Lingering Echoes (26 page)

Nothing else seemed to matter. They had taken Damien’s life, and now they were going to take mine. It was odd how apathy could replace my fear in such short time—to make me forget the pain in my chest and dry the tears in my eyes. Even the shaky, shuddering breaths after a hard cry were beginning to subside as I relinquished to my fate. All I felt now were the ropes cutting into my wrists. I had given up trying to wriggle out of them, but they were going numb.

Pressing
my cheek against the cool window, I released a defeated sigh. I didn’t know how they were going to end my life, but I knew it would be soon.

“Don’t worry, now,”
Iona’s voice interrupted in mock sincerity. “You’ll be reunited with Damien soon enough.” I didn’t have to look over to know he was smiling maliciously at me from behind the wheel.

A wave of disgust rushed through my body. The sound of him sayi
ng Damien’s name ignited a spark. “You are a cruel, despicable excuse for a man,” I spat out.

Laughter erupted from the seat behind me. “Hear that, Ion
a?” Fanua said. “She thinks you’re ‘despicable’. We got to write that one down, eh?”

“I’m flattered
,” Iona commented. “From the way you look at us, Damien must have told you all about us. I hope we’re living up to our name.”

I stared straight ahead, glaring throu
gh the windshield. The dirt road was leading us northeast of the lake. We were just starting a gradual ascent through the mountain.

“It doesn’t matter what you do with me. You’ll be caught
,” I continued, not bothering to look at either of them. “The police know Damien had some valuable information about your worthless gang. As soon as he’s discovered missing, they’re going to know you came for him. And they’re going to track you down like the dogs you are.”

Neither of the two accompanying Samoans seemed concerned.
Fanua spoke, “It doesn’t matter. In this great country, we are ‘innocent until proven guilty’. If they can’t find the evidence, they can suspect us all they want.” He leaned forward in his seat, resting his head on my shoulder. I could feel his warm breath touching my ear. He whispered, “This isn’t our first time, you know.”

I shrugged a
way from him, glowering inside, waiting and wondering for the fate that would be mine.

We pulled up to a smaller lake, surrounded by
a thicket of trees, and what looked like some vacant camp sites in the distance. My eyes scanned the dark woods in search of any sign of visitors—flashlights in the distance or voices carrying through the air—but there was nothing. We were all alone.

The gangsters
stepped out of the car, slamming their doors shut. Fanua pulled open my door and hauled me out of the car. He dragged me towards the water. The lights from the truck lit our path and illuminated the calm, lapping water. I could hear Iona following behind, the items he carried clanking against each other.

“Here we are. Have a seat.”
Fanua shoved me to the ground. I landed on my rear, grunting on impact. I scowled up at them.

“See, here’s what we’re going to do,”
Fanua continued, tugging a beer can from Iona’s full arms. He popped open the lid, pausing to take a sloppy sip. “We’re going to make this easy on you. Give you a few drinks and, along with our magic pill—” He pulled a small, plastic package from his jacket, holding it up in the light. Inside were three small, white tablets. “—you won’t know the difference between sleeping and drowning. How’s that for considerate, huh?” He gleamed at me, exposing a missing molar.

Despite my efforts to hide my fear, I scooted backwards, pushing my bare feet against the dirt. My eyes widened, eyeing the men in front of me. They smiled a
s they anticipated my reaction, relishing in my fear.

They were going to make my death look like an accidental drowning. Too much
alcohol and a swim in the lake...not a far-fetched story for a graduated teen—especially one who was suffering from the emotional turbulence of losing her cousin and dealing with her father’s remarriage.

Even as I pieced their plan together, I watched Iona open another can and empty its contents along the ground. He crunched the aluminum in one movement, tossing it a few feet away from me.

“Drink up, little lady,” Fanua said, squatting in front of me. He put the can to my lips and tipped the can.

I grimaced, wrenching my face away. The liquid spilled down my neck and soaked into my
tank top. I spit in his face. “Get away from me!”

