The Prostitute And The Player (Watty Awards 2011)

Twenty-Five

Looking up the GPS directions on my phone, I tap it, begging it not to die on me for the second time in a row. I prayed that God would keep my little brother safe from that bitch Gina. My phone buzzed and rang off the hook, dismissing me from the GPS navigator. “Hello?”

“Tick tock, tick tock. Time is running out, Allie. You better hurry if you want precious Caleb to return in one peace.” My heart stopped beating as I drove numbly into the Oaks Camping trail. Getting out of my car, I grab my phone to make sure I have it just in case I could get some juice in it to call 911.

“If you so much as touch-” Beep. The damn line went dead. I threw it up against a tree stump, knowing my phone was as useless as my mind right at the moment. Sophia was in my arms, crying and screaming bloody murder. “Shh.” I comfort, rocking her gently in my arms, scanning the forest for any signs of Mrs. Sycho Path.

I heard the leaves crunch from behind me as I continued to look around for Gina. The one who’d smashed my bones with a hammer… I shutter at the thought, and hope that she hadn’t seen it because that would show that I held fear towards her. “Hush little baby don’t say a word, mama’s gonna buy you a mocking bird.” She sang, smiling creepily at me. “Give me the baby, Allie. It should have been mine. Jakey got me pregnant, and left me. I couldn’t care for it alone.” She held a gun out towards myself and the baby, she probably had a very precise aim.

“No!” I book it off towards any other place, just barely missing the tree branches and stones that stood in my way as obstacles, my adrenaline pumping. “Shh, Sophia. I promise, mommy’s gonna take care of you!” I scream, running as fast as I can as I hear gun shots from everywhere. I see another figure, and hesitate as I realize it’s Jake. “Jake!” I say, completely relieved as I rush into his arms.

“Hurry, come on!” He takes Sophia from my arms and yanks my hand towards him. I hear another gunshot sound off and that’s when Jake sprawls to the ground, the bullet piercing through his right shoulder blade. Thankfully, I had caught Sophia in my arms, my elbows and hands bleeding and cut up.

“Jake!” I cry, picking him up, applying his arm around my neck so he could give me directions to his car. Gina was somehow standing in front of me, we back up as a response. Stupid, stupid, me.

There’s a cliff right behind us!

I realize that as my foot dangles off the end, rocks tumbling down from the bigger pieces. “Please, Gina. Let’s just talk about this-” Jake bravely stepped in front of our crying little girl and myself.

“Gina, look. Whatever this is about, I’m sorry. We’re over, we’ve been over and Devin’s in the past, with a new family.” He put his hands out in front of him, trying to gently calm the crazy girl down.

“What? Jake are you crazy?” I whisper, smiling at Gina. “Play along.” I smile at her and pretend to be on her side. “Jake, how could you? You have another child roaming around?” I ask, feigning disgust.

“That’s right, he does, Allie. Here, take the gun and just shoot him.” Stupidly, she tosses me the gun and I squeeze my eyes shut, thinking about my options. I could just shoot at some random tree, or aim for her and possibly committ murder. Could I really live with myself? But what about the sake of my family? Jake and Sophia were all I had and I didn’t plan on losing either one of them anytime soon.

My hand is shakily placed just above the trigger. “Do it!” Jake screams as he’s pushed off by Gina, I go nuts and pull the trigger, Sophia now dangling with him off of the high cliff. I glance over the edge. Water and rocks are at the bottom-rushing water. Water that would kill you it was speeding so fast. Gina was laying on the forest dirt, wounded in the stomach.

Tears streak down my cheeks. “Jake!” I scream, over the edge on my knees, looking down at the two life forms that meant the most to me. Gina was twitching, but I was pretty sure she was too badly injured to hurt me.

Wrong.

Gina grabbed onto my ankle and proceeded to yank on it. “Let go, bitch!” I take the gun and smack her right on the skull, blood gushing from the now open cut as she falls back and lays on the ground, at least unconscious for now.

“Baby, grab Sophia.” Jake orders, tears streaming down his own cheeks. Again, I beg for another option, but there was just no way in hell I could save both of them at the same time. Jake had Sophia tucked gently in one arm, and was dangling off a very weak twig. If he handed me our baby, he would fall to his doom and I would be in pain for the rest of my life. And Sophia would grow up without a dad.

That was one of the hardest questions to ask someone. If two of the most important people in your life were falling off a cliff, which one would you save? Once you were really living in the situation, you didn’t know what the heck to do. Sobs were choking their way out of my throat, and I couldn’t help but let the snot drip out of my running nose. What was I going to do? Which one would I save? “Take her! Damn it, Allie!” He snapped me back to reality.

“N-no! I can get both of you. Take the big log right here and grab onto it. I’m pretty sure I can get both of your weight on their and pull you up!” I call, the harsh wind from the falls whipping my hair around my face.

“Please, just save her. I’ll let go if you don’t take her!” He swears, and I knew just by the dead serious look in his eyes that he meant every word he just said.

“Jake, I love you too much! No!” I sob louder, my body aching. Gina was going to rot in hell. And I’d enjoy everyday knowing it.

“One, two, three-”

“Okay, give me her!” I sob even harder and take Sophia in my arms as the branch jiggles a bit out of the rock and snaps. “NO!” I whail, squeezing my eyes shut as I hear the sickening scream of my boyfriend. I grab Sophia and kiss her forehead, trying to stop the blood coming out of her. “Jake!” I crouch down and continue sobbing. He was gone and there was no denying it. I couldn’t see him in the foggy river water, he’d probably landed on the rocks. Glancing over at Gina’s body, I grab her and roll her on the edge of the cliff, a smile on my face as I push her off.

The sad part was that she wouldn’t feel it like Jake.

Grabbing my baby, I take us to the car and strap her properly in her carseat, blasting the radio. Tears wouldn’t leave my cheeks.

Kyle was at my house when I returned, the boys napping in Caleb’s room. That’s right? Caleb! I rush to his room and find him contently playing video games. “Oh!” I pick my brother up in my arms, never thinking in my whole entire life I’d be happy enough to see him. “Kyle, J-Jake’s dead!” I cry, clinging onto my ex boyfriend’s shirt. He hugs me reassuringly.

“No?” Kyle asks in shock, tears beginning to stream down his face as well. I wanted to cry and scream and kick my feet. “Allie, what the hell happened to you?” He sits me down on the couch, but I cant speak, cant move my lips for words to come out. I just couldn’t, it wasn’t possible. “Come on, it’s okay. Just tell me, you’re a complete mess and I might need to take you to the hospital.” He explained worriedly.

“I-I-I…G-Gina…” I rock back and forth, but Kyle picks me up and grabs the keys, telling the kids to make sure and lock the door.

Once at the hospital, I don’t think I realize my surroundings right away. The doctor shined the same annoying flashlight in my eyes, and asked Kyle how long I’d been silent and wide eyed like this. I heard him say that this was completely normal after losing someone so close to you. Especially your loved ones.

I’d never forget Jake in his brave act to save my life and his daughter’s.

Ever.

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I know you probably all hate me, but i wanted a twist that would make it unique . There will probably be a short epilogue to sum things up, but i dont think they'll be a sequel, because there isnt anything to do the sequel on. Any ideas, let me know? I might though, i dont know. It depends on how popular this one becomes.

As always, comment vote and fan and i hope you enjoyed this book, because i certainly enjoyed writing it. (: