Getting Away With You

I didn’t really know how this had happened, the past few minutes had just flew by in my terror stricken mind. But somehow, I was helping a complete stranger load the body of my friend into the trunk of his car.

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It was just another holiday, just another night of sitting at home, trying to let the not-so-scary Halloween movies melt away my boredom. I eventually removed myself from the couch and, turned the TV off, cutting off one of Jamie Lee Curtis’ screams before slipping on my shoes and walking out of my house. I didn’t grab my jacket because I wouldn’t be outside much, hopefully. My parents were gone to some big party in town, so I was free for the night. Giggles of children down the block and playful screams filled with laughter met my ears as I stepped into the slightly chilly October air. I watched as a car drove by, and then proceeded to walk across the street to one of my friend’s houses. Whenever I was bored, I could almost always count on Riley to bring some kind of fun into my life. I knocked on his door, hoping he was home so we could go out, and maybe do something other than rot in front of our televisions. I stopped knocking for a moment, giving him some time to get off of his lazy ass and get the door, but he never came. I knocked a few more times, and then gave up. I turned the knob, finding the door unlocked, which was odd, considering that whenever his parents went out he always locked the front door. ‘You never know what kinds of creeps can be lurking around.’ He always said. I considered just going in, usually, I would never do that, because his parents think that when I barge in its rude and they think I’m trying to seduce their son or something. Riley and I don’t have a girlfriend boyfriend relationship, we’re just friends. His parents aren’t home, none of the lights were on inside of his house, and the front door wasn’t locked. The situation reeked of something bad about to happen, but I never really rely on those types of things to tell me what to do. I slowly opened the door, already hearing that slightly scary background music from Halloween playing in my head, temporarily making me question what was left of my sanity. I took a step in, slowly and hesitantly.

“Riley?” I called out, praying this wasn’t about to turn into a scene from The Strangers and I’m one of the kids at the end of the movie that walk into the house and find the occupants stabbed to death in the living room. Oh, did you hear that? Yep, there went another thread of sanity, just cut lose by my horribly unstable mental state, cut even sharper by the Halloween season. I turned around, and grabbed a shoe from beside the door, and used it to prop the door open slightly. Always need a quick escape. Shit, there goes another thread. I turned back around, and suddenly a hand was slapped over my mouth, and a knife was pressed dangerously close to my throat, the cold blade threatening to split skin. At first I thought it was Riley playing another one of his stupid pranks, but I was wrong.

“You’re going to do what I say and listen to me, or you’re going to take a trip off the roof, got it?” The man growled at me, and I could barely make out a glare in his eyes that were hidden behind aviators. “Scream and I’ll slit your throat. But I’m not going to hurt you if you just work with me.” I nodded, and he took his hand away from my mouth and the knife away from my throat.

“W-who are you?” I asked in a shaky voice despite what he had just said.

“I’m the man that’s going to make your life a living hell if you don’t cooperate with me.” He said, and I took a deep breath, imagining the worst.

“Wh-where’s Riley?” I asked, hoping he was okay.

“You shouldn’t be concerned about that.” He said, and somehow I did the stupidest thing, very much so concerned about Riley as the man turned around to walk towards another part of the house.

“Just tell me if-” As soon as I grabbed his arm he turned around and had the knife back at my throat, the arm that had grabbed his arm pinned above my head.

“Just do as I say. No more questions about the little fucker.” The man growled, and slowly let me go.

“What do you want me to do?” I asked, my voice not exactly as strong as I had hoped it sounded.

“You’re going to help me with something.” He grabbed my upper arm, a little too hard, and began leading me towards the kitchen, where he then let go of me and pointed to a body lying in the floor, A large pool of blood was surrounding the figure, and it made my heart stop for a moment and tears sting my eyes.

“R-Riley.” I muttered, slapping a hand over my mouth as soon as his name left my lips, tears already making their way down my cheeks. Whoever this man was that was here, standing dangerously close to me, had killed him. I inched away from the man, even more frightened of him now. I didn’t want to be here. I especially didn’t want to be here with him.

