I'm awoken by a knocking on my window. I sit up, fully awake, knowing I get to leave. I get on my knees, moving to the center of the bed to look out the window. I see the man-Michael-prying open the window. His dirty blonde hair shines in the moonlight. I guess tonight he's my savior.
He gets the window open and he slides down onto my bed, he has chain cutters strapped onto his back. He pulls them out. "Ready to go?"
I hold the chain with both hands to keep it straight while he cuts it. Once cut, he helps me out the window. "Thank you," I say when we're walking.
"I couldn't let any of you suffer. I don't know exactly what happened. Peter keeps things secret. But I know you guys need to be taken care of." Michael says.
"How do you and Peter keep in contact?" I ask, curious as to how my friend got us someone who was willing to take a job somewhere like that. And also willing to take us out even if it means putting his life on the line. Vincent won't be happy when he wakes up in the morning and finds us gone.
My heart pounds at the thought. He's going to find me or my friends. He's going to hurt us, or worse. Kill us. Goosebumps cover my body and I stop walking. "Maybe I shouldn't do this," I say when I see Michael turn around, looking at my questioningly.
"Why?" Michael asks.
"Vincent. I-If he finds out that Peter convinced me to leave, he'll kill him." I stammer out, worried for my friend.
Michael sighs and gives me a soft smile, "Peter said you'd say something like that. And he wants you to know that he's not worried about that. Peter won't let any of you get hurt anymore. He promises."
I look back in the direction of the restaurant which now looks so far away. I wrap my arms around myself, then look down at my body. cold. Out in the middle of the night in a silk nightgown in the fall. I look back to Michael. "Okay, lets go." I say softly and continue to follow him.
"You must be the special one," Michael comments as we keep walking, now on an incline. I can only guess the cliff I'm supposed to walk down is at the other end.
"Special one?" I ask skeptically, wondering if he means I'm not as smart as the others.
"You're the only one who was locked up and chained. Everyone else was free to roam around and got out easily." He says, "Why?"
I take a deep breath, my chest hurting. "I-I don't know," I say, wanting to avoid this conversation altogether. He doesn't need to know that Vincent is in love with me.
We keep climbing up the hill. At the top is a parking area filled with gravel. Michael points at a sign, "There's a goat trail going down the side of the cliff, it's safe enough to walk down. It shouldn't take you long. Peter and the others already made their way down, but they said they'll move slowly to give you time to catch up."
I nod, "Thank you."
Michael nods, "Y'know, Peter told me that you lost your parents. I happen to know a family that might take you in, if you need-" his voice is cut off by the sound of a gunshot. I watch as Michael falls to the ground, groaning. A bullet hole in the back of his head.
I look in the direction of the shot, and I see Vincent holding a pistol in his hand. He moves towards me, pointing the barrel of the gun directly at me. "You thought it was okay to leave?!" He yells.
I step backwards slowly, the same pace as he steps forward. "V-Vincent, I-I just wanted to know w-what the world is like... I-I didn't mean f-for you to k-know," I stammer shakily. I was so close to being on my own. There's no way I'm going to let him kill me now. I wish I had those instincts I had when I killed James. But of course my programming most likely won't let me hurt Vincent. Or fight him.
I feel my heel reach the edge and I have to stay where I am. I put my hands up to show I'm not a threat, hoping he'll just take me back and let me off for this. "I-I'm sorry."
"Sorry doesn't cut it, Alex!" He yells, "You ran away with my night guard! Now I'm going to have to find another one! How are you gonna repay me for that?!"
I shrug, "I-I don't know, Vi-"
"Shut up, Alex!" His voice is demanding this time. I bite my tongue to keep from talking. I'm unsure if its the program that's listening or if I'm actually doing what he's asking on my own. "You're lucky I asked you last night if you were planning on leaving, and you told me your entire plan, or I wouldn't be here and you'd have run off into a dangerous world without anyone to love you." His tone is darker than I've ever heard. He's gone crazy.
He steps even closer, the barrel of the gun only an inch away from my head. I feel my body turn weak. I'm not going to survive this or he's going to make me go back with him. "I-I'm sorry," I stammer under my breath at a whisper.
"You will be."
I feel my body getting knocked back, I reach out to grab him to keep from falling off the cliff, "Vincent!" I scream to him but I lose my footing and my stomach drops as I fall.
Out of all the ways to die, and I'm going to die like this. I can feel the pain in my head. He shot me. He actually shot me. So this is what it feels like to be shot in the head and fall off a cliff. It's kind of peaceful.
Everything moves as if in slow motion. The feeling of falling only scared me for a second.
I can see Vincent looking over the cliff at me as I fall. He becomes further and further away. I hear myself yell out when I hit the ground. Everything goes dark. But I'm still conscience. Or i think I am? Open your eyes, Alex, I think to myself.
I can hear faint yelling. My eyes open but everything is fuzzy and the blue lines are all over the place. Peter. I can see Peter run up to me.
"Alex!" I hear him yell, "Alex, I'm so sorry."
Cathy grabs his arm, pulling him up, "We can't save her, we need to go." I hear her say as she drags him away.
I feel myself begin to panic. Why can't I move? Don't leave me here! Peter you can't leave me here to die like this! S-Stay with me! I can feel my heart pounding. I'm scared to be left alone. Am I still alive? I'm tired. My eyes shut. I can't tell them to stay. I just hope they'll be safe.
~
Please comment or leave your views on how the story is going so far! I wrote the original version of this story a long time ago and am super excited to share it! Please let me know what you think, readers!
-Verity