31 - Home At Last

I gasp, opening my eyes and find myself, yet again, on the floor of the shack, cold and sore. I try to get up, but only manage to get on all fours. The room is dark but the light from outside shines through the single window and gives me at least something to see where the door is at. I crawl towards it with difficulty and try to open it, but it won't budge. 

I cry again when I realize that everything was just a dream .... a nightmare .... a chaos in my world of imagination. I get even more scared thinking that Mark didn't get my call nor did he follow me. 

I get to the window and pull myself up, clutching my aching stomach, and look outside. The white car that we used earlier is still there and the driver is leaning on the hood, cigarette between his lips and a flask on his hand. I don't see Mr. Briggs anywhere though. There are no other houses in sight either. 

Then I hear his voice. It's coming from the other side of the shack where I can't see. I crawl nearer the other side and listen intently, planting my ears on the wall.

"You wanna get your girlfriend? Come alone." 

Although I wanna say I'm not his girlfriend, but I'm sure he's talking to Mark. I hear some murmurs and the door flies open. 

"Say something." Mr. Briggs literally shoves the phone at the side of my face. 

"Mark. Don't. He'll kill you." I manage to shout before the phone gets pulled away from me, I didn't even get to hear his voice. 

"Alright now. Come on over Tuan. And bring what I told you to bring." Briggs finishes before putting the phone in his pocket. 

I watch him wipe the sweat off his forehead with his dirty hand and dry it on his filthy pants. He looks really exhausted. I'm just wondering right now where his other men could be. Could it be that he's working alone? How could he have survived?

"Now, we'll just have to wait. After him, I'm gonna get his dad." He sits on a rusty old chair, leaning back. "I'm thinking of killing your dad last. That would be dramatic, wouldn't it? Or maybe not. Maybe I'm gonna use him longer ... Maybe milk some more dough out of him." He looks at me with a smirk. "What do you think?"

"You'll be long dead before that happens." I tell him, glaring. 

He chuckles. "You think so? Nah .... I got men to protect me."

"No, you don't." I brave to say. "You have nothing. You're broke." He should be. With all the traveling around the world, his allies put behind bars and my dad getting away, he doesn't have anyone or anywhere to get money from. Plus .... What's with this filthy shack? Not even a cheap motel or something?

He only has that one man outside, acting as his driver. From the looks of him, he's a homeless man with nothing but himself. But, that makes him even scarier. He's got nothing to lose. Desperation and insanity would make him do things just to get what he wants - which is 'revenge'. 

He spits on the ground. "Don't smart talk me little one." He gets up and walks towards where I am on the floor. I move back to the wall. "You don't know what I can do with sasses like you. Would you want to go first then? SHUT UP!"

He kicks me on the side before walking out the door and locking it from outside. I hear him grumble. 

The silence of the night is broken when a car speeds towards us and it stops. 

Mark!

I look out the window and see the familiar car that was parked just earlier back in Sandra's house. Mark gets out of the car slowly, his hands already up in the air. 

"Briggs. Where is she?"

"Mark!" I shout from the inside. I think he hears it cause his head moves to where I am, and he sees me. 

"Cris." I see his mouth move, although I couldn't hear him. 

"Where's my money?" Briggs asks. I can't see him from where I am, but I know he's just standing outside the door. 

"In the car." Mark says, looking back at him. He tosses the keys to Briggs and I hear the old man laugh. 

I see the other guy now, the driver. He moves behind Mark, grabbing his hands and tying them behind him. 

"Let her go then. We had a deal." Mark says. 

"Not so fast, boy." Briggs. Then I see him when he steps forward, pushing Mark back to the car. He checks inside and takes out a bag. He looks inside that and a smile forms on his lips. He walks back towards the house and the door opens. I quickly run, but he gets a hold of me. 

"Cris." Mark breathes out, looking relieved. "Shit!" He curses when he notices the blood stains on my face and down my shirt. "What the fuck did you do to her?" He tries to wriggle free from the other man, kicking his feet. 

Briggs laughs aloud, silencing all of us. "This is so much fun." He shakes his head tossing the bag inside the white car and the next thing I know, he has a gun on Mark's forehead. He turns to me. "Now, watch your boyfriend die, Cristina."

"NO!" I shout. 

He laughs louder. Distracted, Mark moves quickly, dodging the gun and using his knee to hit Briggs on his groin, making him bend down. Mark gets to kick him and the gun gets thrown off from his hand, landing somewhere in the bushes. The man behind Mark, who was also clearly taken by surprise, realizes what was going on. And before Mark could even make another move, the guy hits him hard at the back of his head and he lands face down on the ground. 

