IT'S late at night. Someone knocks on Jonny's door. It's Chris! And boy, has he got a story to tell.
It's not a slash fic!
---
“JONNY!” a voice yelled from behind my door, the owner of the voice pounding heavily on the door. It was nearly midnight, and I had been in the living room, relaxing and reading a book when I was startled by the sudden surge of noise. “Jonny, please, let me in!”
The person's tone sounded very urgent and frightened, so I got up as quickly as I could. I threw open the door, revealing the tall, lanky, curly-haired man I knew as my best friend.
“Chris?” His face was extremely pale and gaunt, his eyes were teary, and he sounded as though he was out of breath. “What's wrong?”
“Jonny, can I stay with you tonight? Please?” I'd never seen him more scared-looking in my life.
“Yeah, come in,” I said, moving over to allow him to enter the room. He immediately walked over to the couch, sitting down and resting his head in his hands. “What's wrong?” I asked again, taking a seat next to him.
He wouldn't answer, no matter how many times I asked him. He refused to say anything at all, merely keeping his head in his hands and shaking his head whenever I asked a question.
“You know what? I'll make some tea, OK? That might make you feel a bit better. And then maybe you'll answer me.” He lifted his head up and folded his arms tightly across his chest.
“OK,” he whispered. I walked into the kitchen and began to make the tea. I also found a bar of chocolate in my fridge and figured that he'd appreciate that, too. Carrying the bar and a cup of tea, I made my way to where Chris was sitting, still in the same position he'd been in when I left.
“Here you go,” I said, handing him the tea and the chocolate. He took both, making sure not to hit the hot cup with his hand. As he pulled the cup towards his mouth to take a drink, I noticed that he was shaking a considerable amount. I really wanted to know what had happened to make Chris like this. Being the concerned friend I am, I decided to ask one more time. “What's wrong, Chris?”
His eyes widened as he turned to me. He opened his mouth, but didn't speak for quite some time. “They...” he began. I thought I'd finally gotten him to talk, but almost immediately after he turned away again, not speaking another word.
“Who?” He shook his head again. I was annoyed that he refused to answer, but I was also really worried. Chris was the most talkative person I knew, so something horrible must have happened for him to not want to speak. “Right, if you're not gonna talk, then I'm just gonna go to bed. I'll get you blankets and stuff so you can sleep out he-”
“No!” he yelled, grabbing my arm, a look of terror emerging on his face.
“...No?”
“Can you stay out here with me?”
“Why?”
“I don't want to be alone... what if they find me?”
“Who? Who's gonna find you?” Unsurprisingly, he shook his head.
“Please, stay with me? I feel much safer with you here.”
“Fine, I'll stay. I'll just get the stuff now.” Chris let go of my arm, and I stood up and walked down the hallway to the closet where I had a few spare blankets and pillows. I grabbed a blanket and pillow for each of us, and as I turned around I nearly crashed into Chris. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I didn't want to be alone, so I followed you.”
“You couldn't even be alone for a minute?”
“No,” he said quietly.
“Chris, will you please tell me what happened?” I asked, staring into his eyes. He looked so scared and helpless.
“I... I can't. I want to, but I just can't... I really want to... but I can't.”
“Why not?”
“Jonny... what they did... I...” He stared at the ground and started twitching. He appeared to be in some sort of trance.
“Chris? Chris?” I threw the pillows and blankets onto the floor and grabbed his shoulders. “Chris, snap out of it! Come on, please? CHRIS!” I yelled, and I began to shake him. After a few seconds he seemed to come back to reality.
“Jonny...” He wrapped his arms around me and put his head on my shoulder. I could hear him crying.
“Chris, it's OK. You're with me now, you're OK.” I let him hug me for a few more minutes, my shoulder soon soaked with his tears. “Come on, I think it's time to sleep now. Maybe in the morning you'll be better. And you can tell me what happened, yeah?”
“I'll try,” he sobbed. “I really will, but I'm not making any promises. Jonny, what they did...”
The person's tone sounded very urgent and frightened, so I got up as quickly as I could. I threw open the door, revealing the tall, lanky, curly-haired man I knew as my best friend.
