Fault Line [Completed]

Chapter Nine

Strolling through the town has been a breeze so far. No one has noticed me or even given me another thought. It's perfect! Well, it's just like last time . . . except Lizzy isn't here. And my wig and sunglasses are gone too. Need to get some more. I make a mental note for that.

I pass multiple stores, but none of them would fit my small budget. Actually, I don't even have any money. So, really . . . I'm broke.

I keep walking down the sidewalk. Maybe I'll get lucky and . . . to be honest, I have no hope in something good happening to me right now. Maybe I'm better off in jail or prison or wherever they take me.

I pass an alley and suddenly I'm being pulled into the small dark space. I think twice about screaming, one, it would draw attention to myself and that leads to two, I'm wanted from the police, Interpol, etc.

Someone thrusts a black backpack into my arms and they quickly run away before I can even acknowledge it. I look down at the bag in arms and glance up at the retreating figure.

I open the backpack and rummage through the contents. A blond wig and thick black rimmed glasses sit inside the bag. Along with a red haired wig, a change of clothes, and a big bag of money.

Wait. What?!

I check the contents again and my eyes are definitely not lying. Looking around the second time, I notice an envelope with my name scrawled on it.

I grab the envelope and open it quickly. Leaning on the wall of the alley, I read the message inside of the envelope.

Jane,

By the time you read this, I'll be gone. I told Richie to keep on eye on you, as a favor for me. You can truly trust him as I have.

As you know, I was shot and I probably won't be able to survive it. But don't worry about that, I'll be fine, like always. But I called Richie as I was able to get away for a moment from the guards. I told him how you needed to get out of the facility, I reminded him of a favor I did for him so he owed me.

We devised a plan to get you away from them. If you're reading this then the plan succeeded. You should be safe now.

Find shelter. Lie low. Stay out of everybody's way. Be unseen.

Do everything I taught you and you'll survive. I believe in you, Jane.

I guess this is the last you will hear or see of me, I guess I should tell you.

The escape plan that we had before was a set up. I was supposed to be shot. You were supposed to be helpless. This was all part of the plan. I knew what really had to happen and what the outcome was going to be.

Only one of us was going to get out of here.

And after three years of living with my darkest secret. I couldn't handle it anymore. I know you mean well, Jane. But living with yourself after making a big mistake is the worst decision anyone can make.

This is going to be hard for you. There will be some nights where you can't live with yourself knowing you made a big mistake. And there will be sometimes where jumping from a tall building seems to be the easiest way out of it. But listen to me. I survived three years of that and here's where I ended up. Shot, barely hanging on in a crappy healing wing in the middle of no where. I know that you can survive too.

I don't know if Richie told you about what I did. And I don't know if he told you the real way it happened or the version that would save you the heartache.

If he told you that there were five teens in a car and two of them died after hitting your father . . . he saved you the heartache.

The truth . . . I killed him.

He didn't die after the impact but the two teens did. He was a bit hazy. By the time the police came, I was stumbling to get out of there. I didn't want to go to jail, so I made a run for it. That's what I told you, I made a run for it. But I didn't. I grabbed a gun that was in Tom's car and I ran to your father. I aimed the gun at his head and backed away from the scene.

The police told me to drop the gun. I didn't listen. Instead, I backed farther and farther away until I was out of their firing range. I ran into the woods with your father.

And here is where I wish I could take it all back and rethink my actions.

I fired and killed your father.

I don't expect you to forgive me. I wouldn't forgive me. I never imagined that I would meet you. I guess God thought that this is how I would try to redeem myself.

I guess that since I killed your father . . . I made you who you are today. And I'm sorry.

So, here I am. I will never stop helping you, Jane. I will continue to help you to my last dying breath. It's the only way I feel I can erase my past. Though I know I never can.

Every night I know that I will never forgive myself now. Though I'm sure I don't have many more. So, this is it, I guess.

Have a good life, Jane Carter. Have it on me.

Lizzy Stouff (the girl who will never forgive herself)

I fold the letter and shove it into the envelope. She killed my father. The one person I trusted, and she turned out to be my father's murderer.

How freaking lucky am I?! Am I just the one person who all the people that somehow ruined my life are the people who mean the most to me?!

My life is just surrounded by death and suffering. First my father died, and now Lizzy's dead. Who's next?! One of my sisters?! No . . . not them. Nobody will so much as touch a single hair on their heads. Not while I'm still breathing.

***************

My mother hangs up the phone. Her body shaking with the sadness. I walk up to her slowly.

"Mommy?" I ask hesitantly.

She turns to me. Clearly she had been crying.

"Oh, Jane." She cups her hands around my cheeks. "At least I still have you."

I look at her questionably as she takes a hand away from my cheek. She brings her hand back in an attempt to slap me. I widen my eyes and my mother brings her hand back to my cheek quickly. Her hand is inches from my face . . .

I wake up suddenly, sitting up so fast it hurts my head. Sweating like there's a fire in the room. But there isn't. It's just me . . . alone in a hotel room. I completely understand why my mind decided to replay that in a dream.

That wasn't just the night my father died . . . it was also when my mother started to abuse me. It was the night . . . that my life took a turn for the worst.

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Hey all!

So that's chapter nine. I might put up chapter ten today . . . depends if I finish it. But hope you liked this chapter!