Bloody Hands

We Live, We Love, We Lie

He held my hand and looked at me.

"I'm a little annoyed, but she's already taken all my annoyance" I said.

"Sometimes she acts a little too much, but we're just friends" Kevin said.

"I can see it"

We chatted for quite a while. I had looked at the road several times and there was a black car stopped right in front of the cafe, for some reason I felt like I was being watched. Suddenly the car window opened and several men started shooting. Kevin and I looked down and looked for cover. They stopped shooting, Kevin hugged me and looked at me.

"Are you okay?" Kevin asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine" I said.

"They're gone"

I didn't imagine that would happen. My heart was beating very fast, Kevin put his arm around me and we left the cafe. I got in the car and Kevin he called someone outside. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but he looked angry. I think it's Oswald's men, they won't allow this.

Kevin got into the car, he looked quite angry. We left the cafe. Kevin was silent. I'm sure they are Oswald's men and Kevin is working for Oswald, whether Kevin knows something or Oswald is trying to control him, I'm very confused. We stopped at a house.

"Why we here?" I asked.

"I can't leave you alone. I'll finish this and drive you home, but you have to be here at least until I finish all this" Kevin said.

"What do you mean? You know who they are?"

"I know"

"I know them and the person who sent them. Don't worry, everything will be fine"

Alright, I'm really confused. Who sent them? Why does Kevin seem so upset? What's really going on? I don't understand. We enter the house.

"If something happens just call me" Kevin said.

"Okay" I said.

Kevin left. I wonder before I was the reason for the disaster that befell the people closest to me and now I'm the one affected by the disaster because of the people close to me. At 1 am, Kevin has not come back, he has been gone for more than 2 hours, I hope everything is fine. What if it really was Oswald? But what if it wasn't him, Kevin said if he knew who they were, why didn't he tell me? Why is he hiding everything? Isn't this weird, he's hiding something.

It's almost 3 am and Kevin hasn't come yet, I'm getting sleepy. At least tomorrow is Sunday so I have plenty of time to find out what happened. I have to stay awake, but this is hard. I'm so sleepy, I could feel my eyes starting to close and falling asleep.

I woke up. Wait? I bet I fell asleep in the living room. I came out of the room, Kevin was preparing breakfast.

"Good morning" Kevin said.

"Good morning" I said.

"How are you?"

"I'm good"

"Sorry about last night, some people like to make a fuss. But I'm sure they won't come back"

"How do you know? You know last night wasn't an ordinary commotion"

"I know. I promise it won't happen again"

"How do you know? They could just come and make a mess"

"They won't. I already solved that problem last night, they won't come back

"What are you doing?"

"I don't think it's important, because the most important thing is that you're okay"

"This is important, at least I know who they are

"You don't need to know"

As he said that his face turned slightly annoyed. I know something is wrong here. Why is he hiding all that? He can said one name and I'll stop asking. I think there's something wrong with him. After breakfast, I saw Kevin go to make a call. I waited a while and he came back.

"I guess I should go home" I said.

"Right now?" Kevin asked.

"Yes"

"Okay"

What's really going on? Why isn't he like usual? I'm really curious what happened last night. He took me home, during the trip he was just silent. I don't think this is the right time to ask what happened. We got to the apartment and he left. I headed for the elevator. I called Gwen.

"Gwen" I said.

"Sharon, how are you?" Gwen asked.

"I'm good, nothing happened right?"

"No, why?"

"I'm sure I already told you that I'm going with Kevin"

"Yes"

"He was a little weird last night"

"Weird?"

"We had a bit of an incident last night and after that incident he started not to be what he used to be"

"What incident?"

"Just a little incident"

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine"

"What has changed about him?"

"The way he talks, the way he looks at me when I ask, isn't like his usual. I know I've only known him for about 2 months, but how can someone change overnight"

"Maybe it's because you don't know him that well, it could just be his personality. So far you've only been with him for a few hours and it's possible he wasn't himself when you were with him. You said he changed overnight, were you with him all night?"

"Yes, I stayed in his house last night but he wasn't there too"

"How could it be?"

"He asked me to wait for him and I waited for him, but until 3 am he didn't come and I fell asleep"

"Alright, where did he go?"

"I don't know, that's why I'm curious. He's been gone for quite a while and I don't know when he'll be back, but when I woke up he was making breakfast, and when I talked to him he was a little weird"

"He asked you to wait for him at his house but then he left?"

"Yes"

"You didn't ask him where he went, or what happened last night?"

