Buried Deep ✔️

Chapter Eight [Wrong Alley]

I was in another world; a world full of darkness and suffering. One single streetlight cast bright light down onto my back. I ran my hands along the rough pavement. My cheek rested against it. Blood stained the concrete, pooling in the cracks. I forced myself up and stumbled forward into the darkness. A shrill scream of terror erupted through the air. A gunshot rocked my body, leaving me trembling. Then, there was a woman's voice.

"No, please. Please."

The words were soft. I shuffled in the direction of the voice.

"Help. No. Don't do this."

I moved as fast as I could, but I never got closer. Every step I took brought me back to the same bright light. The blood-curdling scream continued, piercing my ears. The voice was so familiar. Then, another light appeared. A woman was lying on the ground. Her body was limp. I ran in her direction, dropping to my knees.

"Can you hear me? Are you ok?" I asked in a panic.

As I rolled her over, her blood stained my hands. Her green eyes stared back at me. Her face was pale and cold, all the life drained from it. My chest tightened, my breathing becoming shallow. The woman from the deli. She was haunting my dreams again. There was no escaping the evil crime I had committed. Tears brimmed along my lashes. My breathing was ragged as the weight of her death settled on my shoulders. It would follow me for the rest of my life, tearing me apart piece by piece. Who was I to decide who died? I gripped her body, holding her against me as I grieved.

A hooded figure stood in front of me. His heavy breathing forced me to look at him. He held a silver pistol that shimmered in the bright light above us. The tattoos on his hands confirmed my suspicions.

"Cayden?"

He removed his hood. An evil smile spread across his face.

"Why are you here? Look what your job forced me to do." I looked back at the woman's face.

"While you thought I was your salvation, I was your worst nightmare. I listened to your dreams and your fears. I understood what made you tick. Now, I control you like a kid controls a remote-controlled toy. I started you out with small tasks that you found unpleasant. Then, I worked you up to things you never dreamed you were capable of."

I stared at him. Anger built in my chest. Cayden had planned this from the beginning. He had never had good intentions for me or the Southside. Something had made him lose his mind. My brotherhood, who I called my family, had set me on this path. I thought they were my way out of the streets, but maybe they were my way further in. They had turned me into a person I never wanted to be.

I jolted awake. The sunlight was pouring through the space in my curtains. The annoying buzz of my alarm clock had saved me.

"Fuck."

When I slammed my hand down to silence the alarm, I noticed the time and groaned. I rushed out of my bed and grabbed some clothes from the closet. There was no way I could make it to Adrienne's house and have enough time to get us to school.

Last night, I had spent most of my time trying to decide if I should tell Cayden I was involved with the niece of the police chief. I had tossed and turned all night, and then I'd had that dream. Killing that woman would be on my shoulders for the rest of my life. There was no escaping it.

I let out a heavy sigh. Cayden's appearance in my dream worried me even more. He was my father-figure and my leader, but the words he had spoke echoed in my mind. He controlled me like a kid controlled a toy. Cayden knew I wanted out of the streets, but he was holding me here. I was trapped.