HEARING DAMAGE
TEEN NOLA - CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE !

THE NIGHT SKY HAD ARRIVED, casting down the beautiful glow of the full moon that shone over them all, cascading across the expanse of their bodies. Every single one of them had collapsed to the forest floor and for the better part of ten minutes had been lost in their own collection of daze filled thoughts. Their chests expanded and deflated with each and every heavy breath.

"Where is everyone?" Mari randomly questioned, her voice coming out slowly.

Not bothering to answer her question, Taissa instead focused on a question she had been to find out the answer towards. "Nat and Coach are friends?" Her brows furrowed slightly as she asked this.

A slow drawled out chuckle came from Akilah. "Misty won't like that."

Mari peered down at her friend. Her face was lit up by the glow of the surrounding torch's as she then slowly said, "But she's gone." Her voice was slurred as it escaped past her lips. "And what about Jackie? Or Travis?"

From where the young Martinez boy lay upon the dirt, just inches away from the rest, he spoke up. "They left."

Nola nodded her head, oblivious to the dirt that broke through her hair and rubbed at her scalp. She couldn't help but laugh as she informed the rest of the two's whereabouts. "They're together right now." She stately giddily.

For some reason that she didn't have the brainpower to comprehend in that moment, Nola found herself able to hear everything. Every little thing, from the light breeze that travelled through the trees to the erratic beating of her friends hearts. Weirdly enough, she was even able to hear the very footsteps of Jackie and Travis as they plodded against the wooden floorboards of the cabin.

The cabin that sat nearly a half a mile away, buried deep within the trees.

Hell, even the voice speaking French had returned but this time she wasn't afraid of it, in fact she welcomed it. She wished to know what he was saying, what he was telling her to do. Part of her believed that despite her not understanding the language in which he spoke to her in, he didn't mean them harm. Perhaps, he wanted to help them.

Taissa gasped in shock while she turned to look down at the still giggling Nola. "Together?" She inquired, the girl completely flabbergasted by the information. Her eyes shifted into a squint of annoyance. "That's so Jackie."

"That's very Jackie." Van stated in agreement, her lips pulled into an eerie smile.

The dazed and doe eyed Shauna weakly perched herself up on her arms. Her voice was slightly groggy and her eyes blinked hard. "She's not doing anything wrong." She felt the need to defend her friend from the others regardless of whether she truly believed Jackie was doing something wrong.

"But what are they doing?"

At Javi's question, Lottie began to heavily breath in anticipation. "We should find them." The Matthews girl uttered in determination. She started to push herself up from the ground, taking handfuls of dirt with her that sprinkled free through the gaps of her fingers.

Shauna looked bewildered as she observed everyone else following Lottie's lead and rising to their feet. "Wait, why?"

Lottie stumbled slightly for a moment before her footsteps began to steady out and her shoulders straightened out. Her gaze had morphed into one of complete seriousness while the hazel of her pupils started to swim with an alarming resolution as she stared down at the Shipman girl. "He doesn't belong to her." Was all the brunette said before she began heading for the trees.

Nola couldn't stop herself from laughing at the situation they found themselves in as she too staggered to her feet. She welcomed the brush of cold night air against the flushed skin of her face while she rushed over to the still dazed out Shauna. Before Shauna was able to gather together her mess of thoughts and question what was going on, the Rilke girl reached out her hand and jokingly wiggled the tips of her fingers, enticing the pregnant girl to accept.

"Come on, Shipman." Nola teased with a smile. A smile that grew considerably when Shauna accepted her hand and allowed herself to be hauled up from the dirt. Together, the two girls began racing through the woods, heading the direction the others had ventured.

Before long, they managed to catch up to the group, running just behind them. Just then, the ominous sound a wolf howling in the distance caused them all to halt in place. They stood shakily amongst the trees as more and more wolves began to howl out.

"Listen." Taissa then said with a tone of determination.

