Why did you let them?
Why did you let them hurt you?
You could've stood up and fought back
but instead you let them hurt you.
Why?
—
"Avia, are you okay?" Cleaver asks watching me weirdly twitch in my seat.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"You sure? You're twitching..."
"This happens a lot."
"Does anything help it?"
"Yes."
"What is it?"
"I think I'm getting a little stabby."
"Just relax your body."
"Sometimes I try but it never helps."
"Anyway , we need to go find somewhere to hide. We can't just drive around all day and night."
"Good idea."
"But where will we go?"
"Maybe a hotel?" Alice shouts from the backseat.
"People will probably recognize Avia. Plus I don't think we could fit all of us in one room. We also have no money."
"I got an idea." I say getting out of the car. "Let's go."
Everyone follows me out of the car.
—
After about a half hour of walking Alice falls on the ground to her knees and whines , "Where are we going? What exactly is your plan."
"I actually...don't really have one."
"But you said you had an idea!"
Cleaver picks her up and carries her so we can continue walking.
"I'm starving! We haven't eaten in days!" Harolynn says.
"Yea, we need to go eat somewhere." Brace states.
"But what if someone sees me?" I exclaim.
"Oh yea, forgot about that..."
I see two little girls about two blocks from us , they looked like they were lost. One had curly dark brown hair and dark skin and the other was pale with dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes...like my sister.
"Look, guys. Those girls look lost, we should go see what's up." I say.
We walk up to the kids and the blonde one starts to run away but her friend grabs her wrist and says "Embry, this could be help!"
"Hello, I'm Avia...are you two girls lost?"
"Yes. We were out with our moms and Embry ran away so I went to catch her but by the time I did we were lost completely."
Embry turned to face us, I was stunned... she looked exactly like Em' when she was her age.
"What's wrong?" the other girl asks me while I just stared blankly at Embry.
"Nothing. It's just...your friend looks exactly like my little sister..."
"Oh, what's your sister's name?"
"Her name's Emmaline but I call her Em'."
"Her name's Embry, but she's kinda shy. I'm Aiyla."
"Nice to meet you both." I say to them with a smile. "Do you know your addresses?"
"Not really..."
"Do you know your mother's phone number?"
"Yes, but we don't have a phone."
"Don't worry , we'll get you both home safe...you can trust us."
Suddenly there was a startled look on Aiyla's face ."
"What's wrong , Aiyla?
"Your friend is looking at me a little weird."
Harolynn shoves through us and pushes us back so we fall onto the concrete.
"Don't you look tasty." Harolynn says, kneeling down look directly into Aiyla's eyes.
"Um..."
"You don't get it? I eat people, and children are especially delightful and tender."
As soon as Harolynn opened her mouth to bite Aiyla I run up behind her , take out my knife from my pocket and stabbed her straight through the neck.
Blood spilt heavily from her throat and coughed as she fell dead on the concrete.
"I'm protecting you, I'm a protector. Don't be afraid of me. Let's go..."
—
While we were all walking I stepped on something. I looked down and there was a twenty dollar bill and a ten dollar bill under my shoe.
"Score. Hey , Cleaver, I found thirty bucks!"
"Cool. Put it back, we don't know who it belongs too."
"But we could buy food!"
"Would thirty bucks be even enough for eight people?"
"We'll make it work."
—
We come across this 50's style cafe across the street and decide to head in.
Once we sit down and ordered our lunch , Aiyla and Embry started scarfing down their food and Cleaver helped Selah eat because she had trouble for some reason, though she's four, she should know how to. feed herself.
"What' are we gonna do next? Take the bus?" Cleaver asks me.
"We could...or we could steal a car..."
"No way."
"Oh come on."
"And even if I agreed to that there's no way we could , everyone keeps their cars locked...as they should."
"We just gotta wait for a careless person to loose their keys."
"Avia, that's not going to happen—"
Just then I hear keys land on the floor as a man walks up from his seat.
"Now's my chance." I start to get up but Cleaver grabs my arm.
"What if someone catches you?"
"I doubt it. There's like eight people in the whole restaurant. Plus, I'll be fast."
I get up and manage to get the keys without anyone noticing.
—
We get outside and I hit the unlock button on the keys. The lights of a large olive green van blink.
"Cmon, we gotta go before anyone catches us."
We all quickly hop inside the van and Cleaver drives away.
It was already night time and all four kids start to fall asleep in the backseat.
"Avia, we need to go to a motel. There's one not far from here."
"Okay fine, but cover me if anyone recognizes me."
"Got it."
—
We got to the motel just down the road and Cleaver books us a room at the front desk.
As soon as we got our room and put the little kids into bed , Cleaver, Brace, Maisie, and I turned on the TV.
The news came on and I saw my face on the screen.
"There is an escaped murderer on the loose. She was last seen in a blood-stained white hoodie and has an opened scar on her cheek. If you see her, please call us at 456-894-78–"
I turn the TV off. "What am I gonna do—"
I lay back on the bed and I hear the voice again .
Why'd you let them hurt you?
Why'd you kill them?
Why did you try to kill your sister?
Why'd you do it?
—
I wake up in the car to the loud radio. "Cleaver, turn that down."
Cleaver turns down the radio just slightly.
"Cleaver, I wanna go home."
"W-why? Avia , are you crazy? What if you get caught? You'll go to prison !"
"I'll take my chances. I want to see my sister."
