Olympus Drive Book 3: According to Plan

Chapter 55

Phoenix

Really dad? You cancel my phone? That's the first thing you thought of? I was being petty. I didn't think he'd actually start selling my stuff, but he probably did. And here I kept my room all neat and clean and all my clothes were folded nicely. Now I'm really going to have to tell Axel. But I can't go over there. If I do the police will use that as proof that Axel did have the drugs—because obviously I'm up to no good. 

 This has to end. Axel will only put up with it so long and Luna has already declared war on the Walls gang. They'll all be dead come morning. And Axel won't take kindly once he realizes Felix planted the drugs, and that that's keeping me away from him.

I know we warned Troy this morning. But Felix is smarter than him. He won't want open confrontation with Axel that's why he hid the drugs. He needs to know this is going to come to open confrontation.

And I don't have anything to lose now. I'm homeless. And I'm probably going back to prison at this rate. With no one to sign for parole and such---they'll put me back in a group home and I'll get back into trouble. But Axel doesn't have to be in trouble.

"Felix---wait," I say, jogging up. He was taking the trash out from his house, and more leaning on it, having a cigarette.

"What?" He asks, straightening up.

"I know you planted those drugs in Axel's locker-----and I'm here to tell you if you want to live to see another day you need to go confess to the police," I say, "The Hunters are on the warpath after Erin's murder—you've just added fuel to the fire, you seriously do not want Axel involved and you've just involved him."

"Are you threatening me, Riviera?"

"No, I'm giving you useful information for how to best live the rest of your life, however short it may be," I say, spreading my arms out, "I didn't come for a fight, I came to tell you that if you do not want to face Axel's wrath. The only way any of you are going to survive this is if you go to the police—now."

"Well, maybe we don't want to do that," he says, gently drawing a shotgun from the trashcan. Oh fuck. Oh fuck. I just brought a knife to a gunfight. Except I don't even have a knife.

"We?" I ask, looking around.

"Did Axel send his little bitch around to scare us?" Troy asks, stepping out of the shadows.

"Axel doesn't know I'm here—I don't recommend he finds out," I say, backing away, there are more of them behind me. Fuck.

"Well, we're not scared of him."

"You should be," I say, then I charge Felix. I manage to knock the gun out of his hand before it goes off, and I keep running.

"Get him!"

Of course they're chasing me. I didn't bring my car I didn't have the gas I walked. Well now I'm going to run. Where? I turn and bolt down another street, cutting through someone's lawn. I head towards my neighborhood. I know it better. Surely they'll stop? They really aren't set on killing me are they? They'd better not. If they do---Axel won't rest until they're dead. He won't let them live. They surely don't plan on killing me? Just beating me up? We'll I'd rather not have that happen either.

I run, as hard as I can, until my breath comes in gasps, I run down a back alley between two houses, and hide around the corner of a garage. A couple of gang members run past, including Felix.

I stand up and turn to run the other direction, away from them.

The gunshot cracks through the night. And it takes me a horrible moment before I realize I'm hit.

I look down to see blood spotting Axel's sweatshirt, quicker and quicker as it drips down splattering the pavement. I put a hand to the wound and run.

I'm two streets from home. I ran this home from elementary school everyday. Just run home. My gut starts to burn as I feel weird shooting pain. It's not that bad. It's buckshot it just hurts that's all. My back hurts. My back really hurts.

I keep running I don't know how far they are behind me. I hope far. They were scaring me that's all it's not that bad. It can't be that bad.

I hit my door, the door to my parent's house. My fist wet with my own blood. I'm bleeding a lot. Fuck, I'm really bleeding. It's all down my pants to my knees.

"Mom? Mom??" I slam my fist on the door. nothing. Are there lights on even?

My head is so light I'm blacking out.

Fuck it.

"I need you to call 911---I---think I'm hurt bad," I choke out. nothing. They might not be home. Or they aren't answering me. But I'm not dying here.

That's the first time I realize I'm dying.

I stagger away and keep running. Running turns into tripping which turns into walking. Just go to Axel's. He is home. They'll call the police. Someone needs to call 911. I look around. The houses are dark it's late. I could knock on any door—who would be home? I don't know, who would come to the door at this hour?

I try two doors. After that it hurts too much to keep walking up and down the walks. Why can't I breath? I wasn't hit in the chest was I?

I dare to look down again. Blood is soaking my entire sweatshirt and dripping steadily to the pavement. Every step gets harder. Every single step, hurts.

No, I don't want to die like this. I really didn't want to die like this. But it looks like I'm going to.

"Sorry, Stitches," I whisper, staring at my hands which are dripping with my own blood. I keep cradling my stomach but it hurts. It hurts worse it's not helping. It's not helping.

I don't realize I'm falling until my face cracks the pavement. I crawl forward, but it hurts so much. It just hurts so much. I don't want to go. I fight the darkness clouding my eyes. I can't go. I can't leave him.

But I do.