Innocent Fugitive

Run and Hide

Carlo smiled as he watched Teresa fall. "I never liked you," he whispered in her ear. He then called emergency services. "Hi, a girl has been shot in St. James' Park, we're gonna need an ambulance."

The lady on the other end of the line told him they would be right there. He simply replied with an 'okay' then hung up. He prepared himself to act scared and frightened as he dialled Bella's number.

"Hello?" Bella's voice came over the phone, filled with curiosity. He couldn't blame her, he hardly spoke to her.

"Bella? Is that you? Teresa's been shot!" He tried speaking fast, sounding worried.

"What?! Again?" Carlo thought he heard her mutter something under her breath. "Okay, we'll be right there." 

As Bella hung up, he thought he heard her scream out to Margo. He smiled. Then he picked up his things and ran. 

- - -

Bella by now had told Margo and Joseph what had happened. They were on their way to the park, when they saw an ambulance, and not far behind them, was a police car. 

"Carlo, you idiot!" Bella mumbled under her breath. They pulled over and watched as the ambulance drove away, leaving the police behind.

Bella leaned over to speak to Joseph, "Joseph, drive normally past the police, follow the ambulance."

Joseph nodded and began to drive. 

Bella turned to Margo, "Duck down." Margo nodded and did so. Bella copied and waited for the all clear sign from Joseph. 

"Where's Carlo? Wouldn't he have hidden and waited for us to pick him up?" Joseph asked. 

Bella huffed, "He probably was too afraid to face the police so he ran and didn't look back."

Margo shook her head. "Teresa's told me heaps about Carlo. According to her, he was quite an easy going guy. Even around the police."

"Then why would he run?" Joseph seemed more suspicious than the others. 

Bella sighed a doubtful suggestion, "Maybe he ran to hide from the police. Maybe he isn't the only one with the police on his tail."

Margo looked at Joseph. "Well?"

Joseph pulled over immediately so he could turn to face them. And when he did so he threw his hands in the air and answered with, "Hey, I might be a long hanging gang member who knows a lot, and I mean a lot of guys whose screwed up in their lives, but that don't mean I know everyone."

Margo rolled her eyes, "Then who does?"

Joseph laughed and Bella suddenly realised who he was going to suggest, "Yes, in fact I do." 

Bella shook her head, "No, Joseph... that's not what we want him for..."

Margo ignored Bella's remark, "Stop playing these games Joseph, who is it?"

Joseph's grin broadened. So much in fact, that Bella thought it might slide off his face if it grew any more. 

"Don't you know? It's Bella's uncle. And I know exactly where he is."

- - -

Carlo ran and ran and ran. Until he decided he didn't need to run any more. His only hope was that he had killed Teresa. If he hadn't then she would tell Bella and Margo, and they would know that he had betrayed them. All he could do now was to run and hide. 

His sister had always told him to never trust the friend of an enemy. And the enemy in this instance was Bella. He didn't know why he had been told that Bella was the one to kill, not Teresa. Teresa was the one who had betrayed him, not Bella. Although Bella was no better. 

Ages ago, Teresa and him had been best friends. Closer than close. When she had to move, she had promised that no one would ever replace him. Yet the next time he saw her, a girl had taken his place. That day any feelings that he ever felt for Teresa had snapped. Snapped. Into. A. Thousand. Pieces. Later, he had killed the girl who had stolen Teresa. 

That's when he became addicted. 

Years later, he dated a girl who everyday said she loved him. Then she would kiss him on the cheek, occasionally on the lips, and hop away, smiling. Then when the school dance came around, she told him she was so sorry because she had already been asked to the dance by someone else. She told him that she had said yes because she felt sorry for the boy. Carlo had agreed and said 'as long as the moment you arrive and had one dance with him, you come over to me.' The girl had nodded. 

But that night she had made the gravest mistake. 

Carlo had watched as the girl dance with the other guy. And so he had also watched her kiss him, then tell him she loved him. Carlo immediately dragged her outdoors and listened to her lame excuses. Then strangled her. Strangled her until she died. 

She wasn't the last either. 

He had been betrayed three more times. Once by his best friend, who had kissed his girlfriend. Dead. Then he killed his girlfriend as well. Another time his mate stole his most prised action figure then snapped the head of it. So Carlo snapped the head off him. Finally by his other brother, who he caught having sex with his girlfriend. Both had to die. And they did. 

Somehow the feeling of killing all these people satisfied him. And it had made his sister proud. She was the only one who hadn't abandoned him. His parents had, and he would have killed them as well if sister hadn't stopped him. But she was right, instead of killing them, he would abandon them instead. 

And he did. 

And he would keep doing it. Killing. Abandoning. Until he would no longer have to run and hide from the world.