Short Story

I didn’t expect my night to come to the point where I’m running for my life. I supposed we never wake up knowing what’s going to happen that day, but I have a good clue as to what to expect. I didn’t expect to be running, my soles aching with every hammering step. My hands shouldn’t be sticky with drying blood, blood I’m sure that wasn’t mine. My brain had some sort of repellant surrounding it. No logical thought was able to stick itself on it. The only thought that was immune to a repellant such as this was just one word. Run, run, run.


I’m pretty sure I murdered someone though, and although I don’t regret it, I fear my punishment. I remember when I was younger, I stuck a huge wad of gum in my brother’s hair. My brother screamed and cried as he tried to pry the gunk from his hair with his tiny fingers. I remember, how my little heart hammered against its ribcage as I feared what my mother would think. And now that I am running away from a murder, that fear seemed so miniscule that I would laugh such a harsh, bitter laugh.


Sirens in the distance. They cause tears to bite at the corners of my eyes. I slip into an alley way and then into a garbage can. I hear the sirens grow louder. As soon as they reached their highest volume, the sound dropped as they drove away. This time, I allow myself to cry. Now that the repellant was slowly dissolving away, I could back track through my day to find out what happened, and how I came to this…


I woke up in the morning, shortly after having a weird dream. It had Harry Houdini, some crazy man from way back when whom would escape death traps or something of the sort, we learned about him in history. In my dream, I was getting ready for school. I went to my closet and opened my door to see the crazy old loot tied up in my scarves, trying to escape from them. I asked him what he was doing and he replied by saying that escaping death by scarves was going to be his most ground-breaking accomplishment ever. Yeah… that sounded quite impressive next to him being buried alive without a casket and managing to dig is way back out.


At that point I woke up in my room. I approached my closet with caution, afraid I would really find Harry Houdini tied in my room. I wretched the door up and saw nothing but my clothes and shows. I rolled my eyes at my ridiculous paranoia.


After getting dressed, I walked downstairs where my mother fixed breakfast and my little brother sat his bum in front of the computer, obsessed to talking to kids on the computer. He was going to grow up anti-social, I could just feel it.


“I won’t be home, I’ll be taking your brother to his check-up this afternoon”, my mom announced as I bit into her always burnt toast.


“Yeah, I hear you”, I said. I wasn’t in the mood for breakfast really.


I slipped my backpack over my shoulders and walked out the door to sit on my porch, waiting for my friend, Valarie, to pick me up. I leaned back against the patio chair where my head rolled to its side, facing my neighbor’s house. I saw in a tiny window, a head, one with circle-shaped glasses and a pushy mustache. As soon as I looked over at the face in the window, the curtains were drawn over the window with much force. That was my creepy neighbor Joe. He always gave Val and I the creeps. We have been plotting for the longest time to go digging around in his yard. We would find dead bodies for sure. I bet he uses them as fertilizers. That’s why his flowers are always so pretty.


I rolled my head back so I could stare straight ahead. After a while, I began to get worried. Valarie should have been here already. I checked my phone. It was seven-twenty-two. She usually got here seven-fifteen at the latest. She would notify me for any reason to be late or if she was sick and I could have enough time to catch up with the bus. After a few minutes, I begin to grow worried. No text and yet Valarie is far too late. I had no choice but to run in order to catch the bus.


The school day slipped by slowly. I walked into the last period of the day, still no sign of my friend Valarie. I guessed then that I would swing by her house and see what’s up. I walked into the last class of the day, which was biology. We paired up due to the teacher’s will for us to do a DNA project. I was with someone I really couldn’t stand.


I reached the table with my chin to my chest, not wanting to make eye contact with him while I made my way to our table. I set my stuff down, still keeping my eyes averted, even when a gruff voice said, “Arlene?”


I still refused to look at him. I wasn’t in the mood. And with Valarie gone, I would feel terrible conversing with her terrible ex-boyfriend. “Yes?” I said flatly.


“I was looking at our progress and it looks like we won’t finish in time…” he said evenly still.


“So?” I said. Though racking my brains, I could’ve swore we were on schedule and nothing was wrong.


