Chapter 9: Chapter 8. You are in No Position to Be Making Threats

CLAIRE

I kept pausing, glancing over my shoulder. My heart pounded in my chest, the sensation of being watched creeping over me.

~Watched~. ~You know that feeling when you’re alone, and you can’t see anyone around, but you can’t shake the feeling that someone’s eyes are on you... watching you?~

That was exactly how I felt.

After walking two blocks from school, I stopped and spun around, scanning my surroundings. Was I really being followed?

I saw nothing, but that didn’t ease the fear that was slowly growing inside me. Even people like me get scared. No one is ever completely fearless.

People just hide their fear, to appear tough. I may seem fearless on the outside, but I’ll admit, on the inside...

I’m terrified that at any moment, someone could kill me for revenge.

I tried to shake off the fear, but before I could move, a loud ringing shattered the silence. I jumped, startled by the noise.

Then, I felt stupid when I realized it was my phone.

Pulling out my iPhone, I frowned at the caller ID. ~Nancy.~

Why was she calling me? Nancy didn’t know I was skipping class, and she’d usually wait until after school to tell me anything.

So, this must be important. I thought as I answered the call.

“Nancy?” I asked as soon as I picked up.

I could hear sobbing and ragged breathing on the other end.

“Claire! Claire, please help me! These… these men are after me! Please help. I’m, I’m at Redbrick Avenue. Claire, please hurry…” Her voice trailed off, and then the line went dead.

I froze. Nancy was in trouble. Nancy, who was like an older sister, best friend, manager, and second mother to me… was in trouble.

I dropped my bag behind a bush and sprinted towards Redbrick Avenue, a few blocks away. I knew it! I knew that creeping fear meant something bad was happening.

I ran as fast as I could, my heart pounding and hands clammy with sweat, imagining all the possible scenarios I might find when I reached Nancy.

Who was after her? Why were they after her? Was it a gang? Were they using Nancy to get to me?

All thoughts vanished as soon as I reached Redbrick Avenue.

I stopped and listened, straining to hear any sign of Nancy’s voice or crying.

“…Please don’t,” I heard a voice sob. I immediately ran towards the sound, no doubt it was Nancy.

“Nancy!” I screamed when I saw a man in a black hoodie pointing a gun at Nancy. But it wasn’t just ~one~ guy, it was ~a~ gang of guys.

My breath hitched as the man with the gun removed his hood. It was the same guy who had kidnapped me before.

“Ah…” The man sang with a wicked grin. “Claire, or should I say White Wolf?” He chuckled darkly, sending a shiver down my spine.

He was dressed in black sweats and a hoodie, with a grey beanie on his head. All of his skin was covered, except for his face.

He had dark brown eyes, a crooked smile, and dark brown hair peeking out from under his beanie.

I took a deep breath, trying to control the fear and nausea that was rising with each passing second. This man was dangerous and feared by every gang in town.

His name was Logan. He was the leader of the Deadly Snakes gang.

They were called the Deadly Snakes because they were as ruthless, heartless, and deadly as a venomous snake.

They would kill, beat, torture, and even hunt you down, just for revenge or to complete a job. So, when I beat Logan in a fight, he’d been hunting me down ever since I escaped.

Apparently, he wasn’t joking when he said he was going to beat me to ~death!~

I nodded in acknowledgment. “Logan,” I said.

He laughed, keeping the gun pointed at Nancy. “Let her go.” I told him, my voice firm, my fists clenched and legs slightly apart, ready for a fight.

“I don’t think you’re in a position to make demands, considering I’m the one with the gun.” He reminded me, waving the gun slightly.

I nodded. ~Right.~ “What do you want?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

“To finish the job,” he replied.

Nancy was trying to control her sobs, but I could see the confusion on her face.

I shook my head slightly, telling her I’d explain later. If there was a later.

For now, my best bet was to play it safe and try to talk him down.

“Logan, you don’t want to kill me,” I said, trying to sound confident.

He laughed loudly, throwing his head back.

“And why is that? I’ve killed many people without a second thought, what makes you think you’ll be any different?” he asked, now pointing the gun at me and cocking it to the side.

I smirked and shrugged. “You say that, but it’s not true,” I began as he raised an eyebrow.

“No one enjoys killing, Logan. No matter what, you’ll always carry the guilt of taking a life. A human life.”

I was so engrossed in what I was saying that I couldn’t stop now.

“That’s why you drink every night. You drink to forget your worries, your fears, and your ~guilt,”~ I glared at him.

“No one wants the life you live. Only people with nothing to lose would join something this stupid.

“A gang where you kill, deal drugs, and live in constant fear. No one dreams of a life like that. One filled with hate, drugs, revenge, and blood. So why kill an innocent 17-year-old, huh?”

“I bet I’m the youngest person you’ve ever tried to kill. I’m pretty sure once you do it, the guilt will eat you alive. There won’t be anything that can make you forget—” Logan cut me off mid-sentence.

“Shut up! Just shut up,” he yelled, his voice dropping with each word as he lowered the gun.

I could tell I’d gotten under his skin. He was only about three feet away. If I moved fast enough, I could snatch the gun and turn the tables on him, forcing him to call off his goons.

So, the moment Logan looked away, I made my move. I swung my fist into his right cheekbone. The gun slipped from his grasp and I snatched it up.

Logan groaned, clutching his face. He turned to glare at me, his eyes narrowed to slits.

I held up the gun and flicked off the safety. I wasn’t a killer, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t hurt someone if I had to.

“You’re going to regret that,” he hissed, each word dripping with venom as he took a step closer. I raised the gun higher and shook my head, clicking my tongue at him.

“You’re not in a position to make threats, Logan.” I smirked, throwing his own words back at him.

“You wouldn’t kill me, Claire.” He shook his head, a cocky smile playing on his lips.

I just grinned wider and shook my head in return.

“Oh no, never,” I agreed. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t shoot you,” I added, my grin widening as I saw a flicker of fear cross his face before it was replaced with a blank expression.

“You, of all people, should know I’m not afraid to hurt someone,” I began.

“So, shooting you won’t necessarily kill you, unless I aim for a certain spot,” I thought to myself, cursing my situation... but knowing I had no other choice.

“For instance, this,” I said, pulling the trigger and shooting his knee.

His legs gave out and he crumpled to the ground in pain. I quickly turned and fired at the other guys who were about to attack.

In less than a minute, they were all on the ground, writhing and screaming in agony.

I allowed myself a small smile. They wouldn’t die, they might bleed a lot—but they’d recover eventually.

Then, I remembered Nancy.

I looked over to see her huddled in the corner, sobbing. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she was hugging herself tightly.

I emptied the gun and dropped it on the ground. I tore a piece of Logan’s shirt to wipe off my fingerprints from the gun, just in case this ever came back to bite me.

I left the gun, now bullet-less, next to Logan and went over to help Nancy up.

She was still crying, her body shaking with fear and distress. She’d been chased and held at gunpoint. I’d be scared too.

I took her back to her place and tucked her into bed. It was a little past three o’clock. School was over and there was no point in going to the gym now. Nancy needed me.

I left her room and headed to the kitchen, gathering ingredients to cook something for when she felt like eating.

I just hoped she hadn’t heard the part about Logan wanting to finish the job of killing me. If she knew I’d been kidnapped... that would be a disaster.