The Perfect Kill

7

"You're gonna want to get away from that." He says referring to the blood still leaking from Billie's body.

I wipe some of the blood from under my nose and do as he says. "You killed him. Why would you -"

"How long had he been doing that to you?"

"What?"

"You know 'what', the child abuse."

"It doesn't matter."

"How long... Sam?"

Why is this so important to him? Does he want a final will and testament or something? I shrug. "Since I was 7."

There's a brief moment of silence. Then he says, "Can you walk?"

"What?"

"Can you walk?"

"Y-yes?"

"Then come on. We gotta get out of here." He leaves and goes downstairs.

I stand there bewildered. What psychological game is he playing? This is definitely a ruse of some sort.

"Sam!" He yells.

"Coming!" I run to my pillow and get my butterfly knife, putting it in my hoodie pocket. I don't care what he did for me. I'm still gonna kill him.

After a while of walking in the dark of night, I ask, "Where are we going?"

"My car. It's not far now... "

Down the road, there's a cop car driving with the lights and sirens on.

"Shit." Brendon whispers, then pushes past me to a metal storage box, opening it. "Get in."

My eyes widen. "What?"

"You're the perfect size for this. Come on, hurry up!"

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I don't do well in small spaces."

"Sam, it's just for a few seconds. Get in!"

"Brendon! I can't! It triggers my anxiety attacks."

"Shit!" They're coming closer. "You'll just have to deal then." He grabs and lifts me.

"Stop it!" I yell and try to free myself. "No!" He lays me down in the box and shuts it. "Brendon! Let me out of here!" I try to push it open, but it's no use. The sirens have arrived at this point, and I stop thrashing. I close my eyes, trying to control my breathing until they pass us. "Are they gone?"

"Yeah. Someone must've heard the shot. They're headed to your house. They definitely would've noticed you."

"Oh." My mind is starting to wrap around the fact that I'm in a metal box. "I - I can't breathe that well in here. Can you let me out?"

"Why don't you just push the top?"

"I think it can only open from the outside."

Silence.

"Brendon?" No response. "You're gonna let me out now, right?"

Footsteps recede.

"Brendon? H-hello?" My arms and legs move around in a futile attempt to widen the area. "Hey!" My legs kick and bang around the box. It becomes hot all of a sudden and my chest is collapsing. I can't die here. I just can't - The box opens.

"Goddammit, Sam." Brendon pulls me out and I take a deep breath. My arms hug his waist tightly. "Sam, it's fine. Just breathe."

In and out. In and out.

"We have to go." He says as I let him go. "The car's just around the corner."

I nod. "Okay."