As though she wanted to scare off the wolves that no doubt were surrounding, Van allowed a screech to claw its way up her throat and past her lips. The others gasped out in shock as they glanced over at her. Then Lottie started letting out bird like caws that sounded so incredibly aggressive. Without giving it much thought, they all followed suit, each of them becoming in touch with nature and allowing their animalistic cries to echo through the night as they began to run towards the cabin once again.

          Mari arrived at the cabin first, slamming open the door and causing it to swing back and crash against the wall. Their breathing had all grown harsh, their gaze had turned cold. Hungry even. Everyone followed behind Mari, rushing in just in time to watch as Jackie and Travis, who was buttoning up his shirt, came down from the attic.

            The makeup around Mari's eyes had become smudged. She glared fiercely at the two as she questioned, "What were you guys doing up there?"

            Jackie stared at them, feeling weirded out as she replied snarkily, "None of your business."

            No one believed her. It was clear as day what they had done. Something they shouldn't have. Something they were forbidden from engaging in. None of them pulled away their sharp gaze from the Taylor girl, who was quickly becoming their main target.

           Jackie's eyes became filled with accusation as she took a step of intimidation towards the Shipman girl. "What did you tell them, Shauna?" She asked her best friend, her tone dripping with disgust.

           "Nothing." Shauna snappily replied, the girl refusing to take her eyes off of the Taylor girl. With each passing second, anger at Jackie and her actions flooded her veins.

           Taissa stepped protectively in front of Shauna as she bared her teeth and aggressively snarled at the blonde. "Why would you do this to Natalie?"

           In a daze, Travis shook his head slowly while weakly attempting to defend himself and Jackie. "We didn't. I um..."

           "They did." Lottie lowly chuckled as she rushed forward and grabbed at the fabric at the back of Jackie's dress. She brandished the fabric to the others and allowed them to see the crimson blood that now stained the green clothing. "Look."

           Jackie struggled against Lottie's hold. She spun around and tried to fight the Matthews girl off. "Lottie, stop." She desperately pleaded with her as the feeling of embarrassment began to wash over her.

          Lottie didn't let go. Instead she jeered at the blonde, giddily saying, "What did you do?" while continuing to grip tightly to the fabric.

          "Travis, do something!" The fearful Taylor girl begged of the boy whom she had just lost her virginity to. She then managed to spin free of Lottie's hold and take a step away from the crowd that had formed of.

          Travis didn't do anything to help her. His mind was too far away, his thoughts enveloped by the notion of vanishing. "None of us are here though, are we?" He asked no one in particular while staring at the far wall of the cabin.

          Jackie attempted to fix herself up by pushing her hair behind her ear and pulling up the strap of dress that had fallen down during the scuffle with the Matthews girl. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" She snapped at the Martinez boy, who had proved useless in defending her.

          Lottie spun on her heel and peered curiously at Travis. Using her right hand, she slowly tucked it under Travis's and lifted it high into the air. The two watch with fascination as it rose so easily. Suddenly, while using her other hand, Lottie gripped onto Travis's neck and tugged him close, placing her lips upon his. Expressions of enchantment painted across the faces of everyone but Jackie as they watched the two passionately kiss.

          Jackie stared outraged at the Shipman girl who was preoccupied with watching Lottie and Travis and had barely paid her any attention. "What, you're just gonna stand there?" She snapped at Shauna.

          Shauna gaze shot back to Jackie. Her pupils were dilated like crazy, the dark brown hue that once shone golden in the sunlight had turned black. The rude approach of the Taylor girl and Shauna's determination to not allow Jackie to put a damper on her mood, caused Shauna to reach out, grab hold of Travis's shoulder and tug him away from Lottie. A single step forward allowed the brunette to cup Travis's face before also planting her lips upon his.

          Jackie balked at the sight. "Shauna!" She exclaimed in shock while stepping forward to stop her friend from kissing the Martinez boy. Her path was blocked by the now laughing group, who got in her way and refused to let her get at the two. "Hey, stop! Stop it!"

         Mari managed to pry Shauna away from Travis and take him for her own. This caused Shauna to stumble back to the group and stare intently at the blonde who was now cornered.

          Surrounded like a deer that was surrounded by wolves.

