Behave

I really want to call the police on this guy, but I have a feeling things won’t go so smoothly. I watch him walk in and collapse on the sofa. I don’t know what to do.
“Can’t you just leave?” I ask, shaky.
“No,” Heath replies, “I plan to crash here for the night.”
“You can’t!” I yell, impatient now. “I’m going to call the police.”
His eyes dart my way.
“Go ahead. And tell them its Heath. They won’t do shit.”
He lies down in the sofa and dozes off. I go into the next room and shut the door. I jab the knob with a chair. I don’t sleep. I just sit at the edge of my bed and stare at the door until sunrise. Suddenly, I hear a bunch of cars screeching near my street and loud talking. I look through the window and see a cluster of buff men slowly coming into the apartment. I have a feeling they know Heath and they’re probably looking for him. The leader, wearing shades, shoots his head up to my window. I quickly hide down, praying he didn’t see me. I swallow hard. Before I can think of anything, three gunshots are fired in the other room. I squeal and cover my mouth. I hide behind my bed. I’m shaking like crazy and my pulse is on fire. I take y phone out my pocket and dial 911.
“911, what’s your emergency.”
“Th-there are gangsters in my house—and gunshots,” I whisper.
Suddenly, a man is pulling me. I scream and kick. I drop the phone as he takes me to the other side. My tiny living room is full of men in dark clothing. Heath’s simply standing with his arms crossed. I’m thrown onto the ground.
“This is the girl,” the man in shades points his finger to me.
“Leave her out of this. I’m the one who has the gun,” Heath says, sharply.
“So who’s the girl? Why she take my gun?”
“It’s my fault. I asked her to do it.”
The men have a long conversation about me.
“She might know something.”
Heath shakes his head, “She doesn’t know anything. She has nothing to do with Brag.”
The man laughs and smokes his cigar.
“Doesn’t matter. You, take the girl. We’re going.”
The gangsters exit, leaving Heath and me in a cloud of smoke. I hear him cursing.
“Just when I thought I could get an extra day,” Heath says to himself.
“What the hell is going on?” I demand.
“We have to go,” he answers.
“We? No way!” I shout.
He takes me by the arm, lifting me up and dragging me out my home.
“Didn’t you hear him? He said we have to go.”
“No! I’m not going anywhere with you!” I cry out, “Help! Help!”
No one came to my rescue.

I’m shoved in the passenger seat of a black car, looking at the others speed off the road, roaring in the night. Heath hops in the driver’s seat, turning on the engine. He follows the other cars onto the highway. Going over a hundred, I buckle my seat belt. I can feel my face moist with sweat. I look over to Heath. I watch his arm hold the wheel. He occasionally glances in the rearview. The lights of tall building swoosh by. I stare at the fine veins drawn on his arm.
“Why are you taking me?”
“The boss said so,” he answers, monotone.
“I want to go home,” I say.
My eyes sting with fear.
“Sorry, sweet cheeks. You know I can’t do that.”
My throat is dry and itchy. I can’t help but breathe through my mouth. I hold back my tears. I’m just so scared. I can barely utter a word.
“Is he going to kill me?” I whisper.
Heath looks at me.
“That,” he says, “I’ll never let happen.”
His words echo in my head.
“Please, tell me what’s going on,” I say.
“We’re going to New York.”
“What?” I ask, surprised. “Why?”
New York is far from home. How am I going to contact my mom? Mom! I begin to sob. Heath doesn’t reply.
“Please! Let me go! Let me go home!” I scream.
I start kicking and screaming in the car. Heath manages to grab a hold of my waving wrists with one swipe.
“Quit that!” he yells over me.
I let my tears fall out. He lets my wrists free.
“If you want to survive you best behave,” he orders sharply.
He glares at me. I can’t bear to look in his face.

It’s a four-hour drive. The pain of silently sitting in the car with Heath is excruciating. My eyes are swollen and bloodshot. I force myself to stay awake. I don’t know what’s going to happen next. I can only wait. I’m only allowed to wait. Heath won’t let me do anything else. After, I stare at the tall buildings and the lights of New York. The yellow taxi cars inch up at every stoplight. I watch tons of people busying around in the streets at open bars. Before I know it, we’re entering a tunneling underground garage. The cars spiral downward. I look forward to the backlight of the car in front of us. Heath puts the car in a parking spot next to the neighboring vehicles. He cuts the engine and sighs.
“I guess you should know this bit, before making a wad,” Heath speaks, “We’re all part of an organized crime called the Brag. Cobalt’s the mobster boss. What he says goes. No questions asked. I’m his right hand. So whatever I say goes. Got it?”
I nod slowly. His voice is resonating deeply in my head. Parked near us, the men pull out girls, like me, from their cars. I watch the girls tied up, trying to fight them off. I hold my breath. One of them spits in the gangster’s face. She gets slapped in a split second. The clap makes me jump. I pray I won’t receive the same fate.
Heath looks over to my pale face, “Stick with me and you’ll be fine.”
How on earth is any of this fine? I want to scream and disappear. I want to wake up from this nightmare so bad.
Heath gets out the car, motioning me to follow. He approaches who seems to be Cobalt. They casually nod to each other.
Cobalt smokes a fat cigar and wiggles his brows, “Let’s go inside. I’m dying to try out our new buys.”
I watch how he fiercely tugs one of the girls’ face, chuckling. He slides his hand over her in places he shouldn’t. The victim of his touch whimpers, making him laugh even more. I find myself hiding behind Heath, wincing at the sight. What does he mean by ‘new buys’? It’s only when Cobalt walks ahead that everyone moves. So this is what they do. What have I done to deserve this? I can’t be here. I can’t live like this. I need to get out. I won’t survive. My heart is dropping in my chest. My fear is getting the better of me. What’s going to happen to me?