As the footsteps of the officers grew louder, closing in like the Grim Reaper himself, I knew I had only seconds to act. Gripping the gun I stole from Paul, I sprinted down the alley behind me. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat screaming survival.
From behind, I heard the officers reach Paul's limp body.
"Paul! Are you alright? What happened?" one of them called out, his voice laced with panic.
I stepped out from the shadows, aiming the gun directly at them.
"Don't move, or you're dead." I said coldly, the muzzle unwavering.
Even though my hand shook slightly, I forced myself to look composed this entire bluff was my only ticket out. My voice dropped to a threatening whisper.
"I gave him a pill. If you want the antidote, you listen to me. Any funny business, and your buddy dies right here."
The officers hesitated, their faces reflecting fear and uncertainty. Slowly, they lowered their weapons.
"Slide them over," I commanded. They obeyed, kicking their guns across the ground.
I kicked the officers' guns deep into the alley, the clattering echoing off the walls and buying me a few precious seconds. Only then did I back away, keeping my own gun trained on them, my heart hammering but my expression calm.
Once I had enough distance, I turned and sprinted toward the street. Sirens were closing in, getting louder with each second I had to move fast. Then I spotted it: a car parked at the curb, empty, its windows fogged from the rain. Perfect.
I raised the gun and fired, shattering the driver's side window. Glass rained onto the seat, glistening in the dim streetlights. I reached through the broken frame, unlocked the door, and slid in like I belonged there.
No hesitation. I tore off the ignition cover, hotwired the car, and brought it roaring to life in seconds like I'd done it a thousand times before.
The tires screeched as I slammed the car into gear, kicking up water from the wet asphalt. Sirens echoed behind me, but they were too slow.
I gripped the wheel tightly, every instinct sharp and familiar. I didn't need a plan just speed. I weaved through traffic like a ghost in the night, leaving the flashing lights and chaos far behind.
I knew I had one shot at escape Worcester City. A parade was happening there, commemorating the city's founding. Crowds, costumes, and chaos. It was the perfect cover.
As the rain started to fall, the roads became slick. I took advantage of it, swerving and drifting between two police cars that had tried to cut me off. The tires skidded, and both cruisers collided behind me, blocking the road.
But I couldn't celebrate yet. In my mind, I kept going over the plan: get to Worcester, blend into the parade crowd, and disappear. I was dressed as a woman it'd be easy enough to slip into some men's clothes, and the police would be none the wiser.
Everything was going perfectly until I reached the bridge that connected both cities. That's when I saw him a boy, no older than six, standing in the middle of the road.
"What the hell is a kid doing out here… now?!" I muttered, panic setting in.
He just stood there, frozen like a deer caught in headlights. His dark hair was plastered to his forehead from the rain, and his pale brown eyes stared blankly ahead, unaware of the danger barreling toward him.
I gripped the wheel tighter, my knuckles turning white.
I could swerve. I could hit the brakes. But with the police on my tail, any hesitation would end me. My mind raced, flashing back to memories I thought I'd buried a Christmas morning, my brother laughing beside me. And then…
Bang.
The gunshot that stole him from me echoed in my head, snapping me back to reality.
Too late.
The car hit the boy.
It felt like time stopped as the impact jolted through the car. I gasped, horrified. I killed him. I killed him.
Tears blurred my vision as I whispered to myself, "No… No, no, no… I've never killed anyone… I'm not… a murderer…"
But the truth weighed on me like an anchor dragging me into the abyss. I had crossed the line. I wasn't just a criminal anymore. I was a monster a murderer.
Staring into the rearview mirror, I saw the lifeless body of the boy crumpled on the wet road, and all I could see was nothingness.
Even as freedom lay just ahead just a few more miles to the parade and safety knew I couldn't run from this. I couldn't live with what I'd done.
Trembling, I pulled Paul's gun from my coat. My hands felt cold, my heart hollow.
"I've already taken one life… What's one more?" I whispered, pressing the gun to my temple.
The roar of police sirens grew louder behind me, and the sound of the parade echoed in the distance a cruel reminder of a world that kept moving, unaware of the life I had just stolen.
Then I pulled the trigger.
The gunshot rang out, and everything faded to black.
When I opened my eyes, I wasn't in the car anymore. I was lying on the ground in a strange room bathed in an eerie, dim red light. The walls stretched endlessly, creating a space that seemed to go on forever, like a prison with no end.
Gasping for breath, I stumbled to my feet. My head spun, and I could still feel the weight of the gun in my hand, though it was gone.
