revealing his heavily scarred body. “I’m going to rip you in half boy, and then I’m going to take my time with your sweet little girlfriend.”

Damon looked at Mona and threw his car keys to her. “Run!” he shouted.

Mona hesitated, but one glance at the doctor’s evil glare and she started running for it.

Damon turned back towards the doctor, who was already charging full speed at him. Damon tried to swing at him, but he was fast and caught Damon unexpectedly. He blocked Damon’s swing as he grabbed the boy by the wrist, slugging him hard in the stomach, and throwing him through a tree.

The doctor slowly walked over to Damon, who was struggling to rise to his feet. Damon raised his sword to defend himself but the doctor just smacked it away. Sending it flying into a tree, the blade pierced clean through the tree up to its hilt.

The doctor reached down and grabbed Damon by the throat. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I was going to rip you in two,” the doctor threatened. “But first I am going to beat you to a pulp.”

The doctor picked him up and his nails dug into Damon’s skin, drawing blood. Damon couldn’t breathe. “Oh, no, you don’t get to pass out that easy,” the doctor said as he balled up his free hand into a fist.

The doctor dropped Damon and slugged him as hard as he could in the chest. Damon flew backward, clutching at where the doctor had hit him. It felt like the doctor’s fist was buried in his chest. The pain quickly vanished from his chest as his back crashed through tree after tree; finally, he tumbled to the ground. He tried to rise to his feet, but the pain was too much and he collapsed. He knew he had lost and was about to experience one of the most gruesome deaths a human could experience.