“Shut up and help me get him into the car.” The man said, and walked over to Riley. “Don’t just fucking stand there.” The man spat at me through gritted teeth, and I slowly went over, but as my foot caught the pool of blood, I slipped, falling into the man and the blood. I let out a scream, tears staining my cheeks and mixing with the blood as the man scrambled out of the crimson liquid, slipping a few times before he got us both back against the wall, panicky breathes making their way past his lips as he latched an arm around me, the other sticky hand back over my mouth. “Fuck.” He muttered, sounding slightly shaken and agitated. He got to his feet, pulling me up in the process. I couldn’t stop the sobs as they tore through my lips. “Stop fucking around, and help me.” I nodded, and the man let go of me. Maybe if I cooperate he’ll let me go. I backed up against the counter as I noticed Riley’s chest slowly and faintly rising and falling. Sadly, the stranger noticed it too. He bent down to pick up Riley’s wrist. I looked behind me quickly, and grabbed the biggest knife out of the holster. I hid it behind my back as I turned back to the man, who was still occupied by Riley still miraculously being alive after multiple stabs to the chest. I would only have a second; I’d have to be fast. I had to save Riley. As quick as that last thought crossed my mind, I lunged at the man, the knife poised and ready to strike him, and he quickly got out of the way, his hand slipping on the blood and slipping him out of the path of the knife. I fell into Riley, the knife plunging deep into his heart. His eyes darted open as a strangled noise escaped his lips. He looked straight into my eyes and I stared back, horrified at what I had just done.

“Danielle…” Riley’s weak, hoarse voice trailed off, his eyes becoming frozen in place, staring into mine. More sobs and tears ripped through me as I scrambled off of Riley, and out of the blood for a second time, leaving the knife as it was, not wanting to touch it.

“Maybe you’re not as useless as I thought.” I didn’t look over at the man as the words left his lips. “Now get up and stop being such a fucking baby.” He said and came over to me, pulling me from my curled up position. He went back over to Riley, and picked up the top of his body, and I reluctantly took a step over and picked up the lower half of his body. The man kicked open the door to the carport and then walked over to a car that I had never seen before. He took his elbow and lifted the trunk door, and I helped him put Riley inside.

“Can I go now?” I asked, being able to stop the sobs for a second, backing away as he shut the trunk and then walked over and pressed a button on the wall, opening up the door.

“Not yet. Get in.” He said and walked around to the driver’s side. I was getting sick of this. I helped him load my friend into to the trunk like he said, but he still won’t let me go? Of course he isn’t going to let me go, he’s a killer. I can just hope he isn’t like one of those creeps from Funny Games. I got in the passenger’s side, and he looked over at me, a smug smile on his face.

“What?” I spat.

“I just gave you a chance to run away and you didn’t take it.” He said, and I hesitantly reached for the door handle. But he locked the doors. “But it’s too late now. You’re already in the car.” I sighed. “Here,” He reached into the backseat and I flinched slightly, not knowing what he was going to do. I was slightly surprised when he handed me a towel. “No need to get blood everywhere.”

“We’re both soaked in it, dumbass, it’s already everywhere.” I snapped at him, taking the towel from his hands, and trying to get the blood off of my hands. Most of it came off, but my hands were still stained an unnatural pink color. I handed it back to him and he quickly got the blood off of his hands before tossing it under the seat. He backed out of the garage and pulled onto the road. I just stared straight ahead, wondering where he was taking me, and why he was doing this. But isn’t that what every victim of something like this wonders?

“So, you’re Danielle.” He stated, and I looked over at him.

“What the fuck is it to you?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest as I glared at him.

“Nothing really, just…curious as to who’s my victim slash partner in crime.” He said, glancing over at me for a second.

“I’m not your fucking partner in crime, creep, I’m just a person that was in the wrong place at the wrong time.” I said, avoiding his eyes.

“You sound a lot like me.” I scoffed at his words.

“What does that mean?” I asked and he sighed.

