by Helen Styles
Chuck began pounding on the door and Avery stuck her head under the shower water to wet her hair. She had to make it look real, just for a moment anyway.
“Avery! Your time’s up!”
“Ok!” she yelled back and shut the water off. She placed the exposed wire of the toilet paper holder in the palm of her hand and pushed it through between her middle and forefinger. It was going to have to be a fast strike. She could feel the wire biting into her hand as she closed her fist.
“Avery!”
“I’m coming, Chuck.” She said through the door, and opened it to see his glaring face in front of her.
“What the hell took so long for you to open the door?” He looked her up and down. “Why are you dressed?” He leaned forward and sniffed her hair. His eyes narrowed and he growled at her. “You didn’t really take a shower?”
Before he could completely straighten, Avery punched him as hard as she could in the eye. Blood shot out and he screamed in pain holding his right eye.
“You little bitch!” he yelled and stumbled backwards. Avery kicked him in the crotch and jumped over his body as it fell into the fetal position. She struggled with the interior lock before finally throwing the door open. She dared one look over her shoulder at Chuck and saw him staggering to his feet. Blood ran freely from his eye, but he zeroed in on her with the other one, and it held murder there for her. Without wasting another second she took off at a run down the hall. Chuck was in pursuit and quickly gaining on her. She could see an Exit sign ahead of her, and she knew it would lead her either outside or into some kind of lobby at least. She pushed through the door and felt Chuck grab at her shirt. Turning slightly she kept moving forward and just let the fabric tear. The door led onto a concrete landing and she took the steps down into the parking lot as fast as she could.
“Avery!” Chuck yelled after her.
Several heads poked out of the hotel room doors that actually faced the parking lot and Avery began screaming as she ran. “Please, call 911! Please help me!”
A man and woman ran towards her as Chuck grabbed her from behind pulling her into him by locking his arms into the crook of her elbows.
The man approached cautiously as his woman looked on with large fearful eyes. “Now look here fella, the young lady doesn’t want to talk to you right now, so just let her go.”
“Stay out of it!” Chuck growled as he tried to drag her along the parking lot. Avery was resisting, and she could feel the asphalt tearing at the soles of her bare feet.
“Please!” she said tearfully. “Help me!”
The couple looked beyond Chuck as they first sirens could be heard. Chuck looked over his shoulder and cursed loudly. Emboldened by the sound of the approaching police a few other people had come out of their hotel rooms and were walking slowly towards Chuck and Avery. He tried dragging her faster, and Avery could see the first strobe of blue lights reflect in one of the darkened windows. A smile broke across her face and she began to sob with relief. Three police cruisers surrounded them and several voices were shouting at once for Chuck to let her go and put his hands on his head.
Avery felt her body release to the pavement as she fell to her hands and knees. She looked over her shoulder and saw Chuck grin and wink down at her with his uninjured eye, as two policemen pulled him backwards and tackled him to the ground.
Avery began to stand and a strong pair of hands pulled her to her feet. She looked up into the face of an aging policeman.
“Avery Kaery?”
She nodded with tears still pouring from her eyes.
He smiled a little and took his jacket off to place around her shoulders. “I’m Officer Butler. There’s a worried young man that will be very happy to see you, I think.”
“Joel?” she asked hoarsely.
“Yes, and let me tell you, if he hadn’t done his own detective work we may not have found you so quickly.” He put an arm around her shoulder and led her to the waiting ambulance.
“I want to go to him now.”
“You will, just let these guys take you to the hospital to be looked at, ok?”
Avery awoke just after three in the morning, and her mind was full of confusion. Her initial thought was that she was tied to the bed, and she jumped wildly. Joel was beside in an instant holding her arms down by her sides. He wrapped his arms around her and began to smooth her hair.
“Shhh, its ok.”
Avery held on to him and all she could say was, “I love you”, over and over.
Two months later to the day was a gloriously sunny December afternoon and Avery watched Joanne’s burgundy clad frame walk slowly up the aisle. The church only had about twenty people in attendance, which was just the amount Avery wanted. When the organ announced the moment had come, Larry Trevor stepped beside Avery and grinned bashfully.
“I think that’s our cue!”
Avery nodded and placed her hand within the crook of his arm. Once they entered the sanctuary everyone stood, but for Avery the only person in the room was Joel. She smiled brightly and decided that dreams can and do come true.
Chuck’s new cellmate rolled over on his bunk and looked down at him. He was a sniveling nosed brat that was in for stealing a car, but at least he was someone to talk to. His last cellmate sucked.
“Hey, man, why do you wear that eye patch?” He let his skinny arm dangle down to point at Chuck’s face.
Chuck smacked the hand away and laid the magazine he was reading across his chest. “It was a goodbye gift from my girl.”
The man grinned and showed his crooked teeth. “Mean one, huh?”
Chuck glared at him in such a way that the young man stopped smiling. “She’s actually very sweet.”
“I guess you two are broken up?”
Chuck smiled and shook his head slowly. “Nah, just a lovers spat. I’ll straighten it all up when I get out.”
Already losing interest, his cell mate mumbled, “That’s good”, as he rolled out of sight on the top bunk.
“Lights out!” a voice yelled from somewhere on cell block, and Chuck tossed his magazine on the floor. The lights went out, leaving only the soft glow of the emergency lights.
Chuck rubbed the tattooed heart on his chest that bared Avery’s name. A sly grin parted his lips. “When I get out.” He whispered into the darkness.
