CHAPTER 5: RUN!
840 Words
A minute later the other waitresses rushed over.
"You are insane."
"What?"
"Do you know who that was?"
"No."
Their eyes widened.
"That was Nicolas De La Cruz."
The name meant nothing.
Until they continued.
"OH MY GOD!, THE f*****g BOSS" I screamed at the top of my lungs
"Normal Nicolas would've killed you."
"What?!"
"Shhhh!"
" I even feel dead already now"
I stared.
"But wait killed me?
What kind of man was Nicolas De La Cruz?
And why did everyone seem terrified of him?
For the first time since arriving, I began wondering if taking this job had been a terrible mistake.
Hours later my shift finally ended. I stepped outside and immediately called my mother, She answered on the second ring.
"Sophia?"
A smile appeared.
"Hi Mom."
"My little girl."
Just hearing her voice made everything feel lighter.
"How are you feeling?"
A pause followed.
Too long.
"Mom."
"I'm okay."
"That's a lie."
A weak laugh escaped her.
"I raised you too well."
My smile faded.
"How bad is it?"
"The coughing is worse."
My stomach tightened.
"Did you see the doctor?"
"They want more tests."
Of course they did.
More tests.
More money.
More bills.
"The medication is almost finished."
I closed my eyes.
Guilt immediately flooded me.
"I'm sorry."
"No."
Her voice became firm.
"Don't do that."
"I should be helping more."
"You already help."
"Not enough."
"You are twenty one years Sophia”
She sighed.
"You shouldn't be carrying an entire family on your shoulders."
Tears burned behind my eyes.
Then her tone changed.
"Sophia."
"What?"
"I need to tell you something."
A strange feeling settled in my stomach.
"What happened?"
"The rent was paid, but the landlord said it wasn't you?
I froze.
"Hmm"
"The landlord came today."
I straightened.
"Paid by who?" She asked me
"I don't know."
I pretended not to know
But she knows me to well
" You are lying"
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"Someone has been paying Mom but I genuinely don't know who"
Confusion flooded my mom I could tell through the phone.
"And you didn't tell me anything. You allowed it to happen?"
"I just had to, and ."
"And?"
"You know if I told you, you wouldn't have allowed it."
A chill ran down my spine.
"Sophia" she called my name with so much disappointment
"I'm sorry mom"
"How long has this been happening?"
Silence.
Too much silence.
"Sophia."
"A while."
"A while?"
"Sometimes when we're behind on bills..."
Her voice softened.
"They get paid."
"What?"
"The electricity too."
"What?"
"And the water bills…once in a while “
"Sophia!"
"I didn't tell you because I didn't want you worrying."
I rubbed my forehead, feeling bad for lying to her all these while.
“Who would do that?”
“Why?”
"Have you ever seen this person?"
"No."
"Any name?"
"No."
"Any message?"
"No."
She sighed.
"Maybe it's one of father's old friends."
The mention of my father made her freeze I could just tell through her silence.
"But I promise it will stop, the club is going to be paying me high"
"The club? ”
“An old friend?, it can never be and it should never be"
"I'm sorry, genuinely am"
Her voice sounded distant.
"Sometimes I wonder."
"Wonder what?"
"Before he died, your father always said we'd never be alone."
The words settled heavily between us.
My throat tightened.
"He made a lot of promises."
"He kept more than you realize."
Before I could ask another question, voices echoed nearby.
I frowned.
"Mom, let me call you back."
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
I wasn't.
But she had enough worries.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
The call ended.
I slipped farther into the shadows.
And then I saw them.
Two men.
One kneeling.
One standing.
My blood ran cold.
The standing man held a gun.
And beside him
Nicolas De La Cruz.
A cigarette hung between his fingers.
His expression was calm.
Too calm.
The kneeling man was crying.
Begging.
"Please."
Nicolas took a drag from his cigarette.
Unmoved.
"I can explain."
"You already did."
His voice was terrifyingly calm.
"I'll fix it."
"You had your chance."
The man began shouting, that his family will avenge.
My heart pounded.
I should leave.
I should run.
But I couldn't move.
Then everything happened at once.
The kneeling man lunged forward.
The gun fired.
BANG!
The sound shattered the night.
I screamed.
"¡Joder! ¡Mierda!"
The man collapsed.
Dead.
My entire body froze.
No.
No.
No.
The shooter looked up.
Straight at me.
"Oh shit."
Every drop of blood drained from my face.
Nicolas finally turned.
Our eyes met.
Recognition flashed across his face.
The waitress.
The girl from earlier.
The witness.
Fear swallowed me whole.
I stumbled backward.
My breathing became frantic.
Run.
Run.
Run.
But my legs refused to move, it was practically stuck to the ground
The last thing I saw was Nicolas taking a step toward me.
Then darkness consumed everything.
And I fell.
- Writer
