Cutthroat Carmine (Book 1)(COMPLETE) (Wattpad Featured Novel)

32: [help/mee]

"Hey, did you forget something in the car?"

"No..." Carmine replies, her small voice cracking. 

Keep it together. 

The soles of her sneakers are pounding hard against the pavement and Carmine realizes that for the first time in a long time, her feet are actually touching the ground.

Carmine clears her throat. A thick mass in her windpipe chokes her, making it difficult to breathe, let alone speak. "I- I know I-I've been acting stuck up and bitchy and cold to you ever since the first day we met but-"

"-Hold it right there. You haven't been stuck up or bitchy or cold okay?" Sebastian says, "I'm the one who screwed things up. Are you-"

"H-Help me," Carmine pleas, her nose dripping thin mucus down to her trembling lips. "Sebastian, I need your help." A single tear breaks free from the corner of Carmine's eyes, blurring with her eyeliner. She feels dizzy from all the hyperventilating and the back of her head is throbbing from the onset of a bad migraine. Her vision is blurring. The whole world is shaking up and now with each forceful stomp against the pavement. 

It's too much to take in. 

A part of her wishes she can go back. Live blissfully in her ignorance. But of course, what good would that do? She would still be haunted by visions of Liam. Torn apart by her guilty conscience. At least she knows the truth now. It's not a truth that settles the roiling acids in her stomach but it's...something. 

Carmine stops at the end of the block and makes a right turn. She ducks behind a grove of dark bushes in case her parents chase after her. Unlikely, but just in case. Crouched down with her back rubbing against some prickly branches, Carmine clutches her phone tighter, breathing hard into the mouthpiece. She struggles to explain her actions but the words rest on the tip of her tongue, unwilling to budge. 

Sebastian's frantic cries fill the other end. "-What happened? Did something bad happen to you when you got home? Tell me-"

Carmine nods vehemently and then realizes Sebastian can't see her agreeing with him. "Can I explain later? P-Please come back and pick me up. I need to get away from here. ASAP."

"O-Okay. Stay right there. I'll be there in ten," Sebastian says.

Carmine can hear him shuffling on clothes and the jingling of his car keys. "I'm at uhh...Westmont and H-Hillcrest Drive. I had to get away. I'll wait for you on the corner here."

"Okay. Be safe. I'll be right there."

Sebastian's willingness to help warms Carmine's heart. Thank God she can rely on him. 

While Carmine waits for Sebastian to pick her up, she realizes that the entire block in front of her is pitch dark. 

All the streetlights are turned off. 

Houses slumber in obscurity, their owners seemingly unperturbed by the gloom. It's only about 9p.m. and the horizon is slowly swallowing up the remaining rays of sunlight. While the rest of the city is bathed in a soft orange glow, this street seems shrouded by a permanent blanket of shadows. In these few blocks, the darkness is overwhelming. A sinister penumbra infiltrates the surrounding houses, lawns and family vans. Only the faintest glimmer of moonlight bathes the quiet street in a ghostly incandescence. 

There's probably a power outage, Carmine thinks, rubbing the goosebumps on her arms. The fine hairs on the back of her arms and neck are standing upright. 

A strong gust of wind tears through the street, causing the tall trees and their branches to violently sway and rustle. The cacophonous crinkling of leaves almost sounds like a raging waterfall above her head. The breeze teases Carmine's hair into a knotty nest of long black strands and causes her to lose her balance. She stumbles briefly, clutching a nearby tree trunk for support.