Delusional Conduct Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  A Note from Author M. Rain Ranalli

  A Note from author J. L. Clayton

  Delusional

  Conduct

  M. Rain Ranalli

  &

  J.L. Clayton

  A Zombie Cupcake Book

  Zombie Cupcake Press, 83 Ducie Street, Manchester, M1 2JQ www.zombiecupcakepress.com

  Published by Zombie Cupcake Press 2017

  DELUSIONAL CONDUCT

  © Copyright M. Rain Ranalli 2017

  © Copyright J.L. Clayton 2017

  All rights reserved.

  The moral right of the author has been asserted.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events and organisations are purely coincidental.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, nor translated into a machine language, without the written permission of the publisher.

  Condition of sale

  This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  Cover design © Copyright Bella Tulip Publishing 2017

  Editing by Angie Wade

  Proofreading by Carol Tietsworth

  Prologue

  They all stood looking down at the body in stunned silence. Blood spread out like a beautiful torrent as it swirled on the ground, creating designs vaguely resembling roses…

  “Well, this will be one hell of a night, we’ll never forget,” Michelle joked.

  “I’ll go find a shovel,” Jeremy offered.

  Becky started to cry, and Jen looked like she was going to throw up.

  Steve said, “Ah, what did we get ourselves into now?”

  Chapter One

  Jen

  Jen pulled up to Dave’s Big Dogs’ Diner, feeling a nervous sensation churning intensely within her stomach. She hopped out of her car and sucked in a deep breath. A few times a week, Jen would meet up with her four best friends here, but this time Jen had something important to tell them. The only thing was, she couldn’t remember what. She just knew it was something awful, and that it had to do with the new kids in their town.

  “Hey guys, I need to tell y’all something.” She frowned. “It has something to do with that dickhead and his friends.” Jen scooted into the seat next to Michelle.

  Slowly, she started twirling her nose piercing. Jen always did that when she was either mad or nervous about something. She glanced over at Michelle, who smiled cautiously and took Jen’s hand from her face, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

  She knows me better than anyone, Jen thought.

  Jen smiled to herself as she remembered when they had become blood sisters, it was during recess at the tender age of seven. It had been the day Jen needed a sister more than anything else in the world. That day Michelle knew what to do when she’d spotted a piece of glass laying near the edge of the playground.

  Jen had watched in awe as Michelle quickly rushed over and picked it up. Without thought, she slit her palm.

  “Give me your hand, Jen,” Michelle ordered.

  Jen was a little scared. She shook her head and cradled her arm close to her chest.

  “Don’t be afraid. It will only sting for a second.”

  Trusting her friend, Jen placed her hand, palm up onto Michelle’s.

  Swiftly, she sliced Jen’s palm and pressed their hands together.

  “I will be your sister forever because my blood is yours. Death will never separate us, Jen.”

  “But death did separate my sister from me, and her blood is in me,” Jen whispered, tears brimming the corners of her eyes.

  Michelle pulled Jen in for a hug and said, “Yeah, but death has nothing on me, Jen. Remember that. Nothing!”

  Those words Jen knew would forever be drilled into her mind, and she knew she would never forget that day.

  “What dicks are you talking about, Blondie?” Jeremy, one of their friends inquired, adding a slight chuckle to his already thick and rugged voice.

  Jen had bitten her bottom lip before she grinned over at him. Jeremy was a big six-foot-tall guy. She vaguely wondered if he would keep growing, or if the age of sixteen was the cutoff mark.

  She thought he was a good-looking guy, with sun-kissed brown hair that would reflect some golden streaks underneath a light. Jeremy’s physique was incredible, and his warm chocolate eyes always made the girls melt.

  “For such a small town, it sure seems the dick level is growing; no pun intended,” Jeremy teased.

  Jen shook her head, but she agreed. Over the last seven years, their once small town started growing, but moreso in the last four, after the town forcefully closed the old asylum for good. But Jen thought it should have been shut down sooner.

  Instead, they kept their doors open even after all the awful things that happened there, the accusations of inhumane living situations, outdated treatments, brutality by the guards, rape by the orderlies, and the fire. It was 113 years old the day the doors on the asylum were finally locked. The older generations told tales of the terrible screams they heard at night. The stories they told scared their children and grandchildren. There were even rumors that the place was haunted.

  But the fire—that damn fire—that happened years ago should have been the end. Instead, it set forth a series of events no one could have imagined; it had supposedly killed all the people that lived in the criminally insane ward. But Jen remembered them claiming not all the bodies were accounted for. She also didn’t understand why certain wings remained open even after the fire.

  Jen thought about the beautifully eerie forest. It separated their old mansions that seemed to have this haunting appearance. Their houses were built on the hillside, which circled the town’s border, and to the five of them, the place now seemed to be glaring down on their town, mocking everything about the quaintness of those living down in the smaller homes near the old train station, now known as “The Wrong Side of the Tracks.”