"I asked, but he doesn't seem to want to answer"

"What do you think he did?"

"He said there were some things he had to do

"And you're not curious?"

"Of course I'm curious. But he didn't tell me anything"

"We both know you can find out about him. It's not that I don't trust him but he may not be as good as you think. I'm sure you understand what I mean"

"I know I can but I think it's better if I don't. Because maybe he has some things that he doesn't want others to know"

"Maybe, but how much do you know about him?"

"I guess, I know quite a lot"

"But not everything, you only know a few things. You shouldn't be surprised when he suddenly changes"

"You know, there's a difference when someone changes because of their personality and changes because something is bothering them"

"So you're saying something's bothering him?"

"Yeah, I guess"

"If you wanna find out, then do it. But if you feel it's not something that should be done then you don't need to do that"

"Okay, thank you"

"Okay, see you. Bye"

"Bye"

Gwen hangs up, I sit on the couch. My cell phone rings, an unknown number.

"You didn't listen when I said you should stay away. You're going even further, you're too bold. You have courage greater than your body, but it's not enough" he said.

"You have no idea, I don't like hearing bullshit from assholes like you. The only one who has to stop is you. You won't be able to stop me, even if you kill me I will still send disaster to you"

"We'll see if you can still say that when you watch your loved ones die one by one"

"Are you sure? So far you only can threaten over the phone"

"Shut your damn mouth, b***h"

He hung up. Alright, I'll see how far you'll go this time. I came out of the apartment, Charlie was waiting for me. As I was about to get in the car, someone shot me. I don't know where the bullets came from, I don't see anyone. Charlie took me to the hospital, I can't stand the pain. I could hear us getting to the hospital, I could hear the sound of doctors and nurses taking me to the emergency room, until finally everything became silent and dark.

I woke up, slowly opened my eyes. Gwen sat beside me reading a book. Kevin had just entered the room with Charlie and David. They look at me with a smile. I can feel the wound, my body feels weak.

"You finally woke up, we were so worried" Gwen said.

"We hope you get better soon" David said.

"Thank you" I said.

"Tell me if you need something" Gwen said.

"Thanks" I said.

"You want something? Just say it" Kevin said.

"No, thanks. I'm fine" I said.

"You're not fine, you almost died. Everyone was worried about you when the doctor said your condition was critical. Not only that, your grandma called repeatedly this morning and you know she'd be really freaked out if she heard all this" Gwen said

"Did you tell her?" I asked.

"Of course not, I sent her some texts, I hope she won't worry" Gwen said.

"Me too" I said.

"I'm here to see and make sure you're all right. Everyone was worried when they heard this news" David said.

"Thank you for coming" I said.

"I have to go, I've found the shooter and I'm taking him somewhere, he won't bother you" David said.

"Thank you, but I think it's better if you take him to the police station"

"Are you sure?" Charlie asked.

"Yes" I said.

"Okay" David said.

"Sounds like Sharon has changed" Gwen whispered.

"Shut up Gwen" I said.

David and Charlie came out of the room.

"I think I need coffee, I'll be back in a minute" Gwen said.

Gwen left.

"Sharon, I'm sorry, I shouldn't leave you" Kevin said.

"It's not your fault" I said.

"I wish I could protect you"

"I'm fine, I can protect myself. I want to ask about that night, where did you go?"

"Somewhere. I can't tell you, not now"

"Why?"

"It happened because of me, and I don't want to involve you in this, so it's better that you don't know"

"I'm sure that's not a valid excuse. I just want to know who they are, why did they do that, that's all"

"I want to tell you, but if I tell you things will only get worse. I can't harm you anymore, I just want you to be okay"

"No one can hurt me, I'll be fine. I have a guard, Charlie will always be by my side no one will hurt me"

"Wasn't Charlie beside you when you got shot. You don't know what could happen, you don't know what danger awaits you"

"I know, I know exactly what danger awaits me"

"You say that because you haven't seen it all. I will take care of you and I will always be with you"

Gwen enters the room clapping.

"So sweet, guys. I was gone for 5 minutes and when I came back I saw a romantic scene, not what I expected but that's okay. Are you guys going to continue, because if so, I can go" Gwen said.

"No, I gotta go, I'll see you later. Bye" Kevin said.

"Bye" I said.

Kevin left. Gwen looks at me weirdly, I know what she's thinking and I'll pretend I don't. Gwen sat beside me and held my hand.

"I think he's nice enough, but we both know he's hiding something. I know he's hiding it maybe to protect you but as a friend I want you to be okay, I think you should give him a little distance, maybe he's not who we thought he was, he could be worse than we think" Gwen said.

