Force Rip Memory for Counted Stars
Enough was enough. I gunned the engine and floored it. My pick-up truck slammed into Angel, knocking him to the pavement. Hitting the brakes, I looked back over my shoulder at him through the rear window. It was all his fault. It was because of him that everything had gone wrong. Seething inside, I shifted into reverse and ran over the son of a bitch again. Then circled around so I could clip him a third time. Make sure he stayed down this time. Satisfied that I'd weakened him enough, I braked and climbed out, grabbing the sledgehammer I'd brought with me.
I stalked up right up to the fucker and told him how it was gonna be. "You're gonna tell me everything."
I swung the hammer at his face as hard as I could, sending him rolling like a ragdoll. "Everything you did with her." I swung again. "All of it!" And again. "You're gonna tell me."
And he looked up at me, all dazed and in pain. Like he didn't know what the hell I was saying.
"Why?"
Why? He seriously wanted to know why?
"Because I wanna hear it from you." I swung the hammer in a high arc and brought it down on his gut. Goddamn vampire was still ticking. Even with cracked ribs and who knows what else.
Why wasn't he talking? Telling me what I wanted to know?
"Tell me!" I just went to town. Trying to knock the answers out of him. "Tell me! - Tell me!" How did he like the pain now, huh? How it felt to get pulverised. Crushed.
"No."
What the hell? He was still screwing me over? I'd had enough of this shit. I was full out of pardons and excuses. Fuck the firm. They wanted to keep Angel alive, but after what he'd gone and done? Fucking Darla? He was dust. I swung the hammer one last time, knocking him senseless. Or so I thought.
Striding back to my truck, I reached over the side to grab my stake. To end it, once and for all. What I hadn't counted on was that vampires recover pretty quick. Maybe he'd been faking how hurt he was. The next thing I knew I was turning around and he was standing right in front of me.
"I'm sorry Lindsey."
The punch to the face was quick, catching me by surprise. I went down, hard. As I struggled to get to my feet he punched me again. This time in the kidneys. The pain was so intense I could barely breathe or move.
"I really am." He turned me around to face him.
"I'm sorry she'll never love you."
The knee to the stomach didn't hurt half as bad as those words did. Because I knew it was the truth. The goddamn painful truth. She'd never loved me at all. It had always been him.
"I'm sorry you're gonna have to live with that."
He punched me in the face again and I couldn't stay on my feet. I fell down face-first and ate tarmac. He hauled me upright again and beat me some more. I could barely hear what he was saying, the blood was pounding in my ears.
"I'm sorry I didn't try harder to help you when you came to me. I'm sorry you made the wrong choice."
I was on the ground again and I saw the stake lying there, it was my only chance. I tried to reach for it with my prosthetic hand, but Angel had the sledgehammer and, with one blow, shattered it. I stared at the place where my fake hand used to be. The empty space that had once been my strumming hand. Angel had taken that away from me too. I'd lost so much and all because of him. He smirked down at me. He'd won again. He always won.
"Could have been the other one. Just be glad I had an epiphany. Mind if I borrow your truck?"
The kick to the head came swift and hard and everything went mercifully black.
When I managed to stumble home the next morning, she was gone. Everything of hers was gone. It was like she hadn't been there at all.
I stalked up right up to the fucker and told him how it was gonna be. "You're gonna tell me everything."
I swung the hammer at his face as hard as I could, sending him rolling like a ragdoll. "Everything you did with her." I swung again. "All of it!" And again. "You're gonna tell me."
And he looked up at me, all dazed and in pain. Like he didn't know what the hell I was saying.
"Why?"
Why? He seriously wanted to know why?
"Because I wanna hear it from you." I swung the hammer in a high arc and brought it down on his gut. Goddamn vampire was still ticking. Even with cracked ribs and who knows what else.
Why wasn't he talking? Telling me what I wanted to know?
"Tell me!" I just went to town. Trying to knock the answers out of him. "Tell me! - Tell me!" How did he like the pain now, huh? How it felt to get pulverised. Crushed.
"No."
What the hell? He was still screwing me over? I'd had enough of this shit. I was full out of pardons and excuses. Fuck the firm. They wanted to keep Angel alive, but after what he'd gone and done? Fucking Darla? He was dust. I swung the hammer one last time, knocking him senseless. Or so I thought.
Striding back to my truck, I reached over the side to grab my stake. To end it, once and for all. What I hadn't counted on was that vampires recover pretty quick. Maybe he'd been faking how hurt he was. The next thing I knew I was turning around and he was standing right in front of me.
"I'm sorry Lindsey."
The punch to the face was quick, catching me by surprise. I went down, hard. As I struggled to get to my feet he punched me again. This time in the kidneys. The pain was so intense I could barely breathe or move.
"I really am." He turned me around to face him.
"I'm sorry she'll never love you."
The knee to the stomach didn't hurt half as bad as those words did. Because I knew it was the truth. The goddamn painful truth. She'd never loved me at all. It had always been him.
"I'm sorry you're gonna have to live with that."
He punched me in the face again and I couldn't stay on my feet. I fell down face-first and ate tarmac. He hauled me upright again and beat me some more. I could barely hear what he was saying, the blood was pounding in my ears.
"I'm sorry I didn't try harder to help you when you came to me. I'm sorry you made the wrong choice."
I was on the ground again and I saw the stake lying there, it was my only chance. I tried to reach for it with my prosthetic hand, but Angel had the sledgehammer and, with one blow, shattered it. I stared at the place where my fake hand used to be. The empty space that had once been my strumming hand. Angel had taken that away from me too. I'd lost so much and all because of him. He smirked down at me. He'd won again. He always won.
"Could have been the other one. Just be glad I had an epiphany. Mind if I borrow your truck?"
The kick to the head came swift and hard and everything went mercifully black.
When I managed to stumble home the next morning, she was gone. Everything of hers was gone. It was like she hadn't been there at all.