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Shout the Call
Chapter 17
I really was in no mood for sticking around in VIP after the gig; I just wanted to be on my own. It had been a long, eventful and tiring day already and I needed calm and quiet. I found Jim in hospitality once I had finished shooting and, after explaining myself, he happily gave me the keys to the bus. Once I was out of his sight, I practically danced all the way back.
I’ve never been a huge beer fan, opting more for cider or wine, but the fridge was full of the stuff and I didn’t feel particularly picky. With a bottle in hand, I headed to my bunk and plonked myself down. Photo editing could wait for now.
Worn out but in no way ready for settling down, I grabbed my twenty year old fountain pen out of my safe box and took out my writing pad. It was time to try and finish the book I had been working on before I got this job. I needed to get it published; it was screaming out for it. I pulled my iPod out from my travel bag along with my headphones. I set my music to shuffle and quickly got into writing mode; the words began flowing from my pen on to the crisp, white, lined paper. I became lost in the writing, so much so that I never heard the bus door open and never sensed the presence in the room until it stood there, right in front of me.
******
“Jesus, Jack, you scared the crap out of me!” I exclaimed as I caught my breath.
“Did I?” Jack replied; that smirk playing on his lips again, “sorry.”
I watched him closely, unbelieving as he pushed my legs off the side of my bunk so he could sit down. He sat way too close for comfort; more than invading my personal space.
“Whatcha doing?” he asked, snatching my writing pad from my hands. “Ooh, what’s all this about then?”
Jack’s eyes darted back and forth. Whether he was actually reading or faking it, I really couldn’t tell but I had this unnerving feeling that something bad was brewing.
“Oh, so you think you’re a writer or something?” Jack asked, laughing as he flicked through page after page.
“Well, it’s just a bit of a hobby really,” I answered gingerly, “but yes, I consider myself a writer. I’ve already self published one book and I’m very proud of it actually.”
“Proud? Oh right,” Jack laughed, “I don’t know why that is; I’ve only glanced over a few pages of this and it is total shit – I don’t have to read it all to know that.”
“Well, it’s just a rough draft,” I replied, wondering why I was even justifying myself to him.
“Babe, regardless of that,” Jack said seriously, “you know that saying, don’t you? You can’t polish a turd!”
I saw red instantly and felt pure anger rise up inside me. I wanted to retaliate with a witty, cutting remark but I couldn’t get past the feeling that I could happily strangle him.
“Jack, really – what is your problem?” I asked, already knowing the answer, of course, “I know you’re pissed at me and Aaron and I know you’re angry, maybe even a little jealous.”
“Jealous? Ha! You think I give a shit about you, you stupid bitch?” Jack said as he grabbed my throat and pushed me backwards on my bed. He moved in to a kneeling position, pressing down harder on my throat and then straddled my hips. I felt my breath become short in a matter of seconds.
“Jack,” I said between gulps of precious air, “why are you doing this? If Aaron finds out…..”
Jack bellowed a deep, low laugh.
“Your boyfriend is off doing his thing, honey. At this very moment and maybe for the next hour or so, he really doesn’t give a damn about you. If I were you, I’d bear that in mind the next time he declares his, excuse the pun, undying love for you. I don’t know how many times I will have to drum that into that thick skull of yours; he doesn’t love you! He has never loved anyone and he’s not about to start. It’s not in his nature; it’s not in a vampire’s nature.”
“Look, Jack,” I heaved as he switched between applying more pressure and loosening his grip, “you can say what you want; you can think what you want but I choose not to believe you.” I stopped to suck in another breath, “If you don’t like that, then do your worst!”
For the second time in two nights, Jack’s mouth was on me; on my ear first, breathing heavily into it. He pushed my head to the right, squashing my mouth into my pillow. If I couldn’t breathe properly before, I really couldn’t now. I felt the sharp sting of Jack’s teeth at my neck as I closed my eyes, bracing myself. Somewhere in the background, I heard the bus door slam open. Before I could see who was there, my whole world turned black.
I’ve never been a huge beer fan, opting more for cider or wine, but the fridge was full of the stuff and I didn’t feel particularly picky. With a bottle in hand, I headed to my bunk and plonked myself down. Photo editing could wait for now.
Worn out but in no way ready for settling down, I grabbed my twenty year old fountain pen out of my safe box and took out my writing pad. It was time to try and finish the book I had been working on before I got this job. I needed to get it published; it was screaming out for it. I pulled my iPod out from my travel bag along with my headphones. I set my music to shuffle and quickly got into writing mode; the words began flowing from my pen on to the crisp, white, lined paper. I became lost in the writing, so much so that I never heard the bus door open and never sensed the presence in the room until it stood there, right in front of me.
******
“Jesus, Jack, you scared the crap out of me!” I exclaimed as I caught my breath.
“Did I?” Jack replied; that smirk playing on his lips again, “sorry.”
I watched him closely, unbelieving as he pushed my legs off the side of my bunk so he could sit down. He sat way too close for comfort; more than invading my personal space.
“Whatcha doing?” he asked, snatching my writing pad from my hands. “Ooh, what’s all this about then?”
Jack’s eyes darted back and forth. Whether he was actually reading or faking it, I really couldn’t tell but I had this unnerving feeling that something bad was brewing.
“Oh, so you think you’re a writer or something?” Jack asked, laughing as he flicked through page after page.
“Well, it’s just a bit of a hobby really,” I answered gingerly, “but yes, I consider myself a writer. I’ve already self published one book and I’m very proud of it actually.”
“Proud? Oh right,” Jack laughed, “I don’t know why that is; I’ve only glanced over a few pages of this and it is total shit – I don’t have to read it all to know that.”
“Well, it’s just a rough draft,” I replied, wondering why I was even justifying myself to him.
“Babe, regardless of that,” Jack said seriously, “you know that saying, don’t you? You can’t polish a turd!”
I saw red instantly and felt pure anger rise up inside me. I wanted to retaliate with a witty, cutting remark but I couldn’t get past the feeling that I could happily strangle him.
“Jack, really – what is your problem?” I asked, already knowing the answer, of course, “I know you’re pissed at me and Aaron and I know you’re angry, maybe even a little jealous.”
“Jealous? Ha! You think I give a shit about you, you stupid bitch?” Jack said as he grabbed my throat and pushed me backwards on my bed. He moved in to a kneeling position, pressing down harder on my throat and then straddled my hips. I felt my breath become short in a matter of seconds.
“Jack,” I said between gulps of precious air, “why are you doing this? If Aaron finds out…..”
Jack bellowed a deep, low laugh.
“Your boyfriend is off doing his thing, honey. At this very moment and maybe for the next hour or so, he really doesn’t give a damn about you. If I were you, I’d bear that in mind the next time he declares his, excuse the pun, undying love for you. I don’t know how many times I will have to drum that into that thick skull of yours; he doesn’t love you! He has never loved anyone and he’s not about to start. It’s not in his nature; it’s not in a vampire’s nature.”
“Look, Jack,” I heaved as he switched between applying more pressure and loosening his grip, “you can say what you want; you can think what you want but I choose not to believe you.” I stopped to suck in another breath, “If you don’t like that, then do your worst!”
For the second time in two nights, Jack’s mouth was on me; on my ear first, breathing heavily into it. He pushed my head to the right, squashing my mouth into my pillow. If I couldn’t breathe properly before, I really couldn’t now. I felt the sharp sting of Jack’s teeth at my neck as I closed my eyes, bracing myself. Somewhere in the background, I heard the bus door slam open. Before I could see who was there, my whole world turned black.