Page 3 of Out to Find Freedom

“I won’t,” Donny whispered.

“Fuck!” Gloria yelled. She dropped her hold on me and spun to face the others. “We should have gone to the warehouse.”

“Babe, you know we couldn’t. It’s hot. Got people watching it.”

“We need to find somewhere else,” the man behind Donny said. “But….” He glanced down at Donny.

Gloria ran her hands through her hair. Then she nodded.

“No!” I screamed, but it was too late.

I didn’t even hear the gun. All I saw was Donny’s body fall to the floor. He didn’t breathe. Didn’t blink. Didn’t move. His lifeless eyes stared my way.

I gagged. Dropping to my hands on the carpet, I heaved. I couldn’t drag my eyes away from him. Donny. I’d killed him. It was my fault.

Blood soaked the carpet.Hisblood dripped from the hole in his head.

Another heave erupted as tears ran down my cheeks. My body shook, and a noise hit my ears. Whimpering and keening. I realised it was coming from me.

“What about her?” someone asked. I didn’t care who. I didn’t look. All I could see was Donny. Dead before me.

My fault.

All my fault.

Because he wanted to go on a date with me, and now he was dead for it.

“Shut up” was roared.

I clamped my lips closed, but I couldn’t stop the whimpers, the tears. My throat thickened, and I heaved again.

“We can’t kill her.”

“Why the fuck not?” he demanded. Gloria stomped over to him and dragged him into a corner for a huddled whispered conversation.

Slowly, I crawled to Donny. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry,” I uttered. I started to reach out to him but pulled my hand back.

The blood. It was everywhere. My body shook. My chest ached in such a painful way that it caught my breath.

A new whimper caught my attention. I glanced behind me to the girl on the couch. She moved but then stilled once more.

“We got to get her out of here before she wakes.”

The man with Gloria, who seemed in charge, grunted. “You and Lenny take her. Dump her in an alley somewhere.”

“W-what did you do to her?” It was obvious, and yet I didn’t really want to know or hear their answer. But I couldn’t help asking.

“She knows too much,” the guy with Lenny said.

“Gloria has a plan,” Lenny said.

“Maybe she’d let her be in the next movie.”

Lenny smirked. “That I’d pay to see.”

I cringed at his dark look and scooted back on the floor. While they dressed the girl, my eyes drifted to the front door. I could run, scream, fight.

Jean-clad legs entered my view. It was the man who’d been talking with Gloria. “Don’t even fucking think about it. If it was up to me, you’d be dead.”

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