Road to Hell

by J. C. Diem

  My heart almost stopped when their lights came on. The siren sounded and blue and red lights flashed hypnotically. To my relief, the cruiser surged forward. It turned the corner and was soon out of sight. A crime had been committed elsewhere in the city, drawing them away and giving me a reprieve from captivity.

  Hitching my backpack onto my shoulder, I pulled my hood up to hide my distinctive hair and began to walk. Reaching the intersection where the cop car had disappeared, I waited for the lights to change and trotted across the wide lanes. Once I reached the other side, I glanced at a store to see the words NY Souvenirs stenciled above the door. I was shocked to realize that I was in New York, or Manhattan to be more precise.

  I was pretty sure Canal Street was somewhere to the south of the island. Far from home and in an unfamiliar place, I had no idea what to do now. Staying out of sight of the cops was my only goal, but it was easier said than done. Seeing another cruiser turn the corner, I hurried into a side street before the occupants could spot me.

  Wandering randomly, I quickly became hopelessly lost. I left the streets that had actual names behind and found myself passing numbered streets instead. Walking along Eighth Ave, I ducked into a doorway as yet another cop car appeared. It cruised past slowly, searching for trouble. There were still people on the street even at this late hour. They eyed me suspiciously as I slunk past, but no one bothered me. With my hood hiding my face, I was just another anonymous pedestrian.

  Exhausted by now, my feet were dragging and I knew I couldn’t keep walking for much longer. I’d already dodged a lot of cop cars, but I couldn’t avoid them forever. At that thought, another cruiser appeared behind me. I automatically turned left and was in luck. It was a one-way street and they couldn’t follow me.

  I walked alongside a building that stretched the along entire block. It was two-toned in color, alternating between gray and a rusty red. Gigantic steel girders in the shape of an x ran the length of the structure. I glanced up at a sign as I passed a door to see it was the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Wondering why I’d been deposited on Canal Street rather than being taken here, I reached Ninth Ave, crossed to the other side then headed north again.

  Up ahead, I saw yet another cruiser coming towards me and turned left into West Forty-Third Street. I hid in the shadows of another doorway until they were out of sight. Heading down the street, I came to what seemed like a vacant lot. Vines covered a chain link fence and gate that was topped with barbed wire. I peered through the vines, but it was too dark to make out anything. A long gray metal barrier ended at another chain link fence.

  A metal box clung to the left side of the fence. It looked like it housed electrical wires judging by the warning sign. This section of the fence was devoid of vines and I peered through the wire to see the glint of train tracks below. There was just enough light for me to make out a tunnel. It might offer me shelter for what was left of the night.

  Weighing up my options, I realized that I didn’t have any. I had a few hundred dollars in my wallet, but that wouldn’t last long in this city. I wasn’t about to waste my cash on a hotel room. For all I knew, a room for a single night might eat up every dollar that I had.

  Examining the barbed wire, I saw that a section had been cut and then shifted to look like it was still attached. The ends were rusty, so it must have been cut a long time ago. Looking around to make sure I was unobserved, I climbed up the fence. I put my left knee on the electrical box, hoping it would hold my weight. It did and I carefully shifted the barbed wire out of the way then climbed through the gap.

  With the toes of my boots digging into the chain link fence, I shifted the barbed wire back into place then climbed down. Headlights appeared as a car approached and I hunkered down in the overgrown grass. Yet another cop car drove past, giving me the eerie feeling that I’d been herded to this spot.

  Shrugging off the paranoia that I was being controlled, I waited for the car to leave before walking to the edge of the crumbling wall. Sitting down on the large rocks, I lowered myself over the edge as I tried to judge how far the drop was. I leaned forward, which made my backpack swing forward as well. Losing my balance, I slid to the ground and landed next to the train tracks with a jarring thud.

