
I’ve been working in this town for a long time. Not the job I wanted, but it was good enough. Building my way to the top. I ask no questions, keep my head down and eyes on the prize. Where they make the magic happen. It was wine night. The sky was turning dark purple and I was waiting for Haley, my new “work friend” to come over and talk over drinks. She is always the life of the party, a star. She got here and I put out some paperwork. We sat down in the dining room. She was nervous when she looked at me and said “Hey so I just met Tom C-” When she said the name Tom, I didn’t have to wait for her to say the full name. I immediately knew what she was going to say next. Her life was over. My eyes swelled up. Asked why I am sad, I had to say I was happy for her. I wasn’t. If I told her what she does not know yet, they will not have her. The people I work for. They would cut my supply off. Who am I without the supply? I had to tell her I have to run to the bathroom because I’m starting to get sinus pain. We hugged and departed, for the very last time. In the bathroom, I didn’t bother to lock the door, let alone completely shutting it. Looking at myself in the mirror, I think of this job and how hard it is, but there is a reason why I signed up for this job. I muttered, I said “Great job, you have brought another one off the cliff” As soon I said that, I heard a loud boom. I walked out of the bathroom startled, walked to the dining room, Haley had already left. Of course. I was walking to the front deck but I felt something crunch under my foot. It was a broken nail, and something else- skin?? What the hell is going on? I can’t think straight. Haley is always using cheap nail glue but not anymore. She will be having people doing her nails with some fancy nail glu-- “LORENZO!!” I heard Haley, she must be out front. She has never said my real name before. We all swore to Him not to ever say our birth name to another. But she did. She broke the oath. Now she will suffer. Something bad, a punishment. The front door was smashed open. I ran outside, my eyes touched Haley's eyes but then I didn’t see her anymore. She disappeared, fast. Only thing left of her was her shoes. I can’t identify or recognize what kind of fucking dissolution it was. It was like she burned into a speck of nothing. I see a gray duffel bag, with a little black book on top. A note attached to the book, I opened it. It reads “Step one completed. Our team is sending you good vibes. Please buy a ticket en route to Melbourne, VIC- now. Do not read the next page until you arrive at VIC” I am so confused, what happened to Haley? How the hell am I going to tell someone? Who the hell am I to even tell someone, let alone report an abduction. Or maybe it was a murder. I can’t even tell any cop about it. They fucking parties with the big cops. I do not know who to turn to. I just wanna open a bottle of wine. Scared and bewildered, I took out a cigarette to smoke but I found myself opening the black notebook again, turning to the next page. “Before you call Laura Hinney at this number, run over someone with a rental car” What? Then what? What the fuck? I dropped the notebook, and looked into the duffel bag. It was a heavy bag of $20,000.
About the Creator
Chris Sandlin
I read too much.


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