Two sides to every story

Two sides to every story

In the pitch blackness of the car boot, Bud Creed tried to wet his cracked lips with his tongue. He tasted salt and realized it was a combination of his tears and sea spray. He guessed the girl had driven them to the beach. Jesus, how could he have gotten himself into such a fix? From the way the car had bounced along he’d guessed she’d driven down to the beach. Bud hoped she’d take off once she stopped driving. After all, that’s where she said she wanted to go when he’d stopped to give her a lift.

That crazy bitch had tied his hands and whatever she’d used bit into his skin, Bud felt the slow trickle of sticky blood.

The car slowed and stopped. Bud listened to the silence, and then smoke curled in through the damaged seal of the boot. He smelt burning. Bud coughed while his fingers searched for anything that might catch the lock. It wouldn’t take much to force it, the car being so old. Buddy boy, you should’ve kept on driving. He usually ignored the rows of outstretched thumbs on the coastal roads. But she’d looked so frail and sweet standing there, with her almost bald head. He wasn’t going to hurt her, not really. All Bud wanted to do was to fool around a little and have a bit of fun. Like, she seemed up for it too, in fairness, she hadn’t knocked him back when he’d dropped the hand on her knee. Most of the local girls liked it when he paid them that kind of attention, Bud knew a few of them hoped he might think of settling down now that he’d turned the big three O.

Jesus, he couldn’t believe how quickly that girl had changed from being a sweet girl with a scared smile into a prize bitch with a flick knife. She hadn’t said a word, just held the tip of the blade to his throat, tied his hands and ankles, and shoved him into the boot. Some fun you’re having now, Buddy boy, locked inside your car, while she’s planning to do, God knows what.

He coughed again and pressed his ear close to the perished seal. ‘Sounds like she’s talking to someone.’  

Bud heard the husky voice of another woman, ‘So, you’ve gotten yourself into another pickle? I’m sick of sorting things out for you. Do you hear me, it’s time you let me take control.’

           He recognized the girl’s softer voice when she said, ‘I wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for you and what you did. I was happy back in that town. But you hate it when I’m happy, don’t you? Well, I don’t care what you say now, I won’t let you kill him.’

That’s when Bud Creed peed himself.

A few minutes later, the boot popped open. Bud cowered and the sunlight almost blinded him. He squinted into it until a shadow blocked the brightness. The girl’s piercing blue eyes stared down at him. He waited for the other woman to appear, but she didn’t. His legs wobbled like jelly when she dragged him out and shoved him down onto the sand. He didn’t resist and told himself that the fumes coming into the car had weakened him, or maybe he was dehydrated, no way was he admitting he was scared.

Bud looked all around, the other woman, the one who wanted him dead, must be hiding somewhere. But there was no sign of her, it was just him and the girl on a remote part of the beach.

The girl knelt beside him and giggled ‘We got off to a bad start, didn’t we? But you shouldn’t have, well you know. Yvonne knows I’m not that sort of girl, that’s why she got so angry and wanted to kill you. Anyway, let’s start again. I’m Vonnie Devine’

           You’re cracked, and you’ll be sorry if ever I get my hands free. The thoughts jumped into his mind, but he smiled and said. ‘Bud, Bud Creed.’  

           The girl got up and spun around with her arms stretched wide, ‘Oh I do like the sea. There’s nothing so nice as swimming in the sea. What do you think?’ 

I think you’re bonkers and I don’t give a flying fuck how much you like the sea. As if she could read his thoughts, the girl kicked his shins with her red docs. It hurt like hell, and he paid attention after that, yes siree Bud Creed straightened up as best as he could and pretended to be interested when she waffled on about how the saltwater hurt her scalp, which was why she always wrapped something around her head.

He nodded when she pulled a pink t-shirt from her red leather backpack, but he didn’t say anything when he saw a silver bangle slip off her wrist. Instead, he made sympathetic noises when she talked about the raging headaches she suffered. When she’d fixed the t-shirt around her head, the girl ran into the water, her neon pink turban bobbing up and down like a ball.

Bud bum shuffled to where the bracelet had fallen, saw it was shaped like a snake, and scooched back to his original spot with the bracelet tucked under his rear.

            Not long after, he saw the girl coming out of the ocean, she was rubbing her arm and talking to herself. She ran back to where Bud sat and began rifling through the red backpack, all the while muttering ‘It must be here. No, I didn’t lose it.’

Bud laughed inwardly, you’re not gonna find that red-eyed snake bracelet in there, honey.

Suddenly, Bud sensed a change in the girl. She stopped searching the bag, sat back on her haunches, and pulled her shoulders back. Bud’s heart clenched, shit, what the fuck was going on?

The girl pulled something from the bag, and Bud realized she was holding the knife in her hand when sunlight bounced off the steel.

 She stared at him; her blue eyes looked like ice chips as she walked slowly toward him. Arching an eyebrow, she said in the voice he’d only heard once before. ‘ I don’t care what Vonnie says. I’m in charge and you need to be taught a lesson.’

           In the back seat of his car, with tears streaking his face Bud Creed listened to Vonnie Divine plead for his life with Yvonne Deville the woman who controlled her mind.