Fanua
growled, wiping a large hand across his cheek. “We’re doing this the hard way, I see.” He grabbed my hair with his free hand, yanking backwards. I cried out as my head snapped back. Fanua poured the beer onto my face, spilling the vile liquid down my nose and into my mouth. I choked and sputtered, swallowing while I tried to breathe, gagging as the bitter drink trickled down my throat.

“There, that’s a girl,” h
e sneered. He poured another dose all over my face. I coughed, blinking back tears and alcohol from my eyes.

“Please—stop!
” I managed to choke out. Fanua released my hair and I sat up with a gasp. I shook my head, still coughing. Through blinking eyes, I watched Fanua rip open the plastic package. He pinched two white tablets with his fingers.

“Painless,” he promised, putting the rest of the bag back in
his pocket. “It should take twenty minutes or so. It will make drowning that much easier. And much quieter,” he added. He dropped the tablets into the can and swirled it around.

My body trembled. I twisted
around onto my knees. Leaping to my feet, I tried to bolt. My balance staggered, and I fell to my knees. I made an effort to scramble to my feet, but with my hands still tied, I wasn’t fast enough.

Fanua
grabbed me with his free arm, throwing me into a headlock from behind. I squirmed against him.

“No! Let go of me!”

Again, Fanua bent me backwards, digging his knee into my back. He poured the concentrated liquid down my throat. I gagged and sputtered, resisting the drug. I wrenched my face back and forth, struggling against my captor’s arm, but every breath I fought for allowed a flood of tainted beer to trail down my throat and into my system. I could hear Iona laughing in the background, crunching another beer can. He egged his buddy on.

My
mouth found a chunk of Fanua’s arm. I clamped down with my teeth, biting down like a vice.

Fanua
bellowed, dropping the can and releasing his hold on me. I launched to my feet, wobbling as I found my balance. I didn’t look back. I took off running towards the trees, ignoring the deep hollering behind me.

I ran, my breaths heaving in my chest. Dry pine needles pierced my bare feet, but I ignored their prickling sting. My feet dug into the dirt, dodging trees and bushes. Without the truck headlights, lighting was scarce, but my eyes adjusted to the dim
moonlight above the trees.

Footsteps thundered not far behind me. “Get back here
!” Iona was yelling.

Branches flew by my cheeks, etching my skin with their callous touch. The muscles in my thighs ached at the sudden demand of strength, but they responded
on instinct.

I altered my path, hoping to create
enough distance between the oversized thug and myself. Perhaps he would not find me in the dark.

Perhaps he would decide I wasn’t worth the fight.

And perhaps the drug would not make its way into my system, allowing me a fighting chance at escape. Minutes were all I had.

My lungs burned for deprived oxygen
. I pressed on, begging my limbs to pick up the pace. I didn’t know where I was going, but I had to keep moving. I didn’t want to think about what they would do once they caught me.

As I dodg
ed a tree, the ground beneath me sloped without warning. I tumbled down the hill, sliding a few feet along the loose dirt. My body rolled over brush and pinecones. I moaned, my shoulders and face having absorbed most of the impact. Looking back up the hill, I listened for the approaching footsteps. They were coming closer.

Scooting
my body behind a bush, I hoped it would shield me from the top of the hill. I held my breath, afraid to breathe and give away my position. The footsteps were right above me now. I could hear the heavy breathing. But his steps carried on. Then there was silence.

I couldn’t tarry too long. I jumped to my feet with effort,
my legs beginning to wobble while I squinted at the bottom of the slope. It took me a few moments before I dared believe my eyes, but my spirits lifted.

There was
a dirt road at the bottom, and approaching headlights in the distance. Help was on its way at last.

Slipping and
sliding my way down the hill, my eagerness to escape almost threw me off balance.

“I’m here! Please, help me!” I yelled out, almost reaching the bottom of the incline. The headlights came to a sto
p a short distance away, blinding me. My eyes searched for my rescuers through the light. Imagining my appearance, my thoughts scattered at what I would tell them. With any luck, maybe their phone picked up service, and the police would be on their way in minutes. I couldn’t let these men get away. Hopeful, I cast my eyes at the opening car door.

The familiar, large shape of
Fanua stepped out of the vehicle. He stared at me with anger in his dark eyes.

