642 Fallenview Crescent

A Story by Jess Holden

Emily was never the rebellious type, but she did have her boundaries of how much she would put up with. If you pushed those, you would see a whole new person. Her friends and family knew this, so stayed away from her “triggers.” But what everyone in Emily’s family failed to notice, was the times she would sneak out of the house late at night, and push those boundaries herself. Her friends knew quite well of her late night partying, and even joined her on some occasions, but it was the one night no one came with her, that changed her forever.

I came home before my father was home from the firm or my mother was home from the grocery store. I still had at least an hour before anyone was home, so I had to be quick. I ran upstairs and packed my backpack with clothes, brushes and toothpaste, giving one last glace around the room before running out. In the kitchen, I threw a box of granola bars in with my clothes and threw the heavy pack over my shoulder, making my way towards the back door.

I knew that I had left my bike in the backyard, and I hoped that my father didn’t lock it up in the garage before he went to work. Once I reached the sliding glass door, I saw the front wheel of my 24 gear bike sticking out from behind the shed, reassuring me of all fears. I opened the door, quickly jogging across the lawn to the bike, pulling it out, and taking a seat on the hard black plastic. I gave a gentle push off the ground before starting to pedal hard and fast, shooting around the side of the house and out onto the road.

I heard the hock of a big truck come from behind me, and I knew I had to pedal faster. My legs pumped as hard as they could, until the sunlight began to fade, bringing rain and thunder. The rain pelted against my body and the thunder shook the bike at every turn, my exposed skin going numb from the cold of the rain. This didn’t slow me, but just pushed me to pedal faster.

After what felt like hours, the flow of traffic began to slow, and the buildings along the road began to appear empty and worn down. This is where it was, the house for lost souls. This is where all the teenagers that ran away came to stay for a few nights, or just so they could get high. Mine was neither; yes, I was running away, but not for a few days. This was my lifelong decision, and I couldn’t wait for it to start.

I pulled up to the front porch and parked my bike against the side of the wooden picket fence, taking the three or four steps to the front door. The windows were boarded over on the first floor, with the ones on the second just covered with cloth and glass. I pushed both hands gently onto the warn wood of the door, and felt the door sway away from me, revealing the dark interior of the house. I took a few steps in, wiping away the spider webs that had formed around the door, looking around for any signs of others. There were no light in the bottom half of the house, but looking up the stairs that were strategically placed by the door, there was light coming from the upper half. I walked up to the base of the stairs and looked up, hearing the creak of floorboards above as someone walked around. I heard the gently bang of the hardwood door slam shut behind me, causing me to jump unexpectedly.

Emily didn’t realize who would be in that house, or what they were on for that matter, so when she started up the steps, the people upstairs got a shock. Her footsteps echoed through the entire house, causing alarm for those upstairs, knee deep in heroin and cocaine. Emily had no interest in drugs, just in running away from her troubles without screwing with her mind. She had no idea what was to come...

I heard voices coming from upstairs filled with distress and concern. I edged my foot up another step, the stairs creaking quietly under my pressure, and yelled a hello up into the air. The upstairs went silent, followed by sudden and quick movements and the repeated word “hurry, hurry!”

I stood there confused, beginning to feel a pressure building within my stomach from the air surrounding me. Something was going on that just didn’t feel right, and was causing the people upstairs to feel it too. I placed my foot backwards onto the step behind me, making the loudest creak yet, my stomach turning with anxiety. Did they hear that? I thought, hoping that they didn't, wondering what would cause them to freak out. I saw the shadow of a man standing at the top of the stairs, followed by the man himself. He looked like he was in his early 30's, but he hadn't shaven or showered in awhile.

"I Heard that you can help me leave this godforsaken town?" I yelled up, the man standing completly still, starring down at me with burning brown eyes. I swallowed loudly as I waited for a responce. "Yeah, we sure can." The man said, taking a few steps towards me, his heavy work boots almost slamming into the wood of the stairs.

"Well... What can you do?" I asked, staring to feel afraid of what he meant by 'help.'

As I said before, Emily knew her limits, but when it came to escaping and running away from her problems today, she let down her guard for a short time. Looking back, she should have known something was off and that it wouldn't end well. I don't really think she cared though, life or death she was leaving town for life.

"C'mere kid, lemmie show you how to live on the go," he said, grabbing me by the shoulder and leading me up the stairs. His hands were warm, and he smelled of garbage and smoke, causing me to gag. "Now, they're are rules, okay? First rule is: don't get caught with your back turned to someone you don't trust." He lead me into a room as he spoke, with two crates and a table off to the side, and a light on the other side of the table. Just before we got to the center of the room, I heard footsteps come up from behind me, followed by sudden blackness as I felt my body crash beneth me.

She died before she hit the floor. I remember reading that in a newspaper article the morning after. The two drug addicts thought she was a cop, so they got rid of the threat. Poor Emily, never knowing that the day she left her guard down, it would kill her.