Carter Huffington

Carter Huffington

A Story by Nat Brancaccio
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1942 spy who is on the run and saving lives as he travels from New York to California

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    “Carter, I don’t know if I can stop the bleeding.” I cried as I dragged him and myself across the parking lot. It was so dark, I didn’t know if this would be the end for us. I found my way to the car and sped off as soon I got Carter in. We were silent. I must have driven for what seemed like hours before we reached the hospital. After that time stood still. I stood in the waiting room and watched as they pulled Carter into the operating room.
    Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself. My name is Penny. I’m a waitress at Moe’s Bar in the beautiful and loud, San Francisco. California . This story isn’t mine. It’s Carter Huffington’s. He is a spy who has more people after him then people he’s actually met. I’m head-over heels in love with him but, I think there’s more to this story than that. It involves betrayal, sacrifice and collaboration. It all began on a cool springtime evening in New York. Grand Central Station, 11:59 pm to be exact.
    I waited for that clock to strike. Iris would hand me the briefcase and I would be out of here at that very moment. She had a mink coat on and her sharp, black hair in a perfect bun. Her lipstick more red than the apple I had finished a few minutes ago. She would walk across the floor, tip her hat and hand me the briefcase. I was afraid that there was a cop waiting for the right moment to snatch that briefcase right out of her hand just before I could grab it. I had to go for it and as she stood up, I put away my lighter and threw my cigarette to the ground. I buttoned my trench and slipped my gun behind my right leg. I began to walk towards her and she slowly handed me the briefcase and kissed me at that same moment. I quickly pulled away and instantly a bullet became lodged in her skull.
She fell to the floor and ran to the doors. As soon as I got there, an officer pulled a gun to me and walked me to his car. I threw the briefcase in the front and he shoved me into the back. We began driving down the road. It was pitch black out and I sat silently. I began to hear a subtle but clear, beeping noise. I leaned my head against the passenger seat. I could hear it getting louder now. I knew that the briefcase was a decoy. It must contain some sort of time bomb. And by the sound of it, I’m not gonna have a lot of time if I don’t get out of here soon.
I quickly grabbed the door handle and slowly pushed so that the car door was slightly open. I saw a lamp post, up ahead about a half a mile and as soon as we got closer I would jump. I knew that either way I was most likely going to die. If I stayed in the car, we would be blown to pieces but, if I jumped from a moving car going about 60 mph, it didn’t look good. Now is my chance, I pushed the door open and shoved myself from the car. I fell tumbling to the ground and as I began to feel myself losing consciousness, I saw in the distance that cop car blow up in a fiery haze. My eyes slowly shut and I fell into a deep, painful sleep.
I awoke in the middle of the night with a sharp pain in my right side. My head felt heavy and my hands burned from the scrape of rubble that was now enlodged into them. I looked around and saw the lamp post up ahead. Across from it was a phone booth. I didn’t know where I was or how I could any help out here in the middle of nowhere.  I tried to stand up but, I fell to the ground from the stabbing pain in my left ankle. It must be broken or at least sprained considering that was the foot that hit the ground first when I jumped from the car. I reached for my right leg and my gun was still luckily intact. I saw that my right side was bleeding as well as my hands. I hopped up on one leg and limped my way to the lamp post. After that I made my way to the phone booth. It looked unused and old. I picked up the phone and waited for a dial tone. As soon as I got one I asked the operator for one person: Penny. She was the only person I trusted and probably the only person who would spare the time to even talk to me. As soon as I got her on the phone, I realized that she wasn’t the girl I had met years ago. She was a fiancee to a man in the war. She sounded like she was in love with him. I didn’t think she would take the time to even consider coming to New York and getting me. The second I mentioned what had happened to me, she screamed and told me she could get me by morning if she got a flight in the next hour. I couldn’t believe how happy she was to come and rescue me, after what I did to her I figured she’d leave me out here in the dust. I hung up the phone and suddenly felt tired. I began to doze off and before I knew it, morning came.
