Short Cuts

A Shakespearian ending. Part 1.

I hesitantly woke up from having face planted the solid wooden floor; I was completely unaware of my surroundings. I let my eyes sluggishly scope the flooring around me. A red paint met my sight. Chloe.

I grounded my aching arms underneath me to through my reluctant body to its feet. I screeched out in pain, my head was stinging like crazy and I had clearly landed on my unhealed flesh wound. I stumbled absently around the basement bedroom occasionally leaning on furniture for balance. I cried out for Chloe. Where was she?

Then I remembered, the redness on the solid wooden floor. I looked down to see a long dragged out trail leading up stairs out into the hallway.

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After Dav’s funeral Ryan and I became a lot closer, I adopted him like a younger brother that I never had, as I was told to do, but Ryan needed discipline and a fresh start to life so Rodger ended up taking him into his home, which was fine, I got to visit regularly [whenever they were home] and Ryan with the hardships that he had in his life was doing the best he possibly could. He also helped out at the bookstore whenever we needed the extra pair of hands.

Not a day goes by without my mind wondering back to Dav’s fading face, yes I missed him a lot but it also brought back thoughts of my own brother and our missed goodbyes, I felt at peace now. I had not only the pain of Dav flooding out of me but also all the crap in my life up to that point; it plummeted out of me like a never-ending flood of shit. Whatever happened and however hard I cried in that hospital, I had left it in that hospital. I was finished with all that. Now, I was happy.

Until they returned.

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I dashed out into the hallway shadowing along the trailing red shape on the floor. The only thing I could think of was why didn’t we leave I said to? Why did Chloe have to be difficult and argue? Why did I let her out of my sight? Where is she?

The what-felt-like-forever red shape abruptly ended at the front door leading me to a magazine cut out letter.

It read:

Dear Ethan

I told you I would find you and your bitch didn’t I now.

Oh, don’t be mad, you knew you had it coming, but now

Down to business if you ever want to see the Brady

Bunch family again follow the address on the back of

This ransom note, and come alone. Consider her kidnapped

Sound familiar.

Sincerely, The Dealers.

My mind went into a state of panic, everything was moving at once, the room was spinning, my guts wanted to spill out again and my heart ached like crazy; I had never felt like this except Dav’s and my brother’s death, but that sort of feeling was absurd, they wouldn’t kill Chloe, I mean she was their leverage. Then it dawned on me; Chloe was their leverage, to get to me.

I raced into my crappy car, scraping my leg against the rusted door. The car was scratched and dented from the last hectic drive home, I wasn’t keen on doing it all over again, but it was my only option at this point.

The address on the back of the ransom was about a 1hour drive away; it was what seemed like endless drive, my heart pounded through my body and I could feel the rushed circulation increasing the closer I got to my destination.