  The founding families who lived on top of the mountainside, and those living down in the smaller homes voted against the construction through part of the woods the townspeople had nicknamed “Middle Earth”. Well, we found out soon enough that our votes meant nothing when dealing with an asshole and his team of lawyers, Jen thought, feeling irate. The big, bad wolf from Wall Street came in and declared the land wasn’t sacred, which allowed part of the forest to be destroyed. What was more devastating, was the entitled trust-fund pricks, with their cocky attitudes.

  “You’re right, Jer, those asshat-trust-fund babies are pissing me the fuck off,” Michelle said practically spitting the words.

  Jen smiled inwardly at Michelle. She has always had a mouth like a sailor, with no filter. She wasn’t rude, just honest, speaking her mind and not caring what she said. Most of her time was spent in detention, and Jen loved that Michelle always said what they all knew everyone else was thinking.
She was a free spirit and probably the wildest of the bunch. Yet, it wasn’t by much. Jen knew they all had demons lurking beneath their skin, but Michelle just wore hers proudly. Jen didn’t think she could be that brave, which she admired her friend for that.

  Jen watched as Michelle pushed her hair over her shoulders and wished she could pull that color off. But unlike Jen, Michelle was eccentric and bold, changing her hair color every month was normal for her. Now Michelle’s hair was a light, cotton-candy blue, which faded down into a darker midnight blue. At the age of sixteen, Michelle already had three tattoos along with her lip, tongue, and belly button pierced. It always amused Jen when people questioned Michelle on why she would do that to herself.

  Michelle would give her signature smirk, which would either charm the pants off the person or scare the living shit out of them, and with a wicked glint in her violet-gray eyes, she would politely say, “Because I can. Because I am who I am.”

  Jen smiled insincerely, not fooling Michelle. “Jen, whatever you saw is really bothering you. That smile you’re trying on may fool everyone else, but not me—I know you. So, spill it, what happened today?”

  Jen glanced around the small diner, realizing no one else had heard Michelle’s question, not even the boys. Relieved, she gave her best friend the look. Michelle knew to drop the issue, for now, Jen sighed, knowing she just needed time to work up the courage.

  If only I could remember all of it, Jen thought to herself.

  “So, what has your panties in such a bunch, girl?” Steve, another one of their friends, asked with a hint of curiosity.

  Jen gazed over at him, he had dark hair, big blue eyes, tan skin, a solid build, and a smile that showed off the dimples he hated, but they all knew it seemed to have almost every girl in town chasing after him. Jen noticed Steve wasn’t truly paying attention. He was clearly oblivious to how upset she really was. Gritting her teeth, Jen figured out the reason why he was halfheartedly listening as the new waitress walked by, giving both him and Jeremy a smile.

  Jen twisted the pink ends of her long blonde hair between her index finger and thumb. It was another habit of hers when she was upset about something.

  “Hey, losers, let’s get out of here and head over to our spot, then Jen can explain what’s got her so worked up,” Becky suggested.

  She’d arrived late and missed the beginning of their conversation.

  None of them had a clue as to how serious this was, but they were about to find out… with any luck, and if I can remember. I just know it’s bad, Jen thought as they headed out the door.

  Chapter Two

  Michelle

  The five of them climbed down a trail they’d made deep in the woods of Middle Earth. Once they came upon their spot, they meticulously started putting up camp. It was their usual routine. They used railroad ties to set up the backdrop for an area around a fire pit they’d built with wood stumps for seating.

  Becky sighed. “So, you guys skipped out after lunch again, eh? That’s probably best. I know Michelle would have strung up one of the newbies if she’d been there after gym class.” She smiled. “But you know, Jen and I would’ve had your back. No doubt, it would’ve landed all of us in detention—again.”

  Michelle giggled and looked at Becky with adoration. She was stunning, the walking definition of natural beauty. She had long, wavy brown hair with red highlights, and amazing bright green eyes that could have anyone melting.

  Michelle thought that each of them were unique and striking, but in addition to their looks, they were descendants of the founding families. That was enough to make everyone jealous, especially the trust fund brats, the nickname they gave the kids who moved to their town after the asylum closed. Michelle knew the five of them were a significant threat. Having the kind of birthright, they had, their personalities could be awful. But she believed it didn’t factor into their character; they were nice to all the “originals” as they called them, meaning the families who had been around before the new houses went up. Michelle and her friends would stand up for those kids if they saw them being bullied, but other than that they were loners, and for a good reason.

  However, Michelle thought, when it came to the new group of jackasses that recently took up residence in their town, being nice to them wasn’t a choice.

  “Hold up, how exactly would something y’all did in the girl’s locker room land Jer and I in trouble? Because, Becky, you did say ‘all of us in detention again,’“ Steve asked with an underlying hint of sarcasm. “Are you implying we join in on the fun that’s in a girl’s locker room?” Steve chuckled.

