The Kiss

Joshua stirred and slowly began to regain consciousness, he was awake now but still had his eyes closed. As his memory came back to him, of Adam hunting him through the old hotel and the iron bar knocking him out, Joshua felt too scared to open his eyes. Was he alive, or dead maybe? And if he were alive then why wasn’t he dead?

Joshua’s questions began to be answered one by one, as more awareness and feeling began to come back to him. He slowly felt pain in his head, most likely from the iron bar, which also caused him to have a painful headache. Then he began to feel something wet trickling down the side of his face. He also now realised that he was sat up against something, and that his hands and chest were tied by chains around whatever he was leant against. Joshua slowly started to open his eye lids, when he had them open all the way he was shocked to see the scene displayed out before him.

‘Good you’re awake.’ Adam said wickedly. Joshua could see him in front standing by a silver steel trolley, he was spreading out different knifes and equipment that Joshua didn’t want to image what he was going to use them for. Beyond Adam Joshua could see Charlie upon the floor, she was curled up and had her own hands tied together behind her back. Charlie looked up back at Joshua with hurt and fear in her eyes.

‘Are you ok Charlie?’ Joshua asked.

‘She’s fine...’ Adam spoke before Charlie had time to reply. ‘For now anyway.’

‘What are you going to do with us, why don’t you just kill us?’ Joshua asked. He didn’t really want to know the answer to that question but if he knew what he was in for then maybe he could find a way to get out it. Maybe he could even try and convince Adam to at least let Charlie go.

‘I’m glad you asked.’ The way he spoke made Joshua very unnerving; it was with a subtle evil tone that chilled the spine. ‘I’m sure you will remember Lola, the woman you killed.’ Adam made his way towards Charlie as he spoke. ‘You took the one I loved away from me...’ Adam bent down on his heels behind Charlie and pulled her head back by her hair. ‘So now I’m gonna take the one you love away from you.’

‘Leave her alone!’ Joshua shouted at him. Adam grinned at him knowing he had power over Joshua and already loving the frustration he caused him.

‘But before I do get even...’ He stood again and walked back towards the metal trolley. ‘I think I deserve a bit of fun, it’s been a while since Caleb let me torture anyone.’ Adam gave a slight pout but still in an evil way that Joshua never thought was possible. Adam then picked up a silver knife, he walked slowly to Joshua and stopped. He never took his eyes of the knife while he played with it in his hands.

‘I’m gonna slice you open, make you bleed, causing you physical pain all over your body. And then I’m gonna cause you real pain, the type of pain I suffered, by making you watch while I kill your girlfriend.’

‘She’s not my girlfriend.’ Joshua said honestly, but more in the hopes it would change his mind, even though Joshua knew that it was such a small chance.

‘That maybe so, but you are in love with her, as she is with you...’ Joshua’s eyes flicked towards Charlie who looked back and then he returned his gaze on Adam. ‘I know love when I see it, you reek of it, that’s what makes you so easy to find.’ Joshua felt his own pulse begin to pick up, he was about to be tortured and then have to watch Charlie die right in front of his eyes, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

‘So where’s Caleb and the others, don’t you guys usually share your kill.’ The word kill frightened Joshua even as he said it himself, he knew the fate that awaited him and Charlie but he wanted to try and distract Adam as long as possible.

‘Oh they’ll be here, soon enough. Unfortunately for you I happen to find Lola first, and it also just so happens that I have great tracking skills. It will be a while before that bonehead Caleb and his followers realise that they’re going in the wrong direction, which leaves us plenty of time to play.’  Joshua knew that Adam was dangerous, he had guessed he was more evil than the others, and now he was about to find out just how dangerous he really was.

Adam got right up close to Joshua; he took the silver knife in his hand and gentle ran it across Joshua’s throat, he then brought it down to the top of his t-shirt and holding the top he ripped half of it open. Joshua’s t-shirt was cut clean down the middle, stopping half way; it revealed most of his chest. Adam stopped a while to stare into Joshua’s eyes, he wanted to see the fear he was conflicting on him, and then he slowly cut his chest. It was a shallow cut above his right n****e but it made Joshua take in a deep breath.

Adam didn’t stop there, next to the first cut he slowly dug the knife into his skin and formed a second cut, this one being a little deeper. Joshua could see Adam was enjoying himself, soaking in every second as he took his time cutting him a third time, he wanted to make this last. Joshua’s chest was pulsing with pain now as Adam went on to the forth cut across his chest. Joshua held the pain back because he didn’t want to give Adam the satisfaction.

By the fifth and sixth cut Joshua couldn’t hide his pain any longer and Adam loved hearing him grunt in pain. Adam soon moved on to new tactics of torture, Joshua was relieved for the short break but he feared what Adam had planned next. Joshua looked over to Charlie who was looking back at him, as she caught his eye Charlie looked away towards the floor. She must have felt ashamed that she couldn’t do anything about Adam torturing him, but then that wasn’t her fault Joshua thought.

