Alive

Chapter 12: Fight Or Flight

My shoes pounded against the ground as I bolted out of my apartment and down the stairs, practically taking 3 at a time. I know where I would've gone if I was Charlie. Sam.

I ran through the building doors and out onto the street, looking for her car. There weren't many places you could park along this street so it didn't take long to see that hers was gone. Shit. She had a head start. I ran to my car, clicking the button on the key and diving in as fast as humanly possible. I couldn't let her get to Sam, I couldn't. If she made it before I could stop her, that was it, everything was over.

The light I was fast approaching turned red but I carried on, half expecting to be pulled over by a cop the way this day was going. But I made it across the junction and down the street without any trouble.

I'd only ever been to Sam's twice, when him and Charlie first moved in together and had a house warming party, and a New Year's Eve party a year ago, but because I needed to get there, my brain worked to direct me there without any mistakes. I'd made enough of those in the past few hours.

She wouldn't go to the police first, she would later on, but she'd want to get to Sam first. They fought all the time but she couldn't do anything without him. I pulled up in front of their place and saw one car in the driveway. Charlie's. Sam was out... She was inside alone.

I knew that they kept a spare key underneath a plant plot next to the front door. The door creaked as I opened it, despite my efforts to be quiet.

"Sam?" Charlie called out in a panicked voice. She came into view at the top of the stairs and she froze as she saw me. I held my hands up in front of me to show her that I wasn't there to hurt her. I didn't exactly know what I was there for, I hadn't thought that far ahead. I didn't think 'Hey sorry about that. Friends?' would suffice.

"You stay away from!" She screamed.

What was I supposed to do? I couldn't kill her, Sam would be on his way back by now as I assumed she'd phoned him. I couldn't just bargain with her not to tell anyone. Seriously what the fuck was I supposed to do?

Since my mind wasn't up to the task I let my body make the decisions. I ran up the stairs and she screamed again as she backed into the wall on the landing. My foot hit the top step and she lunged forward and kicked me in the stomach. That hurt, but not as much as falling down the stairs and cracking my head on the floor at the bottom.

"Fuck." I groaned, I was dizzy and my head was throbbing. I brought my hand to my head where it hurt, it was soaked with blood. I pushed myself up onto my knees but I fell back down. Shit. My head hurt like a bitch, Charlie had probably called the police and Sam would be back any minute.

Time to suck it up. Forcing myself onto my feet I ran up the stairs again, making sure she wasn't going to boot me down them a second time. I don't think my skull could've handled another blow like that.

The sound of the front door opening made me jump. Shit. Two against one. There was no way I could take them both down, not with my head as fucked as it was. Fight or flight.

"Charlie?!" Sam's voice echoed up the stairs, I guessed he must've found the blood from my head on the floor. I found the bathroom and hid behind the door, waiting until I saw Sam run past it. Then I ran down the stairs and out the front door.

I didn't know where I was going yet, but I had to run. It was time. The police still wouldn't know about the 10 people I'd killed, but I'd still end up in prison once Charlie pressed charges for attempted murder. So I got back in my car and drove.