Rage of Envy Rewrite Project

day 1 pt 1

Kristin Fisher couldn't believe what she was seeing through her ebony eyes. It was the same as the vision she had been given just hours before. Her best friend, Darrel Michaels, was crouched over the bloody body of Rick Hall, her greatest nemesis. Darrel had a knife in his hand. There was so much blood. It had a metallic taste to the air. It smelled of wet rust. It filled her senses.

"I... I....I didn't do it," stuttered Darrel, his voice trembling as much as his body.

Kirstin stepped around the body and set her cellphone on the counter. She took the knife from Darrel and helped him straighten up. She closed the knife and put it in her jacket pocket. She stooped and picked up the cellphone and a folded piece of paper that were coated in blood. As she stood back up, she wiped her hands on her jeans.

"The back door was open. He was just lying here. I don't know why I picked up the knife...."

Kristin took Darrel's arm. "We have to get out of here."

Darrel looked down at Kristin, his brown hair coming to his shoulders. She was usually leaning on those shoulders for comfort. Now it was he who had tears in his blue eyes.

"You got to believe me, Kristin."

"I know you, Darrel. Even with everything that's happened you wouldn't kill him."

Darrel's eyes never left Rick's body until they were outside. Then his whole demeanor changed. His well-built five-nine frame stiffened.

"Go get the guys. They'll know where to find me."

Darrel ran out the back gate and down the alley, disappearing into the fading light.

Kristin checked and realized she had left her purse. She checked her pockets and found the cellphone, knife and crumpled paper. She looked back at Rick's house. She couldn't go back in there.

Kristin could feel eyes upon her. A neighbor's shades quickly shut when Kristin looked that way. Kristin ran her fingers through her long black hair. She needed to think, and she couldn't do it here. Her petite frame felt heavier than what it was as she ran out the back gate. She caught sight of someone in a crimson hoodie watching her from across the alley. She couldn't worry about that now.

As Kristin ran, she thought about how the day had led up to her finding Darrel at Rick's house.

Kristin was at Heilman High School when she received a phone call from Mitch Griffin, the smartly dressed brown-haired friend of hers, and Darrel.

"What's up Mitch?"

"I thought you would like to know. Darrel plans on confronting Rick at the game tonight."

"I have the newspaper meeting. If I miss it, they are liable to fire me. Tell Darrel we'll talk about this later."

After she hung up with Mitch, Kristin got that familiar pain in her head that came with one of her visions. She seen Darrel crouching over Rick's dead body. A teacher found her leaning against the wall with a bloody nose and took her to the nurse. The nurse kept her until classes let out and she got ahold of Mitch. His voice had a somber tone.

"What's wrong?"

"Darrel found out I told you about his plans. He's headed to Rick's house now."

Kristin hung up the phone and ran to where she could hail a cab.

The Hall Manor was one of the largest Victorians in the upper-class district of Crescent Pointe Falls. She didn't know the exact address of Rick's house, so she had to direct the cabby. When she got to the house, she saw that the front door was open by a smidge.

Kristin carefully opened the door and stepped inside. She dropped her school bag and purse after taking out her cellphone. The living room was a mess. A lamp laid on the floor. There was an ashtray dumped in an armchair. Mrs. Hall's prize Hummel figurines were shattered and ground into the beige carpeting. The end table was tipped over.

"Hello? Mrs. Hall? Rick? Is anyone here?"

"In... here...." said Darrel's shaky voice.

Kristin entered the kitchen and found the scene she dreaded. Darrel was holding a bloody knife over the body of Rick Hall.

Kristin opted for the bus back to Bixby. The garage, "Caltrans" was only a block west of the bus terminal. Tyrel Davis ran it, while Shawn and Dean Galloway pitched in where they could. The three of them, plus Darrel, lived in the Duplex next door. She stopped and sat on the old car seat outside the garage.

Shawn came out of the office, cocking his head like a curious puppy. His blonde curls framed his round face like ears." Krissy?"

Kristin brushed away the tears that threatened. She could sense Dean inside the garage. She got up and went into the office, letting herself fall into a chair in the reception area. Tyrel entered from the house, one of his famous hoagies filling his large black hands. His huge frame filled the doorway.

"How bad did it go with Darrel and Rick?" asked Tyrel.

Shawn came in from the garage with his younger brother Dean in tow. Kristin had never been more aware of the contrast between the two. Shawn was two years older, but Dean looked like the older one. Dean had a chiseled face and dark patches of stubble with short blonde hair.

"So, where's Darrel?" asked Dean. "Did he get arrested or something?"

Kristin burst into tears and told them everything from when she had called Mitch from the nurse's office. Shawn handed her a box of tissues and she blew her nose.

"Darrel said that you would know where to find him."

"Darrel's just buying himself some time," said Tyrel.

'I think we should all disappear for a while. They're going to be looking for Darrel and me."

"We have a place," said Tyrel. "Pack light."

Kristin found some essentials for Darrel and a couple of the things she had stashed there then went outside. Tyrel was under the hood of the green hulk that was his van. His things were all camouflage.

Shawn came running out of the house, his flip-flops in one hand and a plastic grocery bag in the other. Dean was on his heels, hopping on one foot as he pulled on his other grey loafer.

"I'm going to break you in half!" yelled Dean.

"You'll have to catch me first," said Shawn.

Kristin had to laugh. "What is it this time?"

"I just thought he should bring his latest issues of Playboy. The ones where we are going are probably getting icky."

Shawn made a wide turn and hid behind Tyrel. Dean followed but skid to a halt when he saw Kristin.

"We don't have time for this," said Tyrel. "Mitch is waiting."

"We'll have to come back if we need anything else," said Kristin.



Tyrel always drove. Mitch was the passenger and Shawn knelt between the two front seats. Dean would wedge himself between the back seat and the doors. That left the bench seat to Kristin and Darrel. Kristin couldn't help but think how empty the seat seemed.

Mitch came out of his office wearing a buttoned-down shirt with gray slacks. He had his long grey duster and a black leather duffle bag hoisted over one shoulder. He climbed into the van and turned to look at Kristin.

"At least he's not in jail," said Mitch.




Merry Meet and Blessed Be
then Merry Meet again!