Keep Me Alive • Camren

Fifteen

Warning: Violence and Sexual assault

Her hands are trembling. There's blood splattered all over her shirt, people are crowding the stranger on the floor, and Camila is quivering on the bed.

12 Hours Earlier

Having finished IV'ing her veins for the third time in two
days, Lauren leans back with her eyes closed. She could literally feel the drug rushing through her body.

It was amazing. It was always amazing.

She takes the needle out, and does the same routine of disposing. Wrapping it in a thick layer of toilet paper, almost half the role, and stuffing it into the bottom of the trash can. As disgusting as that was.

Lauren has developed the tolerance that all heroin addicts do. She regularly injects the entire syringe, sometimes half of another. Just to feel the same euphoria she did when she first started.

Today, she only uses one though.

Waiting about thirty minutes to calm down, she exits the apartment and walks down the flight of stairs to Camila's.

She knocks on the wooden door of apartment 132. A small women answers, and Lauren's first thought is how much Camila looks like her. "Uhm, is...Camila home?" She asks in Spanish. Her speech only slowed slightly. The woman nods, and motions Lauren to enter. "She's in her room," Sinu points down the hall.

Lauren's eyes follow the direction of her finger. She faces Sinu once again, before disappearing into the thin corridor.

Pushing open the door ever so slowly, it still manages to make the loudest noise in the world.

It was surprising how big the room looked when there weren't three inhabitants.

Her eyes land on the bed. Camila is still snuggled under the covers, and Lauren wonders how that didn't wake her.  She smiles at how comfortable the sleeping beauty seems.

Come to think of it, sleeping is the only time Lauren has seen her so at peace. She almost hated to wake her, but they had a long day ahead of them, and the regret was only minimal.

"Camila!" Lauren shouts jumping on to the bed, startling the brunette onto the carpet. Lauren attempts to stop her from her doom, but fails on account that her reflexes weren't cat-like at the moment.

And she was dying of laughter.

"Are you ok?" Lauren peers down at her from atop the bed.

"What the hell?" Camila sits up, rubbing her head.

"We have to go the mall." She replies, helping her up. Camila groans, and lifts to her feet. "what time is it?"

"Ten." Lauren flips onto her back, "your bed is so comfortable."

Camila sighs, "isn't it?" She belly flops next to the invader, burying her face in one of  the six pillows. "I'm so tireddddd."

"Come on! We don't have much time." Lauren urges.

"Fine. Wait outside while I change."