Running From the Truth- Luke Hemmings

It's Getting Interesting Now

"Carrie... Carrie slow down, Carrie I think you're bleeding." I don't know how long it's been, but I can't hear the police sirens anymore. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing. Feeling is starting to return to my body since the adrenaline of tonight's events is starting to wear off. My teeth begin to chatter as I realize how cold it is. Has it been this cold all night? How did i not notice? Frigid air bites and stabs at every bit of exposed skin. The wind whistles against my ears, and i pull my hood up in a feeble attempt at protecting myself from the elements. Once we slow down, dragging to a walk, I can feel the muscles in my feet in legs burning, and a sharp pain in my side. I look down, brushing stringy hair out of my face, and i'm terrified to see a gash in the side of my shirt rimmed with droplets of blood. I look to Luke for some sort of support. His face is stone cold serious. he almost doesn't even resemble the boy he was just a few hours ago. it's as if he's been replaced by an emotionless clone or a wax figure. "oh fuck, Luke. Oh fuck."

"Hey, hey, it's okay. It's gonna be fine. We'll lay low for a couple days and then I'll get you home and it'll be all sorted out because i'm the one who stabbed that guy, okay? You didn't do anything wrong, they'll know that. Okay?"

I don't think i really understand anything that's going on here. "wait, but that was self-defense, or... friend-defense? whatever, just i would have gotten real dead real quick if you hadn't gotten that guy got while you could, and any self respecting cop can see that! You probably won't be in trouble at all. Hell, you'll be a hero! You saved me!"

Luke just shakes his head. his face is dull and disappointed, and he looks old, like he's seen too much already. "No Carrie. You don't understand. They're not gonna see it like that. Those guys, what they were saying about me..."

"It wasn't true, was it? About that guy they said you put in the hospital?" I feel my brows furrow and my head starts to throb with the weight of the situation. 

Luke grimaces, like thinking back to what he did (or what Ricky said he did) is hard enough for him. Guilt flashes through me, but it's gone in a split second. I don't know anything about Luke. he really could have put someone in the hospital. Am I even safe with him? I take a step back and consider running. But where would i run? It's dark, but I can see the neighborhood around me. We got away from the gas station and are back in the more suburban residential part of town. It's probably less than a mile from my house. I'm not very good with directions, but my good friend Megan used to live around here and i spent a lot of summers at her house, so I could probably find my way back if I needed to. 

Luke pauses a long time before replying. He's starting to scare me. I'm just about to gather up the rest of my strength and start running again  when he clears his throat and slowly begins to explain himself. "Well... sort of. It's true. That guy Chris is in the hospital, but there's more too it than you'd think. It's too complicated for me to explain to you right now, but just know that I did what I had to do but the cops don't really see it that way. I'm in a little trouble as is, so they're gonna be searching pretty hard for me. I need to lay low and get out of here pretty quick, but you've gotta get home. You just have to trust me. I never wanted to hurt anyone, Carrie. I promise."

Everything around me spins. What does any of this mean? "Okay, so why can't I go home now? Why do I have to wait a few days with you? What's keeping me from fucking the hell off right here and now?" I raise my voice a bit at the end, trying to come across as intimidating rather than intimidated. I can't tell if I've convinced Luke.

"It's... I don't think it's safe. Carrie, those guys, they're dangerous. They won't go after Hannah or the guys because they know that those guys can hold their own. They've seen them in a fight before and they know what they're up against. You, on the other hand... you're different."