Adam turned to Joshua again only this time he was holding a matchbox. Joshua gulped at the thought of what he was about to do next, he could feel the hurt already. Adam grinned at him with that devilish grin the pack did so often and then took out the first match. He stepped closer to Joshua and then lit the match. Joshua drew in a breath and his eyes widened as he stared at the burning flame at the end of the matchstick. It inched closer and closer to him until finally Joshua screamed out loud as the burning match touched his skin. Adam held it hard against Joshua’s chest, he smiled at the sound of his screams, and then he took the match away and blew it out.

Joshua gritted his teeth, his chest hurt him something like he had never felt before. Adam teased him by slowly taking out another one and placing it to the side of the match box; he held it there for a while and then lit it as he did the first. The pain was gravely intense and Joshua shouted out once more as the burning match came in contact with his bare skin.

‘Leave him alone.’ Charlie shouted out. Adam turned to face her smiling widely, at first he said nothing and blew out the match while still looking at her.

‘Don’t fret...there’s plenty of fun left for you. In fact your boyfriend here is boring me; I think it’s time for the main course.’

‘No!’ Joshua quickly interrupted him; he wasn’t ready to watch Adam hurt Charlie. ‘I’m the one who killed Lola, deal with me.’ Joshua tried but he really didn’t think how much convincing he could do.

‘Calm down, I promise you’ll have front row seat.’ Adam tormented him. ‘And I promise to make it a good show. Maybe I’ll cut her and burn her first like I did with you, and then I’ll slit her throat before your very eyes.’ Adam taunted Joshua but it only made him madder, he pulled against his restraints and was breathing heavily. Adam smiled and returned to his medical trolley, he picked up some sort of old fashion device which looked like a thimble Joshua thought; only it had a small sized knife attached onto the end. Adam placed the thimble looking metal object on the end of his thumb.

Adam smiled at Joshua for what felt like the hundredth time before walking over to Charlie. Joshua’s breathing picked up again as he felt helpless to do anything, he just watched as Adam crouched down behind her. He picked Charlie up halfway so that she rested on his lap and his head was against hers, her sobs grew louder.

‘Hey!’ Joshua spat at him. Adam didn’t reply, he continued to torment Joshua in front of him. Charlie grew more nervous and her eyes began to tear up, Joshua saw her pleading eyes looking at him but all he could do was watch. Adam brushes his nose against her neck and takes in a deep whiff of her scent, this only angers Joshua more and he pulls against the chains again. Adam laughs at him but Joshua’s anger grew more and more, his face turning red. Then suddenly with a glow in his eyes Joshua began to change.

You could see the wolf shape changing in his face, his nose and cheek area turning into a snout. Fur then begins growing around his face, neck and arms. Although he is uncontrollably changing into a wolf, he remains mostly human. The look on Adam’s face tells him that he is very much thriving on his frustration and pain; however Adam doesn’t look afraid or worried about Joshua’s anger, but rather full of vengeance.

Still crying in his lap Adam makes a shushing sound towards Charlie, he then strokes her hair and alongside her face. As he does this he brings down his thumb with a bit of pressure. With his little device on his thumb he cuts a line down Charlie’s cheek, he then smiles up at Joshua who is going completely crazy by now. Adam with his sick mind then proceeds to lick the bleeding cut in one slow moment upwards. At this point Joshua breaks out of his restraints and rushes over to Adam, who looks up just in time to see Joshua’s hairy hands flying at his throat. Joshua knocks Adam over and falls down on top of him, his hands still tight around his neck as he continues to chock him. Then he begins to punch Adam over and over again.

Joshua continues to hit Adam in the face hard, the power was overwhelming and Joshua found he couldn’t stop as blood seeped out of Adam’s nose and mouth. Adam’s world slowly began to turn black as he blacked out, whilst this had been going on Charlie had slipped her tied hands from under her feet and had been working on untying her legs. When Charlie successfully untied her feet see walked over Joshua.

‘Hey Josh...Joshua!’ She shouted whilst she placed her tied hands on his shoulder. Joshua’s head snapped backwards to look at her with his face full of anger. He stared at the loving girl who only stared back. He soon slowly began to calm down and his face began changing back to its rightful place.

‘Come on, we’d better leave, he said it himself the others can’t be far behind.’ Charlie said. Joshua agreed with a nod and stood up; after he released Charlie’s hands from its restraints they left the hotel behind.

‘Where are we going now?’ Charlie asked outside. Joshua didn’t turn or stop to answer her face to face; he continued to walk on with Charlie following.

‘Home.’ He replied still not looking back at her. They continued walking into town together, mostly in silence. Many thoughts were crossing Joshua’s mind as they walked, in fact he was so completely turned off to the world around him that he wasn’t aware of the direction he was going or that Charlie remained following behind. Somehow however, subconsciously he happened to be going the right way. Charlie being Charlie couldn’t stand the silence any longer, so she casually began a conversation.

