Bandits with Feelings

  The rain starts pouring, and I don't have any shelter from it. Still, I can't stop and risk exposing myself to get recognized. I cover my head from the rain, trying to listen for sirens. I turn the corner, holding my breath. I lean over, checking for police officers, but it's clear. I continue to speed walk. If I run, I'll make too much noise and they'll just catch me immediately. My clothes are already drenched and are sticking to me and my shoulder aches. Blood runs underneath my sleeve and stings.

I shiver from the cold, but I tell myself to keep going. I know this town better than anyone, and I know that I'll be reaching the edge now. As I near the edge of town, I walk even more cautiously. The police will probably guess that I'm going to try and leave town. I find the opening to the sewer and climb down. I ignore the horrible smell and sneak through the narrow pipes, thanking that it's dry down here. I walk slowly when I hear loud chatter. I stop where I am and crane my neck to look around. "Why hasn't she shown up yet?" Someone asks. "Stop complaining, and stay alert." Someone else answers. They must be policemen and they're talking about me. I creep slowly through the pipes after determining that they're above me on the ground.

I reach the end of the hidden passage and climb back up to the ground. As I assumed, there are no police officers here. I start running, following the familiar train tracks. They will lead me to the next town that is down by the beach. I don't stop running. After years of crime, I've built a long and everlasting stamina. After about half an hour, I finally spot some lights. As I approach Blackwater, I stop running. There's a high chance that the police from my town have called the Blackwater police, warning them of my presence.

After the knife entered, I knew better than to leave it visible to everyone. I hid the body and police didn't notice until right before I entered the sewer. I start breathing again. Maybe they weren't looking for me. Maybe they were waiting for their female coworkers. There's no way anyone can find the body. There's even a possibility that they don't even know yet. There were no cameras in that bedroom and my clothes are dark, hiding the blood.

I walk around Blackwater and the rain starts to slow. I see a lively bar. I decide to go inside and dry off since I haven't seen any policemen on high alert. I open the door, holding my breath, praying that the people that live here don't care about a random girl entering their bar.

Turns out, they are all too drunk to care. I ask the bartender where their bathroom is and he points down the stairs. I thank him and start down the stairs. This doesn't seem like a bad town at all. A stranger takes my hand. "Whatcha doing here, all wet and sad?"

I gasp and jump back into the wall. I see a man about my age, dark brown eyes, and fluffy brown hair. His skin is tanned from the sun and covered with freckles. He's wearing a big leather jacket and black jeans. He chuckles. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. It's just, I've never seen you before." He explains.

I immediately feel suspicious of him and I decide not to talk. At all. He takes a step towards me and I draw a sharp breath. My hand reaches across the wall for the handle of the washroom. "Someone got caught up with the rain I see." He continues. I find the handle of the door, only to notice that I'm forming a puddle of rain onto the wooden floor. "You don't talk much do you?" The stranger mutters. I swallow and yank open the bathroom door. I slam it behind me and run to the sink. He could be a spy or even a police officer. I look under stall doors and I see that no one else is here. I strip off my wet clothes and keep them under the hand dryer. I dry my almost naked body along with them, but the hand dryer isn't really doing a good job of drying. It isn't strong enough and eventually, I give up. I feel a bit better, my clothes are warm and I feel refreshed. Blood hasn't stopped running from my shoulder, but there ain't nothing I can do about it.