Chapter Six

Darren's Pov

Light green veins popped out of my pale fist as I clutched the steering wheel. I was conscious of every single thing that went on. The light breeze that played with the thick strands of my hair, mild rays of sunlight that permeated the clouds, the road which was devoid of cars or people, visibly confined space in between the driver's seat where I sat and the shotgun where Sloane sat.

The day where I was supposed to reveal myself to Sloane's parents, especially her dad as the perfect boyfriend had finally come. After today, I would fulfill my part of the deal I made with Sloane and also, hope never to cross paths with her again.

I felt a burning sensation go down from my throat to my stomach and my eyes rolled in their sockets. I felt an intense mixture of anxiety, impatience, frustration, need and above all, rage. Sloane who sat next to me was oblivious to what I went through as she was thoroughly self absorbed. She threw some comments my way as I drove but didn't bother to see how I took them in. Her self-centeredness which was unknown to no one else but me, didn't ebb my heightened emotions. I couldn't wait to get to Sloane's dad's house; which was our final destination so I jammed my feet on the accelerator and felt Sloane jolt beside me as the car sped up.

"Jesus, Darren! We aren't running from anyone, are we?" She asked, still in shock. I didn't reply her, instead, I applied pressure on the foot on the gas pedal and the car speed went up to ninety meters per hour. Sloane let out a shriek and immediately grabbed the car grab handle. "I-I want to get to...my parents house in one piece...would that...be possible?" She forced out as the swift, harsh breeze came on her face, sending the strands of her hair to all directions. I kept it up, ignoring her protests and faux concerns until a traffic light emerged on the road which was previously devoid of cars or pedestrians. Cars appeared alongside the glaringly visible traffic light. And so did pedestrians. I cursed under my breath as I was finally made to slow down and wait in a line of cars for the light to turn green.

"Darren!" Sloane had just seemed to recover her breath. "For the umpteenth time, what the hell is wrong with you? Do you want to kill me?"

My mind screamed a loud 'of course, I want to kill you!'

I was on the edge, my emotions were frenzied, all over the place. The burning sensation intensified. This was close to how I felt when I first met her and my self restraint began to wear thin.

All I could think of was how to reach my destination and get out of the car because being in a confined space with the one who could satiate my hunger and not being able to touch her was a feeling too difficult to bear.

The traffic light turned green and I tramped on the gas pedal again, cutting past cars in my front. I could swear I saw Sloane's mouth form a large 'o' from the corner of my eye.

"Darren!" She screamed in terror as she held on the car grab handle with both hands, ignoring the harsh breeze that ruined her hair.

My throat burned and I saw red, literally. The road ahead, the atmosphere, the buildings, huge billboards, cars. They were all red.

I knew it was a phase, a side effect of the inescapable hunger that threatened to swallow me whole. I shook clarity into my vision and the red color disappeared. It was just for now though, it won't be long before it resurfaced; stubborn and unyielding than ever.

"Darren..." Sloane's voice shook. "Please..stop the car..."

"Please..." her left hand released the car grab handle and held my forearm in a tight grip.

"Get your hand off of me" I hissed. Right at that moment, there was a quick and potent flash of intrusive visions. They came like a flood. Visions of Sloane in her pajamas, running into a large bathroom, containing a huge, round bathtub, a long towel rack adjacent to it. In stood Sloane, in front of a mirror, her frightened sight staring back at her. Sloane sitting in what seemed like a dinning room, food untouched, eyes blazing at a mid fifty year old man.... "Being a ceo is better than being a slut under the guise of modeling..." the man's sardonic voice rang out.

More visions of Sloane's recent activities, conversations, outings flashed through my mind with an overwhelming intensity. Sloane's grip remained firm on my arm as her pleas became deafening.

It felt as if I was sucked into a quicksand. Except in my case, it wasn't sand. It felt like a mixture of liquefied coal and raven black ink. The visions came all together with Sloane's cries and my edgy emotions, pulling me past my knees into this dark, sticky hole.

It was a distraction that I needed to get past. I knew I could. I had to!

"Get your hand off of me Sloane!" My harsh growl boomed through the car, making her jolt in her seat and quickly retract her hand.