“Chris?” His face was extremely pale and gaunt, his eyes were teary, and he sounded as though he was out of breath. “What's wrong?”
“Jonny, can I stay with you tonight? Please?” I'd never seen him more scared-looking in my life.
“Yeah, come in,” I said, moving over to allow him to enter the room. He immediately walked over to the couch, sitting down and resting his head in his hands. “What's wrong?” I asked again, taking a seat next to him.
He wouldn't answer, no matter how many times I asked him. He refused to say anything at all, merely keeping his head in his hands and shaking his head whenever I asked a question.
“You know what? I'll make some tea, OK? That might make you feel a bit better. And then maybe you'll answer me.” He lifted his head up and folded his arms tightly across his chest.
“OK,” he whispered. I walked into the kitchen and began to make the tea. I also found a bar of chocolate in my fridge and figured that he'd appreciate that, too. Carrying the bar and a cup of tea, I made my way to where Chris was sitting, still in the same position he'd been in when I left.
“Here you go,” I said, handing him the tea and the chocolate. He took both, making sure not to hit the hot cup with his hand. As he pulled the cup towards his mouth to take a drink, I noticed that he was shaking a considerable amount. I really wanted to know what had happened to make Chris like this. Being the concerned friend I am, I decided to ask one more time. “What's wrong, Chris?”
His eyes widened as he turned to me. He opened his mouth, but didn't speak for quite some time. “They...” he began. I thought I'd finally gotten him to talk, but almost immediately after he turned away again, not speaking another word.
“Who?” He shook his head again. I was annoyed that he refused to answer, but I was also really worried. Chris was the most talkative person I knew, so something horrible must have happened for him to not want to speak. “Right, if you're not gonna talk, then I'm just gonna go to bed. I'll get you blankets and stuff so you can sleep out he-”
“No!” he yelled, grabbing my arm, a look of terror emerging on his face.
“...No?”
“Can you stay out here with me?”
“Why?”
“I don't want to be alone... what if they find me?”
“Who? Who's gonna find you?” Unsurprisingly, he shook his head.
“Please, stay with me? I feel much safer with you here.”
“Fine, I'll stay. I'll just get the stuff now.” Chris let go of my arm, and I stood up and walked down the hallway to the closet where I had a few spare blankets and pillows. I grabbed a blanket and pillow for each of us, and as I turned around I nearly crashed into Chris. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I didn't want to be alone, so I followed you.”
“You couldn't even be alone for a minute?”
“No,” he said quietly.
“Chris, will you please tell me what happened?” I asked, staring into his eyes. He looked so scared and helpless.
“I... I can't. I want to, but I just can't... I really want to... but I can't.”
“Why not?”
“Jonny... what they did... I...” He stared at the ground and started twitching. He appeared to be in some sort of trance.
“Chris? Chris?” I threw the pillows and blankets onto the floor and grabbed his shoulders. “Chris, snap out of it! Come on, please? CHRIS!” I yelled, and I began to shake him. After a few seconds he seemed to come back to reality.
“Jonny...” He wrapped his arms around me and put his head on my shoulder. I could hear him crying.
“Chris, it's OK. You're with me now, you're OK.” I let him hug me for a few more minutes, my shoulder soon soaked with his tears. “Come on, I think it's time to sleep now. Maybe in the morning you'll be better. And you can tell me what happened, yeah?”
“I'll try,” he sobbed. “I really will, but I'm not making any promises. Jonny, what they did...”
-
I was having the most interesting dream. I was some sort of royalty, and everywhere I went people would give me gifts. They'd give me a variety of items, from old, tattered clothes to really fancy cars. It was quite pleasant.
As I was walking down one road, I saw a small child. He was by himself, and he looked frightened. I walked over to him, and as I did so he looked up at me. I wanted to ask him what was wrong, but for some reason I couldn't speak. We both just stood there, staring at each other. Eventually, I decided that it would be a waste of time to try to talk to him. I walked away, and he began to cry. I didn't turn around, though, but for some reason his sobs grew louder and louder as I walked further and further away.
