Beauty in Bloodshed - Part Four
And so it continues....the next part of my short story Beauty in Bloodshed. Thank you to all those that commented! More to come!
Anna-lee:
When I open my eyes it is still dark outside. Chris is next to me, exactly how I left him. For a minute I think he might be dead. I hold my hand above his mouth, I feel his breath warm my cold palm. Alive. His chest is barely moving up and down though. He is still soaked in blood. It is 4 am. I've barely been asleep for 2 hours. My feet are killing me.
How long do we have? I wonder. How long before the cops come? How long will it take them to figure out who and where we are? I don't have the answers for these questions. I turn to Chris and poke him.
"Chris." I whisper.
He bolts straight up. A wild look on his face, his hunting knife in his hand. I'm not sure when he got up to grab it but he must've because he didn't have it when I fell asleep.
He looks at me, the wildness disappearing from his face. I tell him the time. He mumbles something and gets up. I hear the shower running. I wonder if the bloody water entrances him as much as it did me.
I pack up all the things we managed to acquire in our crime spree last night. It looks like a lot but if I know Chris as well as I think I do, enough is never enough..
"Anna," says Chris from behind me. I jump a little because I wasn't expecting him to be done so soon. I turn to look at him.
"We need a car..."
Chris:
All our stuff fits in two back packs. We rush outside. I know it is futile to clean up the hotel room they will find it eventually. Our DNA is everywhere in there. We checked in with fake I.D though. I have a plan for the car situation. Anna is walking behind me. Like she is afraid the cops are going to jump out of the trash can and start shooting. I walk to the office.
"Ummm, we can't exactly check out of here.." Anna whispers.
"I know that. The owner lives here. He has a pickup truck we are going to commandeer." I say back. Hoping that is enough to ease her worry.
"Here's the plan Anna..."
Anna-Lee:
I ring the service bell on the door of the motel office. After almost ten minutes a man comes out. He looks about 40 years old. Lonely. He is in a housecoat, and he is angry. I smile at him. He looks me up and down and the anger briefly fades from his face.
"What is it?" he asks, his voice raspy from years of smoking.
"I locked my key in my room by accident. I was wondering if you could let me in?"
"Ya, Ya." he mutters, "just give me a second to grab the extra."
We walk the 20 feet to my room. He opens the door and I pull my gun out and hold it to his head.
"Go in." I say to him. My voice is stern, I like the way it sounds. He listens to me. Chris is waiting.
Chris holds his hands out.
"Truck keys, now." he demands.
The man hands Chris his keys and I handcuff him to the bed.
Chris looks at me.
I look back at him. He doesn't even have to say it. I know what is coming and this time I close my eyes. I only hear the gunshot. I am at least far enough away not to feel the blood spatter on me. I hear Chris speak.
"He knew too much."
I feel Chris's strong hand on my own as he drags me out of the motel room. I don't open my eyes again until the sound of the trucks engine starting reaches my ears.
Chris:
Driving down the highway, I feel like I can't go fast enough. The windows are cranked open. Both me and Anna are smoking. The music is cranked. My adrenaline is pumping as I realize the next town is only 30 minutes away. Another day, another dollar. I almost laugh out loud at that one. I sneak a look over at Anna. She is smiling.
When I open my eyes it is still dark outside. Chris is next to me, exactly how I left him. For a minute I think he might be dead. I hold my hand above his mouth, I feel his breath warm my cold palm. Alive. His chest is barely moving up and down though. He is still soaked in blood. It is 4 am. I've barely been asleep for 2 hours. My feet are killing me.
How long do we have? I wonder. How long before the cops come? How long will it take them to figure out who and where we are? I don't have the answers for these questions. I turn to Chris and poke him.
"Chris." I whisper.
He bolts straight up. A wild look on his face, his hunting knife in his hand. I'm not sure when he got up to grab it but he must've because he didn't have it when I fell asleep.
He looks at me, the wildness disappearing from his face. I tell him the time. He mumbles something and gets up. I hear the shower running. I wonder if the bloody water entrances him as much as it did me.
I pack up all the things we managed to acquire in our crime spree last night. It looks like a lot but if I know Chris as well as I think I do, enough is never enough..
"Anna," says Chris from behind me. I jump a little because I wasn't expecting him to be done so soon. I turn to look at him.
"We need a car..."
Chris:
All our stuff fits in two back packs. We rush outside. I know it is futile to clean up the hotel room they will find it eventually. Our DNA is everywhere in there. We checked in with fake I.D though. I have a plan for the car situation. Anna is walking behind me. Like she is afraid the cops are going to jump out of the trash can and start shooting. I walk to the office.
"Ummm, we can't exactly check out of here.." Anna whispers.
"I know that. The owner lives here. He has a pickup truck we are going to commandeer." I say back. Hoping that is enough to ease her worry.
"Here's the plan Anna..."
Anna-Lee:
I ring the service bell on the door of the motel office. After almost ten minutes a man comes out. He looks about 40 years old. Lonely. He is in a housecoat, and he is angry. I smile at him. He looks me up and down and the anger briefly fades from his face.
"What is it?" he asks, his voice raspy from years of smoking.
"I locked my key in my room by accident. I was wondering if you could let me in?"
"Ya, Ya." he mutters, "just give me a second to grab the extra."
We walk the 20 feet to my room. He opens the door and I pull my gun out and hold it to his head.
"Go in." I say to him. My voice is stern, I like the way it sounds. He listens to me. Chris is waiting.
Chris holds his hands out.
"Truck keys, now." he demands.
The man hands Chris his keys and I handcuff him to the bed.
Chris looks at me.
I look back at him. He doesn't even have to say it. I know what is coming and this time I close my eyes. I only hear the gunshot. I am at least far enough away not to feel the blood spatter on me. I hear Chris speak.
"He knew too much."
I feel Chris's strong hand on my own as he drags me out of the motel room. I don't open my eyes again until the sound of the trucks engine starting reaches my ears.
Chris:
Driving down the highway, I feel like I can't go fast enough. The windows are cranked open. Both me and Anna are smoking. The music is cranked. My adrenaline is pumping as I realize the next town is only 30 minutes away. Another day, another dollar. I almost laugh out loud at that one. I sneak a look over at Anna. She is smiling.
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