Sixty Seconds

Chapter Twenty Two

AN: I've been incredibly lazy, I'm sorry. I'll update more often now. Forgive me =) And don't forget Vomment! (vommenting has been proven to make an authors creativity level soar, also helping with motivating them) Fact. XD

Jessica

I walked back to Carter’s. In a way I was looking forward to seeing Joshua, he always cheered me up, especially when Carter was moody; which was most of the time. If I hadn’t been as annoyed or out of my right mind, walking home alone would have seemed a bad idea, a really bad one. Instead of considering that possibility I stormed out of the hospital and before I came to my senses had been walking for nearly ten minutes. As my heart rate slowed, my logic kicked in, whispering doubts and explanations about what Carter had told me, as well as warnings, telling me not to be out this late, alone, when anyone could be trying to kill me.

My feet made a steady rhythm on the pavement as I continued walking, interrupted periodically by someone walking in the opposite direction, sometimes in groups, sometimes alone. I kept my head down and tried to look invisible, which although completely impossible and stupid, seemed to work as I got no more than glances thrown my way. To them I was just someone with somewhere to go, I wasn’t special, I didn’t need to be killed, they had no reason to bother.

I was so absorbed in my own thoughts I barely realised where I was, I knew I was on the right and quickest path home, but it was also through an alley, which, considering all that had happened, I wasn’t too keen to go through.  Shaking the doubts and screams from the logical side of my head, I continued through. Presumably enough it was a bad idea.

As soon as the streetlight from the main road was far enough away, I heard footsteps. Before fear took over I groaned inwardly. Can’t these guys just leave me alone? Was my first thought, my second was more on the panic radar. Hoping to not look completely and utterly panicked, I took my miraculously undamaged phone out of my pocket and phoned the first name on my list.

“A call this late at night is either going to be very good or very bad news”   Alex’s sleepy voice came through the receiver. I glanced at the time display, nearly midnight.

“I think someone’s following me” I whispered, trying not to alert the person behind me of what I was doing. It was a long alley, one of the narrow twisting ones that gave life to multiple urban legends and horror stories.

“And here I was thinking it was good news” Alex said, It sounded like he rolled out of bed. “Wait, You think somebody I following you?”

“Believe me, when you nearly get murdered more than once, you begin to suspect these things.”  I whispered furiously.

“Well, that I wouldn’t know about. Where’s your big tough soldier boy?” He asked amused. I heard him pulling on shoes, and grabbing some keys.

“Hospital.” I told him. Comforted by the fact he was coming.

“Do I want to know why? Did he drop his huge ego on his foot?” I heard a door bang shut.

“Shut up!”

“Jeez, It was a joke. Where are you anyway?” I heard extremely distant footsteps as if he was jumping down his steps.

“Same alley we met” I told him, realising as I told him.

“I hope this doesn’t mean something significantly bad is going to happen, but then again, with you, I never know. I mean come on, we went to get coffee, then I got a gun pointed at my head. What is your job, by the way? Or are you just some rich millionaire’s daughter that people want to kidnap? Because your life sucks.”

“Thanks” I said sarcastically. He was rambling on for my benefit. He sounded slightly breathless as he ran.

“No problem, I’ll be there soon. But as I was running to save your ass, a thought occurred to me, why the hell don’t you run to save your own ass?”

“Not entirely sure, I’m not entirely sure I can without collapsing, I may have a concussion.”  I told him.

“Well, you sure are one interesting girl” He said, “You need to share your life story when I get th-”

The phone was taken from my hand. I twisted round cursing myself instantly for doing so instead of running.  I heard Alex call my name through the phone, then a muffled swear as I didn’t answer. Shock kept me rooted in place. The man towering over me clicked the end call button.

“It’s just so hard to kill you” he said. “I mean, we’ve shot at you, tried to strangle you, made that annoyingly protective soldier crash into a tree, poisoned you but you’re still here. Although, might I add, this is the first time you’ve been alone. Without protection.  Quite stupid for you but lucky for me.”  

Shock faded and I tensed ready to run, I kicked out at him and he grunted, but grabbed my hair and pulled me back. I screeched and he put his hand over my mouth to muffle it. He seemed impatient, paranoid. In a way he had a right to be, even though he didn’t know Alex was coming he had no idea what I had been saying on the phone. 

I struggled and kicked out some more, screaming the whole time. His hand stayed in place but his other hand loosened and let go, and came back, with something cold and metallic. Panic overwhelmed me as he placed it against my temple.

“Goodbye” He said, sounding quite happy.

“See ya” A voice said behind us. The man holding me pitched forwards and let go of me, I scampered to the side as Alex pounced on him, wielding a baseball bat. He hit a homerun and the man went limp. He felt for a pulse and satisfied the man was not quite dead, took out his phone and called the police.

I watched him as he explained the situation, which was completely made up. Something about an attempted robbery and a passed out robber. Which he had just witnessed the aftermath  and called, I wasn’t mentioned. He hung up.

“Have I mentioned how screwed up your life is?” He asked.

“Maybe once” I said.

*****

“Okay, so you’re like some super spy who breaks into buildings?” Alex asked, eyebrows raised.

I nodded, while Joshua rolled his eyes in the corner.

“That had got to be the weirdest thing a girl has ever told me, you don’t even want to know what topped that list.”

“Yeah, and If you tell anybody, I’ll blow your brains out” Joshua said from his corner. “ Better yet, I’ll get Carter to, as he really doesn’t like you that much.”

I stared at Joshua, and he held up his hands in defence. “Just saying”

“So people are trying to kill you just because you test security? ”

“Yeah” I said, taking a drink of the warm mug of hot chocolate in front of me. Alex and Joshua had coffee, but I was already hyped up on adrenaline.

“Well, that sucks. You know what also sucks? The fact you have such a dick to protect you”

I choked on my hot chocolate. “Carter’s not that bad, once you get to know him.”

“Well, guess I’ll have to” He shrugged.

“Huh?” I knew my face radiated confusion.

“Well, did you really expect me to just leave and never see you again, Hell, I’m gonna be around for at least a little while longer.”