          Lottie sneered down at the blonde while she slid across the floorboards towards her. Her height allowed her to loom menacingly over Jackie. She swiftly claimed, "You took something that doesn't belong to you."

          Jackie scoffed at the words that someone she considered a friend spat at her. "Oh, what? Like the fucking spirits give a shit that Nat called dibs on Travis?" She then sarcastically inquired.

          A frown formed upon Lottie's lips as she then threateningly stated, "This has nothing to do with her."

         Fear had become the only thing present within Jackie's eyes. She glanced around the room, looking for anyone that would help her against the craziness that Lottie was exuding in that moment. Her flickering gaze then landed on Nola, who she had not spoken to past a few words in the last couple of weeks. "Nola..." the blonde weakly mumbled, hoping her friend would help her.

          Her pleas did nothing to appeal to Nola's better nature, however. In fact, the gall that Jackie had to even try to ask Nola for help after practically ignoring her and treated her like a pariah just left the brunette feeling bitter. Memories of Jackie avoiding her, of Jackie ignoring her, treating her like shit, they all flooded back into her mind. She stood there seething.

           She was hurt and Jackie deserved to feel the same way. It was only fair. Why did Jackie get to do whatever she wanted with no consequences?

          The scornful girl sidestepped past Lottie, who grinned widely at her as she did. While Jackie stared hopeful at her, believing that she was now going to be saved from the freakish behaviour of the group, she was given an incredibly rude awakening when Nola suddenly grabbed hold of her face and roughly tugged her close.

         Their lips met for only a few seconds before Jackie struggled back in horror. "What the fuck?" The Taylor girl stared at her friend in utter shock as she attempted to wipe off the residue of Nola's lipgloss that had smeared across her lips.

          "Get off, you fucking psycho!" Jackie then said when Lottie grabbed hold of her and began to wrangle her back towards the attic.

          "Don't you understand?" The Matthews girl breathily questioned. Her voice turned tough and full of strength as she glared cruelly down at the blonde. "You don't matter anymore."

          Then she proceeded to grip at Jackie once again and hurl her through the door that led to the attic before slamming it closed and engaging the lock that sat above the door, effectively caging Jackie in, trapping her.

          As Jackie banged on the door and demanded to be let out, everyone ignored her and instead turned their attention back of Travis. They pushed him down into one of the chairs right away, ripping at the fabric of his shirt and tearing it open, causing each and every button to pop off and fly around the room.

          They were all over him. Their hands touched whatever part of his body they could get at. Heavy panting breaths filled the air as groans and moans of pleasure broke the silence, echoing throughout the cabin. In his disorientated state, Travis found himself enjoying the situation though this didn't last for long. What once was fun quickly shifted to scary once their eyes began completely black. Their teeth had become sharpened and animal like.

          "Wait, stop." Travis stuttered out.

          They didn't stop though. They continued to touch him. The buckle on his belt was undone just as his ability to breathe was cut off by the pressure of Mari's forearm pushing against his throat. The enjoyment he felt was now pure terror. He grabbed hold of Mari's arm and pulled hard, managing to successfully relieve the pressure as he rushed to his feet and ran out the open cabin door without looking back.

          What they all once saw as Travis was now a great, majestic Stag. Plump and full-bodied. Just what they needed to survive a couple more weeks.

          Lottie breathed heavily as she announced to the group, "The stag! We have to catch it!"

          Grins of a maniacal nature graced their lips as they began to rush behind the Matthews girl. Shauna grabbed hold of the hunting knife as she was leaving the cabin and was now gripping it tightly and waving it around threateningly. Their animal-like cries returns in full force as they pursued the Stag that continued to run from them. Low hanging branches became caught on their clothing but they carried on, ignoring the obvious ripping that took place as they did.

          They growled ferociously at the Stag as they gained on it, closing the distance between them and it. Then by some stoke of luck, the animal managed to trip and tumble to the forest floor, knocking itself unconscious.

Like a team, they each grabbed a limb and began to lug the large animal back in the direction of where the Doomcoming had taken place. In no time at all, they managed to string the Stag up and keep it safely detained to the trunk of a tree.

