me not to be scared! You’re holding us at gun point, and that kid’s head just got blown off by one of your friends! He was harmless and you know it!.. Is that why you had him get in the other car? So it would be easier to kill all of us!?”
Allen grabbed her arm again. He was a strong looking guy, like an ex-bodybuilder, and his well contained, but frantic state caused him to squeeze too tightly. She winced in pain and he immediately let go. “Just stop.”
He looked back to me. “Let us out here. This is fine, there’re plenty of homes around... I don’t care why he’s dead. We’d rather be on our own.”
“Please, you’re making a mistake. We aren’t gonna get through this unless we work together. If you try to survive alone out here you’ll be killed. Just like my brother and I almost were.”
“We’ll take our chances.”
Walt turned to me, silently asking whether or not he should stop… We can’t force them to stay. Then we’re just like those men. “Do it.”
Walt beeped the horn three times and Brian began to slow down. As Walt came to a stop, I decided to take a risk... I’ll probably regret this, but we need each other’s help.
I moved my finger away from the trigger of the 9mm and held it out as an offering of trust. “I’ll take the first step.”
Allen didn’t even flinch, he simply looked down at the gun and then back to me. I pleaded “Please, I think I can explain what happened if you just give me a chance. I know what you’re thinking – you’re wrong… Please.”
Walt said “I know it’s an overused, bad movie quote, but… If we wanted to kill you, you’d already be dead. You don’t have anything for us to steal. Why would we just want to kill you for no reason?”
Allen and Veronica exchanged questioning glances before he reached out and pushed the gun away. “Keep driving.”
Walt beeped again and pulled up close behind the Cadillac. Brian’s voice came from the darkness. “Everything okay!?”
“Yeah, just keep going! False alarm!”
Veronica quickly began protesting Allen’s decision, but I cut her off. “The young girl in the backseat, Clara… She’s the one who shot him.”
She turned to Allen and scoffed “Now he’s trying to tell us a goddamn twelve-year old is the one who”
“Let him finish.”
I sighed and put the 9mm down on the center console. When I started to recall everything that had happened so I could explain Clara’s mental state, I was suddenly hit with a burst of emotions. I’d been trying to block it all out so I could concentrate on surviving and helping to keep everyone safe… It all just came rushing back.
I had to take a few moments to calm myself so I wouldn’t get all choked up when I tried to speak.
“There used to be another woman with us, Melanie… The night before we met her, Walt and I escaped my neighborhood so we could look for help.” I pointed to my face. “That’s when this happened. I was badly injured, so we had to just keep going… but I saw Clara in the window of her house just as we were leaving the neighborhood.”
I paused so I could take a deep breath and fight off the trembling. “The next day, after we met Melanie, we went back and saved her… It turned out she had a brother too. Anthony. He was a little over a year younger.”
As I continued on, Walt didn’t say a word. I wondered whether he was actually listening, or just doing everything he could not to… That’s what I’d be doing.
Before I even got to the part about those men, and Naya, Anthony’s death already had Veronica close to tears. By the time I described following the trail of Melanie’s blood to find Clara huddled in the corner, they were both nothing short of stunned. They must have gone close to a full minute without blinking.
“Clara shot him because of that woman Naya… She thinks she can’t trust
Allen grabbed her arm again. He was a strong looking guy, like an ex-bodybuilder, and his well contained, but frantic state caused him to squeeze too tightly. She winced in pain and he immediately let go. “Just stop.”
He looked back to me. “Let us out here. This is fine, there’re plenty of homes around... I don’t care why he’s dead. We’d rather be on our own.”
“Please, you’re making a mistake. We aren’t gonna get through this unless we work together. If you try to survive alone out here you’ll be killed. Just like my brother and I almost were.”
“We’ll take our chances.”
Walt turned to me, silently asking whether or not he should stop… We can’t force them to stay. Then we’re just like those men. “Do it.”
Walt beeped the horn three times and Brian began to slow down. As Walt came to a stop, I decided to take a risk... I’ll probably regret this, but we need each other’s help.
I moved my finger away from the trigger of the 9mm and held it out as an offering of trust. “I’ll take the first step.”
Allen didn’t even flinch, he simply looked down at the gun and then back to me. I pleaded “Please, I think I can explain what happened if you just give me a chance. I know what you’re thinking – you’re wrong… Please.”
Walt said “I know it’s an overused, bad movie quote, but… If we wanted to kill you, you’d already be dead. You don’t have anything for us to steal. Why would we just want to kill you for no reason?”
Allen and Veronica exchanged questioning glances before he reached out and pushed the gun away. “Keep driving.”
Walt beeped again and pulled up close behind the Cadillac. Brian’s voice came from the darkness. “Everything okay!?”
“Yeah, just keep going! False alarm!”
Veronica quickly began protesting Allen’s decision, but I cut her off. “The young girl in the backseat, Clara… She’s the one who shot him.”
She turned to Allen and scoffed “Now he’s trying to tell us a goddamn twelve-year old is the one who”
“Let him finish.”
I sighed and put the 9mm down on the center console. When I started to recall everything that had happened so I could explain Clara’s mental state, I was suddenly hit with a burst of emotions. I’d been trying to block it all out so I could concentrate on surviving and helping to keep everyone safe… It all just came rushing back.
I had to take a few moments to calm myself so I wouldn’t get all choked up when I tried to speak.
“There used to be another woman with us, Melanie… The night before we met her, Walt and I escaped my neighborhood so we could look for help.” I pointed to my face. “That’s when this happened. I was badly injured, so we had to just keep going… but I saw Clara in the window of her house just as we were leaving the neighborhood.”
I paused so I could take a deep breath and fight off the trembling. “The next day, after we met Melanie, we went back and saved her… It turned out she had a brother too. Anthony. He was a little over a year younger.”
As I continued on, Walt didn’t say a word. I wondered whether he was actually listening, or just doing everything he could not to… That’s what I’d be doing.
Before I even got to the part about those men, and Naya, Anthony’s death already had Veronica close to tears. By the time I described following the trail of Melanie’s blood to find Clara huddled in the corner, they were both nothing short of stunned. They must have gone close to a full minute without blinking.
“Clara shot him because of that woman Naya… She thinks she can’t trust
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