"What the hell…?" I whispered, trying to make sense of where I was.
In the distance, I spotted something a glowing white door, floating like a beacon in the sea of darkness. It felt like the only way forward.
I staggered toward it, my mind still reeling from everything that had happened. The boy, the police, the gun…
I stopped, clutching my chest as guilt crashed over me in waves.
"I've become the thing I feared most…" I muttered, tears burning in my eyes. "A killer."
The glowing door seemed to pulse, beckoning me forward, but all I could do was stand there, frozen in place trapped in the nightmare of my own making.
As I lay crumpled on the cold ground, the sound of that boy's impact echoed relentlessly in my mind. I couldn't shake it the sickening thud, the jolt through my bones, and the way everything around me seemed to fall silent afterward. Then, like a film reel unraveling, my brother's face flickered in and out of my thoughts.
I tried to pull my memories together, but they slipped like grains of sand between my fingers. All I could recall was the snow thick, white, endless. We were outside, laughing, hurling snowballs at each other. I hid behind a snowman we built earlier, crouched and ready to ambush him. I peeked out, snowball in hand then it happened.
A gunshot.
I blinked, struggling to focus as the memory blurred. The snowball slipped from my hand, forgotten. My heart stopped. I tried to see who shot him—my little brother—but my vision turned cloudy, and the moment twisted into a confusing haze. In the fog of that broken memory, the only thing I could make out was a man in a suit.
"Is this what death feels like?" I thought bitterly. If so, I at least deserved to die in my own clothes, not like some drag queen in a cheap disguise. A laugh escaped my lips, dry and hollow, as I looked toward that distant, glowing white door. I waited for everything to end to be swept away into whatever lay beyond.
But nothing happened.
Time dragged on in that strange liminal space, heavy and endless. My body, weightless and numb, refused to fade. With a frustrated grunt, I pushed myself to my feet, brushing off the lingering sense of dread.
Then, out of nowhere, a voice spoke behind me.
The shock from hearing that strange voice left me frozen. Slowly, I turned around and there it was: a small, fairy-like creature hovering in the air, arms crossed and wearing a thoroughly unimpressed expression.
"You know," it said with a sigh, "I gambled everything on you. Well… okay, I might've messed up a bit myself, but you're still gonna help out the poor, right?"
I blinked, trying to process the absurdity of what I was seeing. A... fairy? Was I losing it? I stared at the glowing figure in disbelief. "What... are you?"
The little creature puffed out its chest, beaming with pride. "I'm a spirit! The name's Lilith, but you can call me Lily."
"Like the flower?" I asked, half in disbelief.
"Mhmm! Although..." Lily tilted her head thoughtfully. "I'm not sure why I got that name. Feels... random, y'know?"
I rubbed the back of my head, glancing around at the endless red void surrounding us. Nothing made sense this place, this creature, and especially how I was still alive after everything. With a deep breath, I turned back toward the spirit. "Say... If I help you, could you fulfill a wish of mine?"
Lilith burst out laughing, her tiny wings fluttering with excitement. "Of course! But it won't be that easy it'll take more than a quick favor. This'll be a mission."
"A mission?" I repeated skeptically.
Lilith gave me a mischievous grin. "Yep! The reason you're still alive right now? That's all me. I chose you. Although..." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I still don't get why you shot yourself back there. Oh, and about that crossroad..."
She hovered closer, her tone playful but curious. "There was no kid there. No one at all."
My heart skipped a beat. "What?" I whispered, my blood running cold. "No one? No way..."
I felt my mind race, fragments of the event looping again and again. Could I have been hallucinating? I was so sure I saw him his small frame, his pale brown eyes but what if I hadn't? What if it was all in my head? The weight of those thoughts crushed down on me like a landslide, leaving me gasping for clarity that never came.
Before I could spiral further, Lilith tapped me gently on the head. "Hey, relax! Whatever happened back there, I don't care. I know you're not a bad guy."
She leaned in with a playful smirk. "You're just... unethically a good one."
I stared at her, bewildered by the contradiction. "That's... definitely not the motivational speech I was hoping for."
Lilith shrugged, unfazed. "Well, I'm not exactly a therapist."
A grin tugged at the corner of her mouth, and despite everything the chaos, the confusion, the lingering guilt I couldn't help but chuckle. For the first time in what felt like forever, the weight on my chest eased, if only a little.
And just like that, I knew: whatever this strange spirit wanted from me, it was bound to be the start of something insane.