"Gabriella?...Gabriella...Gabriella!"
The world came back in a blur of color and movement. It took several minutes till my heavy eyelids would open, revealing a startling sight. I was lying on the hard ground floor of Las Dolce Vita. Moonlight from the skylight shone down in waves of light. Lindsey and Felix stood over me, eyes wide in surprise or fear I did not know.
Lindsey reached out, grabbing my hands and helping me back to my feet. My knees threatened to collapse beneath me, so I clung to her with all my strength. A sharp pain erupted from my skull, and a small cry escaped.
"O-oh! My goodness, Gabriella," Lindsey said beside me. Her arm slipped through mine to keep me steady. "I didn't see you there...are you okay? You look deathly pale."
"What happened?"
Felix gapped at me. "You don't remember?
"You were knocked to the ground when I came through the door," Lindsey explained, her voice taking on a comforting tone. "It seems you hit your head pretty hard. Are you okay?"
A trigger flipped in my subconscious, memories overwhelming me. The door, the pain in my head as I blacked out onto the floor, Felix helping to make sure I was okay, the man in the fedora, the note. I gasped at the pain, whether it was from the memories or my skull-splitting headache.
I tackled Lindsey in an embrace, clutching to her and never wanting to let go ever again. "You're okay!"
She was startled. "Okay? Of course, I am. What are you getting on about?" She pulled away, allowing me time to look her over. Not a speck of blood or bruises dotted her perfectly pale skin.
"The man in the fedora, h-he—"
"What man?"
Momentarily flustered, I looked over her shoulder to point out the man in question. The table sat empty, unoccupied, without a single glass or plate out of place. Lindsey followed my gaze.
"That table hasn't been used all night. Are you sure you're not imagining things?"
I racked my brain for a possible explanation of the circumstances. Perhaps I did imagine the man, but how would I have gotten shot. By all accounts, I should be dead, laying on the hard ground in an abandoned warehouse.
Perhaps something allowed me another chance to live out my days, help Lindsey and be by her side. Never again would I let anything happen to her as long as I was alive. Even if what occurred was all in my head, I would never forget my actions; how one choice changed my life forever.
I whipped out my phone, and the text message glared back at me in expectation. Only this time, I would not run, would not shrink from my fears. Hastily typing out the message to never again contact me, I felt Lindsey's kind hand rest on my shoulder.
"Gabriella, are you okay?"
A smile slowly etched the corner of my mouth. "I had the strangest dream."
Author's Note
I absolutely loved writing everything in this story, from the way the story flows together, one twist after another, to the character development. I put so much effort into every part and to see the final piece gave me so much relief and excitement. One (if not my top) favorite finished story!
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A Shot in the Dark
Mystery / Thriller*ForeWarning* Depictions of death, loss, distress, and fear Despite the worry of her best friend and co-worker, Gabriella, a lowly waitress, realizes that her past has finally caught on to her. After a past colleague reaches out to her with a compel...
