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

john, huh? You have very strange timing for quoting music and movies you know that.” Barrette says sounding sober now, has it been that long that I’ve been sitting here? I ignore his words still incredibly mad at him. “Listen Bonnie, I heard what you said back there and I’m sorry for prying. But you almost got us killed back there; you need to learn really quick how to sever your fear from your actions. I mean at least over react and empty the gun into the guy?” Barrette says trying to bring peace to the situation.

His little heartfelt speech brings tears to my eyes now. “I don’t know what happened Barrette, I seen him standing there and you weren’t moving I could imagine him snapping your neck for a minute and I froze, it’s like I couldn’t move, I couldn’t breathe.” I whimper frantically feeling that familiar darkness of a panic attack coming on.

Barrette scoots closer to me as his hand reaches out to my chin making me look at him, his rings are cold on my face somewhat startling me back into focus. “Bonnie, as long as we work this case together and keep our wits about us. We will be just fine; we are not going to die in this war.” Barrette promises sounding truly kind and understanding, but at the same time urging me to believe that we are not going to die.

I scan over his face to see a deep purple bruise forming, my stomach sinks deep, the panic attack amplifies a little more, and then vanishes entirely when I feel Barrette’s lips against mine for the second time during this tragic disaster. Since we are not in the midst of extreme danger this time, and Heather is nowhere to be found I allow myself to indulge in this moment. Just when I start to relax entirely, Barrette leans away and gives me a comforting look that assures me everything will be just fine.

“You know I wouldn’t leave you for dead right?” I whisper to Barrette who gives a little chuckle. “You couldn’t leave me if you tried. Why don’t we head back inside, it’s cold out here and we both need sleep.” Barrette suggests as he wraps his arm around my waist urging me to stand up, I allow him to do so because he is right, it is freezing out here on the open moor by this pond and I hate the cold as much as I hate the hot summer sun that is going to be burning up world when the sun rises.

Back inside the barn I see that Barrette has managed several hay bales up into the loft where it’s much warmer than down here in the lower area where the barn lofts air between the two doorways. I climb up the hay loft ladder to find that two separate ‘beds’ have been set up. Barrette only has his jacket as a pillow on his side versus mine that has my favored blanket I brought from home and a pillow that has always been in the trunk of my car.

“Goodnight, Bonnie.” Barrette says heading over towards the bales of hay facing out the loft, I guess that’s a window? Before he can move to lay down over there I just barely snag his hand only managing to catch his little finger and ring finger. He looks back and I give him a sad look as I nod lightly towards the bed, once more hating myself for admitting something so loving, I know that I won’t be able to sleep without him right there. I’ve already betrayed Heather once tonight so I might as well do the job right, I told her that I wouldn’t push Barrette one way or the other when I was around him. Tonight I did, albeit I didn’t mean to, but to me that is no excuse to break a promise.

Barrette gives a sigh that almost sounds like relief, like he’s won some game I never knew existed, he easily caves in to my offer and flops down onto the hay dragging me with him. It doesn’t take long for me to become comfortable with my head on his chest and my body tucked up into the side of his. He moves just enough to grab the blankets and drag them over both of us.

“What about Devon, he’s not going to know how to find us.” I mutter in an exhausted way, I hear a light sigh from Barrette before he replies. “Don’t worry about it tonight, I’ll call Marcus tomorrow and get him to set something up. Just sleep, Bonnie, you really need it I know that you haven’t been sleeping much lately.” Barrette replies, I cave into his orders easily right now because I am so entirely exhausted and intoxicated. Just as I start to drift off to sleep Barrette begins singing a song that I haven’t heard in far too many years. I try not to listen to it because my dad explained that my grandfather used to sing this song to my grandmother back when they were deeply in love with one another. It’s a Johnny Cash song, that was written in the man’s later years if I’m not mistaken.

The first time ever I saw your face, I thought the sun rose in your eyes. And the moon and stars were the gifts you gave, to the dark and the endless sky, my love. And the first time ever I kissed your mouth, I felt the earth move through my hands. Like the trembling of a captive bird. That was there at my command And the first time ever I lay with you,  I felt your heart so close to mine.  And I know our joy would the earth, And last till the end of time, my love. The first time ever I saw your face.