“So, that’ll mess up our grade. I was just wondering if we could go to my house after school to finish it”, he said.


This time, I did look up at him. I didn’t care what expression was on my face, but I hoped it was very accusing, anything to make him uncomfortable. “Why would we need to do that?”


“I just told you…”


I shook my head. “Sorry, let me rephrase that. Why would I do that?”


He appeared to be aggravated by this now. “Are you really not going to finish our project at my house because of her?”


I really wasn’t in the mood to get into this argument. How would Valarie forgive me that I was at her ex-boyfriend’s house? Isn’t that a taboo? I shook the thoughts away, maybe I could always plead on my hands and knees for forgiveness.


But one question was nagging me. “So, why do I need to go to your house? Can’t we go the library or something?”


He let a long sigh that grew more frustrated the more it was breathed. “Look are you really going to overcomplicate things with your petty conflictions?”


I stared up at him, more in shock than in anger. I wanted to feel anger, but I was just shocked that he would even say such a thing that I was at a loss for words. He settled back now and looked away. I finally sat down next to him after standing there so rigid. The class dragged on slowly accompanied with a lingering tension in the air between Carter and I.
--
Why… why was his house empty? I walked in expecting to hear the chiming voice of a mother fixing her son an after school snack, but all we walking in on was silence. He led me to his room in eerie silence, giving me time to observe the house. I felt so unsafe and after a while, I began to wonder why I even bothered coming here in the first place. I’d take a C over getting hacked to pieces.


He opened the door to his room and offered me to go in first. I about did when I heard a thump from a door next to me, closed and seemingly locked. I looked at him and then at the door. “I just heard a nose…”


Carter seemed to pale, but then he shook his head. “Sorry, that’s my dying dog, we have to keep her away from visitors. She can’t bark so she has to throw herself against things in order to get our attention. Quite a pathetic sight really… yeah…”


He stared at me long and hard as if he willed me to believe him. I just looked at him oddly and decided it was best not to press the matter. I walked into his room where I heard another thump coming from the room. Oh my goodness that poor dog! Forced to throw herself all around the room… wait… why am I smiling? Well, it is kind of funny, imagining a dog propelling itself around. ((Note to reader, it’s 11:36 and I’m drinking Dr. Pepper. I’m NOT feeling it okay? I’m rather giddy))


Carter made to close the door when I reached out to stop him. “I’m sorry, but there’s no one else in the house, I don’t think we need to close the door….”


Carter looked up at me, seeming to be shocked that I said that, but he did as asked and left the door open. He threw he stuff onto his bed and looked at me. “You can sit down you know.”


I nodded stiffly and then sat down on the edge of his bed. He began to fish through his bag after he sat down awkwardly next to me. I tried to concentrate my attention on something else so that I wouldn’t have to feel the full power of the mighty awkward. I heard the thumping slowly grow repetitive and louder, more desperate. I turned to Carter. “Your dog… she seems to really need help. So aren’t you going to help her?”


Carter looked up at me, his eyes dead for a moment. “I suppose I should fix that little problem. Just stay right there, don’t move. She hates strangers.”


I nodded as he got up and crossed over to the door. He opened the door and then said in a harsh voice, “Be quiet!”


I blinked at him in shock. Didn’t his dog need something? I’m sure she wouldn’t be throwing herself against the door just for the fun of it, and if she’s dying, she wouldn’t be doing it for attention as she would want to sleep a lot… right? Maybe? I dunno, I’m not an expert on the mentality of dying animals. A muffled and somewhat struggled whimper came from the room, it sounded off. I let my curiosity take over me as I got up and slowly walked up behind Carter to get a glimpse of his dog. I was not prepared for this sight.


Valarie was bound and gagged and looking at me like I was her last hope. I stared at her in shock as she was no Houdini, no way for her to get out of this bondage by herself. I would have to help her, but help seemed impossible now as Carter had slowly turned around to glare at me.


“I told you to stay where you were”, Carter said, scary calm.


