6 Hours Until the “End”
【Josh】
“Okay, so where is it, again?”
“Midnight. You go to the first Warehouse on Strell End in Moosett, Nevada. I go to the second Warehouse.”
“Where’s that?”
“I don’t know,” London said, looking blank, her forehead creasing slightly, as she glared at the orange-red-lit road in front of us. It was sunset. Well, almost.
These would be the last hours.
“Look, can’t we find go later? Maybe we could…get something to eat?” London said, looking at me hopefully. “Since now we know it was the tracking chips, and not the fact that the people knew us?”
“Sure,” I replied, smiling back. I kind of liked that idea – spending the last day as a real couple. “You pick somewhere, alright?”
She wound her fingers through mine, and I pictured what we would look like – two teenagers walking off into the sunset. And…for a moment…it was like we were almost normal.
***
4 Hours Until the “End”.
(London)
I scooped up some risotto, and shoved it into my mouth, savoring it. God, it was good. It was creamy, yet balanced. Total mouth orgasm.
Maybe I just haven’t eaten properly for a long time.
My stomach rumbled, confirming this. It was mainly because I’d eaten about a barrowful of “Milky Way”s last night, and now I think I was dying. Kind of weird, since I’ve eaten way more of unhealthy foods before (double-cheese nachos, anyone?), and I had completely no problems. Now, my stomach hurt like hell.
I glanced at Josh, who was delicately picking at his meal in a girly way. He lifted his fork to his mouth, and his lips closed around the lettuce leaf (he ordered salad. SALAD!), biting in a way that seemed kind of…sensual.
I blushed, trying to shake the thoughts from my head. No, London.
“Are you okay?” he asked, suddenly looking worried. My heart thudded hard, and I looked away. “London?”
“I’m just…worried,” I said, avoiding his gaze. I swallowed more risotto, but suddenly it didn’t taste so good anymore. “About…today.”
“Don’t worry,” Josh said, dropping his fork, and closing his fingers around my hand (he dropped his fork?! I wouldn’t drop my fork in a meal, even if a guy pointed a gun at my head). “I won’t let them harm you, okay? I promise you’ll be safe.”
His brown eyes were so sincere, I couldn’t help but smile.
“Yeah?” I said. “You’d do that for me?”
He grinned back. “’Course.”
“But why?” I asked, feinting innocence.
“You know why,” he said gruffly, looking away.
“No, I don’t. Tell me, Josh.”
“No! It’s…embarrassing!”
I smirked, and leaned in closer, when he pulled away. “Say it, Josh.”
He looked me straight in the eyes. “You haven’t said it either.”
“But you already know how I feel. You know, last night…”
He flushed. “That didn’t prove anything!”
“Then why do you think I did it? The only reason I did it was because I really care!”
He looked away, but mumbled something.
“Sorry, what was that?”
He glared at me. “You know what I said. I’m not saying it again.”
Smirking, I leaned away. My movement caused a sudden sharp pain in my stomach, and I doubled over.
“London?” Josh asked, suddenly worried, his forehead creasing.
I didn’t like it when he was worried. So I just grit my teeth through the pain, and laughed.
“What?” I asked, looking up, forcing my face into a natural smile. “Josh, your face is so funny!”
He scowled adorably, and looked away.
It was fine. I was fine. I had to be. The pain couldn’t mean anything, right?
***
3 Hours Until the “End”.
【Josh】
I paid for dinner this time – I should, after she’s paid for almost everything else, and pretty soon, I will be five million dollars richer because of her.
We walked in silence – unusual. Normally, she wouldn’t shut up. Yet now…
She hadn’t eaten a lot at dinner, either. I’m pretty sure that was the first time I’ve seen her not eat food when offered, ever. My forehead creased as I thought about this.
I had no idea where we were going, and I’m sure she didn’t know either. Maybe that was the fun of it. Being able to go where you wanted, when you wanted. Completely freedom, unbound by society.
Listen to me, getting all philosophical.
We stopped in outside an empty amusement park – one of those crappy small ones. I could just see a long-abandoned merry-go-round, covered in leaves the tree ahead had shed in the autumn. It was dark and eerie, and the shadows of the tree branches swayed, and I have to admit, kind of made me scared. The front gate was chained up, and all the lights were off.
I stared at London, trying to figure out what she wanted, but I knew something was wrong. She was paler than usual, and there was a light sheen of sweat on her forehead.
She really must be worried.
“Let’s go in,” London said, forcing out a smile.
“London, are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine,” she replied, turning away. “I’m just trying to work out something.”
I frowned. “I didn’t know you could do Math.”
She glared at me. “No, I mean, how can I get over the fence, so I can something to hit you with.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Nope. Let’s climb over the fence.”
Without another second to actually consider the consequences, she hooked a foot into a gap in the gate, and started hoisting herself up.
I pulled at her leg (she was already half the way up. Wow, she climbed fast), and tried to pull her back down.
“What are you doing?” I hissed. We were right next to road, and even though the road was empty right now, a car could come along any minute. “Get back down here!”
London looked down at me, her eyes full of excitement.
“Come on, Josh! I’ve never done anything like this before in my life. I was to feel alive, okay? I was stuck in a continuous cycle in my house, my school and any stupid events I had to go to. I was to do something different, for once?”