  Luckily, I’d landed on my feet rather than my backside. No one seemed to have heard the clatter, so I headed for the train tunnel. Two sets of tracks led beneath a wide opening. Narrow concrete barriers separated them. A few lights on the pillars weakly illuminated the area, but didn’t quite banish all of the shadows. Anyone or anything could be hiding inside the tunnel. I’d never even see them until they leaped out and bit my face off.

  I stood on the edge of the opening, trying to decide whether to enter or not. My vivid imagination had spooked me enough to make me rethink the idea of finding shelter here. A light rain started, which decided the issue for me.

  Stepping inside, I headed to the right where the light didn’t quite reach all the way to the back of the tunnel. I hadn’t seen any trains come through yet, but it didn’t look like the tracks had been abandoned. With luck, I’d get a few hours of rest before the first train of the day woke me.

  Probing the shadows, I couldn’t see any homeless people who had beaten me to the hiding spot. Someone had spray painted a word in five foot high letters on the wall. I wasn’t sure if it was a name or if it was just gibberish. I sat down on the ground with my back to the wall and the unintelligible graffiti looming over me.

  Bringing my knees up to my chest, I wrapped my arms around my legs and tried not to give in to my sobs. I’d cried an ocean of tears during the past week and it hadn’t made me feel any better so far. Exhausted, I quickly fell asleep. The moment I went under, I was thrown back to the night when my world had come to an end and I’d lost everything that had ever mattered to me.

  ₪₪₪

  Chapter Five

  It wasn’t easy living with a saint for a mother. In all of my sixteen years, she’d never once done anything wrong. I on the other hand, was very different from her. No matter how snarky I acted, my mom never lost her temper, raised her voice or spanked me. Sometimes, it was hard to believe we were even related. If I hadn’t looked so much like her, I could almost have believed that I was adopted.

  While we shared the same slender build, blond hair, oval shaped face and light green eyes, our personalities couldn’t have been more different. I’d always been rebellious and hated to be told what to do. Whenever I balked at doing a chore or my homework, my mom wouldn’t scold me. She’d just give me a sad look that told me without words that she was disappointed. Sometimes, I thought her lack of discipline had allowed me to run a little wild. Only my love for her stopped me from crossing the line and doing something really stupid.

  Speaking of being rebellious, I was currently waiting for her to go to sleep so I could sneak out. Hearing her finally go to bed at eleven, I waited for half an hour then sent a quick text message before leaving my room. Already dressed in jeans and a blouse, I snagged a warm hoodie before leaving my room.

  Walking on my tippy-toes, I snuck down the hall, passing my mother’s bedroom. All was quiet inside, so I continued on to the living room. A fire escape was right outside the window. I unlocked it and slid it up slowly, wincing at the screeching noise it made. With a final glance back over my shoulder to make sure my mom was still tucked away in bed, I climbed out and slid the window back down.

  Moving as quietly as possible, I climbed down the fire escape. My mother didn’t know it yet, but I had a boyfriend. It was still a bit of a surprise that he’d chosen me. I was a loner and my prickly nature was usually enough to keep people away. He’d seen straight through my defenses to the vulnerable girl inside. Five inches taller than me, he had blond hair and brown eyes. He had an athletic body, but was more of a geek than a jock. He was good looking enough to catch the eye of every girl in school.

  When he’d transferred to our school six weeks ago, he’d become the instant object of gossip by every student. E
veryone had been amazed when he’d sat down at my table for lunch on his first day. “Hi,” he’d said. “I’m Zachariah, but I prefer to be called Zach.”

  He’d offered me his hand as I’d been about to take a bite of my peanut butter sandwich. I’d looked at him like he was from another planet. He’d grinned, showing pearly white teeth and a dimple in his left cheek as I’d cautiously slid my hand into his, waiting for the punch line. It had to be a cruel joke that he’d chosen to sit with the girl who was ostracized from everyone. I had no idea why, but I’d never gotten along with other human beings, other than my mother that was. “I’m Violet, but I prefer to be called Your Majesty,” I’d responded.

