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  As Matt gropes her curves he nibbles on her stomach as tears surface in her eyes. His hands caress up her sides and grab her breasts as flashbacks swarm her head like bad movie clips spliced together in a constant reel. She remembers herself at her mother’s church as a child, looking up at a giant statue of Jesus crucified. The sorrow that she felt rushes back into her soul, aching throughout her body. Tears roll down Emma’s face, gasping to gain control over herself as the hallucinogens take hold over the alcohol.

  In the midst of her hellish reminiscing, she is bombarded with her mother’s taunts. She sees Ophelia as she did when she was little, slippers in a bathrobe with her pulled back.

  Ophelia screams at her, spouting off the Ten Commandments with a cigarette firmly planted in her fingers. In a smoky haze, Ophelia pierces through her defenses and tells her,

  “What you’re doin’ isn’t right, Em… and they’re watchin’

  you… they’re all around you!”

  Reaching her break point, Emma pushes Matt off of her and screams, “I can’t do this!”

  Matt crawls back up on to her, “What the fuck are you talkin’ about?”

  “I can’t fuckin’ do this! Not here!”

  Putting his hand around her throat, he breathes through his clinched teeth, "You're gonna do whatever I wish or I'm gonna kill you."

  Emma pushes him off of her again and cries out at the top of her lungs, "I can't!"

  Sitting up in anger, he becomes disgusted by Emma's emotional display. Crying and whimpering, she exudes every negative vibe that rushes through her. Gritting his teeth, Matt finds no sympathy for broken girl. He is not concerned with why she is writhing; he only feels resentment for her not obeying him. The more he takes in the sight of her, the more his hostility begins to rise. Fed up with her morose candor, Matt storms out of the tent; leaving Emma in a pool of slobbering tears.

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  Matt disappears for a matter of moments as Emma balls her eyes out. Fighting through her bad trip, she cannot believe that her man has left her to fend for herself in her mental hell.

  Popping open his trunk, Matt swears to under his breath as shifts amongst the clutter. Listening to Emma going off, he shakes his head and starts slamming the contents of his trunk around. Spotting a small, almost empty gas can, he pulls it out and slams the trunk closed. Stomping over to the tent, he yells obscenities at her as he shakes the can all over the outside of the tent.

  "Alright you fuckin' bitch! You wanna fuckin' scream?!

  I'll give you somethin' to scream about, you goddamned cunt!"

  Shaking the container until it is empty, he tosses hollow can to the side. With a psychotic cool, he takes out his flip-top lighter and sparks a flame. Taking a few steps back, Matt throws his glowing lighter at the tent. Bouncing onto the gasoline doused fabric, the flame touches and starts to spread over the top of the tent. Drawing a cigar from his little cigar pack he loses himself in Emma's horrific cries for help.

  Placing the filter into his lips, he lights it off of the burning mass. Leaning back, he takes a drag with closed eyes as Emma begs him to help her.

  Frozen in terror as the flames dance around her, Emma fights the effects of the drug and scurries for her purse.

  Holding her breath as smoke clouds around her, she starts to crawl for the opening looking through distorted eyes. Matt sees her hand reach out from the collapsing tent and he quickly makes his move to his car. Jumping in, he fires up the engine and tears away from the scene, leaving kicked up dust in his wake. Emma leaps from the flames to see the tail lights of the Pontiac fade into the darkness. Coughing while trying to catch her breath, she finds herself lying in the dirt all alone.

  Emma's head swarms with warped visions as she pulls her cell phone out of her purse. By light of the fire, she turns on her phone and calls the only person who her instincts tell 122

  her can help; her sister. As the phone rings, Emma staggers to her feet and takes deep breaths. She tries to gain control over the dose that is picking her brain apart as she holds back her tears. The rings seem to last an eon as she wonders why Matt did what he did. When she comes to the harsh realization that her sister was right Kelly answers the call.

  Before Kelly can say "hello", Emma frantically bursts,

  "Kelly, I need your help! Kelly, you have to come get me!"

  Shaken by her sister's tone, Kelly nervously asks, "What the hell is going on? Are you okay?!"

