Little Bird [-hs]

003 - red right hand

Trigger Warning:
Gun Violence, Extreme Violence and Blood

NAOMI

I wasn't expecting Harry to take me to the docks.

I thought I was going to meet him there, take the bus and tune out the world with my earbuds. This was my time to mentally prepare myself for whatever lay ahead. Instead I have to sit here, pretending to be composed and calm, while he drums his fingers along the steering wheel like he doesn't have a care in the world.

It's almost like he showed up in my dressing room on purpose. Like the whole point is that I haven't had a second to catch my breath since I got off stage. I press my head harder into the glass of the car window, staring at the city light in the sideview mirror. Portsmouth, Virginia. We're a few miles out from what is considered the actual city by locals. The skyline sits like a crown against the soft hills of the coast. To our right is a row of scraggly buildings and trees, beyond that the black water. There's a soft drizzle of rain falling from the sky. It streaks down into my vision and cools off the surface of the window.

"You do that every night." The words roll off his tongue with ease, splitting open the uncomfortable silence in the car.

"Almost."

"Does it ever get boring?" He hits the brakes.

My body lurches forward. We're in the middle of an intersection. The stoplight shines bright red in front of us. "What the fuck are you doing?" My head whips to his. There are no other cars on the road. The crosswalk is lit with a white, pedestrian figure.

He runs his hands over the wheel. "Waiting for a car to hit us."

"What?" I try to open the door. He's quick to lock it. The bolt slips into the frame of the door and disappears. I rattle the handle. "Oh my god." My breath gives way.

That's when the beam of light hits me. My eyes widen. A giant pickup truck blows down the road towards us, its blue headlights blinding me. "Harry!" I shout.

"Isn't this fun?" His eyes shine.

"No!" I shout back. The light brightens, sending adrenaline racing through me. Harry closes his eyes and smiles. A horn blares from the truck. Three long, angry honks. The vehicle rolls to a stop at the intersection, turns slightly, and drives around us. As it disappears it honks one more time. I let out a deep breath and slink back into my seat.

"They weren't going to hit us." Harry eases off the brakes.

"You're fucking insane," I mutter. My stomach knots.

He turns off the street and onto a yellow gravel road. It's wet and sticks to the tires as we drive over it for a few feet. He puts us in park and flicks off the headlights.

"We're here," he hums, stepping out of the car and slamming his door behind him. I stay curled in my chair. My head presses against the sharp vinyl of my seatbelt. There's a rapping against my window. Harry opens the passenger side door and leans his arms against the frame, bending his head down to look at me. His damp curls dangle over his face. The rain mists my shoulder. "Let's go." 

When I hesitate a moment longer, he reaches over me, unbuckles my seatbelt, and grabs my arm.

The rain hits my face. It chills my blazing hot skin. He locks the car, shoves his hands into his jacket pockets, and offers his elbow. I walk around him toward the docks. My boots splash in the yellow rain puddles. His footsteps crunch after me.

The docks are made of wet, hollow wood. They stretch out in long gridded patterns, shiny boats tied along the edges. The water beneath the structure is inky black. I turn on my heel and cross my arms over my chest. "What are we doing?" I mutter through chattering teeth.