Phase 15
With no clue where to start Saturday morning, I hit the newspapers. It had to be the same people that tried to kill Lucas before, that black van… Maybe others have sighted the same van. To my luck, there was one ad, one small ad, in the classified section. Spotted near Beach street. Time to go.
The drive to Beach Street wasn’t terribly long, but it felt like forever; my heart was beating so fast. For all I know, Lucas could be dead and I could be doing this for nothing.
I parallel parked my car at a shop on the road, and cautiously got out of my car. I locked the door behind me, shut it, and turned to face the street. Not many people were out, probably most sleeping in at 9am. I walked about two minutes until I came to an alley between a bakery and a brick apartment building. I turned into it, it seemed safe. Well, safer than a lot of the other ones in San Francisco. Wait- STOP. What the hell am I thinking? …I pulled out my gun from my long coat’s pocket. What? Of course I carry a gun. I live in an apartment in east San Fran…
It was a small pistol that I had never used before. I kept it in a drawer in my bedroom. I hardly touched it, can’t even remember the last time I bought a magazine for it.
Little did I know at the time, but that would almost cost me my life.
The gun felt light in my trembling hands as it teeter back and forth in my fingers. I held it in front of me with both hands, arms down, pointing the barrel to the ground. If this alley had nothing important or crucial in it, I didn’t want to be too cautious. I could accidentally pull the trigger at the sight of a noise and kill someone.
A noise came from behind the dumpsters. I turned quickly and saw a man step out into the shadows. He seemed to pose no threat as he put his hands up and said, “oh my God, don’t shoot, please.” His face was not visible, but he was wearing clean black pants with a dress shirt and tie.
“Oh!” I said, “Oh sorry, I won’t hurt you. I’m just going to pass through here.” I didn’t want the man to feel awkward, so I walked slowly by him, and then my back was to him. I concentrated on the alley and the suspicious barred door at the end of it. It was either an apartment door… or a hideout!
“Miss…” The man said, “you don’t want to be down here… What you doing down here anyway?” This was my chance, maybe he had seen them! I turned to face his shadow and I said, “I’m looking for a van that has been sighted around this area. Have you seen it? I think they may be of importance to a kidnapping.” The man lowered his hands and he said, “no. Sorry. No suspicious black van.”
I paused.
“…How did you know I was talking about a black van?” I ran to the man, took my gun out, and pushed him against the brick wall. My hand was around his neck, slowly pressing down harder and harder, and my gun was pointed at his stomach.
“Get the hell off me!” He kicked my gut first, then hook kicked my gun from my hands.
….. Flashback …..
“Roslyn, shoot him!” My father struggled in the man’s vicious grip. I pulled the trigger and missed him, but hit my father instead.
…..
“Damnit! Where’s Lucas!” I bent down quickly, grabbed the gun, and shot him. I hit the man right in the gut. Slowly, the blood leaked into a puddle on his dress shirt and he fell back, smashing his head into the wall. I gasped and covered my mouth at the sight I had just instigated… and committed. …….My second actual kill……. Oh my God….. Denzel…………….. I had killed two people, my father and this man, and instigated the murder of my mother. Denzel will… leave me?!
I ran to the barred door, swung the bars open and jiggled the handle on the door. I opened the door to find a room with a computer to the left, file cabinets to the right, and a door straight ahead. I ran to the lit computer to see if any clues were there. Nothing except a map with some bookmarks on it. …One of the bookmarks happened to be my apartment. The door to the alley closed… from the wind. I turned to face the back door, and I slowly approached it. The dust in the room was insanely thick, like this room hadn’t been touched in months, and this door was covered in it. I took my hand and wrapped it around the handle. Before I pushed it open, I began to cough. The dust. I coughed, then doubled over and began to choke. I passed out on the floor there, the worst place to be. But I visited Denzel during that time.
He was sitting where he usually sits, but this time he’s facing me, his dark eyes were part of the shadow of his face. He then spoke.
“You’ve killed another human.”
“Denzel!” I said, “I had to do it, though! He deserved to die! He took Lucas!”
“Murder is MURDER”. He yelled at the top of his lungs, “I told you to stay AWAY from Lucas.”
“A… are you going to leave me?!”
“I have to.”
My eyes glossed over and they focused on the never-ending distance. My heart beat increased and I felt nauseous. Would my next demon be someone like Mercy? Or worse? What will happen to me? And Denzel?!
“Don’t go, Denzel. I had to do it for self-defense!”
“You attacked him.”
He was right. But I pleaded, “please don’t go…”
“This will be our last meeting.”
“Will I ever see you again?!”
“This will be our last meeting.”
“Please, no, no, no!” I began running towards him, losing my balance here and there, as usual. But I’ve learned to not fall down anymore here. I was finally looking up at him and he was looking down at me with his hateful eyes.
“This is our last meeting.” He looked to the sky and raised his hands, “Good luck, Roslyn.” The sky became completely red and it engulfed me. Everything was that disgusting color, then, darkness. I was back into the real world.
…..
I was laying on my hands on my back, weird, and I rolled to my side. I wanted to take my hands and push the hair from my face, but they didn’t move. I blinked a few times, then finally opened my eyes. I wasn’t in the same room, in fact, it looked as if I was in a cellar, an unfinished cellar. The ceiling had cross beams in it, wires and pipes up there too. Large pipes were tracing the wall and strong concrete pillars were scattered about the room, holding the ceiling up. The cement floor was cold, in fact, the whole room was freezing cold. Colder than Denzel.
My senses were finally up and in running condition when I realized the rope around my hands. I jerked my head up, then down. Nothing. Then, I pushed myself to sit up, and I looked behind me. I bit my lip and my eyes grew larger as, through the darkness and slivers of light from the hanging bulbs, I spoke softly, “Lucas?”