Barrette sings that last and final elongated deep note right now I am at the brink of sleep, I want to stay awake longer to cherish this moment while it lasts because I think if the world froze over right now and I was trapped here forever, I wouldn’t mind in the least. To my greatest dismay my mind and body cannot fight this sleepiness any longer and I am forced into sleep.

“Bonnie!” I hear my sister’s calling for me all at the same time; I can see myself sitting on a park bench far beneath the orange and yellow fall leaves here in the Christonville, Georgia Park.  I am wearing a faded yellow pair of skinny jeans and a white tank top that has very girly beading around the neck. My hair is a lot longer now, and it’s a fiery red orange color, its back to its natural color. There’s a massive diamond ring shining bright on my left ring finger, equally matching the shine coming from my ring is the smile on my face as I look up to see my sisters standing there.

For some reason, humming softly under the sound of the trees rustling I can hear ‘Simple man’ playing like this is a fond memory that ironically has not yet happened. It’s almost as if someone is trying to tell me what my future holds if I decide to completely whole heartedly betray Heather. “Anna, Terra, Ferra, when did you plan to call and tell me you were coming over?” I ask the three of them as I slip down off the bench while folding up my book around a book mark.

“I was supposed to call, sorry darlin. I had to pick up the dog from the vets office.” Barrette’s southern drawl enters the picture before he does, but when he does I see he’s holding a little fluffy puppy. The single breed that I would love to own, a great Pyrenees, he looks about the age that he would need to be fixed. “Not that I’m bothered you brought them here, but why?” I ask as I hug each of my sisters in turn, when I get to Anna I linger just a little longer and don’t completely release her when I turn to look at Barrette who is setting the puppy down but looking at me somewhat crest fallen.

“Did you forget were getting married in two weeks and one day?” Barrette replies, Anna gives her signature menacing laugh that she gives before a truly mean remark passes her lips. “You only proposed to her seventy three times before she finally said yes, odds are she probably did.” Anna remarks causing Barrette to give an even more hurt expression. Anna is right, Barrette did pull and Johnny Cash on me and propose more times than I can count, I didn’t realize he or anyone else was keeping score though. But finally, after months and months of kissing butt, making endless promises and keeping them, not to mention spoiling me to a point I almost despised him, he got down on one knee at the biggest award show there is and proposed to me in front of all his co-workers and billions of people watching TV.

After the speech he gave there was just no way I could tell him no ‘seventy three’ times, I swear that when I said yes I could hear the entire nation screaming with delight. Once that ring was on my finger his buddies in the business and his brothers surged the stays hugging and congratulating us until the announcer had to politely and apologetically boot us all off to continue the show.

“Barrette, I didn’t forget, I just didn’t think we needed to bring my sisters out so early?” I reply as I pick the puppy up off the ground. “Of course he did, who is going to make you start the damage control on your hair? And make sure your dress fits perfectly, and not to mention someone has to be there to make sure you don’t try and run at the last minute.” Terra says tugging the end of my hair that is blowing behind Anna and straight into Terra’s face. “Hey, watch it now. I might just have to hang you if you keep tugging on my hair.” I threaten playfully, Barrette busts out laughing before giving a sarcastic remark. “Sure you will goldilocks.” He says jokingly, he crosses around the bench now and brings me into his arm planting a firm kiss on my lips. “Ew.” Terra grimaces turning to walk away, as Anna and Terra turn to walk away our middle sister reaches over for no reason and slugs Ferra in the arm. Ferra retaliates quickly by back handing Anna.

“How did your concert go in Brooklyn?” I ask Barrette who called me just before the show saying that he hadn’t even hit the stage and people were already trying to start a riot. “It went just fine- Anna! Don’t bite your sister! And Ferra there are children at this park, no hand signals please!” Barrette replies then yells at my sisters two ‘elder’ sisters. I give a light laugh as Barrette charges away from me to go yell at my sisters who are now in a full on scrap fight over by the car. My eyes sparkle with happiness and contentment as I watch my soon to be husband chase my evil sisters around.

A sudden dark cloud seems to loom over me suddenly and I look around for whoever could be causing such emotions only to see Heather standing over by the school house looking back at me with angry, hateful eyes. A pang of sadness finds me now, I promised her so long ago that I wouldn’t intentionally steel Barrette from her and I did thinking she wouldn’t know the difference. The day she found out what really happened, I lost a best friend and someone I came to call my sister, though I do love Barrette with all my heart and soul. I will never forgive