I awoke to the sound of a car speeding down the dirt road. My hands and feet were swollen and my ribs felt like they had taken a beating. I looked up and the car stopped right in front of the phone booth. I squinted, the sun was bright and the sky was a clear. This green plymouth car, looked as if it was owned by a millionaire. The passenger door opened and I saw a light brown oxford shoe step down to the ground. A cocktail dress emerged from the car along with a pale, blonde girl wearing a rosy pink lipstick shade. She had her hair in finger curls at her shoulders. This was Penny as far as I could tell. She still wore her fedora that I had gifted her, many years ago. She smiled at me and ran to hug me. I tried to hold her up but, my ankle gave out and we both fell to the ground and laughed.
“Oh, Carter! I can’t believe it got this bad. I brought a first aid kit, it’s in the back of the car.” Penny said as she began to get up. I didn’t know what to say. I just kissed her, right on the lips at the glimpse of her crystal blue eyes. She looked at me and didn’t change her facial expression. She looked angry and upset at the same time. “Don’t even start that with me. I don’t love anymore. My heart belongs to my fiancee in Germany. I love him and I can’t even begin to explain to you how I feel right now.” Penny cried to me as she helped me up. I still don’t understand why she came here to help me. She took me to the car and as I sat on the soft, leather seats, she handed me a scotch on the rocks. She kissed me on the cheek and said, “I love you but, never the same way as before.” The driver turned the car and we began to head towards the city.
She had bandaged my hands, tight. I couldn’t even imagine how bad they would’ve gotten if she hadn’t came. She was asleep when I woke up. I didn’t see any skyscrapers in the distance or behind us. Where was I? I pushed Penny and she yelled, “What is it, I didn’t really get sleep last night, thanks to you!” She looked up and looked worried. Penny slid forward on her seat and grabbed the driver’s shoulder. “Excuse me, where exactly are we?” She said when we she realized that we weren’t in her green plymouth anymore.
A man wearing black gloves and shades. He looked at us and stopped the car. He reached for the dashboard and put a gun to Penny’s head.
I didn’t know what to do. Penny cried out, “Please, what do you want? I have some money in my purse. Name your price, I’ll do anything, just let us go!” The driver looked at me and pointed the gun towards me. Penny reached for her purse.
She grabbed her wallet and nail file. She started to pull out a hundred dollar bill when the man shouted, “I don’t want your money, I want his life!” Penny grabbed her nail file and that’s when I noticed. This wasn’t an ordinary nail file. It was the pocket knife I got her for Christmas a few years back. I had gotten it somewhere and it was used as a self defence weapon. The best part was that it was disguised as a nail file. I can’t believe she kept it after all these years.
She pulled the knife part out and jabbed it into the driver hand that was holding the gun. She yelled, “Come on, Carter! We need to get out of the car, now!” I opened the car door and began running away from the car. Penny was right behind me. As soon as we got far enough I stopped and reached for my right leg. My gun was still there and I pulled it out. Penny stood behind me and waited with me, for the man to get out the car. As soon as he did, I put two bullets in his and four more in his chest. He collapsed to the ground. Penny and I ran back to the car. She helped me pull his body to the curb. I got in the driver’s seat and Penny got in the passenger’s. We made the decision to go the opposite direction that the driver had been going. We didn’t make it to any towns or cities for at least five hours. By then, the gas tank was almost empty.
We finally made it to New York City! I was so exhausted and Penny had slept most of the ride. I figured that we probably should lay low tonight. I woke up Penny and took her to a hotel for the night. We were staying at the finest hotel in the city, The Plaza Hotel. We got a room and passed out the second we got on the comfortable, warm beds. I went to sleep feeling like a new man. I looked over at Penny just before I shut my eyes and knew instantly that I was still in love with her.
We both woke up to the sound of birds chirping right outside our window. I called room service for some clean clothes for us to wear. Penny decided to put her engagement ring on the bathroom counter so her ring wouldn't get lost when she got cleaned up. After we both had showered and had gotten dressed, we headed to the lobby for breakfast. I left my gun in the room, and if I would’ve known earlier what was going to happen this fine morning, I never would’ve left it.
