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I slowly roll onto my side, my arm dropping off the side of the bed. It’s like I’m dragging an anchor.
My whole body is dead weight.
Dead…
I slither closer to the edge, my eyes drooping closed.
Rest. I just need to rest for a minute.
No! My mind screams at me, willing me to keep going. I fall off the mattress, bracing my fall with my hands, trying not to make any noise. But my limbs are so numb…and my hands feel like they’re being pricked with pins and needles. I flex my fingers, staring at them wiggle in front of my eyes. I need them to work, dammit!
The floor bounces and dips, like I’m sitting on a raft in the ocean. I clutch the sides of my head. Whatever they gave me has an odd effect. I’m calm, but freaking the hell out at the same time. If they shot me up with an IV, I should be comatose right now, without a care in the world, dead Dino or not.
But I don’t have time to catalogue the side effects of whatever it is. Someone cut the dose. That’s the only explanation. I shouldn’t be able to think right now, let alone move.
I push back my hair and dig through Dino’s jacket pockets. My fingers grip something square and hard. Cell phone. But it’s locked. Dammit!
Who the hell would I call anyway? What would I even say? I have no idea where I am or how I got here. There are no windows in this concrete cell, so I can’t even peek outside for clues.
I push the phone under the cot, just out of sight.
Just in case.
I keep digging, but there’s no gun. No knife. Just a wallet, keys, gum…keys.
I hold up the ring. One of them is long and sharp. Not a typical house key. My mind spins. If I can just hide it in my palm…if someone gets close enough…if, if, if…
If is about all I can hope for right now.
Within seconds, I have the key off the ring. I stick the rest of the ring back in his pocket. The dirty, thin carpet scratches the skin on the underside of my legs as I skitter away from Dino and his bloody half-head.
I take a few deep breaths, eyeing the bed like I’m at the starting line of the New York City marathon. I grab onto the side of the mattress and the little nightstand next to it, slowly rising to my feet. I can do this, I can do this! If I’m going to get out of here, this is the first step! I grit my teeth, dragging myself to full standing position before my knees buckle, and I pitch forward, face-down onto the mattress.
Tears pool in my eyes. Even if I didn’t get the full dosage of whatever they hit me with, it’s still enough to paralyze my movements. I won’t get very far unless it starts to wear off, and at this point, I don’t know how much time I have left.
A loud click comes from the doorway, and the knob jiggles. I gasp and will my legs to join the rest of my body on the bed. I manage to get my limbs on the mattress before the door pushes open again. I’m still face-down, so I can’t even see who’s behind me. All I can make out is some loud grumbling.
“Fucking asshole. Does he want this whole plan to blow up?” One voice mutters. There’s a rustling next to the bed, followed by a few thuds and thumps. Sounds like something being dragged across the floor.
“Eh, fuck it.” Another voice snarls, getting farther away from me. They must be headed out the door. “Dino was a dickhead anyway. He never listened. Always thinking with his dick. Always making shit hard for the rest of us. I’m glad someone finally shut him the hell up for good.”
I bite my fist, still on my belly, still clutching the key.
Those guys weren’t coming for me. They were just getting rid of the body.
Eyes squeezed shut, I manage to calm my breathing. They didn’t bother with me. They saw firsthand what happens when you act out of line.
Nobody is taking any chances.
I grip the key tight against my palm, the jagged edge slicing at my flesh.
Nobody except me.
