We All Start As Strangers

Exit To Your Left

________________________________PART TWENTYEIGHT______________________________

    "Well hello there dearie," Jeff continued. Frantically, I scuttled away, tearing fearfully at the arms of the lobby chair. 

"No no no," he said, laying a hand on my shoulder. I lashed out, scraping him across the face.

"You're dead!" I whimpered. "How are you here?"

"Oh Ciera," me smiled menacingly. "I was injured, but you never checked my pulse." Chucking, he drew his hand back to his torso and brushed his suit coat.

"You were shot in the back. That bullet should have shattered your spinal cord." 

"Yes, it should have. But it didn't." He then reached for my hand, When I didn't say anything, he outstretched his arm forward more. Reluctantly, I took it.

"If you would," he started.

"Would what?" I hissed.

"Hush." and so I did. "Anyway, if you would, please join me to talk to Carson."

"I don't want to talk to your scumbag son." I scoffed.

"Listen, Ciera, there's a lot to be said. None that I know, but he really needs to talk to you. I'm giving you my sympathy and being honest. If you screw this up, I am not afraid to kill you." At that, he pulled me in close.

I took in a breath, "Donova-!" I started to scream, but he clasped his hand over my mouth and pressed him fingers deep into my cheeks.

"Mhmhmmpphhh" I tried to speak, but all my words were muffled.

"What  was that?" he asked, removing his hand from atop my lips. 

"I said, you're a liar!" I bit down hard on Jeff's hand and he yowled like a wolf pup being attacked. Seeing a clearing between me and the elevator door, I dashed for it. Panicking, I pushed the up button repeatedly, but in seconds decided it would take to long. After that decision, I looked back at Jeff who I then realized was angrily trudging towards me. I screeched and made a B-line down a hallway to god-knows-where, following it through till I saw a fire exit down to my left. Unthinkingly, I shoved it open and jumped out onto the stairwell and fled down the stairs. The alarm then sounded, sending a atmosphere-piercing shriek into the night. My heart was pounding so loud in that moment that I wasn't sure rather it was Jef'f's footsteps or what it was. 

"Get back here!" Jeff bellowed as he thundered down the fire-exit stairs; his words I could barely deem audible as the alarm was drowning him out, despite how loud he always had been. At that moment, I knew something was wrong. The pounding of Jeff's footsteps had stopped and was replaced with silence; all the but the alarm. Stopping dead in my tracks, I turned back to Jeff for the slightest idea that something was very wrong. Half expecting to see him dead, I focused my vision to see Carson in front of him, staring at me, gun in hand.

"Come here," he said. Handcuffs were dangling off his left wrist, and I swore for a split second he was still in prison uniform. 

"The police will find me soon and I really need to talk to you so please I'm begging you. Come with me." He pleaded with his big, bright, dazzling blue eyes once again. The man I'd slept with had began to take advantage of me again. 

"Ohhhhh no. No way! There is no way in hell that I will do that. Carson, if I get caught, I'm an accomplice to a criminal! I can't do that."  By the time I'd finished my sentence, I'd looked down at my feet to avert my gaze from his soul-crushing eyes. As soon as I regained myself and returned my gaze to him, he was nowhere to be seen.

"Well too bad," I head his voice behind me and twirled around to see him there. "You're coming anyway."

The last thing I saw was his blue eyes. His blue eyes that were once dazzling, beaming, fluorescent pools of lust and sensuality. Blue eyes that I found so comforting and full of truth; I knew I could count on those eyes.

But now, I wasn't so sure.