Cranberry Lane

by Laurèn Lee

  I nodded as sweat continued to consume the inside of my mask.

  “How many people have you killed?” She tilted her head like a puppy and sniffled.

  “Too many to count.”

  “Are you going to kill me?”

  “I have to.”

  She picked up her baby and held her tightly. “You’d kill an innocent mother trying to rock her baby to sleep?”

  Smart.

  “If I have to,” I began.

  “Have you ever killed a child?”

  “I have not.”

  “Then, why should you start now?” She’d stopped crying now and appeared defiant, like a prisoner attempting to outsmart her captor.

  I raised my gun again and pointed it at her head. “I can aim for other extremities, you know this, right?”

  She frowned, and desperation tore through her expression.

  “And what the hell kind of mother uses her child as a human shield?” I spat.

  “What kind of man intends to murder an innocent woman in cold blood!”

  “Shut the fuck up,” I hissed as I another step closer to her. “This is my job. I have to do it!”

  “Then why haven’t you killed me already?” she challenged.

  I wish I had an answer. I’ve never once hesitated before a kill. Why couldn’t I follow through now?

  “I’ll scream. I’ll call the police,” she warned, as she cried again.

  “I’d kill you before you tried.”

  “Please! There’s got to be another way!” she pleaded. “Wait, I have an idea.”

  I snickered. “Oh yeah, lady? What’s that?”

  “I could disappear. Grab my baby and a few things, leave, and never come back. You could tell your boss you’d killed me and dumped the body.” She straightened and seemed proud of her proposal.

  “Yeah, well what about the baby?”

  “What do you mean? I said I’d take her with me.” She held her daughter tightly against her chest still trying to soothe her.

  “Your husband’s mistress might become suspicious if the baby is gone, too,” I said impatiently.

  She thought for a minute. “You could say you had to kill the child, too. That she wouldn’t stop crying and you had no other choice.”

  I thought for a minute. This might work. But, what if she’s lying through her teeth right now? What if she pretends to disappear and goes to the cops instead? What if she does run, but doesn’t hide well enough? What if this all comes back to bite me in the ass?

  “What do you think?” she whispered.

  I’d never been in this position before. I can’t believe I didn’t shoot her when I had the chance. It could’ve been a clear shot; I wouldn’t have missed. None of this would be happening right now if I wasn’t a goddamned pussy.

  I snarled, “If I let you go, you have to run. You can’t take any belongings because a dead person wouldn’t need her purse, or keys, or money.”

  She heaved a sigh of relief. “I promise!”

  “Get the fuck out of here, then! And, if I find out you’ve gone to the cops, I’ll hunt you down again, and this time I won’t be so forgiving. I’ll fucking kill you and your baby. Understand?”

  “I understand! Thank you so much!”

  “You need to go somewhere where she’ll never find you. She already put out one hit on you, and she’d do it again. You can’t come back, and you can’t contact any friends or family.”

  “Of course. I promise!”

  She approached me as though she wanted to give me a hug, but I winced and shook my head vigorously. “Don’t thank me. Just leave!”

  Without another word the woman and her baby left; her blonde tendrils flying in the air as she raced out of the house she’d never see again.

  And, just like that, my perfect record became not so perfect. Just like that, I’d gone from a lethal hitman with no conscience to a man who put his entire career in jeopardy to save a life. I’d ended many lives before, but never had I spared one.

  18

  Serenity

  Fuck.

  Sammy looked at me suspiciously and I looked at him with wide eyes, mentally begging him not to correct Noah.

  “Oh yeah, that’s right. Jessica. Sorry, I thought you were someone else.”

  Luckily, his ditzy girlfriend had trotted away to refill her red solo cup from the keg in the kitchen. I was safe, for now.

  “Jessica is here to sell some coke,” Noah said far too loudly. This time, I did punch him right in the stomach.

  “Ouch!”

  “What the hell is wrong with you?”

  “Sorry.” He shrugged, still rubbing his belly.

  “Go away, Noah. Go find someone else to annoy for the time being.”

  Once Noah stepped out of earshot, Sammy leaned in and whispered, “What is that all about?”

  “That kid is a dumb ass.”

  “Obviously,” he said louder now as he smirked.

  Sammy’s eyes sparkled under the chandelier and I wondered what my life would be like if I’d gone to a fancy high school and dated a nice kid like him.

  During the silence between the song that’d just finished and the one which was about to start, several other kids looked over in my direction and whispered. My cheeks reddened. Sammy looked around trying to figure out what was going on.

  “Are you famous or something?” He smiled.

  “No, but your idiot friend is a loudmouth.”

  “Noah is barely my friend, but why, what did he do?”

  I groaned. “I’m here to sell cocaine to naive teenagers and Noah is supposed to introduce me to people who might be interested.”

  “Wow,” Sammy muttered with a dropped jaw. “You’re a drug dealer? What about the record store?”

  “A person can have more than one job, ya know?”

  “Yeah, but why?”

  “I don’t have the luxury of Mommy and Daddy paying for everything. I don’t live like this!” I opened my arms and spun around.

  “I’m sorry,” he said sincerely. “I didn’t grow up living like this either.”