Surprise and fear forced me to a halt, mid-step. My sudden jolt catapulted my body forward. My head slammed into a tree
trunk, and I collapsed with instantaneous throbbing in my forehead.

“No
...” I moaned, unable to move. I closed my eyes, wishing I could silence the drums in my head.

“You really know how
to make things difficult,” Fanua’s livid voice said. His callous hands touched my skin, and I winced. His strong arms slung me over his shoulder. Thrown into the back seat of my suburban, I grimaced as the seatbelt buckle dug into my cheek. I wriggled my numb hands from inside the ropes, but the movements felt slow and uncoordinated. Helplessly, I rested my head against the seat of the car.

“Ah—
there she is,” I heard Iona say, slipping into the passenger seat a couple minutes later. “Bro, I think I can check off my exercise goals for the year,” he said, still panting. “That’s more running than I’ve done my whole life.” I felt the car flip around, heading back the way we came.

O
nce again, I was yanked out of the car. My head danced around and around without my consent. My feet stumbled, unable to keep up as I was pulled towards the lake. Coming to a stop, my knees gave out, dropping my body to the floor.

“What
’s the matter? Feeling a little...dizzy?” Fanua’s voice seemed to skip through the air, almost blending together in confusing tones, mingled with laughter.

The drug! You have to fight it!

“Damien...” I murmured. Images of his face infiltrated my mind, strengthening my senses.

“Damien’s long gone,
honey,” Fanua said. “Afona should be back with the car any minute now. Maybe he’ll be kind enough to bring the body for you. If you’re still awake, that is.”

I looked up at him from where I was slumped, noticing the tender, red marks on his right arm. Even half-drugged, I could detect the bloody
bite marks I had left as a souvenir for him. A sloppy smirk escaped my lips.

Fanua
followed my gaze. He glowered at me. “You’re going to regret that,” he informed me. “Real soon.”

Fanua
lifted me to my feet and towed me after him. Cold water bathed my legs as we trudged a couple yards into the lake. He shoved me to the ground. I landed on my knees, splashing into the pool beneath me.

I knew I should
be scared. I was about to die—death by drowning, after all. It didn’t matter that Damien had saved me once. This was my fate. Water, the conquering enemy, would have me at last, but the fear that should have fueled me was numb—unresponsive, just like the rest of my body.

“Have a nice swim,” he said.

He placed his massive hand on my head, shoving it downwards into the water. Tranquilized or not, my body responded on instinct. I thrashed against the water, allowing my right hand to slip out from the stretched and waterlogged knots around my wrists. My fingers found Fanua’s hand on top of my head. I dug my nails into his skin, scratching and clawing.

The pressure on my head released just enough. My head popped out of the
lake, and I inhaled both water and air. My clumsy kicking managed to contact something of importance, because Fanua buckled over with a deep groan.

I lunged
for the shore. Urging myself towards dry land, I crawled through the water. Frantic sobs erupted from my throat. A hand grabbed my ankle, pulling me back through the water. Dirt caught under my nails as I raked the ground with my hands. A tangle of slippery weeds braided between my fingers.

Shrieking, I rolled onto my back and kicked at
Fanua’s face with my free leg.

His arm came down onto my head. I was gurgling in the water again, blowing out pre
cious bubbles of air.

Whether it was the drug o
r lack of oxygen, I didn’t know, but the dizziness was winning. The world was growing bleaker around me, darkness absorbing my mind and body. I couldn’t open my eyes, but I could feel the bursting pain in my lungs.

M
y head was pulled out of the water. I coughed against the water sliding down my throat.

“I have an idea,”
Fanua said, his fist full of my tangled hair. “Even though you’ve made this very difficult on us, I’m going to give you a choice. Option one: You can sit here and let the drug finish knocking you out, and you won’t feel a thing when we leave you face-first in the water. Or...”

Fanua
paused, enjoying his dramatic effect, while I shivered next to him. In the distance, I could see the Samoan’s black car approaching the lake. Iona stood a mere twenty-five feet from us, waving it in. Afona was back, just in time to watch me die. I looked at Fanua, waiting for his final choice. He continued.

