Page 64 of Hurts So Good
“Dude, your love of that show knows no bounds.” We all laugh at Hals’ words as we toss our weapons into the cart and climb on the ATVs.
“On to the next. Friday the thirteenth is the best.” Hals takes off just as Jonas stops yelling, causing him to fall backward on the seat.
He’s not wrong. This is the best night ever.
We make our way along the path through the trees. Our next spot is about fifteen minutes away.
Next up for tonight is none other than Philip Masterson. We have a lot of fun planned for him. Fucking sadist.
The closer we get to the next stop, the more pumped I feel. Hals starts to slow his ATV down as we near our destination. Pulling off into a clearing, he parks it. We’ll have to walk through the brush to get to the clearing he’s in.
“Can’t wait to beat the fucker’s face in,” Jonas jokes as he swings his bat.
“Well, he’s all yours first. Just don’t kill him right off the bat,” I warn him. Jonas is known to get a little overzealous. It’s no fun for anyone when you kill with one blow. We want to play with our food a little, letting it marinate.
As we step through the trees into the clearing, Hals and Jonas come to a screeching halt, causing me to crash into them.
“Hey, motherfuckers! Give me a warning next time,” I bitch at them.
A choked gasp escapes Jonas’ mouth as he stares at the sight in front of us. But after the three or four seconds it takes for his brain to reboot, he takes off, running toward Philip’s body hanging from a tree. It took two of us pulling on the rope earlier to get his ass up there; his hands remain tied above his head as his feet dangle, barely touching the ground.
“No, no, no,” Jonas chants, each word rising in volume as he rounds the body until it crescendos with a bellow. “NO!” he roars.
“What the fuck?” Hals and I both blurt out in unison.
Philip’s corpse is a bloodied mess, a pool of crimson on the ground below him.
“When and how did one of you get back here to do this without me knowing?” I rip the mask off my head as I move closer, taking in the scene before me.
“We didn’t do this,” Hals snaps. “How did someone know he was here?”
“The better question is, who knew we’d be here? Look at his chest.” Jonas' voice is void of emotion now, which is kind of creepy.
“What are you talking about? I don’t give a shit about his chest. I want to know what the hell happened here. If you two didn’t have a part in this, then someone knows about us. If our fathers get wind of it, they’ll kill us.” I’m pacing, my fingers running through my hair as I pull on the ends. This can’t be happening.
“Who the fuck cares about them? We have bigger fish to fry. Look at his chest!” he shouts, gesturing his hands toward the body.
It’s then I pay closer attention, actually looking at what he wants me to. His face is black and blue, and the blood that once flowed from his mouth has stained streaks down his chin. I try not to focus on what else is wrong with him, letting my eyes drift to his chest that’s covered by a ripped shirt, splotches of the fabric dyed in shades of crimson.
I step closer, moving the shirt to get a better look even though I could read it. I just need to know if there’s more. Some clue as to who did this.
Someone crudely carved Too Late and a smiley face into his chest.
“Who the hell knew? We’re meticulous about keeping our tracks covered.” Hals kicks at a rock on the ground, sending it flying toward a tree.
“Shit, shit, shit!” I blurt, pulling my mask back on before racing over to the ATV, climbing on it, and shooting off down the path. We were too late for Philip, but we still have Dylan. If the fucker knows what we’re doing, then he’s heading to him next and we need to stop him.
I can hear them screaming after me, but I don’t have time to waste. Tonight is going downhill and I don’t want the wrath of my father coming down on me.
A minute later, I hear the roar of their ATV as they come flying up behind me. Guess the same realization that hit me smacked them upside the face.
The closer I get to my destination, a heavy feeling builds in the pit of my stomach. My mind fears the worst is about to happen. The guys probably have the same thoughts racing through their minds.
Dylan needs to be alive and exactly how we left him, or shit’s going to hit the fan. We’ll tear this school apart until we find the fucker who is messing with us.
I come to a skidding halt when I reach the clearing, already knowing it’s going to be a shit show when we get there.
Once I have the ATV turned off, I jump off and rush toward where we left Dylan’s body. He’s on the other side of the tree, so I can’t see him. I stumble as I stop; no way in hell am I going unarmed. I rush back to the cart, reaching in and pulling out my cleaver, just as Hals and Jonas pull up beside me.