  “It’s fine.” Although, I had no idea what he meant about not living like this. Surely, he was one of these rich, entitled brats, too?

  “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “Yeah. Do you know anyone here with a lot of cash they’d want to use on drugs? I want to make my quota and get the fuck out of here.”

  He snickered. “Usually the druggies hang out in the basement. Want me to take you down there?”

  “Thanks, but I don’t need an escort,” I chided.

  “I’m not saying you do. I was heading down there anyway.”

  “Why? You want to buy?”

  “Definitely not.”

  I eyed him suspiciously. I knew he was just being nice and trying to protect me. He reminded me of someone, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

  “All right. Let’s go.”

  Sammy led the way through more sloppy students making out and feeling each other up. Sure, high school parties were like this when I was in school, but I was never one to partake in PDA. Hell, it’s not like any guys even wanted to date me, besides Joey of course.

  We descended the steps to the basement and I feared I’d slip down the stairs; smoke crept up toward the ceiling and I felt blinded. Once I reached the bottom step though, I’d realized I was in fact, in the right place.

  These kids put the “b” in burnouts and passed around several joints while throwing back stale keg beer. I counted twelve kids down here and hoped at least half would buy some from me.

  Sammy looked at me expectantly.

  “What?” I hissed.

  “You sure you wanna talk to these kids?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Hey!” I called out trying to get their attention. Some looked up at me dumbfounded and the rest ignored me.

  Okay, new tactic.

  “Who wants to buy some drugs?”

  This time, everyone looked up with glee i
n their eyes.

  That was easy.

  One kid with scraggly black hair spoke up first, “Whatcha got?”

  “Well, it seems like you guys already have enough pot,” I sneered. “I have coke.”

  Their eyes lit up even brighter. I’m sure they delighted in the idea of pissing off their parents and getting high in the process.

  “How much?”

  I pulled out a baggie to show the quantity. “Seventy-five bucks each.”

  “That’s it?” another one asked.

  Little did they know, I usually only charged fifty dollars for this much.

  “Yup. That’s it.”

  The group looked around to each and dug through their pockets, wallets, and purses. It was almost sad; they were desperate for another fix, for another high. Did I ever feel guilty for poisoning the minds of the the youth, though? Never. Their desperation paid my bills.

  Ten of the twelve kids handed me cash in return for a baggie of fun. The other two didn’t have cash on them, but offered to PayPal me. I had no idea what that meant so naturally, I declined. I’d sold more product than I originally planned and made twenty-five percent more profit than I would have at the bar.

  Relief washed over me, and I knew Ma and I would be okay for the next few weeks. I’d be able to pay rent, the power bill and buy some decent groceries. Life was good.

  “You’re a great salesperson.” Sammy smiled.

  “You have no idea.” I winked. “Thanks for bringing me down here.”

  “No problem. Hey, can I get you a drink?”

  “Nah. I should probably be going,” I said reluctantly.

  “One drink?” he begged with puppy dog eyes.

  “Depends. Do they have someone else besides a keg? I’d rather drink my own piss.”

  “I’m sure we could find something.” He smirked.

  We made our way back up the basement stairs and I felt relieved once we’d gotten to the first floor of the house; I could breathe again. Just because I was a drug dealer didn’t mean I enjoyed inhaling secondhand smoke.

  “They’ve gotta have a liquor cabinet around here somewhere,” Sammy said.

  I weaved in and out of all the young lushes and spotted a miniature cabinet made of polished Cherrywood hidden in the corner of the dining room.

  Bingo!

  “Sammy! Over here!”

  He came over as I opened the cabinet and cackled. “Look at all these bottles. Rich bastards. What do you want?”

  “Um, excuse me. That is not for guests,” a nasally girl of about sixteen reprimanded.

  “Who are you?”

  “Uh, I live here?”

  “Oh, cool. Nice party,” I said and reached for a bottle inside the cabinet.

  “You can’t have that! There’s beer in the kitchen. The liquor is off limits.”

  I bet you’re a blast at parties, oh wait, you’re not.

  “It’s okay Jennifer, we’ll put it back,” Sammy said.

  “Like hell we will, Sammy!”

  The girl stomped away and went to scold some other kids who tossed around a very expensive looking vase in the dining room.

  “That was rude, Serenity,” Sammy said.

  “Hush. If you’re going to have a party, you must understand people aren’t going to follow the rules. Anyways, I thought this was Evan’s party?”

  Sammy laughed. “How do you know Evan?”

  “I don’t,” I said simply.

  “Evan and Jennifer are twins,” Sammy said.

  “Got it. Shots?”

  “I’m not sure,” he replied sheepishly.

  “What do you mean, ‘you’re not sure’?”

  “I’ve never done one before,” Sammy admitted with blushing cheeks.

  “You’re like the worst teenager I’ve ever met.”

  “I guess I’ll take that as a compliment?”

  “All right. Taking a shot is easy; you just have to do it really fast and not think about it.”

  “We don’t have shot glasses,” he pointed out.

  “No problem. We’ll just pass the bottle back and forth.” I grinned.

