The Sister

Chapter 10: Something Worth Trying For

    Rena wouldn’t look at me the same. Before, she used to just walk by, probably thinking I was just some regular person that was working to stay alive. And now, right after the event, she did everything in her power to avoid looking at me. And when she did, I could not help but to see a mix of fear and blame in her expression.

     What amazed me the most was that she made no comment about me or Moe to Mr. Fillmore (who recovered eventually) or my brother. I could not help but to wonder what that girl was thinking. One thing was for certain: She knew that Moe and I were definitely involved somehow. Here’s what happened after the murder:

     Moe and I recovered from the shock and he picked up the gun and stuffed it halfway into his pants. He helped me up and apologized for hitting me. I pretended not to hear him and stared as the blood oozed from Freddy’s head. I noticed the butt of a gun sticking out of his side pocket and I breathed heavily.

     Was this how you wanted to pay back the school? I thought miserably. By robbing others until you could pay back the school for what you did so many years ago?

     I’m no zealot, but I certainly knew that for a religious point of view, Freddy had the completely wrong idea of what all of that stuff was about from the very start.

     “We gotta go,” Moe said cautiously.

     I nodded, but kept my eyes on the gun in Freddy’s pocket. He had to pull my arm before I looked away. It was on the way back did I realize how much of a mess was actually made. Trash cans were knocked over during the alley chase. It would only be too obvious for the police to figure out that there were others after Freddy.

     Common sense told the both of us to take an alternative route back to the office. We walked slowly, catching our breath and wiping the sweat off our heads. By the time we got back, we looked perfectly normal, but the office didn’t. The place had been evacuated and the cops had it blocked off to civilians. The ambulances were already on their way back to the hospital with all those that were injured.

     First, I thought of Martin. Then of Rena. Then of Ben. Then of my boss. Moe and I stared at the place, and the only thing that lifted my spirits was the fact that the attention would shift off of Moe and I for a while with this sudden breakout.

     There was no sign of Ben, but I saw Rena. She was in her car, parked on the opposite side of the road. I did not have a phone to give my brother a call. And as Ben was nowhere in sight, there was no way that he would give us a ride back home. For the moment, I walked towards the car. I did not feel embarrassed. Rather, I was slightly frightened that Rena would drive over us or something. Moe followed without a word.

     She saw us, and that’s when she gave me that expression.

     I was going to ask her if she had a phone I could use, but for some reason, my tongue slipped.

     “Why are you still here?”

     As expected, she gave no response. She did not look at me. (Moe stood a few feet behind me.)

     “You can tell me. I would have gotten out of here, but I can’t drive and I think my brother’s been hospitalized – I think.”

     Her lips moved for a second as if she was about to tell me, but she had changed her mind.

     I kept quiet for a few moments. I wondered how I could get to her.

     “Where did you go,” she asked out of the blue.

     It didn’t seem like a question, but it still dumbfounded me. All I could do was keep quiet. I could not think of a good lie at that particular moment.