Italian Angel

𝑁𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑙𝑒𝑓𝑡

S A V A N N A H

Yes, I had been late, late to work, late to the only source that I could legally get money from.  I regretted that I hadn't been there the other day, and I regretted that I wasn't even there early. Anna would make up silly excuses so that I still had a chance for a raise, my manager wouldn't believe her and threaten to kick me out for the 15th time, and I would probably earn a hit or two, for missing days and coming late. My day was going great of course, as always.
The stones under my shoes were crunching, but at least the weather was nice. Nice enough to do something else than use filthy rags to clean up tables until you could see yourself in them.
I started to run, as my phone showed that it was 7:30am. Thirty minutes late, thirty minutes time to clean everything up, making it possible that I could've left an hour earlier and look for a present for Isabella. But of course, I had to be thirty minutes late.
I pulled at the entrance door, but it was locked, for once. My hand dug into my small bag and reached for the extra keys that Anna had given me. At least there now was a chance to use them.
As soon as I unlocked the door, I sighed, making myself ready to get shouted at, to wipe away spilled drinks and leftovers of peanuts, to clean the bathroom that had been used for something it shouldn't have been, to do what I dreaded to do.
Directly as I entered, I heard a scream. A scream that made my jump away from the opened door. A scream that was too familiar to be true. A scream that made my heart jump and a shiver go down my spine.
It made me stand there for a second, my eyes wide open, my mind being full of questions, and myself being completely awake.
The smell of drugs and alcohol had mixed themselves together, and it was foggy in here, making it hard to see through, especially with the lights off.
There was something wrong, the smell of drugs, the fog, and especially the scream made me want to run away, but I couldn't. I couldn't because I knew who the scream belonged to, I knew that the person was tough enough to never complain, but what I also knew, was that that scream belonged to Anna.

I ran once again to the office. Brad's office, the door was out of its hinges, hanging from the door frame, it had a few next to the lock as well. I didn't want to open this door, didn't want to see what would be behind it. A million thoughts went through my head and made me think of all possible solutions or ways of how this could've happened, and especially what had happened. Every cell of my body told me to run away, but I couldn't leave whoever was in here alone, leave Anna alone. I heard rapid, yet faint breathing as I touched the doorknob. This would be the last chance to run, leave her here. I started to sweat, getting more nervous as I opened the door.

What I saw, had shook me, something I hadn't expected, something I didn't particularly like to see as well. The desk was thrown over, papers on the floor covered in blood and red graffiti. It was terrifying to see her laying on the ground, coughing, a dark red spot on the left of her short transparent tank top. Her mini skirt was ripped, one of her short heels broken off, and her hair that were meant to be in two high buns, were messy resting on her shoulders. She had a painful look on her face, making me rush to her. She had been crying. Eyeliner was smudged under her eyes and her lipstick was fully gone, whatever had happened, she had been defending herself, still losing in the end. I held her arms, carefully shaking her, trying to get some kind of reaction from her, but she was whispering things I wasn't able to understand, and it hurt me to see her like this. Anna should've been flirting with the bartender, should've been rolling her eyes at old rich guys that were sleeping on the couches, not lying here, coughing, crying, whispering what could be her last. I was speechless, I couldn't say anything, I didn't want to, it pained me to say anything, because everything felt wrong in this moment.

My breath was increasing, a few tears running down my face. I knew that I couldn't do anything, couldn't get her to the hospital because it would be too late, too late to save her, to get a few words out of her, her friendly soul was slowly vanishing, and I was seeing it. There wasn't the Anna that wanted to go to college, to travel the world, to become successful, there was only an empty body laying here, slowly closing her eyes. I didn't want to believe it, didn't want to accept it, but did I have another option? I kneeled and hugged her, the blood staining my white hoodie. It made me cry to feel her last breaths, to see this wonderful girl leaving the world, her life being ended before it had even started.

"You can't leave," I choked out, "You were meant to leave this place, to see the world, to become what you always wanted." I cried more and more, the tears slowly dropping on her shirt. Her eyes had become lifeless before closing and it destroyed me to see my only friend lying in the middle of such a surrounding. It was never planned for her to grow up somewhere so filthy, so disturbing. I loved how her eyes lit up when she talked about her dream life. The smile she had when she rambled about the different places she would visit as soon as she would have enough money, the giggle when she told me about all the designer dresses she would wear to different fashion shows, the grin when she whispered about being independent and building up her own empire. Now there was nothing left to be seen, as if none of this had ever existed, as if all those memories and dreams had never been there.

As if the Anna I knew, had never been there, never even existed.

She had stopped breathing a while ago and even though I didn't want to leave her here, I knew I had to, before somebody suspected anything. I knew I was being stupid and more selfish than I could ever be, but I couldn't stay here, and nor could I keep looking at her lifeless body any minute longer, because every glance at her made it harder to breath. I laid her body carefully on the floor, the body suddenly feeling very heavy in my arms. I felt guilty, if I hadn't been late, I could've helped her, I could've understood what had happened. I was angry, angry at myself for not being here, angry at Brad making it possible for this to happen, angry at the people who did this to her, because I was sure that it hadn't been just one person.

I stood up, my body in shock, it was hard to walk away from her without doing anything. I shoved the desk away, towards the window, the only thing in this room not being broken. My hands held the door as I looked over my shoulder, a last tear escaping my left eye, I whispered a silent promise to her. As I went another step, the broken glass from the table lamp crushed under my boots. A sob escaped my throat.

I went outside, without taking another look back, I just couldn't. Couldn't bear to see her like this, lying on the floor, I couldn't bare being in the unknown about what had happened, I couldn't bare doing nothing...

I stood outside the bar, watching the flickering neon sign, my arms hanging from my body, my eyes half open, a slight smile on my face. No, not a happy smile, not one that could cheer other up, a smile that had been asking why, why this happened and why wasn't it me, why hadn't it been me, lying on that floor, gasping for air when none of that had been left.

I went to a nearby gas station after leaving that horrifying place, and my eyes immediately went to the half empty gasoline canisters standing next to the entrance door. "Wouldn't even notice.", I whispered to myself and took a canister from the doorsteps. It was only a few meters away from the bar and as soon as I stood back in front of the building, I went back inside.

Not back to the office, only a few footsteps inside, enough to reach the bar. The gasoline was poured all over the leather seats, shattered glasses on the floor, broken down tables. I lit up a match from my bag and let it fall to the ground, the gasoline catching fire quick. I wiped away my tears with my hoodie, which still had blood stains, large blood stains. "I'm so sorry," I muttered, "I'm so damn sorry I wasn't here earlier." The fire got larger, and I had to jog back out before I would catch fire.

Anna wasn't supposed to be found in this place I know she wouldn't want it to end like this.

..................................................................................................................

Another emotional chapter! Tell me, did you expect this? Do you maybe know who or what killed Anna, or was it an accident?

🍪VOTE and COMMENT🍪

-Cookie out-