"Mark!" I scream, not knowing what to do. The man goes on top of him and hits him again. I force my feet to move and run towards the bushes where I think the gun landed. Briggs is still on the ground, but I see his hands moving, reaching for me. I go down on my knees, frantically parting the plants in search of the gun, ignoring the cuts the twigs make on my arms. And then I feel the cold metal under my fingers. 

I take it between my hands and, with them still shaking, I lift it up, fixing my finger on the trigger. 

"Shoot!" I hear Mark yelling. 

I point at the man on top of Mark, still at it with his beating. 

"Pull the trigger, Cris." Mark shouts again.

I squeeze my eyes shut while I do the same with my finger. I fall backwards at the force and the loud sound the gun makes. Tears fall instantly down my cheeks. And when I open my eyes, Briggs is right in front of me. He snatches the gun from my hands and goes behind me. His arm is around my neck and the barrel on my temple. "Mark." I cry. 

At that time, Mark is staggering to get up, with his hands still tied behind him. I see the man lying beside him, his face unrecognizable. I look away quickly, concentrating on Mark, stopping myself from hurling at the horrific image beside him. Mark's face shows panic ... fear ... when he sees me. 

"Don't you even dare come near." Briggs hisses. 

"Please." Mark says softly. "Just ... don't. I'll do whatever you want."

"Mark, just run." I scream. Whatever negotiation we make with Briggs, I'm sure he wouldn't do his part of the deal anyway. 

But, Mark doesn't listen. Instead, he takes another step forward. "You want me, don't you? Take me. Let Cristina go." 

Another irritating laughter comes out from the man behind me. "I want all of you dead, that's what I want."

"You can't kill her. You need her." Mark says, looking straight at Briggs. "We both know that. You need her to get to the others, don't you?"

"Mark. No." I shout again. 

"Shut up!" Briggs says. From the tone of his voice, I think he's a bit confused. Maybe he's trying to think of what Mark said. He pulls me closer to him and pushes the gun harder. 

Mark makes another step. He's now only four feet away. 

"I said, don't move." Briggs yells at him. But, he gets startled when Mark bravely leaps from where he is standing and lunges at me, making me fall backwards, pinning Briggs under me. 

I get pushed to the side then I hear a shot. I quickly turn around, fearing for the worst. I see blood on Mark's shoulder and more on Briggs. 

"You fuck!" Briggs shouts.

"Run, Cris." 

I crawl back to where they are. The gun is still on Briggs hand. As he's still pinned down on the ground with Mark on top of him, I get the chance to step on his hand and snatch the gun from him. The next thing I know, I'm pulling the trigger again. 

______

"Babe .... Hey ... Stay with me...."

 I open my eyes and realize I'm at the backseat of a car, Mark driving up front. I close them back again, still feeling dizzy and weak. 

I hear other voices after some time. And even more when I open my eyes again. I can't see really clearly, but I think I see my mom. 

When I'm fully awake, I'm in a very familiar room. I get up instantly. 

I'm home. 

I'm back home in LA with the familiar scent, wallpaper, curtains ... my bed .... my picture on the wall .... the alarm clock on the bedside table .... the neat desk at the corner .... everything is still at it's place .... like I never left at all. Maybe I really didn't. 

I don't even remember the last time I was here. 

I quickly run out the door. "Mom. Dad." I shout, almost stumbling down the steps. 

Lita emerges from the kitchen and I can't help myself from jumping to her arms. "Cris." She cries, hugging me back. "You're ok now, baby. You're safe." Her embrace tightens when I start sobbing, too. 

"Where are they?" I ask, pulling away after some time. 

"They're out back," she giggles. "Go. I'll be bringing out some food."

I don't hesitate to run to the back door, to the patio. I hear voices. 

"My little bear." My dad sees me first, getting up from his chair and pulling me in his arms. "You're finally up. How was hibernation?" He teases. 

I giggle, tears still streaming down my cheeks. My mom joins us, squishing me between them. 

"I'm really sorry honey." She says. 

____

"So, what do you plan to do now?" Dad asks. We're all seated around the table for dinner. "You wanna go back to school?"

It's already been a week since I got back. I'm still out of it though. I find myself waking up with my own cries at night as the scene of me pulling the trigger replay on my mind. It was terrible. Never in a million years did I think of killing someone....and two at that. Everything is traumatic. 

"I don't know." I answer him honestly, sighing. "I'm thinking of traveling, actually."

Mom smiles. Her hand reaches over the table and holds mine. "That would be good. You need time to get over all this, honey. And when you come back, all fresh, you can start your life again."

I smile back at her. Will I be able to forget this like how I forgot what happened the last time? Maybe not. 

But, where's Mark?