“Option t
wo: If you can make it across the lake before the drugs take you, then—you’re free to go.” He shrugged. “No strings attached.” But his features twisted into a cruel smile. I looked across the span of water, calculating the distance. It was a much smaller lake than Hidden Pines, but not enough to fool me into false hope.

With either option,
the result would be the same. Fanua knew that, and he knew I knew that.

But one
way allowed me to die fighting. I thought of Damien again, winning strength from his memories.

Fanua
seemed to detect the determination in my eyes. “I hoped you would choose that one. It will be much more fun to watch.” He pulled a knife from his pocket, flipping it open. He sliced the remaining knotted rope from my left wrist.

My hands wrapped around each other, massaging life back into them. I could feel the tingling sensation of blood absorbing through them again. At the same time, my knees wobbled, threatening to give out on me.

“There’s just one more thing,” Fanua said. “For all the trouble you’ve put us through tonight, I think I deserve a little farewell celebration.” He pulled me close to him, wrapping his hands around my shoulders. I twisted my head away, reeling at the closeness of his foul breath, and his lips almost touching mine.

A shot fired into the night air, echoing against the mountains.

My eyes turned to see Iona squirming on the ground, holding his right bicep. He was lying at the foot of the Samoan’s open car door, looking inside at the driver in disbelief.

Fanua
pulled my back against him, whipping out his gun and holding it against my temple. I could feel the cool metal pressing against my tender skin. Both of us squinted to see through the tinted windows of the vehicle. My heavy eyes blinked at the strain, struggling to focus.

“I’ll kill her. I’ll kill her
right now
if you don’t show yourself!” Fanua demanded, squeezing my arm.

The driver complied. He stood up behind the open door. I sucked in a breath of surprise, seeing
the spikes of his gelled, sun-bleached hair before I saw his face. 

Steadfast,
Aaron stood before us, aiming an identical nine-millimeter at Fanua, both hands securely locked around his weapon.

“Aaron
.” I murmured his name in confusion. I looked at the passenger doors, waiting and hoping for one of them to open, but the doors remained closed. He was alone.

I looked back at Aaron, worried
and concerned for his safety, but Aaron held his stance, while keeping an eye on the Samoan at his feet. I touched my throbbing head, fighting to shake the pain and dizziness from my mind.

“Allie
...What have you done to her?” he said with anger, noting my lethargic appearance. His sharp eyes glared at my captor.

“Nothing she didn’t deserve,”
Fanua responded. He tightened his grip on me, pushing the gun harder against my head. His voice lowered. “What have you done with my brother? I’m assuming he didn’t offer you his car and gun.”

“Let her go,” Aaron demanded. “Or you can join both of
your friends. And this time,” he continued, glancing down at Iona by his feet, “it won’t just be a warning flesh wound.”

Fanua
gave a short, humorless chuckle. “You must truly care about this one to so carelessly risk your life.”

Aaron’s e
yes met mine once again, securing our gaze for one long moment. The fear he tried to conceal edged its way out from its hiding place, coupled by something more indistinguishable. He swallowed hard.

Fanua
spoke next to my ear. “Interesting. Looks like Damien’s heart isn’t the only one you’ve won over, is it? It’s a shame we don’t have more time together. I’d like to figure out what’s so intriguing about you.” He spoke up, directing his comments at Aaron. “Come on, now, bro. You’re just a boy. You can’t win! Put your gun down or your lady friend is dead.” Fanua cocked his gun for emphasis. Aaron hesitated. I could see the indecision in his eyes.

And
I saw the quiet movement before anyone else.

Look out!
I screamed in my head, but my voice was not cooperating. From where he lay on the ground, Iona had used the distracting standstill to reach for the gun inside his jacket. He pulled it out with his left hand, rolling onto his back.

I made an indistin
guishable noise, my eyes wide, but the sound was enough to alert Aaron. He looked down at Iona, kicking the gun out of his hands. Iona brought up his own leg, nailing Aaron in the back of his quad with the toe of his shoe. Aaron fell to his knees, grunting in pain. Iona reached for the gun, almost wrenching it from Aaron’s grip. Aaron tightened his hold, his face grimacing in the struggle. The gun twisted back and forth between them, both sets of hands fumbling over the loaded weapon with their bodies a foot apart.

