Burning Desire

Chapter 6

Hale

My feet pounded on the concrete as rain continued to pelt down. My whole body was shaking. I couldn't figure out if it was from the cold, or from fear. I brushed my hair out of my eyes and scanned the street.

There!

I ran for the cover between two buildings. I needed to get away from the people that were chasing me before they could reach me and kill me. I knew they had guns and they've already tried to shoot at me once.

I slipped into the alley and crouched behind a dumpster. The smell of rotting food invaded my senses. I tensed as I heard something. It was impossible to discern any sounds in the pouring rain.

The adrenaline was fading and my body was regaining feeling. I tried to gasp for breath, but my bruised ribs protested loudly. There was a knife wound in my side that kept leaking blood. My entire body ached. I could still feel their hands and feet raining down on me.

Larry had sent me on another pickup. I didn't think anything about it, I went every few days. This one was different. The guys wanted more money. They said they explicitly told Larry that he needed to sell more per week. They didn't abade by the 'don't kill the messenger' rule and the knife had made an appearance as their agitation grew.

I could hear a car passing in the street. Somewhere, far away, a dog howled. I gasped as another wave of pain washed over me. I didn't even have any idea in what part of the town I was. I didn't know how I'd ever get back home.

I waited for another thirty minutes to be sure that the guys had left. Drug dealers didn't ususally stay long enough to get caught. They would've turned tail and ran when they lost me, but you could never be too sure.

The pain was getting worse. I didn't know what to do. My limbs felt heavy and my head was swimming from the blood loss. I clutched at the gaping hole in my side and staggered upright. My hands gripped the wall in support as I made my way back onto the street.

I tried to make out shapes in the dark. The rain turned everything blurry. If I could just figure out where the hell I was, I could start to make my way home.

I froze as a sign cought my eye. I suddenly knew exactly where I was and it wasn't good. I must have run a lot further than I thought. This was definitely on the other side of town from my place. The rich side. Sky's side.

I assessed my options. Logically, I knew that going to him now would put him in danger, but I also knew I would never make it home in my state. It was a choice between going to Sky and dying. A car's headlights blinded me and I lifted my hand to shield my eyes. I couldn't stay on the sidewalk where I was in full view of anyone and everyone. There was really only one option.

I lurched accross the street and started my painful walk to his apartment building. Maybe he wasn't even there. Maybe I would ring him up, get no answer and die in the lobby. What a fun sight for him when he finally got home.

I pushed weakly at the glass doors. Heads turned. Eyes grew wide. Everyone stopped moving. I pressed Sky's apartment number and waited for the call to go through. My keys to his place was at home.

"Sky Clarkson. How can I help you?" My knees buckled when I heard his voice.

"Sky..." I cleared my throat and tried again. "Sky, I'm in the lobby. Any chance you can come help me up?" Maybe it was the croaking sound of my voice, or maybe Sky could hear the pleading, but he didn't ask why I suddenly needed help. He just ended the call and appeared in the elevator doors two minutes later.

People were still staring at me, but nothing else mattered as I saw Sky's face. He smiled at me, then a look of horror replaced it. I knew I looked bad. I was hunced against the wall. My black hoodie and jeans were soaked through from the rain and clinging to my body. My face throbbed and I was sure I'd have a bruise tomorrow. I was still clutching my side desperately in an attempt to stop the bleeding. I'd been stabbed before and knew how to handle it myself. The knife wasn't big enough to do a lot of damage if I could just tend to the wound soon.