  "No! Matt tried to fucking kill me! Fuck, you have to come get me, I’m so scared!"

  "Where are you?!"

  Struggling for words, Emma makes steps towards the main road from cemetery, "I…I… I'm at that abandoned graveyard… close to Fort Pierce!"

  Looking over to Parker, Kelly says with confusion, "She says she's at an abandoned graveyard, where the hell is that at?!"

  Parker stands up and takes his keys from his pocket, "I know where it's at… I'll drive."

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  CHAPTER 15

  The headlights of Matt's Pontiac pierce through the night as he tries to hold back the forces of his head trips. Muscling over the speed limit, he makes his way to Fort Pierce to see Amber. Lighting a cigar, he tells himself that she will bring the release that he so desperately needs. Sweat drips from his face as he tries to stay in his lane, griping the steering wheel with white knuckles—fighting to maintain his concentration.

  Images of Emma burning alive crash through his mind and spawn sick sensations to ripple through his body. These feelings tremor through him and turn his foot to lead; the energy pushes towards the gas pedal. Sixty turns to seventy and seventy kicks into eighty while the hallucinogen consumes him.

  As the seconds burn into minutes, Matt enters St. Lucie County and before he knows it he is parking at the strip club.

  The car idles as he reaches into his backseat for an old t-shirt 124

  and wipes the sweat from his face. Looking into the rearview mirror, he fixes his collar and works to make himself appear normal. Noticing the red glowing from his eyes, he pulls his eye drops from the glove compartment. Placing three drops in each eye, he blinks and lights another cigarette. He closes his eyes and breathes in and out in order to gain an appearance of normalcy over his state.

  Opening his eyes, he tells himself that he is in control and cuts off the engine. Stepping out of the car, he gives the outside scene a conscious scan. Moving his glances to the front door, Matt finds the door man is glaring at him.

  Catching this man's look, sudden suspicions arise in him. Too far gone, he does not see these thought to be paranoia fueled by the hallucinogens. Mashed voices tell him that this door man is an agent of light that is out to stop him from fulfilling his needs. These words echo through Matt's head as he repeats, "I have to eat them before they can eat me" to himself.

  Taking a deep drag from his smoke, Matt marches towards the entrance. Readying himself for anything, he shoots the door man a murderous stare. His feet trample heavy while his brain is clinched in the throes of irrational idea, subverting what reason he has. High strung by the effects, Matt is convinced that there is going to be a problem before he even sets foot in the club. The closer he gets to the entrance, the more he recognizes that the door man's glare is an expression of confusion.

  Stepping up to him, the door man stutters, "Uh, five to um get… in."

  Matt does not reel back his penetrating stare as he reaches into his back pocket for his wallet. The door man looks him up and down as his nerves twitch where he stands.

  Flipping open his wallet, Matt hands the frightened attendant a five dollar bill. Taking the bill, the door man opens the door and lets Matt inside. Walking in, Matt looks around with slow glance. Suddenly his eyes meet the healing Amber who is just 125

  leaving a table from the left side wall. Her face is covered in paled bruises, obviously covered with various forms of blush and foundations. When she sees Matt, she walks towards the back of the club, trying to avert an encounter.
>
  While Matt takes steps towards Amber, the manager watches the scene play out in front of him from behind the bar. The manager comes around from the counter and rushes towards Matt.

  "Hey asshole," he shouts as he grabs hold of Matt's arm and spins him around. Face to with Matt, the manager yells over the thumping music, "Look motherfucker, you aint gonna rough up anymore of my girls… so you either get the fuck out of here or I'm gonna have you bounced out on your fuckin' head!"

  Matt pulls his arm away from the manager's grip and looks around to find three big bouncers closing in on him.

  Giving the situation proper judgment, he takes the cigar from his mouth and tosses on the floor in front of him. Staring the enraged manager in the eyes, he steps on the butt and grinds it into the floor. Thoughts of choking him until his eyes pop out of his head run through his polluted mind. Taking a deep breath, he steps up to the manager and exhales, blowing smoke in his face. Pushing the manager out of his way, Matt storms out of the club and stomps back to his car. As Matt gets into his car, the manager and his bouncers race out to witness his next move.

