out loud, driving her crazy.
By the time she had turned the gun to see if the safety was on, Layton had already grabbed the front of her shirt. He pulled hard and started dragging her across the gravel again.
“You will pay extra for that. You actually scared me for a second. Ohhh, you’re going to love what I have planned for you—”
A gun fired behind them. Layton stopped. He let go of Melissa. She hit the gravel and rolled onto her side. A moment later Layton’s gun dropped from his hand. As fortune would have it the weapon fell one foot from Melissa’s right hand. She snatched it up and gripped it tight, aiming it at Layton.
She realized that shooting Layton was pointless. He was the one who had been shot. He dropped to his knees and fell forward onto his face where he lay motionless.
From the ground, Melissa spun toward Vicky.
Then someone spoke from behind her.
“Nobody talks about John that way. He was the only one who mattered to me. He took me in when my dad threw me out. He was not stupid and he was not a fucking idiot.”
The boy sat on the back step of the restaurant, a gun in hand, his foot wrapped in the white apron that was now completely red. He dropped his head and sobbed.
She swiveled around as she heard the pitter patter of feet running toward her. Vicky had left the little girl by the Lincoln and was running to the boy’s aid. Ten feet from the boy was as far as she got. The boy lifted his gun and shot her in the face. Her forward momentum made her look like she did a funky dance as she jiggled to the ground. Vicky landed on the gravel and slid to a stop, a large chunk of her face landed two feet from her body.
“Don’t you come running to me like you’re on my side, bitch. You were going to blow up the van with us in it and run away with all the money and that asshole. Fuck you, Vicky.” The boy pointed in Layton’s direction. “And fuck you too.”
Melissa couldn’t believe it. Everyone was dead but the boy, the little girl and herself. Inch by inch she moved her hands to aim Layton’s gun at the boy to make sure she didn’t get a bullet after all her efforts to stay alive.
The boy saw her intentions and recognized them for what they were.
“I got one bullet left and it aint for you,” he said. “Kevin is gone. My parents are dead. I killed the owners of this restaurant. There’s nothing left to live for. I won’t spend the next thirty years in prison.”
He lifted his gun and placed the barrel in his mouth. Before she could shout anything to stop him he fired his weapon. The back of his head lifted off and smacked into the doorframe. His body slumped and did a slow motion fall to the ground.
Melissa did her best to stand on wobbly legs. She half limped, half walked toward the Lincoln Navigator and the ten-year-old little girl still standing beside it.
“Are you going to be my mother now?” the little girl asked.
“Yes I am. Would you like that?”
“Yes, ma’am. But I might be sad for a while. I loved her, but she was mean to me every day. I prayed for her to go away. I said that if she ever did, I would be a good girl after that. She always told me I was a bad girl. I’ll still be sad though.”
A tear crept past her lid.
“I understand. I might be too. Do you think we could be sad together?”
The little girl shrugged and seemed to think about it. “I guess so.” Then she said. “Can we leave here now? I don’t like this restaurant.”
“See, you’re already being a good girl.”
Melissa got in the Lincoln Navigator, made sure her small passenger was buckled up and drove away from the carnage. She dropped the little girl off with her deaf sister and drove to the police station where she gave them her statement. The ring was in the back of the Navigator where Layton had placed it.
In the end, Melissa collected one million dollars insurance money on
By the time she had turned the gun to see if the safety was on, Layton had already grabbed the front of her shirt. He pulled hard and started dragging her across the gravel again.
“You will pay extra for that. You actually scared me for a second. Ohhh, you’re going to love what I have planned for you—”
A gun fired behind them. Layton stopped. He let go of Melissa. She hit the gravel and rolled onto her side. A moment later Layton’s gun dropped from his hand. As fortune would have it the weapon fell one foot from Melissa’s right hand. She snatched it up and gripped it tight, aiming it at Layton.
She realized that shooting Layton was pointless. He was the one who had been shot. He dropped to his knees and fell forward onto his face where he lay motionless.
From the ground, Melissa spun toward Vicky.
Then someone spoke from behind her.
“Nobody talks about John that way. He was the only one who mattered to me. He took me in when my dad threw me out. He was not stupid and he was not a fucking idiot.”
The boy sat on the back step of the restaurant, a gun in hand, his foot wrapped in the white apron that was now completely red. He dropped his head and sobbed.
She swiveled around as she heard the pitter patter of feet running toward her. Vicky had left the little girl by the Lincoln and was running to the boy’s aid. Ten feet from the boy was as far as she got. The boy lifted his gun and shot her in the face. Her forward momentum made her look like she did a funky dance as she jiggled to the ground. Vicky landed on the gravel and slid to a stop, a large chunk of her face landed two feet from her body.
“Don’t you come running to me like you’re on my side, bitch. You were going to blow up the van with us in it and run away with all the money and that asshole. Fuck you, Vicky.” The boy pointed in Layton’s direction. “And fuck you too.”
Melissa couldn’t believe it. Everyone was dead but the boy, the little girl and herself. Inch by inch she moved her hands to aim Layton’s gun at the boy to make sure she didn’t get a bullet after all her efforts to stay alive.
The boy saw her intentions and recognized them for what they were.
“I got one bullet left and it aint for you,” he said. “Kevin is gone. My parents are dead. I killed the owners of this restaurant. There’s nothing left to live for. I won’t spend the next thirty years in prison.”
He lifted his gun and placed the barrel in his mouth. Before she could shout anything to stop him he fired his weapon. The back of his head lifted off and smacked into the doorframe. His body slumped and did a slow motion fall to the ground.
Melissa did her best to stand on wobbly legs. She half limped, half walked toward the Lincoln Navigator and the ten-year-old little girl still standing beside it.
“Are you going to be my mother now?” the little girl asked.
“Yes I am. Would you like that?”
“Yes, ma’am. But I might be sad for a while. I loved her, but she was mean to me every day. I prayed for her to go away. I said that if she ever did, I would be a good girl after that. She always told me I was a bad girl. I’ll still be sad though.”
A tear crept past her lid.
“I understand. I might be too. Do you think we could be sad together?”
The little girl shrugged and seemed to think about it. “I guess so.” Then she said. “Can we leave here now? I don’t like this restaurant.”
“See, you’re already being a good girl.”
Melissa got in the Lincoln Navigator, made sure her small passenger was buckled up and drove away from the carnage. She dropped the little girl off with her deaf sister and drove to the police station where she gave them her statement. The ring was in the back of the Navigator where Layton had placed it.
In the end, Melissa collected one million dollars insurance money on
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