Fanua
released his grip on me, shoving me aside, into the water. He rotated his aim at Aaron’s head. I looked up in desperation.

N
o, not Aaron, too.

Panicked tears
blurred my vision. Fearful, I looked up at Fanua’s aimed hand. A cruel smile formed on his lips.

“No! Don’t do this!” My choked voice caught in my throat.

A sudden eruption of splashing caught our attention. From our left, a tall, thick figure was sprinting through the shallow water towards us. Fanua’s face twisted from determined anger to surprise.

H
e growled, swinging his aim around. He wasn’t fast enough.

Damien hurled himself at
Fanua’s torso, tackling him to the ground. The gun fired once behind Damien’s back as both bodies plummeted into the water beside me. The gun slipped from Fanua’s hands, landing in the muddied water. Damien and Fanua wrestled, the Samoan’s massive hands wrapping around Damien’s neck. Damien spun on top of Fanua, clubbing his jaw. Twice more he pummeled Fanua’s face with his good arm, until Fanua released him.

Beside them
, my hands scrambled beneath the water for the gun, my fingers groping the gravel. I looked behind me at Aaron and Iona, both of whom were still engaged in their battle for the weapon.

Without warning,
Fanua pulled the knife from his pocket, stabbing it near Damien’s wounded shoulder. Damien cried out in torment. Fanua leaped to his feet, kicking Damien onto his back in one motion.

“Sorry,
Uso. No more second chances.” Fanua yanked the knife from Damien’s shoulder, smiling with pleasure as Damien’s face contorted in agony. Eyeing Damien’s neck, Fanua held the knife in the air.

Wi
th the last of my strength, I leaped onto Fanua’s back, clawing at his face. My nails caught his eyes, his cheeks...anything I could dig into. Fanua roared. He grabbed one of my arms and hurled me off his back and into the water. Exhausted, I panted at his feet, unable to move anymore. I looked up at him.

F
anua growled, tightening his grip on the knife. In one swift motion, he swung at me. I closed my eyes.

A shot was fired.

And then another.

For a
moment, there was silence.

Then
Fanua fell down beside me. His massive body weight splashed me with water as he landed face-first into the lake. Bright blood swirled around his still body.

With water dripping from my hair and along my face, my mouth fell open with a small gasp.
I looked up at the shooter, but Damien was already aiming the nine-millimeter towards the shore, struggling to keep it steady as his strength wavered. The circle of blood from his wound seemed to be growing larger every second, contrasting with his paling face.

A third shot
sounded through the air. But it was not from Damien’s gun. Terrified, I looked to where the sound originated, from where Aaron and Iona’s bodies lay on the ground. Only one of them was moving.

My eyes widened.

The sobbing that ruptured from within was the first cries of relief I had shed all night. Aaron pulled himself off Iona, dropping the gun beside him. He leaned his back against the wheel of the car, blowing out a heavy breath of air. Dirt caked his sweaty face as he looked back over at me. I tried to smile at him, but my lips were quivering too hard.

“Allie.” The
low voice that spoke came from my left. I turned my head, my eyes locking on Damien’s. He stood ten feet away, the revolver resting along his thigh. He was leaning to the side, where the shoulder of his gray T-shirt continued to stain with fresh blood.

“Damien
.” His name escaped from my lips. The quiet moment allowed comprehension that he was truly alive. The flood of euphoria was so vivid that I wondered if all of this was just the drugs playing with my mind after all. With trembling legs, I rose to my feet, stepping over Fanua’s dead body. Damien staggered over to me, wrapping his right arm around me and pulling me close. He dropped the gun, placing his hand along my back.

With a shaking
hand, I traced his face with my fingers. He was real. And he was here with me.

“Are you ok?” he asked, resting his cheek against mine. The day-old stubble gently scratched my face, reassuring me of his presence.

I murmured a satisfied reply with a deep sigh, closing my eyes. My head was spinning, and my knees threatened to buckle, but none of it mattered now. I simply held onto Damien, clinging to him like a lifeline.