"I don't know, but I think you're right. I couldn't really believe he wasn't that good, but I couldn't stay away from him. For the first time I can feel like this, maybe I'll put some distance between us" I said.

"Good, Now rest, you should get well soon"

Gwen hugged me. Days passed, my wounds slowly began to heal and my condition began to improve. Gwen and Kevin were always with me, and so was Charlie. After really getting better I was able to get out of the hospital. At Charlie's house they installed extra security and I had to be at home more often, because they found out that Oswald had spread his people out. I asked Gwen to stay for a few days to make sure she was okay. I told grandma to be careful, but I still didn't tell her about what happened then so she wouldn't worry.

In just a week I saw Oswald try again and again to hurt Gwen, grandma and kill me. Every time I go out, I can see Oswald's people everywhere. I know they will keep an eye on me, but when I'm with Kevin they just seem to disappear, there's something odd here.

"They are everywhere, I'm getting sick of all this" Gwen said.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to drag you into this mess. I will finish it" I said.

"How will you solve it. You're either going to meet that bastard and say stop, or shoot him in the head and then walk away. He has started to go too far"

"I will do that if needed. We're both equally upset about it"

"Well, I'm not going to ask what you're going to do, because sometimes ignorance is better. But I will still say, don't do anything that will destroy you"

"Okay. I'm going to start playing his way, I'm going to threaten him a bit like he did to me but the difference is I'm going to do it head-on. I need your little help finding out about the Oswalds, if you need anything just tell me or Charlie. I want to know the face of Oswald's child"

"You've searched about it many times but found nothing, and now you're asking me"

"Because I just looked it up on the internet and you'll be looking for it directly. You will watch the house take note of whatever you find and give it to me, you won't go alone someone will take care of you"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. You're the only one I trust to do all this. I know I said I didn't want to drag you into this mess but I need your help, there's no one better at finding out than you"

"Okay. So we are partner in crime, right now"

"We always be partner in crime"

I locked my room and opened a box. I took the gun in the box and filled it with bullets. This is mother's gun that was given to Aunt Cate and then given to me, I will use it to avenge the person who killed them. I was planning on sneaking into Oswald's office and confronting him head-on and leaving some scars, maybe. Meanwhile, Gwen went to Oswald's house to find out about Oswald's family.

At 8 pm Oswald was still in his office, I asked Charlie to turn off every surveillance camera and make sure no one would see me. I entered through the back door, I saw a cleaner was listening to music while mopping the floor. I made it past the cleaners and arrived at the elevator. Oswald's room was on the 20th floor. There was no one on the 20th floor and I quickly entered his room.

"Good night, mr. Oswald" I said.

"Who you are?" Oswald asked.

"Your worst nightmare"

I took off my hat and pulled out a gun.

"How dare you come here, alone. Aren't you afraid you'll die?" Oswald said.

"Before you kill me, you have to know something first. I have sent someone to your house and he is preparing to kill your family" I said.

"My family? I don't care. You can kill my wife if you want"

"Not only your wife, your beloved son too"

"Are you sure you want to kill him? Because if you kill him you will regret everything"

"Me or you? I won't regret anything, because the one who will lose is not me but you"

"So you afraid if something happened to you beloved son. So, if you afraid you better stay away from my family, or you will come to his funeral"

"So, you came to threaten me, alright. We'll see who ends up in the funeral first"

"Of course, not me"

I shot Oswald's arm.

"Good bye, old man" I said.

I walked away. I put on my hat and enter the elevator. I exited the building and got back into the car and then left. I called Gwen.

"Gwen, did you find something?" I asked.

"Nothing new" Gwen said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. The only person entering and leaving the house was Maya Oswald"

"Okay, so, you didn't find anything about his son?"

"Not yet, someone come"

"Who?"

"Oh my gosh"

"Gwen? Are you okay? Who is that? Gwen"

"Not his son, just her guard"

"Are you kiding me?! I thought something happened"

"I'm sorry, I'm just too excited"

"Okay. Can you go home?"

"Right now?"

"Yes"

"Okay"

Why does it seem like Gwen found something and didn't want to tell me. Why is everything starting to get weirder. I arrived, Gwen was waiting for me and she brought some photos.

"These are all the photos I got" Gwen said.

"You found nothing at all about their son?" I asked.

