Prologue
Something moved near the garbage bins by the opening of the alley. He turned around and stared.
He shoved his hand in his left pocket. The warm space kept his fingers from the chill outside. The movement caused a critter to scurry behind the trash bin, suddenness of the sound caused his body to jolt. He let out a chuckle, surely it couldn't be just tonight making him jumpy? This would be like every other time they met. None-the-less the sound hadn't been who he had been expecting, a disappointment rose within him.
"Stupid rats!" He muttered with disgust.
In one grasp, he pulled out his black Android phone, he touched the screen as he scanned it. Nothing, no messages. But at least the coast is clear!
The cold wind nipped at him and he started feeling uneasy. All the doubts came crashing in again, maybe she had second guessed herself when he had stopped following her.
"She would come,"he re-assured himself. She had promised.
He stared back at his phone. Still no text from her. The anger started boiling up in him again.
(She wouldn't dare stand him up.)
Another movement in the mouth of the alley and he held his breath and melted into the shadows. He glared at the one opening left. He had closed the other end with a bunch of garbage bins and old beds. The person passed and he raised his massive shoulders in anger. That wasn't her, he told himself. She had stood him up. How dare she?
"Hello!" A small still voice said from the opening.
The person moved deeper into the shadows. Her faint perfume seemed to cloud the atmosphere and Augustine breathed it in." Perfect," he whispered.
He ripped himself from where he stood in the shadows, now he faced her. Before she could make a single sound his hand wrapped around her ruby lips. With his free hand he held it to his lips and uttered one sound.
"Shhhh." He muttered, annoyed.
"It's me, no need to scream!" He said.
"It's me. Don't scream." He whispered hoarsely. His voice had changed. She could smell his cologne and she recognised it.
She nodded her head and he removed his hand.
"You are late." He muttered, his voice attaining that musical note she was into.
"Traffic." She countered, her perfect teeth gleaming in the semi darkness.
"Okay, were u followed.?"
"No," she replied screwing her head around to look behind her.
No one was there. He knew no one followed her. He had made sure of that. He had followed her up till she had entered the mall four blocks away from the alley they were presently in.
No one would know she was with him and so no one would follow them to their paradise. Her face brightened. She was eloping. Okay not necessarily eloping since you only did that with your real parents, she was running away from her foster parents. He grabbed her hand tenderly, pulling her toward his midnight black van. All the while he convinced her with his sweet lulling voice that no one would bother them. They would be free of judgement, no one would know they were ever together. With those tender words, the words she had so desperately needed to hear so now she followed without question. Her full trust within this man. Now, they eloped to paradise, all their dreams would come true as if in some sort of sweet fantasy. Because no one would miss them, they never had before. They never would now.
One time she had been out for a week and they had never asked her where she had gone to. To some teens it was freedom, to her it were parents not caring enough. Anyways her real parents had dumped her at some stupid orphanage, after all and to her that meant they didn't care. They didn't love her. Forget all that talk about circumstances and what not, they didn't care and to her that was the only plausible explanation. Now she was running away with the one person who loved her. It would be so awesome she imagined. She had read somewhere that relationships like these were the most romantic although they were said not to last long. She was willing to take a chance.
The handsome stranger made it worthwhile. Every touch, every breath on her neck. Every moment had been perfect, just like she had needed. At this moment she never cared if this was a phase, she has never believed in true love. So why now? Who even believes in that gooey stuff anyway? All sweet Augustine needed is the tender touch of a man and five minutes of joy. Which the handsome stranger gave her and more.
Her naive mind had made her to blind to see the black and white, the red flags and the fine print of just what dire situation she had walked right into. Her trust in a complete stranger? Idiotic at best. The dim lights of the highway flashed over the van. The black van drove out of the shadows into the highway as the city lights sped by the windows biding farewell to her it was the last she ever saw those beautiful lights. The last evidence of the city disappeared behind them. The wind whispered goodbye to her. She had protested, but was easily won over with a simple chemical on a square rag swiftly lulling her to sleep. It was in this same moment, that Merry Hale realised she had willingly walked into her own grave.
