Ray Ch. 05: Abyss

His tongue began obscenely gesturing towards her as he approached, reminding her of its abilities. She grabbed hold of his shirt, pulling his head down to hers. "Save your energy, Officer Ray. After we get home, that tongue won't be getting any breaks."

"Promise?"

She shoved his head away when his mouth moved to her neck again. "I'm going to go get something from the Snack Shack."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"No. Stay. I'll be right back." She needed to get something sweet. Something to hold her over until they got home.

She jogged up the two steps to the upper level, then weaved through the people sipping their beers as they watched the games. The line to the Snack Shack was longer than she had anticipated, though still not as long as the one for the Beer Hut. Bodies wrapped around the corner, waiting patiently to purchase a ten dollar beer.

She got behind the last person, unable to see the menu over the heads of the tall couple two people ahead of her. Her body was still calling for Ray, the pulse between her legs unyielding. The discomfort of now having to spend the rest of the game with arousal soaked jeans tempted her to think up a punishment for his behavior.

The line began to extend behind her, filling with others in need of nourishment. Her hair shifted over her back as a slight breeze blew through it. She ran her hand over it to smooth it back down, thankful they had turned on the air conditioner. The line moved as someone finally stepped away from the counter. She stepped forward, bringing her one step closer to some kind of sugar.

The breeze ran through her hair again, though this time it felt as though fingers were lightly stroking through it. She tensed, suddenly aware of the body behind her. She turned her head slightly, taking in the man's dark sweatshirt and ball cap. He was turned away from her, watching the games with his hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans.

She looked forward, scolding herself for her paranoid behavior. The line moved again, bringing the menu into her view. She scanned over it, disappointed when the only type of cookie listed was chocolate chip. Her eyes glanced towards Lane 21, the frowns on the faces of her teammates telling her the boys were bowling well tonight.

When her hair shifted again, she didn't feel it fall back into place. She reached back, her hand wrapping around a fist. Her heart froze in her chest as she jumped to the side, trying to pull her head back. But the man behind her didn't release the strands from his grasp. He lifted them to his downturned face, holding them to his nose as he inhaled.

"Excuse me!" she shouted as she grabbed her hair, trying to rip it from his grasp.

Blue eyes looked down at her from under the brim of the grey hat. "How are you supposed to hide from me with ruby cars and golden hair?"

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His name cut through the pounding music and rolling balls. She was calling for him, screaming for him, the sound making his blood turn to ice in his veins. There were too many people to push through, too many separating him from where he should have been. When he finally saw her face through the crowd, she was grasping her hair in one hand and gesturing frantically with the other.

He followed the line of her finger, noticing a man in a grey sweatshirt weaving his way towards the door. He followed, the rest of the world fading away as he recognized the familiar movements of a man he'd chased once before. Blue eyes glanced back towards him, the movement stopping for a brief moment while a yellow toothed smile mocked him.

The red haze surrounded him, heat surging through him as he increased his pace. He had tried to suppress it, tried to enslave it and choke it down, but now it boiled through him. There was only one person who could send it back into hiding, but she was lost in the crowd behind him.

Ben paused at the entrance, turning back and smiling one more time before disappearing out the door.

He shoved his way through the onlookers, breaking into a run when the density dissipated. His body hit the front door with a loud bang, sending it flying into the outside wall. He glanced to the left, picking up speed when Ben disappeared around the corner of the building. The maze of alleyways running throughout the residential areas would be a perfect escape, but he knew their paths well. His feet pounded down on the pavement, his breath sucking in sharply through his nose as he rounded the corner.

The metal pipe struck his head with a thud, bringing him crashing to the asphalt. His hands slid through the blood pouring down his face, the warmth covering his skin. He blinked through the red, trying to get to his feet.

Ben smiled, raising the pipe again. "Hello, Swine."

He jerked his head to the left, the pipe grazing down his right cheek before it slammed into the ground. The loud clank ripped through his ear, vibrating down the right side of his body. Footsteps pounded towards him before racing by, blurring around him. He looked up, watching as Ben raced towards the alley, the metal pipe still clasped in his hand. The distorted images of Ian, Finn and Alex followed. He tried to push himself up, unable to get farther than his hands and knees.

Yellow and red bowling shoes came into view under his nose. His eyes moved up the legs he loved to kneel at, to the tear streaked face he would always worship. She knelt down in front of him, her hands frantically trying to wipe away the blood covering his skin, her lips speaking soft words he couldn't understand.

He sat back on his heels, listening to the sound of the sirens getting closer. She pulled his head towards hers, her mouth pressing to his. When she pulled away, his blood was smeared over her cheek. His eyes focused on the red smudge, unwilling to meet her gaze. He had failed her once again.

*****************

She glanced around out the window, trying to see if Ben was hiding behind any of the neighbors' bushes or vehicles. When she decided the task was impossible she sucked in a breath, grabbed the bag off the passenger seat then jumped out and raced towards the front door as fast as she could. Her key was poised and ready, though her shaking hand cost her seconds she wasn't prepared to lose. She darted into the house, shut the door and locked the deadbolt as fast as she could.

The alarm beeped its warning through the house, threatening to go off and call the authorities within the next ninety seconds. She jogged down the hallway then punched in the pin code, listening for any rustling in the resulting silence. When the air remained still, she turned towards his room.

The door was cracked open, the light filtering in through the blinds. She quietly made her way to where he slept, holding the bag in her hand still to keep from waking him. The pain pills he'd been refusing to take were where she had left them sitting on his nightstand. She popped open the bottle, peaking inside. Even though she had ordered him to, the count remained the same.

His right eye was black, the color fading to light purple as it spread down the side of his face. A beige strip interrupted the bruise above his eyebrow, covering the eighteen stitches holding his skin together. She bent down and pressed her lips to it lightly, then turned and headed back towards the hallway.

Ben was getting stronger. They were getting weaker. She tossed the bag into the bathroom sink, resting her hands on the counter as she stared one last time into the mirror at who she had always been. Now she had to fade away into the darkness.

She pulled the small box out of the bag and tore it open, dumping the contents out over the counter. She read through the directions, following the steps to mix the solution into the plastic vile. She stared into the mirror as she pulled on the latex gloves, no longer hiding in denial. Ben was in control, and she was farther from it than she had ever been.

Her hands trembled as she raised the vial to her scalp. The rich brown dye dripped over her blonde strands, hiding them from the world. Her gloved hands massaged it into her roots, roots that had never been any color but pale yellow. She squeezed the vial harder, letting the dye cover every piece of who she once was before she lost her strength. It dripped down to the counter, smearing over the gold and white swirled marble sink, mixing with her tears as they fell from her face.