nightrunners

xx.

Her face went pale and her jaw clenched as she stood there frozen paralyzed with fear. In one swift movement, he glided towards her, his cigarette dangling from his dirt filled fingertips.

"Does it scare you?" He tilted his head to the side.

His fingers drummed on the counter as she remained still, her hand slowly going to her back pocket for the earpiece.

"Why would you do that? They were innocent animals," She mustered out, her fingertips tracing the outline of her pocket.

Barry chuckled in amusement, "Plain and simple, that Pogue ripped me off before and Rafe always disliked him."

"But why?"

"You."

She shook her head furiously, "I didn't cause this, this has nothing to do with me."

Barry shrugged and raised the cigarette to his lips, "He came up with the plan sweetheart, I just took charge. It was meant to be a warning."

She felt her forehead grow hot and her hands clammy. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the earpiece, squeezing it between her fingertips.

He took a hit of his cigarette, "Like I said, he was too much of a pussy to do anything."

He inched closer to her as Cassiopeia stumbled backwards, her sweaty fingers letting go of the earpiece. The device hit the floor and Barry's eyes darted towards it. She took a deep breath as he leaned forward, remnants of the smoke on his breath dancing over her ear.

"You tell," He mumbled, "you end up like one of them, and Rafe won't be an obstacle."

He chuckled as her body began to shake and he raised his foot up, slamming it down on the earpiece, crushing it into pieces.

Just as he did that, she bolted out the door and to her bike, instantly throwing up into the pile of dirt next to her.

She could faintly hear his laughter coming from the mobile home and she trembled as she mounted her bike in a hurry. With two feet on the pedals, she biked faster than ever before, her legs racing down the dirt road and onto the pavement, the light of the moon guiding her through the otherwise vast darkness.

--

Her first thought was to get JJ, knowing that he would awake instantly to Barry's confession, however the man's words lingered in her head. She couldn't risk anymore harm to the Pogues. Her second thought was to confront Rafe, but dare she cause a scene at one of the most prominent residences in town? Between encountering a murderous Barry and the wealthy Camerons, Cassiopeia knew there was no easy way out of this besides staying silent.

Her legs finally gave out and she parked her bike in the middle of the desolate road. She attempted to catch her breath, but she was still so shaken up that she ran over to a ditch on the side of the road and spit up the remaining vomit that was loitering in her mouth.

Without the earpiece, she had no way of officially proving that Barry and Rafe killed JJ's chickens. All she had was her word against the town's infamous drug dealer. She collapsed on the ground and wrapped her arms around her legs, her mind racing.

She rocked back and forth for a few moments, silently cursing at herself for coming back here.

Towards the end of the road, she made contact with a flash of headlights. She scrambled to her feet and got back on her bike. Guess Barry had decided that she possessed loose lips. Her hands violently shook as she gripped the handlebars and used her remaining energy to propel herself down the road.

She peered behind to see the car gaining on her. Her legs were like machinery, working furiously to keep her moving. She shifted in her seat before hanging a sharp left, her bike barreling into an open field.