Page 96

Story: Black Shadows

I don’t have a choice but to buy it online with Drew’s credit card because I don’t have an ID. So paying cash at the station isn’t an option. But I quickly realize that effort is futile as I will need an ID to even board the bus.
Fuck, fuck, double fuck.
Ride share. Maybe Lyft can take me at least far enough away. I start looking up places around Vegas and see a city called Boulder City. That should work for now, and then I can figure out how to car hop my way to Dallas. Then maybe home.
I set my alarm for eight, knowing Drew will get up at seven and leave for the gym. That gives me enough time to get my stuff, get a Lyft, and get the fuck out of here.
I get up and make sure my door is locked. I don’t want to talk to anyone right now. I need to plan how to get a new phone and get out of here without Drew’s card. I may have to use it to at least get to Boulder City, and then I can figure out how to get into Arizona.
I climb up on my bed and let out a sigh. The only home I have known was with a woman named Trixie who took me in. I was left alone as a newborn and she took care of me. She raisedme when she didn’t have to. She never gave up on me, and she always treated me as if I was her own. And yet, I gave up. I gave up in that house with that man. I was ready for life to just end.
There was nothing more that I wanted to do but die.
Tears form in the corner of my eyes. I felt comfortable here. The guys gave me a sense of calmness in my chaotic life. I almost felt normal. But I am ruining everything for them. I’m causing a division between them. My problems are seeping into their lives and creating havoc I don’t mean to cause.
So I just need to go. Get the fuck outta dodge.
Maybe I’ll find normalcy elsewhere. My eyes get heavy as I sink into the bed. I let sleep take me with the hope that when I wake, I will have the strength to get through this new chapter in my life.
My eyes flutter open. It’s pitch black in my room. I look over at the clock on the nightstand and see that it’s two in the morning. I let out a breath but then freeze. A strange sense comes over me, like I’m not alone. I can sense eyes on me.
My breathing quickens as I try to adjust my eyes to see if I can see anyone in the room with me. My door is shut, but I can’t tell if the door is locked in the dark. I go to reach for my phone, but I notice that it’s gone.
Before I can react, a body is on top of me and presses me back into the bed.
I go to scream, but a hand wraps over my mouth. With every ounce of strength in me, I try to fight them off. Whoever it is, they are too strong, too big for me to even get them to move an inch off me.
Tears fall from my eyes as my breathing starts to become a struggle with the weight on top of me.
A growl rips from the person’s throat, and I freeze. “I told you to leave. I gave you a chance to leave.” My eyes widen at the voice. “Why didn’t you listen to me? You needed to run. I’m so sorry, I tried to protect you the only way I knew how.”
Green eyes come into focus, and the last face I would ever expect to see is hovering over me. Why is he doing this?
My heart races, and I struggle again against his body. But a sharp poke in my neck stops me and makes me yelp.
The green eyes start to go dark in my vision, but I call out his name to save me from whatever he is doing to me before my world goes completely dark. One final plea.
“Cam!”