The dirt crunched under my shoes as I headed for the guy.
He wasn’t unconscious, like he’d been playing. At my approach, one eye opened, and I saw panic flare there. He tried to get away, but couldn’t. His injuries were too much.
I sat next to him, fishing out my phone. “Stop.” He was still trying to get away, but it was only adding to his injuries. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
A gargled groan came from him.
I shook my head. “Trying to talk is useless. Save your energy.” I waved my phone at him. “We’re in the middle of nowhere.”
Jordan liked to bring his victims to this part of town for that reason. It was a small alcove at the top of a hill. The street ended up here, and there were only trees surrounding us.
The guy quieted, watching me with that same panicked eye.
“I’m going to call for an ambulance. I’m going to give them your name, and then I’m going to sit here with you until they come. If you turn me in…” I let the threat hang between us.
Guilt flashed in his eyes. He knew what would happen.
I dialed 9-1-1 and sat with him.
This scene should’ve bothered me: a guy who could barely move and was bleeding out beside me. The silence in the woods around us. The fact that he was like this because of my group. But it didn’t.
Now that the guys were gone, the firefly lingered beside me, keeping me company.
I closed my eyes, my insides matching the outside.
I felt one with the darkness.
No. This scene didn’t bother me one bit.
I loved the silence. I welcomed the silence, and it wasn’t interrupted until the shrill ambulance sirens cut through the air.
I let out a sigh, knowing the dark calm would go away now, and looked out over the hill. From the top, I could see the lights of the ambulance coming from miles away.
I’d have to move. They couldn’t find me with him, but for now I waited.
The road wound all the way around the hill on its way up. Once the ambulance was just around the bend, I patted the guy on the leg.
“Okay, I’m off.” I glanced back to him as I stood. “You’re going to be fine.” I dusted off my jeans. Some of the dirt seemed to land in his eye, and he blinked a few times, still watching me steadily. It seemed like he was asking me not to leave, but I shook my head.
“I can’t stay. Just don’t mess with another girl. Okay?”
I waited a beat. The ambulance was almost to us. I needed to go. Yet I bent down over him. I took out my knife and placed it against his throat. He went completely still.
“If I hear that you’ve touched another girl against her will…” I pressed the knife against his skin. “I’ll come alone next time, and I won’t leave you awake. Got it?”
He blinked. That’s all he could do.
The lights began to turn toward where we were, so I moved into the darkness, slipping my knife back into my pocket.
The ambulance lit up the street where he lay, and as they parked, I stepped back into the trees. They hid me, even as I heard one of the paramedics curse.
“Fuck. Who did this?”
The other paramedic didn’t answer, and as instructed, the guy didn’t either. As one EMT began to talk to him, taking his vitals, the other opened the back to pull out a stretcher. It was only a few minutes later when they were gone again.
I stepped out and walked back to where he’d lain as the ambulance moved down the hill. Its lights disappeared into the darkness, and I was all alone.
There were shortcuts all through the woods, but I was content to walk down the middle of the road.
I just followed the white dashes.