After a while, the Stag groggily reopened its eyes and peered fearfully at them. Lottie head was now adorned by the beautiful, white cloth strung over antlers, crown she had made the day prior. Her gaze was cold as she uttered, "Stop fighting."

"Lottie?" The animal questioned, its tone a mix of fear and curiosity.

Not willing to hear it speak, the brunette stepped forward, grabbed hold of his chin which forced its mouth open before shoving a large pine cone between its teeth, effectively rendering the Stag mute.

Lottie then turned on her heel and began to walk away, muttering to Shauna the words, "You know what to do." as she strutted past the Shipman girl.

Shauna gingerly moved towards the tied up animal while holding the hunting knife tightly in her grip. Slowly the sharp blade was raised up until it was pressed lightly against the Stag's neck. Only a little more pressure and the flesh would be sliced open.

The others watched on in anticipation. They couldn't wait for the draining of blood to commence as it brought them another step closer to a grandiose feast that would fill their bellies and keep them alive for another while.

As though getting cold feet, Shauna hesitantly looked away from the animal and back at Lottie, who stood only inches away from her, staring over her shoulder like a teacher to a student.

"It's okay." Lottie comfortingly whispered to the girl. The smallest smile of joy formed upon her lips as she then claimed, "It wants us to."

That was all Shauna needed to hear. She turned back to the animal, her eyes once again darkened and hungry. She applied pressure to the taut skin and began to slowly slice across the neck, leaving drips of blood to flow from the wound.

Before she could dig the blade any deeper, she was stopped by the arrival of Natalie. "What the fuck? Stop!" Natalie demanded as she rushed over toward the blade wielding Shipman girl. "Move."

Shauna stumbled back while looking around frantically. Her sad eyes landed upon a pissed off looking Jackie Taylor. "J-Jackie, I..."

As though suddenly realising she was holding the knife, Shauna grip failed her and the blade crashed to forest floor, sitting amongst the moss and dirt. This caused Jackie to cry out, "Nat, the knife!"

The bleach blonde Scatorccio girl rushed toward the knife at the same time that Lottie did. Natalie managed to successfully grabbed the weapon before Lottie could. Her hand shook as adrenaline coursed through her veins. Once she was sure the others wouldn't approach, she turned back to look at Travis. "Oh, are you okay?" She asked worriedly as she watched while blood dripped down his torso.

           The boy who had now transformed back from the form of a Stag huffed and puffed. "I'm fine." He quickly said before rushing away and heading into the woods.

           As Travis' figure disappeared, Lottie decided that that moment was the best to slam her shoulder against Natalie and grab her wrist. "It's in all of us, you know." She intensely stated, staring Natalie right in the eye. "Even him, even you."

          Natalie seethed with anger. She shoved Lottie away causing the brunette to fall back to the ground. While brandishing the knife, Natalie began to scold her friend. "That's enough of your weird fucking bullshit, Lottie. Haven't you done enough?" The blonde snarled as the amused giggles of the Matthews girl filled the air.

          Nola chose to step forward. She wished to calm Natalie down before she did something she would regret. "Natalie—"

          Natalie spun towards her while holding out the knife, pointing in Nola's direction which made the Rilke girl halt in place. "Don't. You're just as bad." The blonde stated matter of factly.

          She didn't want Nola or Lottie anywhere near her. She knew the two had encouraged the others. It had to be them. They were the only ones that seemed to 'communicate' with whatever the fuck they said was with them in the woods. They had encouraged the others to hurt Travis.

          Nola held up her hands in defence for a moment before they fell to her sides with a side. The tips of her fingers brushed against the ripped fabric of her dress as she took a single step forward. Her voice was calm as she spoke. "You and I are more alike than you think, Natalie."

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author's thoughts.
chapter twenty one. not proofread.
rewatching this reminded me just how fucking psycho they went as they chased after Travis lol I hope you enjoyed the little inclusion of Nola kissing Jackie. It's sort of like a forewarning as the title of the chapter suggests. Just like Judas who kissed Jesus, betraying him and bringing him closer to his death.