DESPERATE

32

A tense silence hung over them for a moment, as Cyrie reluctantly took a few steps forward. A shock wave ran through her entire body. There were two dead bodies lying on the bed, awkwardly facing each other. She felt bile rising in her throat as she stared at the man's head. It was such a horrific sight: his head was a gory mess, his hair matted with blood and brain. She tried to speak, but no words could escape her clenched throat. It was Ron.

Cyrie couldn't forget his hideous yellow jacket. The guy was a complete asshole. She recalled the night they watched TV together and ran out of beer. He ordered Ma to fetch more from the kitchen. Cyrie hated the way he ogled her with his eyes. His small, dark eyes were like those of a rat. Her stomach churned with discomfort whenever he looked at her. He wouldn't stop pestering her about her boyfriend. He had no right to pry into her personal life. She snubbed him and stormed out of the room.

When Cyrie landed a new job at the diner, she was glad to see less of his repulsive face. She didn't care for any of her coworkers either. Their conversations were immature and superficial, focused only on video games and sports. She had higher standards for dating. She wanted someone older and wiser than her. She glared at the dead jerk and hurled her spit at him.

"Don't look at me like that, Cyrie. I'm not a monster. You should be grateful that I saved your life, too. Ma had planned to have you killed by her boyfriend. He thought Abbey was you when she walked in. He swung the bat at her head, but he barely missed. I snatched the bat from him and fought back. I'll never forget the terror in his eyes. The same terror I felt when he tried to strangle me with a cord. My mother just watched and laughed as I choked and gasped. She thought he was joking around."

"I can't believe Ma and Ron were so cruel. He could have killed you. Why didn't you tell anyone?" Cyrie asked, rubbing her sweaty hands on her work uniform.

Todd gripped her upper arm, his fingers digging into her flesh. "I had no one to talk to, so I suffered in silence. You were never around. I was his punching bag. She knew it because she loved the jerk. He was the only one who tolerated her erratic behavior for so long."

"All these years, you held a grudge against Ma and her boyfriend. You didn't come back home because you missed Ma." Cyrie spat the word with contempt. "You came back to make them pay for all your pain and misery living in this house." She pushed him away and pointed at the bloodstained floor. "So you intentionally killed them."

Todd glared, his eyes narrowed to slits. "You ruined everything, Cyrie. You made my mother lose her mind. She was a gentle and caring mother, but ever since you showed up on our doorstep, she changed. I was going to get rid of you, but Abbey convinced me otherwise. She said it would be better if you worked for me."

With a cold and scornful gaze, Cyrie turned to face him. "Work for you? Why would I ever do that? You disgust me. You're a murderer. You took two lives. I won't let you get away with it. I'm calling the cops on you."

"Think, Cyrie. You have your whole life ahead of you. Do you really want to throw it away? I'll pull the trigger without a second thought and make it look like you killed yourself. You have no other option. Time is running out. We have a lot to do." Abbey's voice was cold and menacing as she aimed the gun at the terrified teen. Todd left the room, closing the door behind him.

Cyrie saw Abbey's fingers clench around the gun and realized the danger she was in - one wrong move and she was dead. A throbbing headache overwhelmed her as she recalled the events that followed her work shift. She shut her eyes and rubbed her temples. She wished she could go back to sleep and start over with a normal, boring day.

"What's wrong with you?" Abbey snapped, pointing the gun at Cyrie's face. She didn't answer, just hummed a tune to calm herself down.

Todd came back into the room, holding his phone. "Abbey, put the damn gun down. You're making me nervous. I just called my driver. He will help us get rid of the bodies."