“Well, I didn’t so what are you g-“


I meant to finish that sentence, but Carter wouldn’t have it. He caught me by the throat and shoved me down the stairs where I tumbled down painfully, unable to make any noise of pain as the wind was continuously knocked from my lungs with every step.


I landed in a crumpled heap at the foot of the stairs. I heard pounding footsteps as Carter advanced on me from the stairs. I rolled onto my knees and pushed myself up onto my feet to run. My first thought was to go to the door and I know Carter suspected that too. But I couldn’t just leave Valarie. I made a sharp left turn into the kitchen as Carter skidded when he stopped and body slammed into the front door.


Now where would this little creep a knife? I began ripping open cabinets and doors underneath the counters to find the same result. No knife or any other object potential of harm. This guy must have been prepared to hide the knifes, unless he just has a weird way of cooking. There was two entrances to the kitchen, both leading into the hallway. Carter just charged through the one closest to the front door and I then run out of the one opposite of the staircase. I scramble up the steps and I run into the room containing Val. I slam the door open and lock it from the inside. I know that won’t hold him though. I can’t underestimate his strength as he might be able to bust this thing open, that or he had some hidden ax somewhere to hack the door open.


I turned to Val to rip off the duct tape. Valarie gasped a long gasp of refreshing air. She looked up at me with tear ridden eyes. “Arlene, what are you-“


I interrupted her as I had no time to have an emotional break down of how I searched far and wide for her. “Listen, are there any knives in this room?”


Valarie snapped shut her mouth then nodded before saying, “Yes, they’re under the bad under a bunch of shoe boxes.”


I lunged for the bed then fell to the floor, skidding on my knees to a stop next to the bed. I began ripping stuff out from under it. Shoe boxes shoe boxes, finally! I pulled out a black bag with sheathed hunting knives. By this point, there was a terrible noise in which was caused by Carter throwing his weight into the door, yelling and shouting. I unsheathe one of the knives and crawled to Val. I cut her ropes and push her towards the closet door. I stand up slowly with the knife and watch as the hinges supporting the door gave way to the weight throwing itself into it. I raised my knife high but my legs were pulled from under me. I yelp as I hit the ground. Carter scrambled on top of me, his knees pressed against my sides so that I cannot move. I still have my knife in hand, but I can’t use it as he has a hold of my wrists as well.


As soon as he got on me, he was off, as something rammed into him with much force, causing him to topple over onto his side. I looked to see to my surprise that Valarie had thrown all she could into that tackle. I get on my knees raised my knife high, making sure Val wasn’t in my way, I bring it down , expecting to miss him.


Well, I got him. Warm, thick liquid squeezes itself between my fingers as I rip the knife out from his thigh. I didn’t get a fatal wound out of him, but with a stabbed thigh, it’s going to be hard to move around so much. He grimaced as he attempted to sit up. He managed to do so, much to my surprise, and took a swing at me. I saw a flash of white as his punched me in the jaw, sending me back.


Carter began to attempt to sit up as I regained myself. I steadied myself on my feet and kicked him so that he would fall down again. I drop harshly onto his chest, my knees digging into his ribs as I raised my knife high and planted it in his chest.


I wish I didn’t look, because now I can’t pry my eyes away as his eyes go wide with pain and soon, no emotion at all. Nothing but emptiness. I weakly pull the knife out as his head rolled lifelessly onto its side.


Valarie gave a startled gasp from behind me. I turned around to see that she had both hands clamped tightly over her mouth, looking scared, terribly scared. I sighed and stood up. “Val, I want you to go home and tell your parents, don’t call the police, they’ll only expect you, have your parents handle this.”


With that, I bid her good-bye, feeling extremely empty, then I run.
--
I sigh as I have no caught myself up with the future. I wondered what would happen to me now that I have murdered someone. I close my eyes against the darkness and try to think of a way out of this. I have nothing. My parents, Valarie, everyone wouldn’t be able to look at me the same. I won’t even be able to look at myself the same…


I slowly crept out of the garbage dumps and land on my feet carefully. They are aching because of the run. I limp through the alleyway with an unfeeling heart as I walk to nowhere.