Start To Begin Again

Piece Fourteen.

I took my boots off and rubbed my heels before swinging my body back into Zacky’s car. I looked back at the beachside church before closing the door. I had woken early to reaffirm what little faith I had left in me. I didn’t go to church much expect when the world seemed a little too much and I couldn’t get my usual calm and peace by hiding in the bedroom.

I almost never went to church when I lived in Montana. My family was my church. I didn’t need God to tell me things were gonna be alright but due to recent events I couldn’t exactly look to my father and expect to get that same feeling of hope. Now they were just on the same pile of stress that had me running to church and running away from Zacky.

I had lied to Zacky about me talking it over to my parents. I never did. I had looked him in the face and lied. Instead of driving to my parent’s house, I drove past it and kept on driving. I ended up a town over before I turned around and went back to the motel. I smiled and told him it would work out soon enough. He bought it and I was on an airplane a couple of days later.

I had no doubt my parents knew where I was. My uncle wouldn’t lie to them neither would anyone who lived in the town. They all respected my Da too much to even fathom a lie. So I knew they knew. I was just waiting for the calm before the storm to disappear.

Life with Zacky wasn’t that bad. He actually seemed to have grown up, a little. I couldn’t ask for more. At least he would talk to me about important things instead of going to one of his band mates. We were both making an effort and so far we both seemed to be living up to the other one’s standards. Zacky was acting more serious and I was trying to become a kid I never was.

I pulled over at a stop sign and grabbed my vibrating phone out of my purse. I looked at the caller ID and smiled.

“Linette, where are you?” It was Zacky.

“I put on note on the fridge, Zack. I told you I was gonna go to church.” I said making sure that cars behind me could still get by without going over to the other side of the street.

“Oh, right. Well could you do me a favor?” I mhm’ed, “Can you pick up some of Majesty’s dog food. We’re running low.”

“What about Ichabod?” We had picked up the dogs the night of the party at Matt’s.

“She’s still on that puppy stuff,” He said before pulling the phone away. I could hear barking and him trying shush the dogs but it didn’t work.

“Can you?” I mhm’ed and said my good-bye before closing my phone. I made sure no one was behind me before pulling away from the curb and speeding down the street towards the store.

I liked Zacky’s car mostly because of the fact it went fast and it looked cool. Okay so maybe I had a little bit of kid in me. It was just different from the trucks and jeeps that roamed over Montana. Sometimes you might see a hummer or sedan but you’d never see a car that was like Zacky’s unless someone took a wrong turn when trying to go to Vegas.

My phone buzzed again but I let it go since I was driving and I wasn’t in the mood to get pulled over for having my phone out especially since my driver’s license still said Montana.

I ignored it again when it buzzed on the seat and left it in there when I got out of the car. It wasn’t Zacky or at least I didn’t hope so. It didn’t matter, I’d be home soon and if it was he could tell me himself.

“Morning,” I smiled at the boy behind the counter before he went back to reading the magazine in his hands. I walked towards the back aisle and looked down for the bag that we used. I kneeled down and reached back for the last bag. I cursed to myself when I stood back up and cracked my back.

“Give me the money!” I ducked back down the shelf and took a small breath. I dropped the bag before looking back up again. The boy didn’t look that much older then the boy behind the counter but there he was bright as day holding a gun pointed at the boy.

“Hurry up!” The boy nodded and opened the register. I leaned back down but hit the bag with my leg.

“Come out of there,” He sounded nervous but I came out anyway. A nervous hand behind the trigger was worse then a true marksman. I knew that from living in a town that hunted most seasons out of the year. I stepped over the bag of Dog food and walked out into the middle of the story.

The boy looked me over before a look of realization hit his face. He pointed the gun at me and smiled.

“You’re Vengeance’s girlfriend aren’t you?” I didn’t answer the question, “Answer me!” I nodded. He smiled again and said something under his breath. I switched my eyes the boy behind the counter and looked at the door. He could leave while the gunman had his eyes on me. He shook his head and mouthed a no. I looked back at the gunman who was walking closer to me.

“Come here,” I stepped away, “Come he...”

“Put the gun down!” He turned around and looked at the security officer who had probably been hiding in a back room. I didn’t feel too relived; the guy looked like he hadn’t held a gun longer then the gunman.

The gunman ran and pulled me against him. He kept the gun at the security officer.

“Come closer and Ms. Vengeance gets a nice little bullet in her head,” I looked at the security officer who nodded. I closed my eyes and prayed what I was gonna do wasn’t a stupid idea.

I slammed my foot down on his and shoved my elbow into his face. I grabbed his wrist, twisted it before turning around to slam my fist into his face but he hit mine first. I stumbled back but managed to block another hit. He may not know how to handle a gun but he knew how to fight. I kicked his chest making him fall on the ground. I waited but he didn’t get back up.

“That was awesome!” I looked at the boy behind the counter. I smiled faintly.

I knew how to fight. It was one of the tricks of the trade of living in a male dominated town. We didn’t have a crime rate but being my father’s only child and being a girl factored into the fact that every man in my family wanted me to know how to fight. It came especially handy when I worked in Seattle and walked home at night.

“Call the police,” I said turning back around and grabbed the gun off the floor. I pulled the safety on before pulling out the clip and throwing it to the boy. He caught but dropped it once he realized what he held.

I turned around and threw the empty gun onto the counter. I sighed and rubbed my forehead. Today was not what I thought it was going to be when I woke up. I heard a groan and I turned around. The boy was off the floor and charging at me. I turned to run but he got me.

I hit the counter head on but I grabbed the boy and threw him into the ground before he could do more damage. I heard a crack on the floor and knew I did something I shouldn’t have but before my mind could fully wrap around the situation, everything went dark and silent.