Crucible: The Accomplice

I ran forward and tackled his body to the ground, poising myself over him, ready to drive my knife into his neck.

Two victims in one day would be alright, wouldn't it? Of course it would.

"How much did you see?" I snarled. He looked scared, but there was also another look in his eye. Something I didn't ever see when I was ready to kill. Something I didn't recognize.

"I saw everything" He told me, his accent obvious.

I always had a very obvious xenophilia, but in this situation, I couldn't let him get the better of me.

I was ready to dig my knife into him when he let out a strangled, "Wait!"

I paused. No one every told me to wait. I always god "Stop" and "Please don't" but never wait.

So, against my better judgment, I did.

"I did see you, but I'm not going to turn you in" He told me. I looked at him like he was crazy, "I've been following your crimes since we came back to the states. It's beautiful. I want to help you, and you can teach me your methods."

This guy was absolutely nuts. Then again, how long could I go on believing that I was the only insane person on the planet?

"Why should I trust you?" I hissed at him.

"Well, I didn't run and call the cops, did I?"

He made a good point.

I never trusted people, but for some reason, I wanted to trust him. He was right, he didn't go tell the cops when he caught me. He actually came up to me. He wants to help me, and all I have to do is teach him my ways.

Coming to a decision, I pulled my knife away from him and pushed myself off his body, standing again.

I held out a hand to help him up.

When he was standing, I continued gathering my things and set off to setting the rags on fire.

"You're very bright for a killer, you know" He told me. I just nodded.

When I was done, I turned to him.

"How were you planning on helping me?" I asked him. He looked up in thought and then just smiled.

"Well, I am on tour. We travel the country. Get free food, and a place to sleep" He told me.

That would be very helpful.

"Okay, but one condition" I told him. He just waited.

"You have to help me watch the news on their trail. If they get too close to me, you have to do whatever you can to keep me out of their hands. Even if it means you're caught" I told him. He hesitated for a bit, weighing his options, but finally agreed.

Then I smiled a bit.

"What's your name?" He asked me.

"Dahlia" I told him, leaving it at that.

He outstretched his hand to me. "Oliver Sykes, pleased to meet you."

Oliver lead me back to his bus and just as I stepped on, he was bombarded with questions.

I, personally, was in pure bliss with all these accents.

"Oli, who's the bird?" One guy asked. I think he's the drummer, if my memory is correct.

"That doesn't matter. All you need to know is she's coming on tour with us" He told them. They all looked kind of pissed, but he ignored it and lead me back down a hallway. There were bunks lining each of them.

"These are the only two left, so you can other be across from me, or across from Matt" He told me.

I had no idea who Matt was, so I just said across from him. He grinned and poited to the middle bunk before climbing into his own.

It was weird to be in a bed that wasn't a motel bed.

"This is mine?" I asked him. He just nodded. "Yep, put all your shit in there and it'll be fine. You don't have to carry that bag all the time."

I looked at him curiously. How did he know I carried my bag all the time. I voiced my question, and then noticed a little red tinting his face.

"I noticed you in the crowd today. You looked a little out of place, but you fit in well when you got the hang of it. Violent moshing from such a little girl."

I shook my head at him before setting my bag at the foot of the bunk. I curled up on the barren bunk, not sure what to do.

"Do you not have a blanket or anything?" He asked me. I shook my head.

He clicked his tongue before getting up and going down the hall. A few seconds later he came back and held out a blanket and pillow to me. I took them carefully.

"Here ya' go" He said. I put the pillow down and spread the blanket out over me.

Then he had another question.

"Do you have nothing to sleep in?"

I sighed, "I only have one other change of clothes. Usually, I stay in motels, so I just sleep in my underwear. I was planning on doing that once I shut the curtain."

He tried to ignore the fact about me sleeping in my underwear and went on, "When we stop in the next city, I'm taking you shopping for some things."

I tried to protest, not wanting him to spend money on me, but he stopped me before I even could.

"This is what I mean by help. It's our deal." He said simply before telling me goodnight and closing his curtain.

I followed suit and closed my own. I pulled off my clothes and curled up under the blanket.

I had no idea that night would be what changed everything.