‘You don’t have to feel guilty you know.’ She said, which brought Joshua out of his thoughtful state; he looked over to her with a questioning look. ‘I know that you said you’ve been feeling bad for what happened but it wasn’t your fault. You did the right thing in walking away; it was Caleb and his friends who put Eric in the hospital not you. He told me about you visiting him, and what you had said.’ Joshua didn’t know what to say to her, so he softly smiled instead.

Soon they arrived at Charlie’s house; she stood on her doorstep and Joshua stood next to her, neither one of them said a thing for a long while. Neither of them knew exactly what to say. Joshua was the first one to speak.

‘You’ll be safe here, they don’t know where you live yet and it’s me they really want. I’ll deal with them alone.’ By the way he was talking it sounded to Charlie like he was planning on leaving her to go back out to find the pack. She didn’t think this was a wise idea but then she also knew that she probably couldn’t stop him even if she tried. She knew her mother would say it was far too late for visitors, but she couldn’t say goodbye yet.

‘Meet me upstairs.’ She told Joshua not really asking him or waiting for a reply, she then shut the door leaving him with not much choice. Joshua made his way around the house and climbed onto the balcony where he met Charlie, they stood just outside the doors looking at each other.

‘You’re not staying are you?’

‘No.’

‘What are you going to do?’

‘Try and lead them away from the town.’

‘And then what?’

‘I don’t know, I’m going to try and lead them further into the forest, there’s an opening where Kumai and his tribe live. It’s about a two days walk away but I can make it in a day if I run.’ The truth was, up until this moment Joshua didn’t have a clue what he was going to do and now this seemed the best thing he could do, at least then he wouldn’t be alone in this fight he thought. But then there was an important question on his mind, a possible glitch in his idea, what if Kumai refused to help him?

‘And what if Caleb and the rest of them find you first?’ Charlie said concerned.

‘It’s a risk I have to take, I have no other choice.’

‘You could stay here with me.’ Her words rolled off her tongue almost involuntary.

‘You know I can’t, eventually they will find me, and you can’t be around me when they do.’ Charlie’s idea sounded so enticing but Joshua knew he couldn’t stay, no matter what happened to him he just wanted for her to be safe; he couldn’t handle it if it was his fault that Charlie got hurt. Joshua was still kicking himself inside because he felt so much guilt about Adam cutting Charlie’s angelic face, even now he couldn’t take his eyes away.

‘Then come with me and we’ll go away, we’ll just keep driving until we’re too far for anyone to find us.’

‘But we could be putting our families at risk, they know where I live and they could easily find out where you live. I can’t take that risk.’ Joshua stepped forward, not an inch of space was between them, and he lifted his hand to her cheek. His index-finger traced the outside of Charlie’s small cut and then his hand came to rest on her cheek, his thumb still stroking her slightly. ‘I wish I could though, go away with you.’ They both were closer now, closer enough to kiss, but Joshua pulled away.

‘I should go.’ Joshua told Charlie before he turned to leave.

‘Wait.’ Charlie softly breathed as she reached out grabbing at Joshua’s wrist. Joshua stopped and turned around, at the same time a sound of thunder could be heard and rain began to come down. For a couple of seconds Joshua looked back at Charlie, she wanted to say something but she just couldn’t find the words. In that instant the rain started to pour harder. And as if the rain hitting his head had enlightened Joshua, he knew what Charlie was trying to say, because he felt the same.

Wasting no time at all Joshua stepped forward, in one swift movement he embraced Charlie with a passionate and loving kiss. Charlie kissed him back, his bottom lip dancing with hers; he pulled her body close to his and kept a tight hold on her waist. Charlie held his arm tight with one hand and held his head tight against hers with her other hand. As their kiss grew all the more ardent Charlie’s fingers ran through his hair and was pulling on it a little. Following her lead Joshua squeezed her waist and pulled her up onto her tip-toes. It wasn’t a type of hard squeeze that would hurt her, but more of a sexual squeeze.

Joshua knew now, what he had always subconsciously known but never truly understood for all these years. He knew that he was without a doubt, unhinged and completely bewitched by this fine delicate beauty. He was bewitched like he had never been by any other girl. He was in love with Charlie and he no longer wanted to deny it, and by the way Charlie gladly locked lips with him with a heat that burned like a thousand suns, he knew she felt exactly the same.

Charlie and Joshua parted, neither said anything for neither needed to. Joshua waited a while to take in what had happened, he was staring at this truly exquisite sight. The rain didn’t let out, it stayed pouring hard upon both soaking them completely.

‘See you soon.’ Joshua finally whispered.

‘Promise?’ She asked.

‘I promise.’ He replied softly.

Joshua turned and climbed over the railing, hanging from one hand off the balcony he then leaped off to the ground. He turned his head to look at Charlie one more time; she had moved forward and was leaning on the rail looking back at him, and then she watched Joshua run away.