I opened my eyes to see that the crying was actually coming from the sofa above me. I had been kind and let Chris sleep on the sofa while I slept on the floor.
“Chris?”
“Yeah?” he sniffed.
“What time is it?”
“It's a little after three.” I sat up. Chris was curled in the corner of the sofa, his arms wrapped tightly around his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks.
“Have you gone to sleep yet?”
“No.” I moved from the floor to the seat next to him.
“Come here,” I said, pulling him close to me. He let go of his knees and put his arms around my torso, resting his head on my chest. “Whatever it is, Chris, whatever happened, just forget it for a little bit, OK? Get some rest.”
“I can't forget it. And I'm tired, but I can't sleep. What if they find me here?”
“No one's gonna find you here, OK? And if they do, I'm here with you.”
“Yeah, but what if they hurt you, too? Then what would I do? Jonny, I need you.”
“We'll be fine. Just, please, get some sleep.” Neither of us talked after that, and a few minutes later Chris seemed to be asleep. His breathing had evened out, but he was still whimpering a bit. “Oh, poor Chrissy, what did they do to you?”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
When I woke up again, it was light outside. Chris was still attached to me, but he was awake. He seemed to be humming, but I couldn't tell what he was humming. I shifted a bit and he lifted his head.
“Sorry, did I wake you?”
“No, you didn't. Did you get any sleep?”
“A little. But I think I kept having nightmares.”
“Will you tell me what happened now?”
“If I can.”
“Did someone hurt you?” He shook his head.
“They tried. But they got...”
“Got what?”
“No, not what. They... they killed...”
“Killed? Chris, someone was killed?”
“Uh huh.” He starting sobbing again.
“Who was killed?”
“I don't know who she was.”
“Who killed her?”
“I don't know.”
“Where did all of this happen?”
“I'm not sure.”
“Chris, we have to call the cops.”
“What good is it gonna do, though? I can't remember anything except... except the sounds... squirming... bl-blood...”
“Oh, God. Um... can you tell me what you remember?”
“I'll try...”
As I was walking down one road, I saw a small child. He was by himself, and he looked frightened. I walked over to him, and as I did so he looked up at me. I wanted to ask him what was wrong, but for some reason I couldn't speak. We both just stood there, staring at each other. Eventually, I decided that it would be a waste of time to try to talk to him. I walked away, and he began to cry. I didn't turn around, though, but for some reason his sobs grew louder and louder as I walked further and further away.
I opened my eyes to see that the crying was actually coming from the sofa above me. I had been kind and let Chris sleep on the sofa while I slept on the floor.
“Chris?”
“Yeah?” he sniffed.
“What time is it?”
“It's a little after three.” I sat up. Chris was curled in the corner of the sofa, his arms wrapped tightly around his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks.
“Have you gone to sleep yet?”
“No.” I moved from the floor to the seat next to him.
“Come here,” I said, pulling him close to me. He let go of his knees and put his arms around my torso, resting his head on my chest. “Whatever it is, Chris, whatever happened, just forget it for a little bit, OK? Get some rest.”
“I can't forget it. And I'm tired, but I can't sleep. What if they find me here?”
“No one's gonna find you here, OK? And if they do, I'm here with you.”
“Yeah, but what if they hurt you, too? Then what would I do? Jonny, I need you.”
“We'll be fine. Just, please, get some sleep.” Neither of us talked after that, and a few minutes later Chris seemed to be asleep. His breathing had evened out, but he was still whimpering a bit. “Oh, poor Chrissy, what did they do to you?”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
When I woke up again, it was light outside. Chris was still attached to me, but he was awake. He seemed to be humming, but I couldn't tell what he was humming. I shifted a bit and he lifted his head.
“Sorry, did I wake you?”
“No, you didn't. Did you get any sleep?”
“A little. But I think I kept having nightmares.”
“Will you tell me what happened now?”
“If I can.”
“Did someone hurt you?” He shook his head.
“They tried. But they got...”
“Got what?”
“No, not what. They... they killed...”
