Summer's Coven by Charles Franklin

Author:Charles Franklin [Franklin, Charles]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-04-06T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

Tobi

So much for partying. Riley and I spent much of the night in the back of Kyle’s boat. I found myself so lost in him. Lost in his touch. Lost in his kiss.

There was such a sweet innocence in how he kissed me. It was gentle and slow. He was in no hurry for anything else to happen. After a while, we drifted off. Next to him, I slept more comfortably than I had in a long time. It was like every fiber of me relaxed while he held me.

So, when I woke up to screams, I felt like I was coming out of a coma. I sat up in the boat and tried to remember where I was, then looked beside me to see Riley sitting next to me in the darkness.

“What was that?” he asked.

“I think it was someone screaming. Only it sounded like she was afraid.”

I sat quietly and tried to listen over the rocking and creaking of the boat. Riley did too, and we were both leaning forward as if to get our ears closer to where the party was.

There were guys’ voices coming from far away, and they sounded distressed. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, though.

“Are you sure it was a girl screaming?” Riley asked.

“Yes, I’m sure. We need to go see what’s going on. Someone may be in trouble.”

He stood and took me by the hand, then helped me out of the boat and into the water. Boats sat anchored up and down the bank of the island, and though I couldn’t see any or them, I didn’t hear anyone running out near them like they were trying to leave.

“Stay close to me,” Riley said. “Don’t let go of my hand.”

When we were almost out of the water, I heard the girl scream again.

“NO! JERRY! NOOOO!”

“C’mon,” Riley pulled me into a run and we headed toward the scream. “Sounds like someone’s hurting her.”

A mix of fear and anger flooded my veins. If someone was hurting a girl at a party, that most likely meant only one thing. I sped up to make sure we got there in time to stop it.

“GOD! PLEASE NO!” She screamed again, then broke into sobs.

I realized I was wrong about what was going on when we came into the open, where we’d sat near the campfire earlier. The fire had burned down, and the light was dim, but what I saw was unmistakable.

A man hung from a branch at the edge of the treeline, across the clearing from us. Several people comforted a girl who sat on her knees with her face buried in her hands. A few others had climbed up in the tree and were trying to untie the rope from which the guy hung.

Everyone else had gathered around the body and were pointing and talking.

“I don’t understand!” The girl said. “He was just with me! What happened?”

Riley and I crept forward. The closer we got, the more I saw. The guy’s stomach had been cut open, and his insides hung, blood dripping from his toes.

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