Running with Secrets

Untitled Part 1

Jeanie Pollard kicked and flailed her legs against the floor of the warehouse as Matther choked her against the wall. She grabbed his arms, but his strength was too much. She knew it was her end. His three cohorts behind him yelled at him to hurry. The police could come at any time. Just finish the job already. She remembered her college biology professor had said dead people eliminated one last time. She remembered the snickers of the new freshmen, who thought it was funny he'd say that. But if she had any hope against the angry eyes looking down at her, now was the time. Jeanie slowed her legs, and tried to slow her breathing, as difficult as it was, she relaxed her hands, gasped one more time for air as best she could and wet herself as she stopped moving and dropped her hands.

"It's done," he said over his shoulder.

"You sure?" Xavier asked, walking closer. "You sure?"

"She's lying in a puddle of pee. I'm sure of it." He heard laughter from behind him. Matther leaned over Jeanie's body, her breathing faint as she could bear. She hoped her swimming skills paid off and her adrenaline would cooperate. She hoped he would leave without taking 'protective measures.' After all, she went to the trouble of wetting herself already. She felt him get closer, and though she wasn't sure, Jeanie thought she heard Matther Benson tell her he was sorry and that he really did love her.

Then he was gone. She heard his footstep meet the others and congratulatory slaps--presumably on his back.

"Your first, Man. Way to go!" One voice said before he let lose a ribbon of curses.

"With your hands," she heard another. "That's hard work right there!"

Jeanie continued to stay down, not moving from her slumped spot on the floor, as the voices grew fainter and fainter for what felt like hours passed as she lay there, in her own waste. The concrete warehouse floor grew colder and the crack of light through the open door indicated her thoughts were right. She passed into unconsciousness and slept a cold, hard sleep. Jeanie woke many times by the rumble in her stomach, but was too exhausted to act on it. She didn't dare move, but the headache she felt and the throbbing in her neck begged her for water.She still didn't dare move, but the need for water began to outweigh her fear, so she waited only a little longer.

As Jeanie lifted her head up, she heard sirens outside. Faintly at first, but surely as this area of town was heavily industrial, they couldn't be coming on her account. She could only imagine how disheveled her hair looked, but right now, she was cold and thirsty, and she didn't care. The sirens grew closer and Jeanie tripped over herself toward the open door and through her headache, she heard cars slam their doors and people, she assumed police, yelling to each other. She grabbed her ears with her hands, it was too loud, and she barely saw the flashing red and blue lights through the sliver of the open door and dropped to the ground as the officers burst into the large room, guns drawn. She didn't notice much more because she fell over. Perhaps she was imagining things when she felt herself fall, but she thought she heard someone yell for an ambulance.