Page 27 of I Dare You
Without thought, I put the car into reverse, and at full speed, I run him over, his body crunching under the tires.Adrenaline courses through me as I brake and drive forward, running him over again.I then put the car back in reverse and drive over him.
I do this repeatedly until I feel nothing under the tires.
He is squashed into the gravel, forever a memory in my mind of what he did.
The other two cowards are no doubt watching from the sidelines, too afraid to come out and end up a meat suit like their friend.
Once I’m satisfied, I take off into the night, leaving behind nothing but carnage.
Peering down, I see I have a full tank of gas.I also have my backpack filled with every dollar I’ve earned from working over the years.I don’t trust leaving it at home.I always keep it on me.
I don’t know why I did that, but now I do.
I was preparing myself for this.
The farther I drive, the freer I feel.
If I go back to my uncle and aunt’s, what do I tell them?
I’m wearing my torn and dirty work shirt, which is no longer pink.I have no shorts.Blood and piss stain my thighs.I have sticks in my hair, and my knees are grazed.
They’ll chastise me, say I must repent for my sins.They won’t be on my side.They never have been.
No, I can’t go back.
Since coming here, all I ever wanted was to leave, and now, I can.
My bike is on the side of the road, and there is an obviously dead, unrecognizable body on the road.The only witnesses will never tell a soul what happened.They’ll run like the cowards they are, putting as much distance between them and the crime scene.
What if I just…disappeared?
Fake my own death.
Seems fitting, really, because the old Hallie Holiday died in those woods.
Now, she has been reborn.
But into who?
Whoever the fuck she wants to be.
THREE YEARS LATER
“Shh, it’s okay, sweetie.”
The baby girl in my arms settles as I rock her gently.
She’s only ten days old.
A newborn.
She doesn’t know what this world is like just yet, but sadly, she’s been introduced to the horrors by being dumped on the doorstep of Saint Carmichael’s Orphanage by her mother, who remains unknown.
Cruel, but life isn’t like it is in the movies.
There always seems to be a happy ending for those beloved fictional characters.But in real life, there is more bad than good, and a happily ever after isn’t on the cards for most.
We merely survive as best we can, and if we get a HEA, then we’re one of the lucky ones…like me.I consider myself one of the lucky ones because I got out.
