The Real Criminal
By Jadyn Rivera
“Help! Please. Let me in! Please
help!” begged Jenny while banging on her neighbor’s door. It was night and it
was pouring rain. Thunder cracked and Jenny jumped. The elderly lady opened the
door and Jenny bolted in. “I have to leave. I can’t stay here.”
“Why are you in such a rush? What
happened? Jenny what’s wrong? Is it him again?’
“Yes, he can’t find me. I have to go,”
Jenny said while quickly shoving the clothes she was holding into a pillow
case.
The elderly lady led her to the
bathroom and began to cut her long blonde hair to chin length. “I think I have
some hair dye somewhere” she said. “Aw, here.”
Jenny looked in the mirror at
herself, she now had short brown hair and looked completely different. She took
a deep breath and walked out of the house, into the rain. Hands shaking, heart
racing, Jenny put her hood on and cautiously walked to the bus station. Every
sound, every sight of something moving, she jumped from. She hid her face from
everyone possible. After what seemed like forever she was on a bus headed to a
small town named Braswell.
After driving the whole night, the
sun was up and Jenny got off the bus with nowhere to go. She walked for a while
trying to avoid anyone who may see her and reveal her identity. She settled
down under a tree that seemed to be away from people. Her eye lids got heavy
and she soon didn’t open them.
A
man lying on the floor bleeding. Pouring blood out of his side. Jenny’s
standing next to the body, drops the knife and runs out the door.
“Umm lady, hey. Wake up. You seemed
like you were having a bad dream or something.” Jenny opened her eyes to find a
man standing over her.
“Who are you? What do you want?!”
“Hey calm down, come with me.”
Jenny
got up and curiously followed the man. “I’m Josh…” the man said while leading
her to an old beaten up truck. Jenny stared at him oddly. “What’s your name?”
“Oh.. um..
Abigail.” The man opened the truck door as if he was offering a ride. Abigail
hesitated, then slowly got in.
“Where are you taking me?”
“I was thinking breakfast, at my
place? You can clean up and take a nice shower. I have a couch, it’s better
than a tree.”
“I don’t even know you.”
“Well I guess today is your lucky
day,” Josh said with a wink. “Relax, its just breakfast, not a wedding
proposal.” Abigail leaned back on her seat and looked out the window quietly. A
police car passed by and Abigail ducked under the window until it passed.
“Haha, what’s up you with anyway?
Why are you so jumpy? You kill someone or something?” Josh asked.
Abigail shuttered at the word
‘killed’. “Let’s just say you don’t know me.”
“Well I’d like to get to know you.’
“I guess today’s your lucky day,”
Abigail mimicked.
Several breakfasts and a few dates
later Abby started to fall for Josh’s charm. She knew she would eventually have
to tell him what happened, but she could never bring herself to do so. Once,
she tried to, but she just couldn’t get it out. A familiar looking man walked
into the grocery store and Abigail ducked and hid under a fruit display. “Abby
what is wrong? You’re always acting weird when we’re in public.” Josh said.
“I just thought that man was, never
mind. We need eggs.”
One night Abby was sleeping and had
such a bad dream that she was yelling in her sleep.
Abby
was walking out of a room, her hands covered in blood. The man lying on the
floor bleeding. The man got up and started to chase her. Chased her all the way
to Braswell. The man caught her and choked her until her lips were blue.
Payback.
Josh noticed all the odd thigs
Abigail did, the bad dreams, the jumpy actions, but he never said anything. He
just assumed that’s the way she’d always been and there was no reason to
question it. That was until the police showed up at the mechanic shop he worked
at.
A local police car pulled up
outside and an officer walked in. “Hi, can I help you?” asked Josh while wiping
his greasy hands on a rag,
“Yes you can. Do you know this
lady? She’s wanted for stabbing a man.” He police officer held up a picture of
a girl who looked strangely like Abigail. She had long blonde hair, but she
looked just like Abby. It was Abby. It all made sense now.
“I’m sorry I don’t know her.”
“Alright, well thanks anyways.”
That’s why Abigail was so jumpy all
the time. That’s why she never talks about her past. She killed a man. She’s a
murderer.
“You stabbed someone? Josh
confronted.
“I don’t know what you’re talking
about.”
“Oh come on Abby. I know. The
police showed up at work today and said you are wanted for stabbing someone and
leaving them there to die!”
“No Josh, he attacked me and I didn’t
know what else to do. Josh listen!”
“How am I supposed to believe that?
Why should I believe anything you say?”
“Josh, everything that I have told
you is the truth, the only thing that I lied about is my name and what had
happened.”
Josh stared are her very strictly,
he had no idea who she was and what she was capable of. Somewhere inside of
Josh he wanted to believe her but the other side didn’t know what to think.
“I don’t want to live with a
murderer. Get out of my house.”
“Josh I didn’t stab anyone… well I
did but, ugh it’s complicated.”
“Go,” Josh opened the door for Abby
and she slowly walked out. When she got out the door she turned and looked at
Josh. He slammed the door and it was over.
The two were falling apart without
each other. Abby couldn’t sleep and Josh couldn’t get her off his mind. While
Josh laid in bed at night he realized he never gave Abby a chance to tell her
side of the story and he decided to go talk to her.
“Abby, please tell me the truth and
please be honest. If what you say is really true then I can help you and help
protect you, but you have to tell me the truth.”
“My real name is Jenny. My husband,
he hurts me. He was mad and was hitting me. He started to choke me, and I
couldn’t breathe. I didn’t know what to do, so I grabbed a knife that was on
the table and I stabbed him. He didn’t die though and I knew he’d come looking
for me so I ran. He must have sent the police out for me. I can’t stay, he’ll
find me. He’ll find us, and I can’t put you in danger like that.” Jenny began
to walk away when Josh stopped her.
“Abby…er…Jenny. I’ll help you. If
he finds us I’ll protect you. I won’t let anything happen to you just please
stay.”
Jenny stayed and eventually her
husband did find them. He had been searching on his own without the police.
When the police told him they hadn’t found her yet he was frantic. He yelled at
the police and told them he knew they couldn’t do the job right and at that he
set off on his own.
On the day of the state fair the
man showed up to look for Jenny. Right away he saw the two of them walking together,
cotton candy in hand. The man was furious. He ran up to Josh and pushed him
away from Jenny. The man was yelling at
Jenny and grabbed her arm. Josh realized who he was and what was happening. He
pulled the man away and told the man to stay away, that Jenny was happy this
way and he was not to be anywhere near her. The man shoved Josh and just then
security showed up. The couple explained everything to the security officer and
the man was arrested. Jenny and Josh aren’t sure what happened to him, but they
haven’t seen him sense. Jenny’s bad dreams were gone, she was more relaxed, and
everything seemed perfect.
Picture from: https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=silhouette+running+in+rain&view=detailv2&id=A11C7087ABC70A384B6003AD113E14EEE4F41C85&selectedindex=103&ccid=ohq%2F4Qdd&simid=608035441454090591&thid=OIP.Ma21abfe1075d7740371597a8da48bf99o0&mode=overlay&first=1
