Fake Me To Church

Chapter 22.2 - Their Lies Were Botching God

- AHMED -

Prudence rushed to her car, unlocked it, and jumped inside. Her lights shone, and she pulled into reverse to reorient before driving slowly forward under the arms of willowing trees.

As we watched her, Sam and I climbed inside his car. He twisted his keys, still in the ignition, and pushed the gear shift into drive. Prudence steadily began picking up speed, and Sam kept pace.

He turned to me after a moment's hesitation. "...I'm not doing it."

I raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"I'm done waiting around, Ahmed. And I don't care what Prudence says."

"Sam—"

"I'm not just gonna sit at some police station when I know Lane's out there—"

Just as the words left his mouth, the rubbery squeak of stretching leather scratched out from behind me. I caught a glance of the rearview mirror, where a slender figure sprang upright in the backseat and lurched forward with the speed of lightning. Her azureous eyes stared from between flowing flanks of blond and reflected the sheen of Prudence's tail lights ahead of us.

Within seconds, the cool, circular end of a metal barrel pressed against my left temple.

"Keep. Driving." The voice from behind was smooth and feminine, almost silken.

I felt my breathing accelerate, my mind racing as the mysterious blond in the backseat pressed the gun harder against the side of my head.

She laughed. "You know, you really shouldn't leave such a nice car unlocked in the dead of night."

Out of my periphery, I could see Sam glancing at me. I noted what appeared to be a second gun pressed against his head as well.

Sam gulped. "Listen...It's really hard to drive with a...a gun pointed right at my face..."

"Aw, poor baby," she cooed mockingly, fixing her eyes on the street ahead as Prudence cut to the right. "Turn left," she ordered. "And step on the gas, you prick."

Sam exhaled, then did as he was told. The car blitzed off, and Prudence's tail lights disappeared in our rear view.

I could feel tears creeping at the corners of my eyes, but I forced them back and didn't say a word. I sniffed the stiff car air and kept my gaze fixed forward.

"You must be Alice," Sam tried.

She didn't say a word.

"I—I know you're not Lane," he spoke again. "You're...different."

She laughed. "You know, honestly, I get it. It totally makes sense."

Sam paused. "What makes sense?"

"She had such a huge crush on you."

"Oh, um..." he gulped. "...I don't...I mean..."

The woman laughed again. "It's honestly amazing that someone could be so cute and still sooo clueless."

"Please," I heard the words slip uneasily between my lips. "Alice..."

"Don't," she ordered, then turned her head to look out the window. "Just another mile or so, and then we've got a stop to make."

Sam exhaled. "I know where we're going." He tilted his head right. "It's the graveyard, isn't it?"

Alice giggled. "Maybe you really do have a clue."