“The only reason I’m doing this is because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sort of like that’s why you’re helping me.” He said, and I wanted to laugh.

“I’m only doing this because I had no choice, because you threatened to kill me with a fucking butcher knife.” I said, and he nodded.

“Right. But I’m still threatening to kill you with a butcher knife if you don’t listen to me.” He said, taking the knife out from under the seat. I slowly pressed myself up against the door and he put the knife back under his seat. “I don’t want to hurt you, you know.”

“I’m just about at the point of asking you to hurt me just so we can get this over with.” I said and he looked over at me with a curious expression.

“Get what over with?”

“You killing me. Isn’t that what you’re going to do after I help you dispose of my best friend? Slit my throat then probably burn me too?” I asked and he shook his head.

“No, it’s not. Danielle, I’m not going to kill you unless you give me a reason to. Riley, he was a different story.” The man looked back at the road.

“Why did you do it? Why did you kill him? He was only a kid.” I watched the man, my tone suddenly softening.

“What you may or may not have known about Riley was, he got a drug lord busted not too long ago. Stumbled into the place, got held hostage for a few hours, then he escaped. How? Hell, I don’t even know.” He sighed, and I stared at him intently, not exactly sure if I could trust his words. Riley never told me about this, though he didn’t like for me to worry, so he could have very well kept it from me. “Most of us got away before the cops came-”

“Most of you?” I asked and he nodded.

“I was a guard. I protected Chase, I gave a vow to put him in front of everything else in my life. Family. Wife. …Daughter.” His voice cut off, but then he continued. “He was busted, along with five other guys that were in the same position I was in. Forced to protect him because somehow, in some way, we owed him something, and in order for us to keep our families safe, we had to keep him safe. I got a call from him when he was in prison. He didn’t have very many of us still on the outside, just me and two other guys. He called me because I was his right hand man, but he had also managed to get in contact with the other two guys too. He said that I had to kill Riley, or he’d get Brian and Jimmy to kill my family.” He paused again, this time for longer than the last.

“So what, killing Riley is your way out of this?” I asked and he shook his head.

“I’m not done yet. I refused at first, because he looked to be only about sixteen or seventeen, so Chase said fine, and hung up. I tried to call him back though, and tell him I’d do it, but I couldn’t get a hold of him again. Then two days later I came home to find Michelle and our unborn daughter dead.” His voice was suddenly cut off, and he took a deep breath. “It was his entire fault. If he hadn’t of walked in on the warehouse, and gotten Chase thrown in jail then I wouldn’t have been given the fucking choice to choose rather him or my family, and everything would be what I’ve come accustomed to calling fine.” He said, his hands clenching the steering wheel so hard I didn’t know what would break first, the wheel, or his knuckles. “I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time to answer that damn phone. I was late for work, but before I could run out the door the phone rang, and I had to answer it before it woke Michelle up. If I had gotten out of the door on time I wouldn’t have gotten to the phone and everything would’ve been okay. Now I could possibly go to jail for first degree murder, if I ever get caught. I’m only twenty one, if Michelle was still here I could have a life ahead of me, but not anymore.”

“I-I’m sorry.” I said, actually feeling bad for the guy. I was still hurt deeply that he had killed one of my close friends, but hearing why he did it, and everything that guy put him through has somehow broken through the hurt.

“No, I’m sorry for dragging you into this. I shouldn’t let my anger get the best of me.” He said, and I looked back at him.

“I-I don’t know your name.” I said and he looked over at me, and then sighed. I knew what he was thinking; he was thinking that if he gave me his name I could run to the cops as soon as I was out of his sight, and snitch on him. “I’m not going to turn you into the cops or anything, so don’t worry.”

“You seem harmless enough.” He muttered. “I’m Matt.”

“You know, I’m actually kind of sad to say it isn’t nice to meet you under these circumstances.” I said, and he let out a chuckle.

“That’s just what I was thinking.” He said, and we drove in silence for a moment. Just as we were reaching the outskirts of Huntington, I saw red and blue flashing lights in the mirror. “Shit.”