  “You’re a bad influence,” Sammy accused with a smile.

  “Thank you, sir,” I replied as I took the first swig of the Wild Turkey bottle I’d found. The amber liquid burned as it went down, but warmed my body instantly. I felt goosebumps rise all over my skin and delighted in the instant buzz. “You’re turn!”

  Sammy took the bottle carefully and studied the label.

  “It’s not going to bite! Drink it!” I encouraged.

  “I think I’m going to regret this later.”

  “Probably.”

  Sammy took a swig and started coughing immediately, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his plaid button up.

  “Good, right?”

  “That’s the worst thing I’ve ever tasted in my life.” He cringed.

  I took another large sip and passed it back to him. I half expected him to pass, but he took it from my hands and gulped down another swig.

  I raised my eyebrows. “Impressive!”

  We sat there for the next hour and passed the bottle back and forth. We laughed and inched closer to each other with every sip. I couldn’t remember the last time I actually had fun with someone my own age. I couldn’t remember the last time I even had fun.

  Sammy and I laughed harder and harder with every swig. Meanwhile, his girlfriend eyed us closely and I had to resist the temptation to give her the finger.

  “This is great,” Sammy cooed.

  I snorted. “You’re so drunk!”

  “I can’t believe I never got drunk before. I’ve been such a lame-o!”

  I fell into his lap and couldn’t stop laughing. My belly hurt badly, but it was a good hurt, a happy hurt.

  “I think your girlfriend is pissed at you,” I said with pride.

  “I don’t think she’s my girlfriend anymore.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “She’s too mean,” he said, smiling.

  “Took you long enough to figure that out, huh?” I nudged him in the arm.

  “But, it is fun seeing her so jealous!”

  We took another couple of swigs and I wished I could keep the Wild Turkey bottle and wrap up this moment forever inside the empty glass.

  19

  Wayne

  I can’t believe I let her get away. Had I gone soft? Would I have killed her if she didn’t have her baby beside her? All these questions and more raced and wove within my mind. I’d gotten a headache as I made my way back to my apartment. I didn’t believe in God, but I prayed to whoever was up in the sky to please make sure that woman ran and never came back. I had to play it off like I’d finished the job.

  In the past, if I ever had bad news to deliver after a job, I’d reach out to my boss. However, if everything went according to plan, I’d destroy my phone and wait for the next assignment. No news is good news. So, my job was done now. All I had left to do was wait and hope the mother never came back.

  I racked my brain trying to figure out what’d happened? Why couldn’t I follow through? And, then, I realized it. The woman had vaguely reminded me of Serenity, you know, if she didn’t have pink hair and all the tattoos. They had the same eyes, though. Was I really letting a chick get in the way of me doing my job? Holy shit.

  I thought about heading to Mickey’s for a beer, but I wasn’t entirely sure I could stand to be around people. I didn’t want to socialize. I did need a drink, though. Thankfully, I’d gotten some more beer when I went to the store this afternoon. A few beers, catch the game on TV and relax. That’s exactly what I needed.

  Instantly, another thought came to my mind: Sammy!

  Fuck.

  I wondered what happened at the game. Did they win? Was he pissed I didn’t make it? I whipped out my phone as I unlocked the door to our apartment and called him right away.

  “Sammy?”

  “Yeah?”

  “It’s me, Wayne.”

&nb
sp; “Bro!” he slurred.

  “Uh, are you drunk?”

  “Drunk? Me? Never, dude.”

  “Okay, you’re drunk. Are you safe?”

  “I dunno what you’re talking about.”

  “I’m sorry I missed the game,” I admitted painfully.

  “S’all good.”

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m at Evan’s.” He giggled. I heard a girl in the background and wondered if I was cockblocking my brother.

  “Well, don’t get in a car with anyone who’s been drinking. I can pick you up if you need a ride home.”

  “My friend said she’d bring me home,” he howled, and it sounded like someone had been tickling him.

  “Yeah, okay. Love you, kid.”

  The phone went dead.

  I’d give anything to be at a party right now without a care in the world. As much as I’d love to switch places with Sammy, I knew I had to do my damn best to keep him safe. I’d hide him and shield him from the world if I had to. I’d do anything for him.

  I’d wait up for him tonight, too, just to make sure he got home safely.

  20

  Serenity

  Sammy and I were wasted: slurred words, glassy eyes, and non-stop giggles kind of wasted. We’d drunk far too much Wild Turkey and tuned out the rest of the party; we were our own party.

  I couldn’t believe how much fun I was having. I was in a stranger’s house with a kid I’d only met once before. But, despite all of that, Sammy and I had a blast.

  The party started winding down around eleven; the kids must have had curfews to make. “Ready to go?” I asked Sammy.

  “I guess so. Do you have a car?”

  “Nah. You?”

  “No, I don’t.”

  We stood there awkwardly for a few minutes. “Well, where do you live?”

  “I live on Crescent a few miles from here.”

  “Cool. That’s not too far from me.”

  “Where do you live?”

  “Cranberry Lane,” I mumbled.

  “Huh?”

  Ugh.

  “Cranberry Lane,” I said louder.