Too Perfect
We
walked along somewhat unsteadily. As we entered the wooded area the
voices became clearer. Though it wasn’t an argument we had heard.
It was something much more frightening.
“Someone
help me please!!!” a male voice echoed around us.
We
stopped.
The
pleas continued.
“HELP
ME! STOP!! NO!” the fearful yells had turned into terrifying
shrieks. The kind you heard in horror movies right before someone
died. The kind that nightmares were made of.
I
held onto Brian, he placed his arms tightly around me.
“We
have to help him,” A.J. whispered softly.
“Are
you nuts!?” Anita hissed. “We can’t! What if we get hurt?”
“No,”
A.J. said firmly. “I can’t just stand here and do nothing.”
With
that he turned his back to us and headed off the path into the trees.
Anita looking at us helplessly, shrugged and followed A.J. into the
forest. I didn’t want to go, I was so scared. But Brian took my
hand and pulled me in with him. Without even realizing it, A.J. had made
a decision that would drastically change all of our lives forever.
We
all dashed through the bush, the cries had become increasingly urgent.
Branches whipped at my face, slashing my cheeks, I stumbled over overgrown tree
roots as we ran blindly through trees. A.J. came to a dead halt. We
all stopped. I could feel my heart thundering in my chest. What I
saw my mind didn’t want to process. I could see the glint of the black
metal in the man’s hands. He lifted his arms and positioned
himself. In one swift movement he pulled back the trigger. The
sound of the gunshot echoed in my ears. I screamed as the man who had so
desperately cried for help crumpled to the ground. Blood soaked the
forest floor turning it a grotesque red. I continued screaming unable to
stop. My whole body shook as those few seconds replayed in my mind over
and over again.
“God
damn it!” the man with the gun yelled kicking a near by rock.
He
raised his arm again. This time the shiny black metal was pointed at us.
“Oh,
holy Lord!” I sobbed falling to the ground. "This can’t be
happening. How can this be happening? A dream, it must be a
dream. I have to wake up."
“Rick,
don’t,” another man shouted.
“We
can’t leave any witnesses,” Rick said once again aiming the gun.
“You
kill them and it will be a media circus!” the man yelled.
“Really,
Paul? And why is that?” Rick said his patience thinning.
“Those
two guys are Backstreet Boys. Famous superstars. We kill them and
the police will never let it go and neither will the public,” Paul stated.
Rick
growled lowering his gun. “Then what do you propose?”
“We’ll
have to take them with us.”
Paul,
Rick and another man made their way towards us. All of them had
guns. The one named Rick shoved me hard prompting me to get moving.
“If
any of you try anything. I don’t care how friggin' famous you are.
I’ll blow your head off,” Rick said pushing me again.
I
fell hard on my knees. I could feel rocks slice through my skin.
Pain shot up my legs. I moaned as another round of tears filled my eyes.
“Lisa!”
Brian tried to come to my aid but Paul grabbed him and placed a gun to his
head.
“You
heard what Rick said,” he threatened.
Brian
nodded, whimpering slightly. Rick roughly pulled me back to my feet and
we continued on. The gashes on my knees made it painful to walk, but I
did. What other choice did I have? Everyone was silent as the sun
finished setting and darkness surrounded us. We feared speaking, we
feared what was to come. Most of all we feared a five-letter word, death.
***