“Killed? Chris, someone was killed?”
“Uh huh.” He starting sobbing again.
“Who was killed?”
“I don't know who she was.”
“Who killed her?”
“I don't know.”
“Where did all of this happen?”
“I'm not sure.”
“Chris, we have to call the cops.”
“What good is it gonna do, though? I can't remember anything except... except the sounds... squirming... bl-blood...”
“Oh, God. Um... can you tell me what you remember?”
“I'll try...”
-
Last night I ate out for dinner, because I didn't have any food at home. I was walking back from the restaurant, and it was kinda dark outside. I'd almost made it home, and some girl stopped me.
“Excuse me, Chris?” I turned around. She looked like she was about twenty, with wavy, brown hair and green eyes. “Sorry to bother you, but do you think I could get an autograph?”
“Sure.” She had a marker, but she didn't really know what she wanted me to sign. I patiently waited while she looked through her bag, eventually pulling out a scrap piece of paper. As I was signing it, I felt a piece of cold metal shoved into my neck.
“OK, Martin, don't make a sound or this gun goes off, you got it?” some guy said, grabbing my arm and dragging me off the sidewalk. I looked at the girl, who was laughing and talking with another guy. The first guy continued to drag me until we reached a car on the other side of the street. He opened the door and threw me inside, still pointing the gun at me. “Come on, you two! We gotta leave before someone sees us.”
The girl and the other man both got in the car, the man in the driver side and the girl in the passenger side. The man with the gun pushed me into the next seat and sat in the car.
“Who are you?” I asked. “And what do you want with me?”
“We're people, and you'll see what we want soon enough.” We drove for half an hour, stopping outside of some dank building I'd never seen before. The driver got out first, then opened the door for me. He had a gun, too. They pushed me into the building, the two guys, and the girl walked in front of us. We walked up a few flights of stairs and eventually stopped at one of the doors. She pulled out some sort of card and scanned it in front of this keypad thing.
The door swung open and she led us inside. The room was almost empty. There were a few chairs and that was it. The girl sat down in one of the chairs, and one of the men pushed me into one of the others.
“So, Chris, how are you?” she nonchalantly asked.
“Um...”
“Let me guess, afraid? I can imagine that.”
“Who are you?”
“That's not important. What's important is that you do as we say, OK? Otherwise that pretty little head of yours will be blown off. And we don't want that, do we?” She stared at me, expecting me to speak or something, but I just stared back. “Listen, you have something we need.”
“Whatever it is, you can have it, just, please, let me go.”
“We can't do that.”
“Why not?”
“You're wearing it.”
“I'm wearing it? What the hell are you talking about?”
“We need your sweat.”
“Excuse me, Chris?” I turned around. She looked like she was about twenty, with wavy, brown hair and green eyes. “Sorry to bother you, but do you think I could get an autograph?”
“Sure.” She had a marker, but she didn't really know what she wanted me to sign. I patiently waited while she looked through her bag, eventually pulling out a scrap piece of paper. As I was signing it, I felt a piece of cold metal shoved into my neck.
“OK, Martin, don't make a sound or this gun goes off, you got it?” some guy said, grabbing my arm and dragging me off the sidewalk. I looked at the girl, who was laughing and talking with another guy. The first guy continued to drag me until we reached a car on the other side of the street. He opened the door and threw me inside, still pointing the gun at me. “Come on, you two! We gotta leave before someone sees us.”
The girl and the other man both got in the car, the man in the driver side and the girl in the passenger side. The man with the gun pushed me into the next seat and sat in the car.
“Who are you?” I asked. “And what do you want with me?”
“We're people, and you'll see what we want soon enough.” We drove for half an hour, stopping outside of some dank building I'd never seen before. The driver got out first, then opened the door for me. He had a gun, too. They pushed me into the building, the two guys, and the girl walked in front of us. We walked up a few flights of stairs and eventually stopped at one of the doors. She pulled out some sort of card and scanned it in front of this keypad thing.
The door swung open and she led us inside. The room was almost empty. There were a few chairs and that was it. The girl sat down in one of the chairs, and one of the men pushed me into one of the others.
