Rellik(37)

A tray slammed down on the table next to me, startling me from my thoughts of Katie.

“What fucked up shit did you do?” A boy sat down on the bench seat next to me, his dirty blonde hair in his eyes and a dark scar around his throat. “I’m Damon Astor but everyone calls me Hangman.” He slid his finger around the scar on his neck and laughed.

“I’m Ryder,” I mumbled as I picked up my sandwich and took a bite, the bologna tasting sour and old.

“Well, Ryder. There are only two rules for the new guys. If you don’t take your meds, I get first dibs. But trust me; you need drugs to make it through this boring shit. Two, never fuck with Thomas Baker, or as we like to call him PhanTOM. Get it?” He waved his hand, an amused smile on his face. “He’s like a fucking animal. I can fuck with him because he likes me, but if you did he’d probably eat your heart or something. He’s really crazy. Not like you and I, he’s legit bat shit.” His smile grew and all I could think about was escaping this hell hole.





Erratic

Chapter 17—Ella

Erratic: unpredictable

I struggled to calm my breathing, counting erratically as Rellik pushed from the bed and grabbed his shorts, yanking them on as he cursed under his breath. He paced the floor for a moment before he wandered into the bathroom, slamming his hands against the tile, biting out a curse that sounded like a roar. I didn’t have a second to waste as I pushed from the bed and ran for the door. I flung it open, letting it bounce hard off the wall behind it, the sound echoing through the room. I took off in a full sprint, barefoot and without any of my things. As I hit the rows of cars, I struggled against the urge to continue on. Instead I ducked down between the vehicles, pressing my back against the wheel of an old maroon Cadillac.

“Ella,” he called out in an eerily playful tone. I put my hands over my mouth to calm my breathing as I closed my eyes. My mind immediately took me back to those days I had hid inside my closet and begged to not be found. “You’re really beginning to piss me the fuck off.” His voice grew closer as I crawled behind the vehicle and stilled at the rear end of a jeep.

“You surprise me. But I bet I could surprise you too.” I could hear his muffled footsteps nearby. “When I heard from Maric that someone was digging into my past, initially I was pissed. That chapter of my life was closed. But when I saw your face, I couldn’t believe it. It fucked up my head, Ella. I almost didn’t come back to find out why you were so interested in me. But I never really had a choice. You knew that already, didn’t you?”

I kept my body pressed against the bumper of the jeep, the sun slowly rising and illuminating the world around me. If I ran, he’d catch me. I had no choice but to wait it out and hope for some divine intervention.

“What are the odds of me being there to save you in that alley? I mean, you’d probably have a better chance of hitting the lottery. I know what you’re thinking, I was there buying some pills, and it was just an odd coincidence. I gave myself a plausible reason to be there. I also showed you that my reasoning was validated. It’s quite easy to push someone into trusting you when you don’t have a lot of time.” He laughed, and my stomach turned. How could I not know who he really was? “I never expected that asshole to put his hands on you. That wasn’t part of the plan. I guess it was a good thing I was there…watching you.” His voice was somber, and he grew quiet for a moment. “The eviction was simple. Did you know you can buy those signs almost anywhere? You should really learn about tenants’ rights, Ella, because that isn’t how the process works. But at eighteen who can really blame you for being so fucking stupid.”

He began to walk again, and I struggled to crawl, stones digging into my knees and palms as I rounded another vehicle.

“Your landlord may be pissed about those screw holes in your door, but since you haven’t paid your rent in a while, I’m sure I only expedited the process.”

I began counting under my breath, struggling to keep my words silent as I begged my heart rate to slow.

“You want me to keep going? It’s really quite impressive. I’ve got to tell you, I was a little fucking pissed about Phantom sticking his nose in my goddamn business. He never really did understand what it was like to love someone. It doesn’t go away, even after death.”

I pushed to my feet, still hunched over as I darted to the next row of cars. His steps grew closer, and I squeezed my eyes closed, begging I wouldn’t be found.

“To be honest, all those years spent in Silver Lake had an impact, albeit minimal. I made some friends…You know the guys. I focused on my music. I fucked every dumb fucking cunt who spread her legs.”