That was such a bad excuse. What did she think we’d been doing for the last week or so? Having “fun”? She was probably just trying to buy herself more time.
I sighed, arguing in my mind. Should I follow her, mess about in the old amusement park, and pretend we were regular teenagers just a little while longer, or should I take control, the way a “kidnapper” was meant to?
“Please,” London whispered, her eyes suddenly wide and pleading. She looked…scared.
I sighed, grabbed a part of the gate – a cold metal rod – and started hoisted myself up after her.
***
(London)
Works every time.
***
Two and a Half Hours Until the “End”.
【Josh】
“Come on, there’s nothing to do here,” I said, but still letting myself get dragged by London.
“Scared, are we?” London said, flashing me a grin.
“No!” I snapped, immediately feeling the need to defend my masculinity. “Of course I’m not scared! I’m just…worried we might get caught here!”
London flashed me a grin.
“Aren’t you scared?” I muttered, walking faster, matching her pace now. I’d given in.
“Nope,” London said, still smirking. “I’m here with you.” How could she say cute things like that, without feeling a little bit embarrassed? “Besides,” she added, “if anyone catch us in this place, they’ll probably just arrest you. My Dad’ll just buy me out of it.”
Not so cute now.
I sulked, staring into the distance. We walked in silence for a while, and the only sounds I could hear were the crunching sounds of our feet on frosted grass, and my slow breathing.
I glanced at London. She should be begging me right now to forgive her. That was the way we worked. Something really was wrong.
Now I looked at her, her eyes were strangely unfocused, and her breathing was harsh – ragged.
“Are you okay?” I asked, forgetting I was meant to be mad at her. “London?”
She looked at me, and her face was blank for a second. Then she blinked.
“I’m fine,” she laughed, but the sound was too tense, too forced. “I’m just… worried.”
I was leading her now. I took her to an old picnic bench, and sat her down.
“What are you worried about?” I asked, kicking an empty coke can. “What’ve you got to be worried about? It’s easy for you, right? You can go home, soon.”
“Who the hell wants to go home?” she said, her tongue twisting the word, making it sound dirty. “I had my life. It’s boring. It’s slow. Nothing happens. I want to be with you, having these crazy adventures, and doing things I would never do.”
“You can’t run forever, London.” My voice was soft. “Trust me, you don’t want to lose your Dad. He’s your only family.”
“I don’t care. I…I hate him.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“I do,” she said firmly. “All my life, he’s controlled. I’ve gone to the school he wants me to go, I’ve made friends with the people only he approves of, and I’ve even taken whatever lessons he’s forced me into. I’ve never complained. Now, for once, I want to do something for myself. I want to be with you.”
“What about my family?” I asked harshly. Why didn’t she understand? “You know what the Mafia would do to them. You don’t understand, you’re not in the same position!”
“I don’t understand?!” she screamed, leaping up. “I’ve already lost my Mother!”
“But it wasn’t your fault! If I don’t give them the money, it will be my fault! My family’s blood will be on my hands!”
“Are you mad at me?” she yelled, taking a couple steps closer to me. She was shaking, and her face was pale. “Is it because I didn’t have sex with you last night? Is it because I just slept next to you? Is this it?!”
“No!” What the hell was she talking about? Did she really think I was that kind of guy? A hot flare of anger suddenly rose, and I found myself yelling, “What does it matter anyway?! It’s not like we actually had sex! You’re making such a big deal out of it, when it doesn’t even mean anything anyway –”
The look she gave me was a dozen different expressions, all mixed together into the most painful face I’d ever seen. My heart stopped. What did I just say? I didn’t mean that, I was just…
“I’m sorry, Josh,” London said, her voice unbelievably cold, the coldest she’d ever sounded to me. Her eyes were devoid of anything. “That it meant something to me.”
And she turned and ran away.
***
(London)
I ran hard, tears flowing from my eyes. I reached the gate a lot quicker than he did – running had never been Josh’s forte – and I jumped over it with ease. As I landed on the other side, the pain in my stomach spiked, and an audible gasp left my lips.
“London!”
It was Josh.
I gritted my teeth, and dug my nails into my palm, hard. I felt new spots of pain appear in my hands, and I knew I was bleeding. But it made the other pains go away. I didn’t know if I was talking about the throbbing I had in my stomach, or in my chest.
I made myself stand up, and carry on going.
I was going to Strell End. I’ll get Josh his bloody money, and never see him again.
***
Author's Note: LOL I am very, very bored, so I am officially writing my fave apps on iPhone:
1. Cause of Death FREE by EA (Free version is exactly the same as paid version, it just has some ads)
2. Surviving High School FREE by EA (Ditto. Can't be bothered to copy and paste. I'm so hardcore LOL)
3. Ovenbreak Infinity by UNKNOWN (i.e. CBA to find out.)
4. Doodle Jump by Lima Sky
5. Infect Them All by UNKNOWN (i.e. CBA to find out.)
Sorry, you guys probably don't care, but I'm trying to take up more pages. Sorry, that's very naughty of me, so to say sorry, next part will be longer. If i remember. I'm usually very busy playing games LOL
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