“So, Chris, how are you?” she nonchalantly asked.
“Um...”
“Let me guess, afraid? I can imagine that.”
“Who are you?”
“That's not important. What's important is that you do as we say, OK? Otherwise that pretty little head of yours will be blown off. And we don't want that, do we?” She stared at me, expecting me to speak or something, but I just stared back. “Listen, you have something we need.”
“Whatever it is, you can have it, just, please, let me go.”
“We can't do that.”
“Why not?”
“You're wearing it.”
“I'm wearing it? What the hell are you talking about?”
“We need your sweat.”
-
“My sweat? Why?” I looked around at all three of them, and I realized something. They were all wearing the same shirt- black, with the letters CCM embroidered in yellow. I had no idea what it meant, but I figured they were in some sort of group.
“You're the prophet, Chris. You were sent by the heavens above to bring peace and happiness to this sad and miserable world.”
“What?”
“We've dedicated our lives to help spread your wise words in order to achieve this goal. But after a while, we realized that your words alone would not work.”
“I think you're crazy.”
“Don't insult us, we control your life right now, remember? Anyway, we spent months researching ways that we could further your progress. And, after many, many sleepless nights of testing, we found the answer: your sweat.”
“What has my sweat got anything to do with this?”
“Don't you see, Chris? Your sweat has healing powers. If we were to bottle it, and distribute it around the world, we could end all illness and disease. You could end all illness and disease. Isn't that what you want?”
“I want to get out of here. You guys are-”
“No, we're right, and you know it.” She was yelling now. “Now, if you're not willing to just give us your sweat, then we'll have to do this the hard way, won't we?” She looked up at the two men behind me and nodded. Then everything went black.
When I finally came to, I was lying on the floor, wrapped in, like, eight blankets. I couldn't move, and it was hotter than hell. After looking around for a bit, I finally saw that the two men were sitting next to me, conversing.
“Hey, do we really need her?”
“She came up with this whole thing.”
“Yeah, but we know what to do. And if we, you know, get rid of her, then it's more money for us.”
“Ah, I get you.”
“Plus, I can't stand her.”
“Yeah, she's... wait, shut up, he's awake.”
“What are you doing to me?” I asked. I could barely breathe on account of the heat.
“We're taking your sweat, sir.”
“Sir? You kidnap me, knock me out, and steal my sweat, but you call me 'sir'?”
“You are the prophet, sir. We must.”
“How much of my sweat have you taken?”
“Uh... an eighth of a cup, sir.”
“And you think that this is gonna work?”
“We know it will work, sir.” The girl walked back into the room at that moment.
“Oh, he's awake now? Good.” She walked over to where we were and knelt down beside me. “Sorry, Chris, but we had to do it.”
“No, you didn't.”
“Yes, we did. You wouldn't consent, so we had to take action. That's life.” She looked over me with her green eyes. “But you do look like you could use a bit of a break. Boys, take off the blankets.”
Hesitantly, the men moved and unwrapped the blankets. When I was finally free, I stood up and stretched.
“You can take a five minute break, then we'll wrap you back up. Or you could willingly give us your sweat, and you wouldn't have to go through this again.”
“I'm not gonna do it.”
“Yes, you will. Maybe not voluntarily, but you will. You have to.” She sighed. “I wish we didn't have to do this, Chris, but we do."
“You're the prophet, Chris. You were sent by the heavens above to bring peace and happiness to this sad and miserable world.”
“What?”
“We've dedicated our lives to help spread your wise words in order to achieve this goal. But after a while, we realized that your words alone would not work.”
“I think you're crazy.”
“Don't insult us, we control your life right now, remember? Anyway, we spent months researching ways that we could further your progress. And, after many, many sleepless nights of testing, we found the answer: your sweat.”
“What has my sweat got anything to do with this?”
“Don't you see, Chris? Your sweat has healing powers. If we were to bottle it, and distribute it around the world, we could end all illness and disease. You could end all illness and disease. Isn't that what you want?”
