CHAPTER FIVE
933 Words
The little bell at the entrance of Heather’s rang melodiously as Madeline pushed the door open and rushed in bringing in a gust of cold wind with her, the young clerk at the desk wasn’t whom she was hoping to see, she wasn’t Jose, neither was she Alice, she didn’t know the teenage girl who was running the shift tonight, nonetheless she made her way to the desk to try her luck.
“Good evening ma’am, how can I help you?”. The young clerk asked, her gaze scanned her thoroughly and she took in her weathering composure.
“I…I usually come here to get some meds”. Madeline tried to explain. “I have FMF”.
The clerk nodded, she didn’t seem to be buying the story though, she obviously thought her a junkie suffering from withdrawal or something.
“I was hoping to meet Jose, I don’t have any cash on me you see”. Madeline said. “I need colchicine on credit, please”.
The young clerk shook her head.
“I am sorry ma’am, but I cannot give you medications on credit, and you have no prescription”. She said.
Madeline blinked to clear her blurred vision.
“I come here often, I should be on the damn computer on something, the name’s Medline Cooper”. She said. “My prescriptions should have been recorded by now”.
She stepped closer to the desk and the clerk stepped back alarmed.
“Still”. She said. “I am not allowed to give medications on credit”.
Madeline was getting desperate, the pain in her abdomen had begun stirring up and her legs were barely holding her up.
“Please, I need this”. She said hoarsely.
The young clerk was creeped out now, she tried hard not to look into Madeline’s bloodshot eyes.
“I am sorry ma’am, but I will have to ask you to leave”. She said.
“Please, just give me a dose that will stabilize me for now, please”. Madeline begged. “Please”.
She clutched her abdomen as the pain struck hard, her body trembled even more and her thoughts revolved around only one thing; relief.
“Please leave ma’am, else I will be forced to call the police”. The clerk spoke.
Madeline’s gazed searched around and it wasn’t long before she sighted the small plastic container of colchicine on a shelf behind the clerk. Unable to stop herself she charged forward, pushed through the barriers keeping customers out and leapt into the clerk’s corner. The clerk screamed and moved backwards, the back of her legs got caught up in a chair behind her causing her to stumble and fall backwards.
Madeline barely realized the clerk was down, she grabbed a bottle of colchicine, broke the cap open and hastily popped two tablets into her mouth, she shut her yes and dragged in a deep breath as the effects of the med began to settle in, the intense pain in her stomach began lessening and she began to breath freely. Few minutes later she pried her eyes open when the trembling of her body ceased and the cold lessened.
It was then she realized that the clerk hadn’t tried to stop her, she turned to see what the reason was and at that moment her heart did a triple summersault and the blood drained from her face as she took in the scene before her, the young clerk lay on the floor with her eyes wide and….lifeless as red seeped from the back of her head.
Almost immediately Madeline’s hand shot up to calm her mouth, she stood there staring at the girl wanting nothing more than to scream, however she couldn’t even find her voice at that moment. A thousand thoughts went through her mind at once, she had killed her, she had killed a person.
The clerk was dead, she was a murderer, she had become a criminal, she had become a killer. Tears began streaming down her cheeks as she took the first step back, she had never felt so much fear, she would get arrested, she would be sent to jail. Her shoulders shook as sobs began to choke her, she was caught between wanting to call for help and wanting to run, she did the latter.
She turned around and walked out of the store, at first she tried to keep her steps controlled before she broke into a full out run.
~~
“Miss Cooper, Miss Cooper! Miss Cooper!!”.
She heard voices, indistinct voices, and intense pounding on the door. She was fading, sort of drifting, she was losing it, she was letting go.
“Do you have it?”.
She seemed to black out at that moment again, and all she heard was he quiet jingling of keys, the sound of it reminding her of the soft sound of the bell at Heathers.
“Is she dead?”.
“She’s breathing. Get her off the floor”.
“Is she though?”.
“Are you blind man? Get her off the floor Goddammit” .
she felt the intense cold grip her like she had been enveloped in a sheet of ice, she felt her breathing become labored and her heart began to slow, she was slipping and she was slipping fast, the last thing she felt was a pair of strong arms wound around her waist in an attempt to lift her.
- Writer
