The Survival

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I sigh as I sit in my brother’s car, looking out the window. I can’t believe that I’m actually doing this. I would prefer being in my dorm, getting ready for my next class than being at a red light, waiting for it to turn green so we can continue to the airport.

I’m regretting every second. From the moment I grabbed my phone to call my brother and tell him about this trip, till now.

Okay, maybe I don’t regret spending one week away from college to get ready for the trip at home with my ugly, but lovely brother, because I missed him.

“A penny for your thoughts?” My brother asks with a smirk on his face, while his eyes remain on the road.

“It’s nothing.” I sighed.

“Don’t lie to me. I can see the wheels in your head spinning and spinning with no intention of stopping soon.”

“Fine. I don’t want to go on this trip with a bunch of dickheads and plastic Barbie dolls, which can only think about s*x and don’t give a damn about this entire trip. Especially when all they’re going to do is ruin the trip for me. Happy?” After almost spitting the words out, I look at my brother with a frown, and put on a really ugly face that I hope will intimidate him.

I should have known that it would be worthless; He is laughing. Like, really laughing, his eyes are almost shut, and I can see tears. Knowing him the way only I know, I bet that if he could, he would be sprawled on the floor clutching his stomach, howling in laughter. But he can’t because he is driving.

“Can you stop?” I mumbled, embarrassed.

He keeps laughing.

Okay… Breathe...

He is still laughing.

Deep breaths...

Still.

Maybe if I count to ten...

Tears are rolling down his face.

Maybe if I count in Chinese?

He is stopping.

Thank you good Lord.

“Now that your panic attack has stopped, would you care to explain why you were laughing like you saw a dog barking, after breathing in helium?”

“Shortcake, you are worried about something that is completely and obviously stupid. Why would you give a f**k about those dickheads and the s**t they do? It’s a trip that you should enjoy and have fun on. And, aren’t those friends of yours going? Sandra and Beta? I think-”

“Sarah and Beth.” I try not to glare at him. "But, yeah. They're going."

“Whatever, it’s basically the same thing. But still, what I want you to focus on and know is that, you need to enjoy this. You’re in that phase of life when you just want to do crazy s**t, I get it, I had to pass that phase too...”

WHAT? He's still in that phase. You see what I mean? He is only two years older than I am, but at times like this he acts like I’m 16 and he’s 29.

“… Just need to let go, but remember use protection or in another case-”

“Woah, what? What the f**k are you talking about?”

“Were you not listening?”

“I was, but what type of conversion is this? I thought the main point here was the trip, not making ‘babies one-oh-one’.”

“See? You didn’t listen. I was saying that you need to use protection, it’s too early for me to be an uncle and I think that-”

“Oh, for God’s sake! I don’t have any intention of making babies, all right? And it’s not like I have anyone to have s*x with, anyway.”

“But that’s the thing. When alcohol and parties are involved, you never know what will happen. One moment you’re dancing with your friends and the next, someone is pounding into you and-”

“Okay, forget it, let’s change the topic. Please.” I interrupt my brother, for what must have been the thousandth time. I love my brother. Really I do, but sometimes I think that when he was born, the doctor let him slip and fall to the floor. And now his head isn’t working like a normal human being's head should.

Fifteen minutes later, we’re outside the airport. Taking my bags from the trunk, we head to the meeting point where the rest of my classmates who are going will be. When I get there with James hot on my heels, I almost think that a rebellion is taking place, or a bomb is at the airport. Then, after looking a little bit harder I see that it isn’t any terrorist act or anything that could stop this trip from happening, but my companions for this wonderful journey, acting like the animals they are.

I keep my distance from them, even though I know I will have to sometime during this trip, I don’t have any interest in getting to know any of them just yet. Or ever, really.

“Kate!” The most powerful shriek reaches my ears and I don’t even need to look back to know who the voice belongs to.

“Kate, oh my god, I missed you so much!" Sarah – my best friend, says while giving me a bone-crushing hug. Literally.

I even think that I heard something break, but I’m not sure.

“Sarah, we saw each other not even a week ago,” I remind her.

“But still, I missed you!” She says as she finally lets go.

“We talked every day.”

“Kate don’t be a bitch.” she scolds me.

“She woke up on the wrong side of the bed today, she has been like this the entire morning.” James decides to enter our conversation. Hello? I was fine here; I can explain why I’m like this to my best friend.

And it’s not like I don’t like mornings, let’s get things straight; I could be a morning person, if mornings happened to be around noon.

“Sarah, this is my d**k of a brother James, dear brother this is Sarah my best friend.”

“Oh, you’re Sandra then.” He smiles as I mentally facepalm.

Oh man if I could, I would so slap him with a fish right now.

