My Only Redemption ✔️ [COMPLETE]

Chapter 6

Serenity

My heart was pounding in my chest and I had difficulty breathing. I got out of the taxi and walked towards Woolworths. The work was stressful. The salary isn't enough, but it's better than losing the job. Working as a waitress is tough on your body, especially when you're on your feet for long hours. I wasn't prepared for that. Glenn informed me that Angie stole the necklace. How could she?

She exits the building and lunges my suitcase onto the steps. I was blind the whole time. She was the one who stole the letter Manny sent, and she even made me eat chocolate cake knowing my traumatizing experiences as a child.

My stomach gurgled and I felt like throwing up. It took all my might to stand straight. The world around me was spinning.

"Angie, what's the problem?"

"Problem?" She crosses her arm, "Why would there be a problem?"

My legs were ready to give out, "You're throwing my stuff out."

"All of this is just... perfect." She grumbled.

Her New Yorker accent disappeared, was she faking that too? Sweat beaded her and I noticed that she hid a kitchen knife at her side.

"Why do you have a knife?"

"Oh shut up, you know what you did." Her lips drew together in a thin line

I clenched my fists. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Stop pretending." She scowled at me, "You stole my man, you ugly bitch."

"What a ridiculous accusation." I cannot believe what I'm hearing.

"Stay away from him or you'll regret it."

"Are you threatening me?"

"I'm warning you, crawl back to the hole where you came from."

"I have nowhere else to go. I can't go back to England now, it would ruin everything I'm working so hard for." My legs were shaking now as I realized how serious this can get.

"Can you just," she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Leave already!"

"Give me a few days and -" She raised her hand, cutting me off.

"Take your belongings and leave."

She walked away from me. My throat tightened as tears streamed down my cheeks. They racked my body in waves, each sob accompanied by a low whimper. The sun scorched the top of my head mercilessly and I rubbed my chest, trying to relieve the pain in my heart.

A spontaneous flash of red light darts behind my eyes causing me to stumble. I'll pass out if I don't eat soon. The driver drops me off at a phone booth and rushes off, my eyes are sore and I strain to see the time on my watch. Stars barely peeked across the sky.

Where am I exactly?

My body froze in that unsettling, menacing, darkness full of dancing shadows. The occasional creaking and rustling of a nearby broken-down house made my heart ache with fear. The batteries in my travel flashlight were running low and the beam was constantly flickering on and off.

The shadows spread, lengthening, and I checked my watch again. I was haunted by the feeling of being followed and my fear grew. This place looks like a neighborhood, there were tall street lamps and battered garbage cans on the sidewalk.

I heard the shuffling of footsteps and the scraping of metal. A cold sweat washed down my head to toe and I ran off the cold asphalt road trying to regain my footing. Some of the houses had been decapitated and showed signs of vandalism.

Gunshots echoed in the distance and I ducked behind a spiky bush. A girl in a skimpy red dress came up to me, chewing on a piece of gum with a cigarette between her fingers.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Serenity, it's a pleasure to meet you."

She takes a puff, blowing it out slowly. I coughed, fanning the smoke from my face.

"I'm not sure where I am."

She touched my hair, gliding her fingers through the strands.

"Is this your real hair?"

"How bloody insolent. My hair is very much real, thank you." I huffed.

"It's kind of hard to understand what you're saying, your accent is very deep, anyways, my name is Monique. I'll show you where I live."

She struts off and I followed her, noisily lugging my suitcase behind. We came upon a small abode. The house was surrounded by the most God-awful-looking picket fence I'd ever seen.

"Care to make an appointment with an architect?" I suggested.

"Say what now?"

"It's nothing."

She led me to the walkway, towards some crooked steps and I watched as she entered the house. The overgrown grass sprouted many troublesome weeds which found themselves a place to rest on the waning columns of the veranda.

"Wait here." She told me and I nodded.

A man came to the door to meet me. He was covered in tattoos, heavily muscled, and wore only a boxer. Have some decency. He broke into a wide smile, revealing teeth covered with gold.

"Mikey, come see this!"

"I ain't got time for your shit." Another male responded to him. He took note of my suitcase.

"There's a white chick at our door, Monique says she's lost or something."

The other fellow came out, "Girl, where are you from? Alaska?"

"For goodness sake. My name is Serenity Gallon. I am from Rossendale Valley, Lancashire England."

He burst into a fit of laughter.

"What's so funny?"

"She says she's from England, does she talk like, can I get some wotah, please? Or where's the toilet?"

How dare they mock me? Finally, he introduced himself after wiping the tears from his eyes.

"I'm Jake and this is my brother Mikey. Monique is our cousin."

I explained to them what had happened. The brothers were skeptical at first, but after a short discussion, they agreed to let me stay. My body stiffens when I see a Glock on the coffee table, why is there a gun? Jake was on the phone with someone.

"Bitch, I don't care where you gonna get that money, you better find your skinny ass back home."

I took a deep breath and tried to calm my nerves, but failed miserably. This place is so foreign to me. Mikey sat in front of the coffee table and inhaled some white stuff up his nose.

"Are you crazy?! You can suck all that salt in your nose!"

"The heck are you talking about? This ain't salt, this is cocaine."

"Cocaine?" I gulped.

"Yeah, you want to try it? This is some real shit. Monique! I said take the damn chicken out of the freezer!"

"Jake told you to do it." She rolled her eyes.

"And I'm telling you to do it," Mikey replied, rubbing his nose.

He offered me the glass slide and I stared at it. "I can't take this drug." I kindly declined the offer.

He spoke softly in my ear, "Come on, you have to try it. It'll make you feel good, forget all your problems."

I shook my head, "No thank you."

These men are thugs it seems. This place is not safe. I have to go soon.