Do you have any money
1560 Words
Elena walked slowly along the empty road, her suitcase dragging behind her with a dull scraping
sound. One of the wheels had broken when Enzo threw it outside, so it tilted awkwardly every
few steps.
Cold rain soaked through her thin clothes and clung to her skin.
She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep warm.
The streetlights flickered faintly above her.
She thought about the orphanage.
The thought came quietly.
She wiped rain from her face and tried to remember the distance.
“It should be about four hours from here,
” she murmured to herself.
Her stomach twisted painfully.
It was already eight in the evening.
“If I walk fast,
” she whispered,
“I can reach it before midnight.
”
Her steps slowed.
Then another thought struck her.
She stopped walking.
Her hand slipped into the pocket of her skirt.
It was empty.
A bitter laugh escaped her lips.
“Of course,
” she muttered softly.
“Not even a single coin.
”
Her eyes fell to the broken suitcase behind her.
Everything she owned was inside it.
And none of it could buy a ride.
Elena lifted her head and stared down the long, dark road ahead.
“Well,
” she said quietly, forcing herself forward again,
“walking it is.
”
The suitcase scraped loudly across the wet pavement as she pulled it behind her.
The city gradually grew quieter the farther she walked.
The shops were closed.
The streetlights grew farther apart.
Soon the only sounds were the rain and the dull scraping of her luggage.
Two hours passed.
Her legs ached.
Her hands burned from gripping the suitcase handle.
Everywhere around her felt strangely quiet.
It was too quiet.
But she kept moving.
Then suddenly she heard footsteps.
They were fast and unsteady.
Elena froze.
Someone was running.
A shadow stumbled out from the darkness ahead of her.
It was a man.
He staggered forward, his breathing rough and uneven.
Even in the dim light, Elena could see the dark stain spreading across his shirt.
It was blood.
He took another step.
Then he nearly collapsed.
Elena’s heart began to race.
Her instincts screamed at her to run.
This had nothing to do with her.
But when she saw how badly he was bleeding, her feet refused to move.
“Hey!” she called out, hurrying toward him.
“What happened to you?”
The man looked up at her.
His face was pale, and rain and sweat clung to his dark hair.
“Help me,
” he said hoarsely.
His voice was low but urgent.
Elena hesitated.
“Maybe I should call the police—
”
His hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.
“No,
” he said quickly.
“They won’t get here fast enough.
”
Before she could reply, distant voices echoed down the street.
Shadows moved in the darkness behind him.
People were coming.
Elena’s eyes widened.
Without thinking, she quickly threw his arm over her shoulders.
“Come with me,
” she whispered urgently.
Half dragging him, she pulled him toward a narrow alley nearby.
They stumbled into the darkness of the alleyway.
Elena spotted a blind corner between two trash containers.
“There,
” she said quickly.
She helped him sit down and crouched beside him.
Only then did she see the wound clearly.
He had been shot.
The bullet had torn through his stomach.
Blood soaked his shirt.
Fear rushed through her.
“You’re going to die if this keeps bleeding,
” she whispered.
Her hands shook as she quickly tore a strip from the bottom of her shirt.
“Do not move,
” she told him nervously.
She carefully lifted his shirt and pressed the cloth against the wound.
The man did not speak.
Instead, he stared at her intensely.
His eyes were sharp as they watched her every movement.
Elena noticed his gaze and frowned slightly.
“What?” she asked.
He did not answer.
So she asked something unexpected.
“Do you have any money?”
One of his eyebrows lifted slowly.
A faint smile touched his lips despite the pain.
“So,
” he said quietly,
“you saved me for money?”
Elena rolled her eyes slightly.
“Mister, answer the question.
”
The corner of his mouth twitched.
“Why?”
“Because,
” she said bluntly, tightening the cloth around his wound,
Orphanage, and I have no money.
”
“I need to get to St. Lucia
He watched her carefully.
“And you think I can help you with that?”
