On the Run by M Zeigler (short story to read TXT) 📖

says firmly leaving no room for arguing, little does he know, I won’t be threatened with a hospital. Especially if a man is threatening to put me there, I hate men enough as it is, and I was starting to trust him but now I’m starting to feel like now is a good time to run.

“Face you’re fears Bonnie, your mind cannot stay in ruins forever. You will die in agony and vain if you do not wise up.” The voice of that ghostly creature has me looking around again feeling panicked once more.

“Come on Bonnie! We’re going to a small town throwdown!” I hear someone shout to me, looking towards the front porch I see Heather, Montgomery, and several other new faces looking my way excited to have me join them. “A what?” I ask as Barrette walks out the front door holding my car keys and a thirty six pack of beer. “

“A small town party.” Barrette informs as he walks towards the Mustang, how can a small town party be different from any other party? I suppose I’m about to find out, I’m not objecting to getting out in the world and trying  new things. To me, learning new things is a must, one hasn’t truly lived until they have learned much about the world.

“Come on, darlin.” Barrette says from the driver’s seat of my car, he has the hood down and the engine running. Montgomery activates the bar light on top of his patrol car and then beckons for Heather to take a seat in the passenger’s seat. June and the band walk towards the barn where I am just now notice a rather large old truck parked with the engine already running.

 

 

Chapter 6

 

On the run chapter 6

Bonnie and Clyde

Barrette’s perspective

“Well?” Heather asks as I come down from my old room where Bonnie and I fell asleep last night after a serious heart to heart conversation that neither of us really wanted. By the end of the conversation I found myself looking at Bonnie in a whole different perspective. I officially understand why she is the way she is, I also kind of look up to her, she’s been through hell, then dropped into the blender, and pitched head first into ringer and walked out alive. She’s by far more of a trooper than I initially thought; honestly I really thought that she was just putting up a front on how cold and broken she is.

She went into full detail on how she was locked in her room for days on end, I’m talking dead bolts on the outside of the door, windows nailed shut, locked in her room. She gave more insight on her step father’s many attempts on her life, how he would come home drunk after having a bad day at work and surprise attack her by punching her in the face when she least expected it. Then throw her into the wall and try to strangle the life out of her, all the while her mother would just stand by and do nothing to stop the problem. To top off the bad parent award her mother always told the cops that Bonnie was the one who started the whole thing and Michael was just defending himself.

What really got to me and made it so that I no longer feel bad for wailing on Michael the way I did, her step father used to throw her down the stairs of their second story home. If that wasn’t the worst part, the fact that her step father removed the carpet and left bare tack strips down for her to tumble down is the worst of it. He would also on occasion burn her with his cigarettes and smash his empty beer can on her face or collar bone.

“She’s awake and in the shower.” I inform Heather who has just been joined by my mother; gazing out the living room window I see that everyone is awake on the tour bus as well. “Tell Bonnie I said good luck and she’s welcome here anytime. As for me, I’m off to work.” My mother announces as she gives Heather a hug, after patting Heather’s back and giving a brilliant smile she walks over and hugs me giving me a quick on the cheek. Without further words I watch her step out the door with work in the distance. Her job is a few cities over at a friend’s market; she is he cashier there as well as the manager.

“So you’re and Bonnie, huh? You two seem; close.” Heather announces when I’ve reached the kitchen to put Bonnie’s breakfast together. “Yeah we are, amazingly she’s the female copy of me. Except her family life is; something that can’t be easily put into words.” I reply to Heather keeping up the polite conversation even though I know what she’s getting at.

Heather and I dated for a few years when I was in college, we were great together, I’m the one who messed that up though. I got heavy into alcohol and being a rebel, she tried to coax me out of it, but like Bonnie it’s going to take a lot more than love, and loss to fix it. So Heather did what any smart woman would do, she left me on the couch drunk and really not caring one way or another what she did. After I sobered up she tried to get me to come back but I missed the call, literally and proverbially. I’m back now and she’s trying to find out if Bonnie and I are a packaged deal. The problem is, at this point it’s really a bad time for her to be figuring her way into my arms, first off I have someone trying to murder me, and second, I really don’t know what is going on between Bonnie and me.

