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

equally as bad as him for not being able to find forgiveness? If so then I am damned.

“Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory. Forever and ever. Amen… You may be seated.” The person behind the intercom voice leads in the prayer then bids everyone to sit.

After we are seated it takes a few minutes for Devon to be brought into the room, in this short time Barrette leans down and whispers into my ear. “Are you sure you can handle this?” He asks, and rightfully so, it’s much easier to shoot someone than it is to watch someone else humanely euthanize another living being. I don’t know why that is, maybe it’s the fact that you’re sitting there in a movie theater like setting and watch in complete silence as a man is lead in thrashing, fighting, struggling and begging for mercy, when it’s far too late to be begging.

“Yes, I can. I will never sleep soundly if I leave now, I’ll always have a lingering feeling that he is somehow still alive.” I whisper back just as quietly. “He can’t escape from this, Bonnie.” Barrette replies giving me one last chance to back out before Devon is brought into the room on the other side of the glass. “That’s what we said in Floyd.” I reply ever so quietly to Barrette who gives a facial expression that says he really can’t argue with my logic. The only difference between Floyd and this Atlanta prison is that the men here know what Devon looks like, and they can and will find him before he gets very far. That and in here we know that Devon doesn’t have henchmen or any weapons to potentially harm someone.

“Here we go.” I breathe with a thundering heart as the door behind the glass opens and Devon is lead inside by four massive guards, there are shackles around his wrists and ankles. As I presumed he is thrashing and making a last ditch effort to escape, his sister in the corner leaps to her feet running to the glass screaming for the guards to releases him.

From the corner of my eye Barrette keeps looking down at me waiting for some sign of panic or distaste to this situation. But he will not see that response, yes, though Devon is related by blood he is not family to me. None of the other people in this room have been family to me in many, many years, my grandmother finally spoke the truth on my grandfather and has already filed a legal disownment towards the Morgan family. None of the Parker’s wish to have our name associated with such terrible, wretched people who have no remorse at all for the life of another human.

By the time the guards in here have Devon’s sister, my cousin Molina, escorted out of the room, Devon is strapped into the chair. Even with belts across his head, chest, arms, torso, and legs he makes every effort to try and escape. Does he not realize that the situation in which he has found himself is inescapable? No, its Devon Morgan, he thinks he can offer those guards some money to turn him loose like a butterfly so he can be free to continue destroying the lives of innocent people. “You took my grandfathers life against his will, and now yours will be taken against you’re will.” I whisper so low that Barrette might have be able to hear.

Apparently Barrette didn’t hear me because he focuses on the room behind the glass; a green light turns on in the top right corner just before the intercom clicks on. “Are there any last words, Devon Morgan?” one of the guards asks Devon who finally stops thrashing to listen. Yes. I see Devon’s mouth move, oh good grief what could he possibly have to say?

His mother moves in anticipation figuring he has something to say to her or the family, I somewhat figure she’s probably right. For their sake I feel he should have one last moment to try and make peace with his family, maybe put his mother’s broken heart to rest with an apology. Even his sister is lead back in by two guards to listen to his last words.

To everyone’s astonishment he does the last thing that I even expected him to do, he takes a deep breath looks directly at me as if he can somehow see me.

“I hope your happy Bonnie Parker, you won.” Barrette openly admits, all eyes shift to me as the intercom cuts off and the guards are given the go ahead to continue. A bell rings in our room alerting everyone to what is about to happen. One last deep breath has me watching with anticipation as the doctor enters the room wearing a mask. He takes a second to plunge the air from the needle before he quickly taps the needle into Devon’s arm.

“Bonnie?” I hear Rodney call for me as I’m approaching Barrette’s motorcycle in the parking lot of the prison. “Yeah?” I call back rather irate that Rodney is still pestering me after the already overly horrible day I’ve had.

“I wanted to discuss your next case? That is if you still want the position, usually a lot of agents quit after seeing…that.” Rodney says nodding back towards the prison where the medics are now loading a body bag into an ambulance to transport Devon to the Morgue so his family can bury him. “Yeah well apparently the ones who back out don’t realize that the people in that room are almost always guilty one hundred percent.” I reply arrogantly trying to show my distaste for Rodney’s presence.

