Shattered Glass

The Vacant Store- Chapter 7

-Jo- Past

 The store bell goes off as we charge through. I stop dead in my tracks as Alex continues to walk through the store oblivious to his surroundings.

"What are you doing?" he says, noticing my tensing.

I startle, "Shh! You're so loud!" I yell at a whisper, putting my index finger to my lips.

"Okay," he whispers back, putting his hands up in an act of surrender. Backing up into a shelf, he looks at me in surprise. The shelf wobbles for a second, then falls over onto another shelf creating a small bang following an even smaller squeal from the metal.

I hear a cough from behind one of the shelves and immediately jump into action. Grabbing Alex by his shoulders I limp to the darkest corner I can find and attempt to shove him into it. He notices what I'm doing but I put my finger to his lips before he can speak, whispering quietly to him, "Stay here," I say, "I'm going to go look over there." I point to the corner of the store. He must have understood that arguing me would take up more time and put us in further danger, unless the thing behind the shelf had already left. I start to turn but Alex grabs me first.

"Wait," he says, his face inches from mine, "Be careful." His arm tightening around my wrist for a moment before releasing.

"I will," I say, winking at him. He returns it with a smile before he shrinks back further into the darkness and lets it encase him.

I take a deep breath as I quietly move across the white tiled floors. Some of them are stained in red, the blood of those who have come to rob before have left their mark. Time for me to make mine. I hide against the back of one of the fallen shelves and take a deep breath I turn the corner, fists in the air ready to hit whoever in the face. But I don't see anything, I back away a step and feel something catch my good foot. It drags back and I fall to the ground.

I yelp for a moment then draw it back, remembering Alex in his hiding place and not wanting him to escape it. I see blood below me and notice that my ankle is bleeding from whatever sharp object is gnawing on my ankle and draw my knee back to my chest as I rest on the ground, face forcing the ceiling. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch sight of a girl not much younger than me. I try to say something but I can't seem to move my mouth. I stare at her in amazement and try to calm down and not freak out. Whoever the captor is finally turns around to look at me lying helplessly on the floor.

Her eyes as cold as daggers. She doesn't even seem to notice my struggling pain forcing me up on my feet she shows some vulnerability in her eyes as she notices me dripping with blood from my head. Since the recent head hit I've felt really light headed and dizzy. Betting it's from the head loss I bend my neck back to make sure it's still intact. She notices my pain and tries to keep her fierce face on, failing miserably. I take hold of that.

"Are you gonna leave me here? Or are you going to say something deep and menacing?" I ask, trying to get something out of her, even though she should be the one interrogating me.

She thinks on this for a minute but decides upon releasing me onto the floor. I curl into a ball, yep, definitely broke a rib.

"Oh yeah, perhaps I should tell you that I'm an undercover agent for Coranda and hope to capture you and put you in prison?" she asks me, my eyes widen.

"Um... prison?" I clear my throat, "Why?"

"Well, as it turns out, that your father has announced many different infractions, such as the first hand murder of a Mrs. Patrina Doovle or her maiden name, Miss Patrina Birkley. So you're going to have to come with me."

"I-"

"Yeah, so since you decided to hide it from our country, 'Bandalvia' we need your ID and we'll send you on your way to thirteen lovely years of prison!"

"Excuse me but I don't think that'll work," comes a voice from behind the lady. Alex.

He attempts hitting her from behind the head but she catches it in her hand. She must be very agile. I look around me for something to hit her with, maybe a long skinny object. My eyes land on a sharp curtain rod, I try to crawl towards it and when I have it in my hands and turn around, Alex is in a choke hold. I grit my teeth and stand on my damaged ankle. She's looking the other direction so I take the opportunity to stab her through the torso. Blood starts to drip out the open wound and I see her grip loosen, taking the opportunity to grab onto Alex. I pull on his arm and pull him to my chest. Color seems to return to his face and his grip on me tightens.

"I killed her," I whisper, in amazement, "I actually killed her." I watch her drop to the ground, surprise striking every corner of her face.

I let the curtain rod fall from my hand and fall to the ground. I stare at her as my vision blurs. A tear falls onto one of my bloody hands. Alex drops down to my level, "Jo, we have to go," I try to look at him, but can't find the courage to. Instead, he takes my hand and helps me up. I clasp his shoulder as I remember my bleeding and broken ankle. He looks around for some medical tape, finding some band-aids and ibuprofen he goes for the door. I hobble over to him and go out the door taking one last look at my first murder scene.

"Was that your first time?" he asks me. I nod my head as I duck into the car. He settles into his seat and starts the car, "You're okay," he says, "You saved me." I finally look up at him and see thanks in his eyes.

I nod, looking back down at my hands, one of them wrapped in his massive ones.

"You saved me," he says, over and over until I finish my little sleep deprived sob.

I saved him.