Charlotte's Scars

Chapter 34 - Christian

Trying to distract myself, I looked into the rear-view mirror. Rayden was following us on his motorcycle. As much as I disliked the guy, I had to admit, he cared for Charlie. It wasn't in the same way that I did, but maybe more similar to the way Karla did. Or maybe more accurately, the way I cared and loved Karla.

Talking to Charlie yesterday, I could tell she felt the same way about him. There was almost a sibling-like bond between the two of them. I didn't have to like him, but I would put up with him ... for her.

"Did you have to do that, Kare-bear? We can handle this ourselves." Kale was saying, nose scrunched up in disgust.

Karla just got off the phone with 911 dispatch, much to our cousins' dismay. They never were a big fan of law enforcement, Kale especially.

"We might need back-up!" Karla said defensively. "If Mack is as bad as Rayden says, then having a couple police officers there is probably a good idea." 

I could tell Kale didn't agree—I wasn't sure if I did—but he dropped it.

It probably only took about half an hour to get to the spot indicated on Karla's phone, but it was by far the longest half hour of my life.

We pulled up to an old, abandoned house. It was less of a house and more of a shack with all the windows boarded up. The yard was overgrown and looked like it hadn't seen a weeder in years. There was an older Honda parked in the weed-covered driveway.

I didn't even wait for Kale to bring the truck to a full stop before jumping out and running up to the shack.

I tried opening the door, but it was locked.

"That's Danny's car," Rayden was saying to the others. Cautiously, they were making their way to me.

I put my ear to the door, and I could hear a soft whimpering sound.

Was that Charlie?!

Not waiting any longer, I pulled away from the door and then rammed my body into it with all the force I could muster.

BANG!

The door broke under the pressure and swung open, half hanging off the hinges. Stumbling in, I caught my balance and quickly scanned the room. I looked from the crazed, red haired girl—Mack, to the guy standing next to her.

But then I froze when I saw Charlie.

She laid limply on the floor, ropes tied around her legs and arms. She was covered in so much blood, I couldn't tell where it came from. Her face was pale, a sharp contrast to the black bruises around her neck.

My heart dropped when I realized I was staring at a corpse.

But then, her eyes slowly fluttered open.

She was still alive!

"Shit..." The guy who must've been Danny said under his breath. Him and Mack looked at each other before dropping the ropes and bolting toward the door.

But they were outnumbered.

Karla ran past me and tackled Mack to the ground. She started pounding her in the face without a second thought. Rayden grabbed Danny by the throat and threw him up against the wall. There was a gun in Rayden's hand, and he held it under Danny's chin, daring him to move.

Distantly, I could hear sirens slowly approaching.

I ignored them all and ran to Charlie. Up close, I could see she was losing a lot of blood from a wound in her thigh. Carefully untying the ropes around her, I quickly scanned her other injuries. Her arms were raw and bloodied, and her lips were cracked. She had black bruises around her neck, and her hair was crusted with blood. The leg seemed to be the worst of them from what I could see.