Lover’s Point
written by: Nerisha Kemraj
Elizabeth stared at the sky; bursting with beautiful hues from the rising sun. She loved how the reds meshed with the yellows and blues, creating mesmerising undertones of orange and purple. A breathtaking view. The hilltop laden with evergreen trees was once known as Lover’s Point. The highest peak boasted the best view of a starry sky – a romantic setting.
From where she lay, she turned to see thousands of car lights zoom by below, as their owners rushed through their day. Envious now, she had been one of them – hurrying through the wonder of life.
***
She was ecstatic when the town’s newcomer asked her out to the annual dance festival. But she declined… playing hard-to-get made winning all the more worthwhile. None of the local boys came close to what beautiful and brainy, Elizabeth, wanted in a man. So, when mysterious Derek, the brown-eyed-looker showed up, he captured her attention… and after a while, she couldn’t resist the temptation.
Word was out that he only had a month in this town – he never stayed in one place too long.
“So, why are you leaving?” Beth asked him one night while seated at the diner with the in-crowd.
A shadow clouded his face, but he quickly masked it with a smile, “You never know the freedom you control, if you don’t test it…” His smile burnt through her hard-to-get act, and she lost herself when his lips met hers, ignorant to his vague reply.
Dating for the rest of the month, Beth never dreamed of such luck. She thought they were made for each other, and she hoped he saw it, too.
“You don’t have to leave,” she said, that night as they lay curled up on a blanket spread across a cosy corner against the rocks which Lover’s Point was famous for. He flinched when she grabbed his hand.
“Don’t tell me what I should do.”
She barely made out the whisper but her hand retreated, stunned at the sudden cold shoulder. Even the warm night didn’t keep out the chills that crept up her spine. “We should head home,” she said, picking herself off the ground.
But Derek had other things on his mind. He knew he had to get out of town. Fast. They were coming. The last thing he needed was blabber from a chick. It was time to run. Again. And he couldn’t leave any loose ends behind.
Smiling as he opened the boot to pack away the blanket, he retrieved the bag of his prized tools from its hiding spot underneath the spare tyre. This was going to be a fun night, after all.
He was built to destroy, not to love. All his victims knew that. Now she knew too.
Her screams echoed through the hilltop, but no one heard them. The joy of this secluded spot. He took his time with her, pleasuring himself with her pain, her screams. They all screamed – even when they didn’t want to. He was gone when she came to.
And he left her there.
Numb from the loss of blood, she could not move.
The golden sun rose, casting a glow on the new tears that trickled down the corners of her eyes. The chirping birds sang a melody welcoming the new day, as Elizabeth Dempsey breathed her last.
- The Art of You I Can’t Forget - July 13, 2020
- Avoidance - January 6, 2020
- War-Zone - May 31, 2019