  Instead of being offended by my sarcasm, he’d laughed. “I think we’re going to become really good friends, Your Majesty.” His prediction had come true and we’d quickly become inseparable. Unlike me, he was extremely laid back. We were polar opposites and we’d been dating for a month now.

  We’d gotten hot and heavy pretty fast, but I wasn’t going to be pressured into sex before I was ready. I might be rebellious, but I wasn’t careless. I wasn’t going to allow myself to become pregnant at sixteen.

  Sneaking out to see a boy so late at night was probably dangerous, but I didn’t think Zach would ever hurt me. He had a surprise lined up tonight and he refused to tell me what it was. Not knowing added to my anticipation of seeing him.

  Reaching the bottom rung of the fire escape, I leaped down onto a dumpster that was right beneath it. I landed with a hollow boom and crouched down, peering into the shadows to see if anyone had heard me. No one raised an alarm, so I dropped down to the ground.

  Zach was waiting for me at the end of the street. His blond hair shone beneath the streetlight. He grinned when I joined him and we spent a few breathless seconds kissing. A small traitorous part of me interjected an image of black hair, dark blue eyes and a perfect face before I could banish it. Zach wasn’t quite as gorgeous as the guy I imagined seeing every time I had a close brush with death, but he had an added bonus of being real flesh and blood.

  When we finally broke apart, he tucked my arm into his. Like me, he wore jeans and carried a dark hoodie. “Let’s go,” he urged. “We’ll miss it if we don’t hurry.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see,” he replied with a mysterious smile. He was carrying a blanket, which made me raise my eyebrows. I didn’t mind fooling around with him, but he knew I wasn’t going to let it go any further than that. There had been no nudity yet and I wasn’t going to change my mind and let him see my flesh tonight.

  Walking quickly, we left the residential area behind and entered the outskirts of town. It was cool, so we both donned our hoodies. Zach gallantly helped me over a fence and into a grassy field. We didn’t go far before he stopped and put the blanket down. Kneeling, he offered me his hand. “The show is about to start. We should lie down and make ourselves comfortable.”

  Humoring him, I took his hand and lay down next to him. He pulled me against his side and pointed upwards. I looked up just in time to see the first shooting star. Then the sky exploded in a meteor shower that lasted for half an hour. As excited as a kid watching fireworks, I grinned in delight the entire time.

  When it finally stopped, we turned to smile at each other and I became lost in his eyes. We rolled onto our sides so we were face to face. His expression was so hungry that I was almost afraid. Then he leaned in close and kissed me and I forgot how to speak. I was caught up in my budding passion until he unzipped my hoodie and popped open the top few buttons of my shirt. His fingers slid across my skin, aiming for my left breast.

  I pulled his hand away before his fingers could encounter the three inch scar that marred my flesh. He hadn’t seen the ugly mark yet and I wasn’t ready for him to know that it existed. I was taunted mercilessly by the other girls every time they saw me getting changed in the locker room. To say I had a complex about it would be an understatement.

  Sitting up, I buttoned my shirt and re-zipped my hoodie. “I’d prefer it if you didn’t try to undress me without my permission,” I said sharply. “I’m only sixteen. I’m not ready to get naked with you yet.”

  Huffing out a frustrated sigh, Zach sat up and ran a hand through his already mussed hair. “When will you be ready?” he asked, clearly striving for patience. “You’ll be seventeen in a couple of weeks. We’ve been dating for a whole month now and you haven’t even let me see you with your shirt off yet.”

  Rebellion flared inside me and I pushed myself to my feet. “If you think a month is a long time then I guess you’re not as mature as I thought you were.” My tone was cold enough to make him blink in surprise. “I’ve never let anyone pressure me into doing something I don’t want to do and you’re not going to be the first.” I stormed off, leaving him gaping at my back.

  “Violet, wait!”

  Ignoring him, I heard the rustling of grass and the thud of his footsteps as he came after me. He grabbed my hand and I spun around, expecting to see his face twisted in anger. I was surprised when I saw him in distress. “What?” I asked curtly.