  Firing up his engine, he slides the gears into reverse and pulls out at high speed. Slipping into drive, Matt presses down on the gas and peels out of the parking lot, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake. Drunk and torn on hallucinogens, he takes to the night like hell hath come home to roost.

  Visions of sexual violence rip through his psyche as he pines for Amber's giving warmth. Knowing that she can give him everything that Emma is too afraid to consider, he thinks of a way to get to her. Sinking into his lusts, he parts from his rationale; driven on his darkest of desires.

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  Mere miles away, Parker drives as fast as he can within the legal limits as Kelly nervously chain smokes. Wide eyed, she takes hits from her flask, silently blaming herself for what is happening. She burdens herself with ideas that she could have done more to protect her little sister. With every ounce of her being, Kelly crushes herself for Emma's situation.

  Pouring slugs of rum down her throat, she convinces herself that she could have so much more. Her mind is so clouded with the "what if's" that she does not see that Emma would have done whatever she wanted to do no matter what anyone had to say.

  From the opposite side of the divided road, Parker and Kelly see Emma limply pacing. Cutting across the grassy medium, Parker pulls up next to her. Seeing her sister in the car, Emma is overcome with relief. She shines a smile of comfort as tears roll down her face. Kelly jumps out of the car and hugs her crying sister. Cradling Emma in her caring arms, Kelly frantically asks, "Did he hurt you?! Are you hurt?! Do you need to go to the ER?!"

  Tears stream from Emma's face and seep into the shoulder of Kelly's shirt as she replies with a cowl, "He tried to kill me… he tried to burn me alive!"

  Kelly pushes her back, looking her up and down for any signs of serious injury. Finding nothing, she slides the front passenger seat forward and lets Emma into the back of the coup. Parker's eyes wander nervously as she climbs into the car, worried that Matt will return to the scene of the crime.

  Once Emma is inside, Kelly slides the seat forward and jumps in. Before she can shut the door, Parker floors the acceleration pedal and speeds away from the scene. Giving Parker a cock-eyed glare, Kelly says, "What the fuck was that?!"

  Parker shrugs, "Nothin'… I want the hell out of here, Kel."

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  Kelly turns to face Emma and asks, "Do you want to call the cops?"

  Drying her tears, Emma says, "No… we can't call the cops."

  "She's right," Parker adds, "They'll just talk to him, piss him off and he'll probably try to hurt her."

  Turning back in her seat, Kelly sighs, "What are we gonna do then? I mean, we can't just let this fucker get away with trying to kill my sister!"

  Keeping his eyes on the road, Parker shakes his head in aggravation. He does not want to be involved in this problem but he sees that he is being drawn in. As much as he wants to hurt Matt, he knows that Matt could kill him. In his mind, he thinks Matt is a murderer and someone who can take a life without regret is a person who can do anything. This is a man who killed his parents and collected their life insurance and inheritance which he lives on to this day. Before they were buried he put their house on the market and bought himself a sports car. The last place Parker wants to be in the sights of a crazed madman.

  Driving as fast as can down the dark, stretch of road; Parker's insides clinch tight. His palms clam over the steering wheel as he thinks about what Matt would do to him if he gets in his way. Parker is not a fighter by any means, all of his life he has done everything in his power to avoid physical violence by using logic and common sense. Whereas Matt can do anything to anyone and walk away with a grin; Parker is inhibited. The kind of brutish mentality that it takes to inflict pain upon another person is simply not in Parker’s nature.

  Parker exits his inner thoughts and speaks honestly, "I really don't want to get involved with this…"

  Kelly gives him an angered look, "What do you mean?"

  "I just don't want anything to do with this… I mean, I've got my own problems."

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  "Well, no one asked you to beat the shit out of him, did we?"

  "No, but…"

  "Fuck it… you do whatever you have too. Tomorrow we're going down to put a restraining order against this psycho…" Turning to face Emma, Kelly seeks backup,

  "Right?"