The drive to Beach Street wasn’t terribly long, but it felt like forever; my heart was beating so fast. For all I know, Lucas could be dead and I could be doing this for nothing.
I parallel parked my car at a shop on the road, and cautiously got out of my car. I locked the door behind me, shut it, and turned to face the street. Not many people were out, probably most sleeping in at 9am. I walked about two minutes until I came to an alley between a bakery and a brick apartment building. I turned into it, it seemed safe. Well, safer than a lot of the other ones in San Francisco. Wait- STOP. What the hell am I thinking? …I pulled out my gun from my long coat’s pocket. What? Of course I carry a gun. I live in an apartment in east San Fran…
It was a small pistol that I had never used before. I kept it in a drawer in my bedroom. I hardly touched it, can’t even remember the last time I bought a magazine for it.
Little did I know at the time, but that would almost cost me my life.
The gun felt light in my trembling hands as it teeter back and forth in my fingers. I held it in front of me with both hands, arms down, pointing the barrel to the ground. If this alley had nothing important or crucial in it, I didn’t want to be too cautious. I could accidentally pull the trigger at the sight of a noise and kill someone.
A noise came from behind the dumpsters. I turned quickly and saw a man step out into the shadows. He seemed to pose no threat as he put his hands up and said, “oh my God, don’t shoot, please.” His face was not visible, but he was wearing clean black pants with a dress shirt and tie.
“Oh!” I said, “Oh sorry, I won’t hurt you. I’m just going to pass through here.” I didn’t want the man to feel awkward, so I walked slowly by him, and then my back was to him. I concentrated on the alley and the suspicious barred door at the end of it. It was either an apartment door… or a hideout!
“Miss…” The man said, “you don’t want to be down here… What you doing down here anyway?” This was my chance, maybe he had seen them! I turned to face his shadow and I said, “I’m looking for a van that has been sighted around this area. Have you seen it? I think they may be of importance to a kidnapping.” The man lowered his hands and he said, “no. Sorry. No suspicious black van.”
I paused.
“…How did you know I was talking about a black van?” I ran to the man, took my gun out, and pushed him against the brick wall. My hand was around his neck, slowly pressing down harder and harder, and my gun was pointed at his stomach.
“Get the hell off me!” He kicked my gut first, then hook kicked my gun from my hands.
….. Flashback …..
“Roslyn, shoot him!” My father struggled in the man’s vicious grip. I pulled the trigger and missed him, but hit my father instead.
…..
“Damnit! Where’s Lucas!” I bent down quickly, grabbed the gun, and shot him. I hit the man right in the gut. Slowly, the blood leaked into a puddle on his dress shirt and he fell back, smashing his head into the wall. I gasped and covered my mouth at the sight I had just instigated… and committed. …….My second actual kill……. Oh my God….. Denzel…………….. I had killed two people, my father and this man, and instigated the murder of my mother. Denzel will… leave me?!
I ran to the barred door, swung the bars open and jiggled the handle on the door. I opened the door to find a room with a computer to the left, file cabinets to the right, and a door straight ahead. I ran to the lit computer to see if any clues were there. Nothing except a map with some bookmarks on it. …One of the bookmarks happened to be my apartment. The door to the alley closed… from the wind. I turned to face the back door, and I slowly approached it. The dust in the room was insanely thick, like this room hadn’t been touched in months, and this door was covered in it. I took my hand and wrapped it around the handle. Before I pushed it open, I began to cough. The dust. I coughed, then doubled over and began to choke. I passed out on the floor there, the worst place to be. But I visited Denzel during that time.
He was sitting where he usually sits, but this time he’s facing me, his dark eyes were part of the shadow of his face. He then spoke.
“You’ve killed another human.”
“Denzel!” I said, “I had to do it, though! He deserved to die! He took Lucas!”
“Murder is MURDER”. He yelled at the top of his lungs, “I told you to stay AWAY from Lucas.”
“A… are you going to leave me?!”
“I have to.”
My eyes glossed over and they focused on the never-ending distance. My heart beat increased and I felt nauseous. Would my next demon be someone like Mercy? Or worse? What will happen to me? And Denzel?!
“Don’t go, Denzel. I had to do it for self-defense!”
“You attacked him.”
He was right. But I pleaded, “please don’t go…”
“This will be our last meeting.”
“Will I ever see you again?!”
“This will be our last meeting.”
“Please, no, no, no!” I began running towards him, losing my balance here and there, as usual. But I’ve learned to not fall down anymore here. I was finally looking up at him and he was looking down at me with his hateful eyes.
“This is our last meeting.” He looked to the sky and raised his hands, “Good luck, Roslyn.” The sky became completely red and it engulfed me. Everything was that disgusting color, then, darkness. I was back into the real world.
…..
I was laying on my hands on my back, weird, and I rolled to my side. I wanted to take my hands and push the hair from my face, but they didn’t move. I blinked a few times, then finally opened my eyes. I wasn’t in the same room, in fact, it looked as if I was in a cellar, an unfinished cellar. The ceiling had cross beams in it, wires and pipes up there too. Large pipes were tracing the wall and strong concrete pillars were scattered about the room, holding the ceiling up. The cement floor was cold, in fact, the whole room was freezing cold. Colder than Denzel.
My senses were finally up and in running condition when I realized the rope around my hands. I jerked my head up, then down. Nothing. Then, I pushed myself to sit up, and I looked behind me. I bit my lip and my eyes grew larger as, through the darkness and slivers of light from the hanging bulbs, I spoke softly, “Lucas?”
