No Salvation for a Bad Girl

December 28th, 2008

The walk home from Three Little Piggies diner was an uncomfortable one. It required me to cut through dark alleys, abandoned buildings, and pass known drug houses before I finally reached my shabby apartment building. Moving to Chicago on my own was the best decision I have ever made. I was finally out from under my overbearing mother, detached father, and perfect older sister. It meant I was finally an independant woman and not a needy nineteen year old kid.

I made my way down the dark alley when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head to the left and didn’t see anything. I glanced over my other shoulder and was quickly pushed into the side of the building. The man reeked of stale cigarettes and alcohol. His beady, bloodshot eyes look absolutely wild as he held the knife to my throat. I could tell he had pale skin and dark hair in the little light that was provided.

“Well, don’t you look like a young one,” he slurred out before turning to look over his shoulder. “Come take a look, Pete.”

I gulped as a taller, larger man stepped next to the one that was holding the knife. The man, who I assumed to be Pete, leaned his head down and buried it in my neck. His scratchy beard rubbed painfully against my delicate skin. He pulled away and smirked at me.

“Don’t worry, princess, we’ll take care of you,” Pete slightly slurred out.

I felt the tears begin to flow down my cheeks, my mascara painfully stinging my eyes and I began to shake as the sobs took over my body. I let out a loud screech as they began pulling on my peacoat. They managed to rip it off of me and toss it off to the side, where it landed in a puddle that had a sheen of ice on it. I sobbed as I shook in my short sleeve white tee shirt. Attempting to push them off of me, Pete held onto me as the first man let his hands wander over my body.

Pete was thrown off of me and the smaller man began to search the darkness for the reason Pete was gone. Seeing my window of opportunity quickly closing, I seized it. I kneed him in the crotch and pushed him off of me. I slid down the wall and wrapped my arms around my legs as I kept my eyes closed. My savior was fighting with the two men and two gunshots were quickly fired. I covered my ears with my hands in response to the loud noise before I felt a warm hand grasp mine. I looked up and saw the two men lying in pools of their own blood. Staring wide eyed at my savior, I bit my lip.

“We need to get out of here,” he said as he looked back at the two bodies.

I let him pull me up and he wrapped his coat around me. He led me out of the alley from hell, and to what I assumed to be his car. He opened the passenger door for me and quickly ran to the otherside. He turned the ignition and it roared to life. Speeding away from the curb, we heard the loud sirens of police cars off in the distance. He quickly drove and pulled into a grocery store parking lot next to a street light. He stepped out of the car and I followed him.

“Are you okay?”

I let out a sarcastic laugh, “I was almost raped.”

“Right,” he mumbled as he leaned against the light pole.

“What are we doing here?” I demanded.

His intense green eyes caught mine and he let out a shrug, “Figured you would probably want to talk. And you would probably want a public place after what just happened.”

I rubbed my shoulder and looked down, “What did just happen?”

“I heard you screaming, so I pulled them off of you and they pulled out knives so I shot them.”

I waved my hands around, “You just shot two men and you’re calm?!”

He shrugged and ran his hands up his long sleeve covered biceps. “Isn’t the first time.”

I looked long and hard at my white converse before looking back up to him. “I’m Carlie.”

“Max.”

“What are you going to do, Max?” I asked.

“I’m going to leave Chicago. You probably should too,” Max answered.

I furrowed my brows, “Why?”

“Your coat is still at the scene. They’ll be doing DNA tests and such. You’ll be called in for questioning and possibly charged with two murders.”

I suddenly felt extremely dizzy and nauseous. “How am I supposed to do this?”

Max let out a sigh and ran a hand through his short dark hair. “You could…” He started before shaking his head in disbelief, “You could come with me.”

My heart was pounding in my chest as he continued to stare at me. I weighed my options carefully. I had nowhere to go. My parents’ home was off limits, I couldn’t stay in Chicago, I have no friends, my aunts and uncles never had much to do with us, and my grandparents are dead.

“We will have to stop by my house.”