𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡

𝟏𝟓 | 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐝

Game over. I'm going to jail.

I swallowed forcefully to sink down my fear, wondering if I should defend myself if I was charged with murder. It would probably be better if I confessed, and told the truth right away, not causing Otto more problems.

You don't get the chance to sweep under a rug the fact that you're a murderer, I argued with myself in my head.

"Eeeh, do you mean her?" Otto asked. This stupid question made me want to slam his head onto the steering wheel. What happened to act naturally?

"Is anyone else in this car?" The woman joined the conservation, making my friend more uneasy. She was definitely good at causing anxiety in others.

When will they finally stop playing with us and tell me they both know what I did?

"No." I decided to enter the debate as well before Otto could blow our secret. "It's just me. I don't feel well. That's why I may look a little repulsive," I muttered, trying my best to sound convincing.

"And why aren't you feeling well?" the policeman wanted to know.

"Because she drank a lot," Otto said again. "She actually drank a lot more than most of us. And she was mixing every alcohol we had. Yeah, I know, what a dumb idea, am I right? But, as you can see, she held on like a heroine, and she's alive, yay. Apart from minor liver problems, she feels great, doesn't she?" Otto turned to me, and I began to nod eagerly.

"I know we're not supposed to drink yet, but it was our friend's birthday, and he can be very persuasive. I've learned my lesson, and I will not do it till my twenty-one's birthday, I swear. Just please, let us go, because I don't want to throw up in my best friend's car. He will kill me," I lied, giving them my best smile. I hope they'll eat this up.

"Please don't throw up," Otto prayed out loud, which have made the policeman grin.

"I hope you, young man, didn't drink," he said.

"No," Otto blurted out, "I'm a driver after all."

This time, the policewoman gave him a question: "And how long have you been driving?"

"Well, I turned sixteen two years ago, so-"

"I didn't mean it like that," she interrupted him. "How long your trip takes – where exactly was this party?" Otto and I both looked at each other. We tried to act innocent because we had nothing to hide, didn't we?

"It was in a small cottage by the pond. Outside the city. Go look there if you wanna see the mess my friend caused, hah," Otto replied calmly, laughing at his own joke.

"No, thank you," the woman said with a disgusted grimace and patted her colleague on the shoulder. He nodded and said:

"All right then, you can go." After these words, I had almost breathed out loud with relief.

"Thank you, Mr. and Mrs.," Otto smiled sweetly.

It looked promising. For a moment, I believed we could leave without a car inspection. Add the speed and run away sooner than they will get a report on the missing David Jensen. But we rejoiced prematurely...

"Wait!" The policeman knocked on the window. Otto pulled it down, but before that, he gave me a brief, timorous look.

"I forgot to return you the documents," the man remarked, handing Otto a pile of papers.

"Thanks," he cleared his throat and put them in the storage space.

"So, I think that's it." Yes! "You can go-"

"Not yet. We forgot to check the suitcase," the policewoman interrupted her college. With her words, my breath froze and got stuck in my throat. "Can we look there?" For a second, Otto did freeze too, but then he nodded quickly. I raised my eyebrows doubtfully but then realized there was no other way. What else were we supposed to do?

I watched two cops silently as they opened the trunk. My shoulders were stiff, and I began to breathe faster, making me worry even more that my chest will blow up.

"Stay calm," Otto commanded. I didn't understand how he didn't panic. Did we store David's body there or not?

After a minute, they returned, and I waited for the handcuffs to be put on my hands. The blood on them would only convict me of their accusation.

I was in pure shock when nothing like my vision did happen. They told us to leave. We didn't wait for another second; Otto started the vehicle, and the police car started to appear to be smaller and smaller.

"But... I don't understand," I said uncertainly. Otto grinned contentedly and, without even looking at me, replied:

"Would you be happier if they find a dead surprise there?" I shook my head, waiting for him to stop making sarcastic comments and rather give me an explanation. I was dying to know how this was possible. Why are we not sitting in a police cell now?

Otto sighed.

"The truth is David's corpse is really there. It's hidden in a part of the trunk that only my brother and I know about. He used it to smuggle alcohol and marijuana. Fortunately, the cops didn't know where to look."

With my mouth open, I stared at a friend who had just managed to outsmart the police. I was grateful it happened. It meant I got a second chance. A chance to save my mother – and I won't just waste it.

As the distance between us and the police car increased, my fear slowly diminished. But the guilt of the murder was even bigger. As I closed my eyes, I saw David's bloodied face, and as I opened them, I saw the blood on my hands. Everything was red.