“Uh, nice to meet you... I guess.” Poor Sarah. “But what’s wrong with you? You just woke in a bad mood or what?” The last sentences are directed to me.

“It’s this trip. I don’t want to go on this stupid, trip.”

“What? Why? These are going to be the best moments of our lives!”

“Are you seeing this?” I pointed to the beasts a few feet away from us.

“Yes. What about them?”

“I don’t want to go with those animals.” I scream at her. I may or may not have overreacted.

“Sweetie?” Sarah whispers in my ear “Are you sure that you are not on your period? I mean I would definitely understand because when it’s that time of the month, I also get very moody.”

You must be f*****g kidding me.

***

We need to board at nine, which is not too long from now since it’s already eight o'clock and we still need to check in and hand over our bags. Plus, we have to wait for those people that are always late.

One of those people, being my other best friend Beth.

She is your type of American sweetheart: blonde hair, blue eyes, tall, with a Victoria Secret model body, yeah, you get the picture. With that comes the fact that she loves clothes and makeup. If she could, she would buy a mall just so she can live in there. Her words not mine. So, imagine my surprise – or lack of knowledge, when Beth is 'fashionably late’.

Sarah on the other hand, is the complete opposite; with voluminous red hair, pale skin – that only red heads seem to pull off and curves in all the right places. She isn’t tall, but she’s small in the cutest way. To top it off, Sarah has the most gorgeous green eyes that I have ever seen, in all my life.

Me however, I'm just average height. Light brown hair, with a mixture of blue, green and grey eyes. I don’t know how it's possible, but apparently that's what people tell me. I have a few curves, but nothing extraordinary. Well that’s me, just as ordinary as anyone could be.

“Hey girls!”

“Oh my God.” Sarah and I say at the same time.

Beth finally arrived, but our reaction wasn’t because of her, at least not directly, but because of the amount of bags that she is carrying with her.

She has five bags. Five, freaking giant bags the size of Texas.

I don’t even want to know how she is actually carrying all of them at the same time.

“So, am I late?”

“Yes Beth, you’re late. We were waiting for you,” Sarah laughs.

“Well, I am here now no?" Beth smiles.

We kept talking for a while, not saying anything really interesting to the rest of the trip's populace. They wouldn’t care anyway.

“Guys, Mr. Smith is here.” Beth says interrupting her story about her manicure this past week.

“We will go there later, everyone is going to check in now, and it’s going to be really confusing.” Sarah says.

“Yeah and I want to stay as far away from them as I possibly can.” You can only guess who said that. Me.

“Kate, what’s the problem? There are some handsome guys here.” Beth says as she eyes a few of them.

“And stupid too Beth, I don’t want to go near them. Even though I know I have to sooner or later, I don’t want it to be sooner.” I say.

“Think positive, we are going to Ireland. There are some really cute boys there,” Sarah points out – always the mastermind of the group.

One of the reasons why I was so happy to go to Ireland was the boys. Irish boys are the most sexy, handsome, cute and desirable things ever. And their accents! Oh my God...

“Girls please, can you keep quiet for a minute?...I want to hear this,” James says which takes me out of my day dream about finding my Irish man, while I’m entering a pizzeria and I face plant myself into the door... Okay it might not be the most romantic way to meet your soul mate, but the scene when you bump into your man and you look into each other’s eyes and you just know he is the one, is too cliché.

Anyway, food unites everyone.

The three of us quiet down at my brother request, and we discover what he is trying so hard to listen to. Ahead of us is a television, currently giving the breaking news.

“SERIAL KILLER ON THE RUN.”

Apparently, there is a crazy man that has been killing people, and he is said to be around his late 20s or early 30s. He’s white, really dangerous, and he has killed 8 people, between the ages of 17-25. The last ‘contact’ police have had with him, was during his last murder that occurred the day before yesterday. He usually calls the police with a phone that they can’t track, after finishing with his victims to tell the police the address of the site where the bodies are. But the real impressive thing here is that, he just simply disappeared. The police have been following his footsteps based on the place, hour and way he treats the victims.

The journalist keeps talking, saying that it’s necessary to be very careful and he is nowhere to be found... oh c’mon he didn’t vanish from the face of the Earth right? But then something makes my heart skips a beat, the four of us take a deep breath as if in tune.

What the journalist says is that the murders occurred in Ireland.

If that isn’t a sign that this trip is not supposed to happen, then I don’t know what is.

Okay, maybe we are being a little dramatic. Ireland might not be big, but it’s definitely not small, and we are not that unlucky to end up in the same place as that crazy man right?

Yeah, right. We’re going to a lot of places, always together, always in a group.

I look at the animals in front of me, currently checking and giving their bags, while getting ready to board. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll like having those beasts with me. After all, if the serial killer crosses paths with us, I only need to run quicker than them.