It has to be Nick.
After reflecting upon the last few days, Nick has been there, he knows the girls, and he has already been stalking me. He has motive, and it's easily a possibility.
I walked home and changed, there's no way Nick is here. He know's that home is the last place I would go, therefore, I'll go there. I enter into my loft, the girls are waiting in the kitchen for me, unscathed. It was morning, and they were dressed for school even though I wasn't home.
"Lucy? What happened? Are you okay?!" The girls asked me, they saw my muddy clothes, and scraped skin from falling. I was a wreck, but there's hardly time for that.
"Girls, you're going to school, and you need to find a place to stay for the night or a ride home, okay? "
The two girls are starting to tear up, they have awful looks on their faces. I'm so sorry to put you through this.
"girls, everything will be okay. Just think of it as a free day? Don't leave each other's side, and don't talk to ANY strangers. "
I jogged up to my room, changing into dry clothes, I sneaked a loaded gun into my vest, and tied up my hair. I jogged into the kitchen and grabbed my prep bag. It's pre-packed with snacks and a med kit in case of an emergency.
"Car car car, go." I mutter, the girls grab their bag and leave the house.
We climb into the car and drive off, I take them to school instead of taking them on the bus.
After the kids get dropped off, I know exactly where to go.
______
my feet storm up the clean walkway to the two story house.
I tried the front door, locked.
I decide to go through the back door, I wander into the back yard and unholster my pistol.
I hear someone upstairs, it sounds like a girl screaming.
I should have just killed him last time I was here. Honesty, can the neighbors really not hear this?
I crept up the stairs, and went to his door. I gently tried the knob, which was locked. I have serious doubts that he managed to get a girlfriend. I step back and kick down the door, I refuse to even describe what I was seeing.
I pointed the gun at Nick, " GET ON THE GROUND, NOW," he stepped back, raising his arms in the air.
"Jealous? Baby, you didn't have to leave so early last time," He has a unfocused look to his eyes, and his right hand is twitching. He keeps his arms up and drops down to his knees.
I glance over to the girl, who's balling her eyes out. She was more than likely kidnapped, she seems to be a teenager. There's a uniform from a magnet school for high school kids. She didn't even graduate high school.
Why didn't I just kill him yesterday? Why did I kill Tyler and not Nick?
Now two people are going to be dead, and this innocent kid was....
I take a deep breath and refocus. I keep the gun pointed at nick while carefully maneuvering my way towards the girl. I can't help but acknowledge that the younger girl and I have strikingly similar traits. Our hair and eye color are the same.
"You're going to be okay, " I say calmly while I find a knife to cut a zip tie from the girl's wrists, her skin was bruised and torn from struggling.
" I need you to run downstairs and leave, okay? Go to a hospital immediately." I say, I look her in the eyes and she nods, she shakily gets up and hurries out of the room.
"Why were you trying to catch me last night?" I say, turning back to Nick.
He stands up, laughing, "I don't know what the hell you're talking about," He spits.
"Don't play dumb with me, you've been stalking me this whole time, you were at the shooting two days ago, and you followed me to the bridge".
He begins to glare as apposed to smirk, it was silent for a moment, like something I told him upset him "Babe, I have no idea what you're talking about".
I watch his face, I can't tell if he's lying.
I try recalling something from the other night, to confirm that it wasn't him.
Either way, I can't let Nick keep hurting people, he needs to die.
"You're too far gone Nick, I've gotta let you go," I say, tightening my finger on the trigger.
"That's a real hypocritical thing to say, babe," he smiles, staring at the floor. I can see his hands shaking, he's stalling, he knows that I'll pull the trigger.
my hands are shaking, this is awful. How did I end up with the gun?
I shoot, aiming for his head but Tyler's face flashed into my head, and I miss.
Nick looks up wide eyed and angry as hell.
He takes the chance to try charging at me, but I shoot him in the chest causing him to stumble right back down to the floor.
I step back, I feel a lump in my throat. Casualties, that's all.
This isn't the first time, Lucy, stop being biased.
Nick grovels in pain, his life slowly spilling out onto the wood board floor.
This is justice. This is necessary.
my feet turn away from the body, and I grab a scrunched up uniform from the floor then exit the room to the lower entryway where I find the naked young lady cowering in a corner. I grab a throw blanket from the couch, and toss it in her direction.
She is fairly ineffective in hiding and running away, I question why she didn't simply leave.
I kneel beside her, avoiding moving too quickly or physical contact. She doesn't look at me much at all as she quietly holds her knees to her chest, seeming a bit shocked.
"Change back into your clothes, and contact a neighbor. Tell them you killed him out of self defense. I was never here, understand?" I say, then stand up to leave.
This is cruel, to leave her by herself, but honestly, there's not much else I can do.
The damage is done.
Suddenly I hear something thud down the stairs case.
The girl whimpers, and I turn to see Angel swaying down the stairs, gripping the wound in his chest with his right hand, and holding the railing and a gun with is left.
He suddenly began screaming and raised up the gun. It was the same gun he had yesterday.
He fired a shot in my direction so I drop to the floor to avoid being hit. Nothing hits me, but my gun falls out of my vest and slides off a few feet.
We both rush to try grabbing it, I grab the handle, but Nick steps on my wrist with his bare foot.
I curse at the sharp pain from the weight on my wrist
"If I can't have you, no one can, bitch." He says, loosely holding the gun, about to shoot.
despite his poor form, he's close enough that it's impossible for him to miss his mark. he stares down at me, laughing maniacally. "This is what happens when you misbehave," he says, I see that same dazed look in his eye, and I cringe.