“You clearly can,
” she said, glancing at his expensive watch.
usually have money.
”
“People who wear watches like that
A quiet chuckle escaped him.
Despite his injury, he reached slowly into his coat pocket.
He pulled out a thick bundle of cash.
Elena’s eyes widened slightly.
“Whoa.
”
She stared at the money for a moment before quickly shaking her head.
“I do not need all that,
” she said, pushing most of it back toward him.
a taxi.
”
“Just one bill is enough for
He studied her expression.
“You are refusing money?” he asked.
“I am not greedy,
” she replied.
“And you will need the rest for the hospital.
”
He handed her a bill anyway.
Elena took it carefully.
Then she looked toward the entrance of the alley.
The distant voices were getting closer.
She turned back to him.
“I have to leave you here for a minute,
” she whispered.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“You are leaving?”
“Relax,
” she said quickly.
“I am just going to check if the street is clear.
”
She pointed down the alley.
“If those people are still looking for you, dragging you out there would get both of us killed.
”
He watched her silently.
She stood up and brushed rain from her face.
“I will come back for you,
” she added.
Then she hesitated.
“And try not to die while I am gone.
”
For the first time, the man laughed softly.
She ran out of the alley.
The cold rain hit her face immediately as she stepped onto the empty street. For a moment, she
forced herself to breathe normally, trying not to look like someone who had just hidden a
wounded man.
Her eyes quickly scanned the road.
A black car was parked on the side of the street.
The engine was off, and the windows were dark.
Elena pretended not to notice it.
Instead, she walked past it slowly and continued down the road toward the place where she had
left her suitcase.
Her heart was beating so loudly she was sure someone could hear it.
Just act normal, she told herself.
Act like nothing happened.
Her broken suitcase was still lying on the wet pavement a few meters away.
She walked toward it and bent slightly as if preparing to grab the handle.
Then she heard footsteps behind her.
Three men approached from the direction of the parked car.
Their boots splashed against the rainwater on the road as they walked closer.
Elena’s fingers tightened slightly around the suitcase handle, but she forced herself to keep her
movements calm.
One of the men spoke.
His voice was rough and impatient.
“Hey.
”
Elena slowly turned around.
The three men were staring at her.
Their expressions were hard, and their clothes were dark and soaked with rain.
One of them stepped forward.
“Did you see a man running through here?” he asked.
Elena blinked in confusion.
“What man?” she asked.
Another man spoke, his voice even rougher than the first.
“A bleeding man,
” he said.
“Tall. Dark hair.
”
Her stomach dropped.
But she forced herself to shake her head.
“No,
” she said quietly.
The first man studied her carefully.
“You’re sure?”
Elena nodded.
“I’ve been walking alone for a while,
” she said, gesturing toward her broken suitcase.
broke, so I’ve been dragging this thing for hours. I haven’t seen anyone.
”
The men exchanged a glance.
One of them stepped closer.
Too close.
“My wheel
Elena could smell alcohol on his breath.
“You didn’t hear gunshots either?” he asked.
She frowned slightly, as if confused by the question.
“Gunshots?” she repeated.
Then she shook her head again.
“No. I only heard the rain.
”
The man stared at her face for a long moment.
Rain dripped from his hair onto the pavement.
Elena felt her heartbeat hammering in her chest.
Please believe me.
Please just leave.
Finally, the man straightened.
“Let’s go,
” he muttered to the others.
“If he came this way, he couldn’t have gotten far.
”
The three men began walking down the road, disappearing slowly into the darkness.
Elena stood frozen.
She waited.
Five seconds.
Ten seconds.
Twenty.
Only when their footsteps completely faded did she finally release the breath she had been
holding.
Her legs suddenly felt weak.
“Holy s**t,
” she whispered under her breath.
Her hands were shaking.
But then she remembered the man in the alley.
Elena quickly grabbed her suitcase and dragged it toward the alley entrance.
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