RUNNING OUT OF Sarah O’Connor
C
aitlyn was tired of running. Her feet ached, her lungs burned, and worst of all she was starting to smell. She slowed to a walk, holding her side which throbbed in pain. “Come now Caitlyn, you’re better than this,” Malachi’s voice echoed in the alley. She looked around frantically but couldn’t see him, but Malachi had his ways. She forced herself into a run, looking for somewhere to hide. Had it really only been a month since she’d escaped Malachi and his gang? She’d left on March 2, her birthday. She remembered Malachi foolishly fussing over her as she nodded, smiled, and drugged his coffee. It had been easy enough to leave: she told the other members of his gang that she’d been given a special job, and that Malachi was sleeping and not to disturb him. They had believed her. Who wouldn’t believe Malachi’s pet? But as soon as Malachi woke up from his drugged-up stupor, the truth got out and the running began. “Come on out, Catie. We can talk about this like two grown adults.” He turned his head around in a circle, eyes searching for movement and finding none. Caitlyn watched him from behind a metal trash box. She used to love working for Malachi, loved the rush she felt from stealing from his rivals. Hell, she even liked when things got violent. But then she started to notice that she was nothing more than Malachi’s pet. Sure, she got to go on jobs, even got to beat up a few bastards, but it wasn’t without Malachi’s constant cooing: “Now Catie, be careful. We don’t want you getting hurt now, do we?” “Catie, why don’t you be dispatch this time?
You’ve always been so good at giving orders.” “No, no Catie, no fighting this time. How about the seductress (again)?” Yes, it had taken Caitlyn a long time to figure it out, but she knew she couldn’t be Malachi’s plaything anymore. She was not a princess to be locked up and yearned for, and she was no damsel. But Malachi would never just let her leave, so she’d been forced to run. He pushed his dark, curling hair back with his hand and let out a slow breath through puffed cheeks. “I’m not very happy with what you did to me back in March. Drugging me? Very unlike you, and extremely rude. Not something I would’ve expected from you. But if you come out now I’ll forgive you, let bygones be bygones, and we’ll continue with how things were. There’d be a dock in pay of course, but you’d make it up eventually.” Caitlyn gritted her teeth and glared at him. She knew he was baiting her out, trying to get her to speak and reveal her location, but she was smarter than that. Malachi crossed his arms and looked up at the cloudy night sky. “You always were a stubborn girl, weren’t you?” He laughed, “Why can’t you just be a good girl and come out?” Caitlyn pulled out her gun and aimed it at the back of Malachi’s head. He didn’t turn to look for her, just waited for her to come out like a loyal dog who’d chewed up his favourite slippers. The world was silent. Caitlyn could hear her heart pounding in her ears as she stared at the back of her former boss’s head. She licked her cracked lips, and t- (You have exceeded your word count.)
(You have exceeded your word count.)
ARTWORK BY JANUS GOMEZ
12
INCITE MAGAZINE, DECEMBER 2015