“I want to get out of here. You guys are-”
“No, we're right, and you know it.” She was yelling now. “Now, if you're not willing to just give us your sweat, then we'll have to do this the hard way, won't we?” She looked up at the two men behind me and nodded. Then everything went black.
When I finally came to, I was lying on the floor, wrapped in, like, eight blankets. I couldn't move, and it was hotter than hell. After looking around for a bit, I finally saw that the two men were sitting next to me, conversing.
“Hey, do we really need her?”
“She came up with this whole thing.”
“Yeah, but we know what to do. And if we, you know, get rid of her, then it's more money for us.”
“Ah, I get you.”
“Plus, I can't stand her.”
“Yeah, she's... wait, shut up, he's awake.”
“What are you doing to me?” I asked. I could barely breathe on account of the heat.
“We're taking your sweat, sir.”
“Sir? You kidnap me, knock me out, and steal my sweat, but you call me 'sir'?”
“You are the prophet, sir. We must.”
“How much of my sweat have you taken?”
“Uh... an eighth of a cup, sir.”
“And you think that this is gonna work?”
“We know it will work, sir.” The girl walked back into the room at that moment.
“Oh, he's awake now? Good.” She walked over to where we were and knelt down beside me. “Sorry, Chris, but we had to do it.”
“No, you didn't.”
“Yes, we did. You wouldn't consent, so we had to take action. That's life.” She looked over me with her green eyes. “But you do look like you could use a bit of a break. Boys, take off the blankets.”
Hesitantly, the men moved and unwrapped the blankets. When I was finally free, I stood up and stretched.
“You can take a five minute break, then we'll wrap you back up. Or you could willingly give us your sweat, and you wouldn't have to go through this again.”
“I'm not gonna do it.”
“Yes, you will. Maybe not voluntarily, but you will. You have to.” She sighed. “I wish we didn't have to do this, Chris, but we do."
-
Five minutes later, the girl told the men to wrap me up again. They'd had enough of her by then, though.
“Boys, wrap him up again,” she ordered after I once again refused to obey.
“No,” one of the men replied.
“Excuse me?” she asked, turning around to face the one who spoke.
“We're tired of you. You're not worth anything, anyway. You're just getting in the way.”
“What?” She sounded a little surprised, but there was a definite tone of terror in her voice.
“Your time is up.” The one man punched her, which I thought had knocked her out, because she fell to the ground. Then the other man pulled a... a knife out of his pocket and sl-slashed her n-neck and stom-stomach. She was st-still conscious, though, because she st-started screaming and-and squirming...
“You can stop now, Chris,” Jonny said. “You don't have to continue the story.”
“And they t-took her in the other room and... One of the men left his keys on the floor, or maybe they fell, but I grabbed them and ran. I could hear g-gunshots and screaming when I left, but I just kept going. I took their c-car and came here.”
“Chris... That's...”
“They'll find me, Jonny. I have their car, they're gonna find me.” Suddenly, there was a loud bang on the door.
“OPEN UP, MARTIN, WE KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE.”
“That's them... I told you!”
“We need to call the cops,” Jonny said, standing up and running to the phone. I could hear him talking, but I wasn't paying much attention. I was frozen, staring at the door. They found me, and they were gonna find a way to get in, and they were gonna hurt me.
“I shouldn't have done it. I shouldn't have left. Now they're here and they're gonna hurt me, Jonny, and they might hurt you, too. I shouldn't have left. Everything would've been fine if I had stayed with them. I should have stayed.”
“Chris, will you listen to yourself? Everything would not have been fine if you stayed. It's better that you left.”
“Hey!” a voice shouted from behind the door. It wasn't either of the men that were after me, though.
“My landlord?” Jonny asked. There was a gunshot, then another, and then the door swung open. The two men started to walk into the apartment, but something stopped them.
“Freeze!” the cops yelled. The one man turned, lifted his gun, and shot. There was a groan from one of the cops, and almost immediately there was another shot. This shot was from the other cop, however, and it hit the man, knocking him to the ground. The other man dropped his gun and raised his hands. I couldn't work out how the cops had managed to get there so fast, but I was glad they did.
