Page 1 of Ripple Effect, Vol. 4

1

Dylan

My life is a mathematical equation for chaos.

From around the corner, I watch Ripley sitting casually with his arm stretched along the back of the booth. Across the table from him, Rook leans in. Nothing but mumbling from where I sit, hidden.

Ripley led me here. Set me up to turn me over.

But it doesn’t make sense.

I scan the diner for our waitress, wishing I could ask her to sneak me out the backdoor, but she’s nowhere in sight.

My freedom is the front door. No way I’d breeze out of this place without Ripley seeing me, though. And what then? He shares me with Rook and my nightmares come to life full bore?

Forget the money—I’d never return to Charlie alive and what good would I be then?

I back myself deeper into the hallway, returning to the ladies’ room and perform a quick scan for escape.

A window at the top of the far right stall has a lock at the base, one of the push-out variety of windows. I dash into the stall and climb onto the toilet, careful not to dip my shoes in the water. Unlatching the window takes much more effort than I anticipated, and I stand on tiptoes, noticing the lock is painted over. Using the heel of my hand, I punch at the base of the window, knocking dust up into my face, until at last, it gives on a confetti toss of paint chips. I pause at the echo bouncing off the bathroom walls, but no one seems to hear it, because no one comes to ask what the hell I’m doing. Two more punches widen the gap enough for me to crawl through.

Climbing the wall, I pull myself up and through the window, staring down at about a twelve-foot drop. Sliding one leg through, and then the other, I dangle on the other side of the building, knees scraping against the bricks, and let go, tumbling to the ground.

I roll over onto my stomach and push to a stand, wiping the dirt from my new jeans.

An object slides across my face at the same time my arms are vised against my body, and I scream into my captor’s hand.

“Well, well. Fancy meeting you here, baby girl.” Rook’s voice skates up my spine like a razor blade.

I jerk and kick in his grip.

His hand tightens, damn near crushing my jaw. “I was just telling our friend Rip how much I was looking forward to running into you.” Arms propped beneath mine, he drags me across the grass.

Digging my feet into the dirt, I scream into his palm to no avail. My eyes fog with tears, my muscles straining with the effort of fighting him.

His strength overpowers me, while he carries me into the night.

An SUV awaits him in the abandoned lot behind the diner, and when the door opens, my stomach sinks at the sight of Randy, sitting in the driver’s seat.

“Your uncle hasn’t forgiven you for stabbing him. He’s looking forward to repaying the favor.”

Panic seizes my muscles, but still I squirm and scream in an effort to break out of his iron grip. Stiff cold leather hits my shoulder as I’m thrown into the back seat of the SUV, and when I scramble to the other side, my body is yanked back into the seat with a bruising grip on my ankles.

“We’re gonna have a little bit of fun with you, first.” Rook’s arm wraps around my neck, and I lift my hands to break free, watching stars float in front of my eyes.

The car jerks forward and I bite into his hand

“Ah shit!” Rook releases me, and I scramble back toward the door, only to be dragged across the seat by my arm. He draws back and his fist slams into my cheek, cracking against the bone. A flash of white dances across my eyes, and the world teeters off its axis. “Get used to the hits, bitch. Lot more where that came from.”

A kaleidoscope of translucent circles dance before my eyes while the blackness in my periphery closes in, creating a larger circle that threatens to steal my view, as the chaos pulls me under.

2

Ripley

Stood outside of the ladies’ bathroom, I give one sly glance back to make sure Alice hasn’t followed me, before opening the door. After a quick scan, my eyes shoot to the opened window in the last stall.

“Fuck,” I mutter, pull an about-face, and stalk back through the diner, straight out the front door.