The Ocean’s City
Chapter 18

We sat at the breakfast bar on the kitchen counter like two teenagers waiting to be in trouble. We could hear the sounds of tires flying on gravel and doors being slammed. We looked at each other, speaking a silent language.

The door swung open. “Daniella, let’s go.” Hutson scolded at the door. She quickly hugged me goodbye and scurried away.

I could sense Dalton standing at the door frame, raving.

“Do you have any idea…” he stopped talking to ruffle his hair in frustration.

I turned to him with pleading eyes. The storm outside started to drizzle with heavy rain. “Dalton, please…”

“No, Silvestia.” He snapped. “When I tell you something, it’s for your own good. You fucking do it. No questions asked.”

I bit my lip, unwilling to talk.

“Where is she?’

“The bedroom.”

I watched as he stormed away. He went upstairs, and moments later, he came back down, still bristling. He silently walked to the cupboard to get a glass, filled it with water, drank half of the cup, and then spilled the rest of its contents into the sink.

He bowed his head over the sink, heaving with anger.

I sat there in silence, feeling scared of what might happen.

“You’re scaring me,” I said, and he responded with a laugh.

He went to say something, but his phone rang and interrupted him.

“Hello? — are you sure? Fucking hell — I’m on my way.” He slammed the phone on the counter, took a long breath, then snapped. “We will continue this when I get back. Stay in the fucking house.”

He turned on his heel and left.

I sat there shaking. I finished the rest of the margaritas and looked outside to see the beginnings of the night sky. I quickly got out of my chair with a hopeful heart. As I looked at the sky, my heart pounded out of my chest.

It was a full moon. Larger and brighter than I had ever seen before. I hurried to my phone and called Dannie.

She answered, crying. “Dannie,” I said urgently. “It’s an emergency. Are you alone?”

“Yeah,” she said through a sniffle. “Hutson just left to deal with something.”

“Meet me by the pier right away. You must go now and alone.”

“Silvie…”

“Please,” I said with urgency in my voice.

“I’m coming.” I could hear through her tears.

The pier was cold as I walked down it, passing by all the creepy circus booths to reach the end.

“I was worried you wouldn’t show.” The old man’s rigid voice shook somewhere in the shadows. I turned to find him hidden between the booths. I caught myself from jumping.

“Are you ready, my dear?”

“Dannie should be here any moment.” He nodded. “We have little time.”

“She will be here,” I said with conviction. He nodded, and we waited.

Seconds passed before I saw the black figure steak down the pier.

I hurried to her, and she leaped into my arms, crying. “Shhh, it’s okay, Dannie.”

I took her hand. “We must go,” I said and watched as the confusion took over her tears.

“Go?”

“Are you gals ready?” The old man asked.

Dannie looked up at the man, and her confusion turned to fear. She tried to take my hand and ran in the opposite direction.

“It’s him we must go!” She begged as she tugged at my arm. I held on tight to hers.

“Dannie, Dannie! He’s a friend. He is going to help us escape.”

There was a shift in the storm.

“Ladies, they know. We need to go now.”

“Silvie, he’s not a friend. He’s—” She didn’t get to finish what she was saying. A blaring, booming sound followed by red splatters flew onto my face as hers went slack.

There was ringing in my ears and confusion as I caught her in my arms and eased her slack body to the ground.

I was unaware that I was screaming. The old man was more muscular than he looked as he swung me over his shoulder and walked to the pier’s edge.

I rolled out of his arms and, with a thud, fell to the floor. I stumbled back towards Dannie with no fear, no emotions, nothing but an animalistic, possessed need to return to her.

He caught my foot with him, and I fell back to the floor. He jumped on top of me and painfully pinned my arms with his legs. I lifted my head with a horrific scream and dug my mouth into his arm.

Blood spooled as I clamped down as hard as I could. He let out a manly cry, and then his fist connected with my head.

Thanks for reading the eighteenth chapter of The Ocean’s City. Let me know what you think! Grammar Nazis are welcome!

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