“Are you happy, Chris?” the one man shouted at me as he was being handcuffed. “You've killed millions of people, now. You could have saved them all.”
“No, you're fucking insane! It wouldn't have worked, and you guys were only in it for the money. Anyway, if it was going to work, I'd have just given it away, not tried to profit from it. You make me sick.”
“Are you two OK?” the cop asked.
“Yeah, we're fine, but my friend,” Jonny said, pointing to me. “He saw them kill some girl.”
“Is that so?” I nodded. “Well, then you're going to have to come with us and tell us what happened.”
“Can Jonny come with me?” I asked, turning to Jonny. There was no way I could do it without him.
“Yeah, I suppose. Follow me, then.” The cop started walking, and Jonny immediately followed him. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, then started walking. It wouldn't be easy telling the story again, but I knew I had to. Crazy or not, a girl was dead, and someone had to do something about it. I just wished it hadn't been me.
“Boys, wrap him up again,” she ordered after I once again refused to obey.
“No,” one of the men replied.
“Excuse me?” she asked, turning around to face the one who spoke.
“We're tired of you. You're not worth anything, anyway. You're just getting in the way.”
“What?” She sounded a little surprised, but there was a definite tone of terror in her voice.
“Your time is up.” The one man punched her, which I thought had knocked her out, because she fell to the ground. Then the other man pulled a... a knife out of his pocket and sl-slashed her n-neck and stom-stomach. She was st-still conscious, though, because she st-started screaming and-and squirming...
“You can stop now, Chris,” Jonny said. “You don't have to continue the story.”
“And they t-took her in the other room and... One of the men left his keys on the floor, or maybe they fell, but I grabbed them and ran. I could hear g-gunshots and screaming when I left, but I just kept going. I took their c-car and came here.”
“Chris... That's...”
“They'll find me, Jonny. I have their car, they're gonna find me.” Suddenly, there was a loud bang on the door.
“OPEN UP, MARTIN, WE KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE.”
“That's them... I told you!”
“We need to call the cops,” Jonny said, standing up and running to the phone. I could hear him talking, but I wasn't paying much attention. I was frozen, staring at the door. They found me, and they were gonna find a way to get in, and they were gonna hurt me.
“I shouldn't have done it. I shouldn't have left. Now they're here and they're gonna hurt me, Jonny, and they might hurt you, too. I shouldn't have left. Everything would've been fine if I had stayed with them. I should have stayed.”
“Chris, will you listen to yourself? Everything would not have been fine if you stayed. It's better that you left.”
“Hey!” a voice shouted from behind the door. It wasn't either of the men that were after me, though.
“My landlord?” Jonny asked. There was a gunshot, then another, and then the door swung open. The two men started to walk into the apartment, but something stopped them.
“Freeze!” the cops yelled. The one man turned, lifted his gun, and shot. There was a groan from one of the cops, and almost immediately there was another shot. This shot was from the other cop, however, and it hit the man, knocking him to the ground. The other man dropped his gun and raised his hands. I couldn't work out how the cops had managed to get there so fast, but I was glad they did.
“Are you happy, Chris?” the one man shouted at me as he was being handcuffed. “You've killed millions of people, now. You could have saved them all.”
“No, you're fucking insane! It wouldn't have worked, and you guys were only in it for the money. Anyway, if it was going to work, I'd have just given it away, not tried to profit from it. You make me sick.”
“Are you two OK?” the cop asked.
“Yeah, we're fine, but my friend,” Jonny said, pointing to me. “He saw them kill some girl.”
“Is that so?” I nodded. “Well, then you're going to have to come with us and tell us what happened.”
“Can Jonny come with me?” I asked, turning to Jonny. There was no way I could do it without him.
“Yeah, I suppose. Follow me, then.” The cop started walking, and Jonny immediately followed him. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, then started walking. It wouldn't be easy telling the story again, but I knew I had to. Crazy or not, a girl was dead, and someone had to do something about it. I just wished it hadn't been me.
No comments:
Post a Comment