  Emma ignores her sister, staring out of the window as if Kelly said nothing. She glares at the crescent moon, wondering what she did so wrong. Taken by the drug; she cannot help but space out as her vision blurs to the radiance of the night sky. While her sister is thinking of ways to get back at him, Emma is searching in her heart to forgive him.

  Her emotions are torn between not wanting to be alone and not wanting to be in the arms of a deranged man. Finding herself at these strange crossroads, she desperately wants to blame the drugs and not Matt for his actions.

  Kelly sees the look on her sister's face, noticing the subtle quivers that she exudes. She has witnessed these expressions many times before; they appear on Emma's face whenever she moves to backtrack. A wave of disappointment comes over Kelly as she shakes her head at her sister. Sitting back into her seat, she says, "Just take us to my car and we'll let you get on with your life, okay?"

  Parker caves into his masculinity with a heavy sigh,

  "Alright, look… I'll do what I can to help. You can't take your sister home like this. Look at her… she's blasted into the stars!"

  "What are we gonna do?"

  "Let's just get back to my place and we'll take it from there."

  When the three arrive at Parker's house, Kelly makes Emma some Sleepy Time tea to bring her down as Parker pours himself a whiskey. As Parker takes a swig from his relaxation, Kelly asks him, "Should we call the police?"

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  "I don't know… can she even talk to an officer right now?" Looking over at Emma as her eyes wander around his kitchen, he continues, "I mean, just look at her… she is really fucked up. What if they take her in?"

  Kelly shrugs, "She's just drunk… we can sober her up before they get here."

  "Bullshit," Parker spouts, "She's high on something and it isn't cheap vodka!"

  Taking a closer look at her sister under good lighting, she notices her pupils are completely dilated. Taken back, she asks, "Jesus Emma, what did he give you?!"

  Emma runs her fingers through her hair and simply answers, "Oh, he gave me some mushrooms…"

  "What?!"

  "Yeah… I think, like six… maybe seven… I don't know… can't remember."

  "My god, you're fuckin' tripping!"

  Pouring himself another shot, Parker downs it and tries to think on his feet. With Kelly pacing around in his kitchen, he stops her by putting his hands on her shoulders. He looks into her eyes and tells her, "You need calm down, this isn't helping at all. If you keep acting like this, she's gonna fr
eak out."

  Kelly nods and takes a deep breath, calming herself for the sake of sister. Parker gives her a hug and tells her to sit down at the table. Taking a seat, Kelly lights a cigarette as Parker finishes fixing Emma's tea. Squeezing the tea bag against a spoon into a coffee cup, Parker says, "If we call the cops they are going to take a report and tell you file for a restraining order… I've been here with my sister and this goon."

  Pulling from her cigarette, Kelly exhales, "We just can't sit here and do nothing…"

  "I agree, but I'm just telling how this going to play out.

  He didn't physically hurt her, at least not visibly. So, they'll 130

  question him and tell you they won't be able to anything unless he does something drastic."

  "But I thought this stuff changed with that actress who got shot in the eighties?"

  "Emma's not an actress… things are different for us common people."

  Feeling helpless, Kelly stands up and grabs Parker's bottle of rum from his bottom cabinet. Twisting off the cap, she slugs down some of her loyal medication. Pulling the bottle from her lips, she exhales the rage that is boiling inside of her. Parker watches this in sad awe while trying to hide his immediate reaction. Saving his opinions for a better time, he shifts into the comforts of denial. He tells himself that she is not an alcoholic and that she is just under a lot of stress.

  Taking another sip of rum, Kelly returns to her chair and puffs on her cigarette.

  Giving Emma her Tea, Parker says, "Here, Just sip on this… it will make you feel better."

  She softly blows into the cup and takes small sips. Kelly and Parker watch her closely as if she is some kind of wounded weakling they are nursing back to health. Kelly feels cornered, powerless in taking down Matt for what he has done. As much as she wants to call the police, she knows that Parker is right. The involvement of local authorities would just complicate matters and could mostly likely do more harm than good. They could not finger him before and they will most likely do nothing this time around. Emma's only chance is a clean break away from Matt—holding on to the hope that he will leave her willingly.