“No I mean like you two make a cute couple, Marcus didn’t tell me that you two were together.” Heather says trying to place reverse psychology game with me. “Marcus didn’t tell me that either, but then again we both know how blind and ignorant I can be at the best of times.”  I retort, Heather swallows her coffee rather aggressively then look directly at me with that very angry look she gets whenever we disagreed on something. “Barrette, I thought we were past that by now?” She affirms showing no sign of backing down from the conversation she started.

“Heather, we dated back in college. This is twelve years later, I’m over it, however it seems like you aren’t. You’re the one who walked away not me.” I remind her not really caring at this point why she left but that she left not me. “Why did I leave you though?! Barrette, I tripped over a beer can walking out the front door and you laughed when I fell!” Heather shouts as I hear Bonnie’s heavy boot clad steps out on the living hardwood.

“Am I interrupting something?” Bonnie asks upon entering the kitchen, turning around I am left breathless by the sight standing before me.

I talked to my mother’s friend Brenda last night if she had any old clothes collecting dust that we could hand over to Bonnie. Brenda brought back two tubs full of clothes that she wore when she was Bonnie’s age and had a size eight waste line. And I can’t say that I’m not impressed by what Bonnie is wearing right now.

She’s standing just outside a ray of sunlight shinning in through the dining room window; she has a pair of women’s western cut biker boots laced up tight to her feet.  And has on a pair of black leather pants that are so tight they could pass as a second skin, there’s a leather studded belt slung through the belt loops. And to make things really uncomfortable, mostly for Heather, Bonnie has on a leather halter top that V cuts lower than most women would dare to wear. Her hair is let down out of its normal pony tail, instead she has used my mother’s flat iron to straighten her normally wild hair. Her makeup is almost nonexistent today, just a touch of eye liner and mascara.

“No, Barrette was just reminding me of why I left him. And I’m making your breakfast; it’s a little crispy though.” Heather says turning back to face the dining table after a quick glimpse of the look on my face. “Oh, um. Okay, well thank you.” Bonnie says walking over to retrieve the plate from me. She leaves me standing there stunned beyond belief, so stunned that I don’t even object to her once again sitting on the kitchen counter to eat breakfast.

Heather moves a minute later, she passes by me giving a hateful glare then starts talking to Bonnie. “I have to get going now; I’ve got to get to class. You two have fun and keep us posted?” Heather says leaning in to hug Bonnie, I tense up waiting for the southern outlaw woman to become crazy again but she doesn’t. In fact she returns the hug while trying to clear her mouth of food. “Class? You’re in college?” Bonnie asks releasing Heather. “No, I teach class. I’m a fifth grade teacher.” Heather corrects Bonnie’s assumption. “Okay well have fun with that, and remember the girl code.” Bonnie speaks after Heather who’s already at the door. Heather looks back at Bonnie confused; her eyes then dart to me showing a bit more understanding. “I will. Bye now!” Heather chirps, the slamming door brings me back to my senses and taking the plate from Bonnie who actually whines.

“Come on Barrette, it’s not hurting anyone!” She gripes following her food to the table, ignoring Bonnie’s comment I turn for the living room where I have reviewed everything we know about Devon, new and old and formed a plan. 

“Okay, after you went to sleep last night, me, my brothers, and Sheriff Montgomery reviewed the profile that we have for Devon. He also went into his work computer and found that Michael is still in the emergency room from what I did to him. Now we all came to the conclusion that Devon will literally follow us wherever we go. Now with that said, Montgomery informed us that all persons who know of Devon’s criminal activity is either dead or paid to keep quiet. With you being wanted for murder it wouldn’t matter if you caught Devon because you would still go down for murder, and I would go down for helping you. However, if we can find these four men, we can get all of the lost files against Devon. Then we bring Devon in, alive with the files, you and I walk out of this and Devon goes to prison.” I explain to Bonnie presenting three photos to her as well as a map that is still folded up.

 “Mark Hallway, Theodore Lance, and Hugh Flake, Allen Warner? These are all mayors’ right?” Bonnie replies after popping a piece of bacon into her mouth. “Yes, Mark is the mayor of Louisiana, Theodore is the mayor of Mississippi, and Hugh is the Mayor of Alabama, and Allen is the Mayor of Georgia.” I explain as Bonnie reads over