"Not at all"

"I threatened Oswald saying I would hurt his son if he did anything, before I shot his arm"

"Are you sure you will kill his son if he does something. I mean his son is not involved in all this"

"Neither was my father, he wasn't involved but he was affected"

"I remember you promised to think things through before you act, because if you do you'll only make the mess bigger"

"Really? This mess was big enough even before I was born"

"What if you regret your actions? What if everything changes when you're done doing them all? What if you regret your actions because you realized you hurt the wrong person?"

"I won't hurt the wrong person"

"If you hurt his son, you hurt the wrong person. Someone has to stop everything, don't let this become hatred that will continue to be inherited"

"I will stop it, believe me. I will stop this my way"

"Are you sure it won't have any impact? Because as far as I can see this problem is like a ticking time bomb along the way, and they are waiting for you to pass through it to explode, and when it explodes the impact is not only on you and on him but on the people around both of you"

"Do you know I'm trying to throw all those time bombs at him, so you don't get blown up. Even when I couldn't throw it at him, I made my body a shield so the bomb wouldn't hit you. That's what I'm trying to do now"

"You don't need to throw that bomb or be a shield if you think about the impact of crossing that path from the start"

"I know it was my fault from begining, you can blame for that. But, please, don't leave me. I know I'm make the sam emistake everytime and I never learned, I know. But will you still be with me, if you still be with me I promise I made things right"

"Of course, I will never leave you. It's just that you're starting to change, you're not the same girl I met in the schoolyard, you're changing"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry if I'm chaging. Everything I'm going through change me. I'm sorry. I can't stop it, I can't be like before, I can't. I'm sorry"

"I don't want to see you blaming yourself for what you did"

"Why do I blame myself? He's already done this and I'm just showing him what it's like"

"Okay. I understand, it's all about revenge. I'm tired, I want to sleep. Good night"

"Good night"

Gwen walked away. I know this is wrong but only with this will he stop. For more than half an hour I just sat in the kitchen. I walked to my room, I could hear Gwen still awake and she was calling someone.

"If she found out she would be very angry. How could you lie to her like that? She trusts you. You should tell her at least before she does anything. I don't care if you can't, you have to do that or I'll tell her. You have to tell her. Trust me, if you had told her sooner she wouldn't have left. I know, but she has to know the truth. I don't want to see her heart break, please tell her or I will tell her. Okay, I'm waiting" Gwen said.

tell what? To whom? Why does she sound so annoyed? Is everyone starting to hide something? If it was about the observation, Gwen would have told me, there was no way she could have hidden it. I knew Gwen wasn't going to hide anything, I knew that. I trust her.

The next day Gwen and I had breakfast together before leaving. My phone rings and it's from Kevin.

"Sharon, how are you?" Kevin asked.

"I'm good" I said.

"Good, I hope there won't be another incident after this"

"Me too"

"You know you can always call me if you need something or if you need someone to talk to"

"Thanks, but I don't want to bother you, I'm sure you're very busy"

"No, of course not, I always have time for you"

"Thanks, but you don't need to be like that"

"I will be like that if you want"

"No, I don't want it. Now, I gotta go. Bye"

"Bye"

I hung up the phone.

"What would you do if it turned out that Kevin was lying to you?" Gwen asked.

"I don't know. If the lie is big enough then I will stay away from it, but if the lie still deserves forgiveness then I will forgive him. Why?" I said.

"I just wanted to tell you not to trust someone you don't know well"

"I'm sure he's not as bad as you think"

"Well, we don't know"

"Can I ask you something? Why do you feel like you want me to stay away from Kevin?"

"I just don't trust him much, he seems to have a lot of secrets"

"Everyone have secret"

"I know, but it's different"

"Different?"

"Yes, different. Just don't trut him much"

"Okay"

There's something weird here and I don't like it. Why does it seem like Gwen wants me to stay away from Kevin, wasn't she excited when I told her about Kevin, but now she's asking me to stay away from Kevin. And Kevin why does it seem like he's hiding something from me, what happened? Why is this getting so weird. I went about my day as usual, after my class was over Gwen still didn't show up so I waited for her. I sat and read a book, Gwen didn't show up either.

I've been waiting for him for more than half an hour but he still doesn't show up, where is Gwen. I wanted to find Gwen but I didn't know where to go, she didn't tell me anything. I called Gwen but she didn't answer she just texted me and asked me to wait a little longer. How long should I wait for it. Alright, I'll wait a little longer, I hope Gwen will show up soon, because I'm getting tired of waiting for her. 10 minutes later, Gwen still hasn't come, she sends another text and says she has some things to do and she'll be right up to me.