  “I’m sorry,” he said sincerely. “I didn’t mean to push you. It’s just that I want you so much that it hurts.”

  I wanted him, too, and I knew exactly what he was feeling. “You need to learn some patience,” I said in a slightly less confrontational tone. “Did you even think to bring protection?”

  Even in the darkness, I saw his cheeks flush as he shuffled his feet. “Um. No.”

  “Yeah, I thought not.” Blowing out a sigh, I felt bad for being mean to him. We were the same age, but I felt so much older than him sometimes.

  “Don’t be mad,” he said and squeezed my fingers gently. “I promise I won’t pressure you again.”

  I knew he would, eventually. He was a teenage boy and his hormones would get the better of him sooner or later. His expression was pleading and I simply couldn’t refuse him when he was staring at me so forlornly with those big brown eyes. “Fine,” I said with a sigh. “I forgive you.” He grinned and pulled me in for a kiss. I broke it off before we could become so distracted that we lost track of time again. “I’d better go.”

  He looked at his watch and alarm flitted across his face. “Me, too,” he agreed then hesitated. We lived several blocks away from each other and I knew what he was thinking.

  “I’ll be fine to walk home on my own. Denver isn’t exactly a hotbed of crime.”

  He smiled at my dry tone. “Text me when you get home. I’ll worry if I don’t hear that you’re safe.”

  “Okay,” I agreed. With a final kiss, we split up and I jogged back towards home. I checked my watch and saw that it was after one am. If my mother woke and saw that I was gone, she’d lose her mind with worry.

  Quickening my pace, I made it home in record time. I scaled the dumpster and climbed up the fire escape. Just before I reached the fifth floor, I stopped briefly to text Zach that I’d made it home safely. He sent me a smiley face in acknowledgement and responded that he was missing me already. I wrinkled my nose at his sickly sweet display of affection, but I was secretly pleased that he cared.

  Being as quiet as possible, I continued up to the next floor. When I reached our apartment, I saw that the window was standing open. Fear raced up my spine. I always closed the window so no would-be burglars would know that it was unlocked.

  Climbing inside, I heard a man’s voice. For a moment, I thought it was just the neighbor’s TV up too loud again. Then I realized the voice was coming from my mother’s bedroom and frowned. A loner like me, she tended to avoid the opposite sex. She’d never invited anyone into her bedroom before. Unfortunately for her, she was beautiful and attracted men without even trying.

  Being as quiet as possible, I crossed to the hallway to see the bedroom door was open a couple of inches.

  “We have been looking for you for a long time, Asteraoth,” the man said. His tone was gloating and cruel despite getting her name so wrong. H
er name was Aster, not whatever he’d just called her.

  I crept closer and peered through the crack to see there wasn’t one man inside her room, but two. Their backs were to me and I couldn’t see their faces. They wore dark suits that looked expensive, not that I was an expert on male fashion.

  My mother stood on the far side of the room, cowering away from them. She wore a pristine white nightgown like something from another era. It was prim and proper and I wouldn’t be caught dead in it. Just like our personalities, our taste in clothing was very different.

  The man on the right glanced over his shoulder and I was transfixed with horror when I saw his face. His skin was an unnatural jet black and crimson light glowed from his eyes. I tried to tell myself he was just wearing a mask, but as far as I knew, masks didn’t make your eyes luminous like that.

  “What do you want?” my mother asked. With her snowy white nightgown and long blond hair flowing around her, she looked like a fairy princess. Or maybe a damsel in distress. It was hard to believe she was old enough to be my mother. She didn’t look much older than I was.

  “A little birdie told us that you have a daughter,” the man on the left said. He also had unnaturally dark skin and glowing red eyes. “It was naughty of you to try to hide her from us.” He shook a finger at her mockingly.

  Terror filled her eyes that were so much like mine. “My daughter is just a normal teenager,” she said desperately. “She is not the one you’re looking for.”

  “We will be the judge of that,” the man on the right said.