“Not all of those agents are so close to the targets that they know how guilty they really are, so they sometimes wonder if the system did catch the wrong man. It does happen occasionally.” Rodney replies then offers me a file.

“Hang onto it for now; I’m riding back to the house with Barrette for a party. I’ll contact you when I get back to Los Angeles and give you my final answer.” I inform Rodney who nods that he understands, Barrette takes that nod as a dismissal and throttles the bike driving us back towards his home town.

I cannot wait to get back to the newly built town and to his house, I could really use a drink right about now, and this party is dedication to Barrette and my successful mission. Plus a different kind of Crazy just made it to number one last night so he’s happy as can be and really wants the family and his friends to remember this night, for many, many reason.

Tonight, two good people found redemption, tonight I found freedom and happiness, tonight a terrible man died, and we all left a huge mark on this world. Literally, sorry Christianson.

Epilogue

 

On the run chapter 21

The answer

Bonnie’s perspective

A deep contented sigh passes my lips as I close my eyes and twist my head to crack my neck, I’m very much at peace right now standing beneath the last rays of sunlight beaming down on me. “Bonnie.” I hear my grandfather’s voice; my eyes slide open to see him standing there before me.

“Hey gramps.” I say calmly, happily, I still miss him something fierce but I don’t feel the pain any more whenever I think of him or see him talking to me in a dream. I know that wherever I am, he’s standing there with me, or at least watching over me.

“You did well, I’m proud of you. All of us are.” My grandfather says, and I know who he means, Bonnie, Clyde, maybe even Death is proud of me for completing this mission?

“I’m glad to hear that; I still don’t know what to do though. I love Barrette deeply but I just can’t decide if I should stay or not.” I say looking to the sun then back to my grandfather.

“I can’t tell you the right choice to make, not with this anyways. I can say that I begged your grandmother to stay, and she did, of course, after your uncles, your father, and your Melinda she realized that there was life out there that she hadn’t yet explored. So if you do stay with Barrette, don’t rip the poor guys heart out, he’s been through enough, and so have you. So maybe you are ready to settle down?” My grandfather says then smiles happily as he feels the desert wind blow through; outside of the meadow behind Michael’s house my number one above all place to be to find peace was ironically Death Valley. It’s a place my dad took me to quite often growing up where the entire family could just be a family, have fun, play on our dirt bikes, and shoot some beer cans.

Out here I feel very at one with my outlaw roots, after all, the great Mojave Desert has had many famous outlaws step foot on its equally treacherous dirt.

“I just wanted to congratulate you on this win, Bonnie. So, with that I want to bid you farewell until you to become a rider in the sky.” My grandfather says then looks to the horizon where the sun is setting. “Bonnie has one last dream to pass onto you to make your choice easier.” My grandfather says then steps in and gives me a long hug. “Till I see you on the other side.” I say shedding tears again for my grandfather because I finally have been given the chance to say goodbye and let go.

When my eyes open my arms are at my sides and my grandfather is gone, I’m looking down into the same park I had the first dream in, the wedding plan dream. It’s almost dark, there’s a little bit of snow on the ground, and the world is cold and dreary all around. Barrette looks at me then shakes his head seeming so hurt and confused.

“Barrette, I’m sorry. This is not what I wanted, I thought it was but I have an entire world around me that I’ve never discovered. I’m begging you, just let me go.” I beg.

“Why Bonnie? Did I not give you something? Did I do something wrong?” Barrette asks refusing to look down at the papers. “No, you were perfect. It’s me that is the issue here; I made a mistake when I stayed with you. I lost a best friend, you lost a lot of close friends when I betrayed Heather, and now I’m stuck in this town constantly. I went through grief getting out of one small town, I don’t want to be in a small town anymore I want to be free.” I try to explain to Barrette who throws his arms up exasperated with me.

“If you hate Christianson now then we’ll move. Do you want to go back to LA? We’ll go?