  “Or, are you implying we wouldn’t ever be considerate of you girls’ privacy? What do you think we are, barbarians?” Jeremy gasped, placing his hand over his heart mockingly.

  “When have you two ever cared about, um, what did you call it?” Jen snapped her thumb and forefinger together. “Oh yeah, female privacy?”

  Michelle could tell Jen was trying to hold back her smile.

  “Is this what has you so upset, Jen? Do you know what Becky is talking about?” Jeremy deadpanned.

  “Don’t be a dumbass, Jer. You know we weren’t even in school when Becky saw whatever happened, so this thing that has my girl upset, couldn’t be the same thing Beck is talking about,” Michelle said.

  She was trying to sound mean, but she couldn’t get the right tone out when it came to her friends. Instead, she just smiled and gave him the finger.

  He nodded, looking a little sheepish as he asked, “Spill it, Jen. What the fuck happened that has you all upset?”

  The anniversary of Jen’s sister’s death was coming up. Out of respect, no one had mentioned it, even though Michelle could tell by the looks on their faces that they all secretly thought Jen might be overreacting. Except for Michelle, she knew better, whatever her friend saw had to be something serious. Michelle knew Jen wouldn’t overreact in this way.

  So, I’ll do what I’m best at, she thought. I’ll just get Jen to spill the beans.

  Once again, Michelle slowly removed Jen’s hand from the insistent twirl she was giving her lip ring. Michelle was worried her friend would rip the piercing out if she didn’t stop. She cuddled Jen’s hand within hers, leaned in, and looked her blood-sister in the eyes.

  “Okay, Jen, let’s have it,” Michelle ordered nicely.

  “I’ll tell y’all everything, but first,” Jen looked at Becky. “What did we miss in the locker room?”

  The four of them looked at Becky waiting for her to explain.

  Becky muttered, “I will tell y’all, but the look on Jen’s face makes me believe that what I saw isn’t as serious as whatever she’s about to tell us.”

  “It might not be, but now I’m dying to know,” Michelle said.

  “Okay, you know that big girl, Sara?” Becky asked.

  “The one that looks like she could be a bodyguard?” Steve joked.

  Michelle glared at him. He held up his hands looking guilty.

  “Yeah, that’s the one.” Becky shook her head, “One of the new girls took Sara’s underwear and hung it up over the door for everyone to see. It was mean, and she taunted Sara, calling her fat and nasty.”

  “Damn, I guess all of the new kids are going to be an issue. But, it will be a cold day in hell for anyone to think they can bully me,” Jeremy said.

  “I agree,” Michelle folded her arms.

  “Poor Sara,” Jen sighed.

  “Oh, don’t worry,” Becky exclaimed. “I got that bitch back for Sara. I rubbed some poison ivy all over her clothes; she should be itching like crazy by now.”

  “That’s fucking awesome,” Jeremy said.

  Jen smiled and started rubbing her hands together nervously.

  Michelle noticed, “Okay, Jen, now it’s your turn.”

  Jen bit her lip. “The thing is, I can’t remember. I know something bad happened, I feel it deep inside that I need to tell y’all. I also know it has something to do with the new kids, but it’s lik
e I’ve blocked it out or something. It’s literally been eating away at me.” Jen shrugged.

  Michelle nodded, knowing this was the perfect opportunity for the others to see her in action. She had already been practicing on Jen, so it didn’t surprise Jen when Michelle said, “I am going to help you remember.”

  Jen gave her a sweet smile.

  One day, Michelle thought. I’ll really be a therapist and help people.

  “Take us back to whatever you witnessed; I know you have been holding this in for a few days now, sweetie. You may think you’re able to fool everyone with that genuine smile and your beautiful doe eyes, but you can’t hide shit from me. Remember sis, I can read you like a book, I know when something is wrong and if you are holding something back. Well, I’m going to force it out of you. That means”—Michelle grinned— “Even if I have to you up and tickle you with a feather until you either piss your pants or tell me what’s up.”

  Steve chuckled. “That last part sounded really kinky, but then you had to go and throw in the part about pissing.”

  Jeremy shook his head and popped Steve on the back of the head. Jen sighed. Michelle giggled, but she meant every word she said. Michelle knew that Jen believed her. Jen couldn’t fool her, especially when she mentioned the torture by a feathery death, which between them was an inside joke. One they never even told their group about. It happened at the last sleepover they had before Jen’s older sister died, where Jessica had shown Michelle just what tickling Jen would do, and Michelle gained leverage on her. Making her pee her pants is something Michelle was sure Jen didn’t want the guys to see.

  “Remember what you need to do so you don’t forget any details no matter how insignificant they may seem. We need to hear it all, just the way you saw it,” Michelle said in a soothing tone. She continued walking Jen through the steps required for the scene to play out from beginning to end.

  Before Jen even realized what was happening, she had stepped back to three nights ago in her mind, picturing everything. She exhaled and started to describe what happened.