As soon as we got downstairs, we got glares from everyone in the restaurant. I grabbed a plate and picked up some food from the buffet. Penny on the other hand, grabbed a bowl and filled it with cereal. We grabbed a table and sat down to eat. We ate until a woman tapped me on the shoulder and pointed out the window. It was a man I used to work with who wanted money that owed him. He probably had something to do with Iris getting a bullet driven through her skull. I gave the woman a code to get everyone down and she did. She yelled, “Everyone get down!” I pushed Penny and myself to floor and began to crawl towards an ice machine. Penny followed me but, I told her to get away from me. “If you go down, I’ll be right by your side.” She said as she leaned in to kiss me on the cheek. I grabbed her head and slammed it into the cabinet. She was unconscious and now was my chance to save her life and mine as well. I pushed her body behind a shelf. I stood and began to walk towards the door.
My hands were in the air and the man saw me. He entered the hotel and strut right towards me. He reached for his pocket and pulled out a gun. He casually put it to my side and whispered, “Follow me or I’ll kill you without a second thought.” I did and told him all my money was in my room. “I don’t want your goddamn money.” He yelled, “I want you to suffer and not by being shot dead but, by standing by while I kill your little friend, I know you’re sweet on her or else you wouldn’t have knocked her unconscious.” He aimed his gun at the shelf and pulled the trigger.
I was soon dragged to the ground by Penny. She had awoken moments beforehand and crawled out from behind the shelf. Now that I was on the ground, we jumped and ran for the door. The man with the gun turned around and three shots rang out. Once we were outside, we turned left towards a bakery and ran inside. We went out the back and we’re now in an alley. I saw the street to the right and I gripped Penny’s hand so tight that I was practically breaking it. We got to the street corner and waved for a cab as soon as we got in, I yelled, “Manhattan and step on it!”
We were in the car for about twenty minutes and soon arrived in Harlem. I gave the driver an address and Penny was sleeping in my lap. Once we arrived at an old alley, I saw a wooden door painted black and a window with a candle lit in the inside. I woke Penny up and she paid the driver with the cash she had in her pocket. I was surprised considering all our money and possessions were in our hotel room. I walked to the door and rang the doorbell. I heard a creaking noise in the distance and then a loud rupture. All of a sudden the ground underneath us fell through. We fell at least ten feet until we landed on the hard, cold ground. Penny let out a sound of relief and held onto my right shoulder. The floor began to move forward. It was almost as if we were on a conveyor belt. It was dark as we continued moving forward and I had a pit in my stomach that knew we were in for a treat.
We dropped instantly! My stomach felt as if it were in the back of my throat. Penny and I screamed at the top of our lungs. Her hand gripped tighter to me but, there was a sudden jerk and she let go. We became separated and I feared I would never see her again. It started to get brighter in the dark room. I saw a light up ahead and then I saw Penny across the room. Then we both came together again and the floor stopped moving. I heard a door opening and then a deep, older voice yell, “Who are you looking for, this is a private residence!” I knew who this guy was and I was so excited to see him again. I cried out, “The rooster awakens at sunrise, and goes to bed when the sun sets at dawn.” A large, bright light shined down on Penny and I. “Carter, is it really you, after all these years?” He said as he walked towards us. “Sal, I need your help and I need it soon.” I remarked, “You have gotten old, how do you still get around to these days?” He laughed at that and pulled Penny up. He reached his hand out to me and I pushed it away. I stood up and hugged him.
Sal is a world class secret agent from the early 20s. He taught me everything I know today and practically raised me. I haven’t seen him in years and now that I need his help, it will be just like the old days. “So, why are you here, are you in some kind of trouble?” He asked as he turned off the lights and walked us into another room. “Well, I need to get our money, belongings and my gun from the Plaza but, if we go back there, we’ll probably get killed.” I answered and gripped Penny’s hand, tightly. “That’s already been taken care of. Is this yours miss?” Sal said and handed Penny a small leather bag, with some gloves hanging out of the sides. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. How could he have gotten our things? We had only arrived moments ago, and he didn’t even know it was me. Penny laughed and grabbed her bag from him. She looked inside and found my wallet and gun. “No one would ever suspect a woman to be a spy, especially one who carried a gun.” Sal said and smiled.
We walked into his main kitchen and my jaw dropped. His home was elegantly amazing. “The craftsmanship of this home is so exquisite and absolutely stunning.” Penny exclaimed. I was in complete agreement with her. “My wife and I designed this part of the house but, when she passed away a few years back, I couldn’t stand to leave it messy. I spent her savings decorating it to perfection. Of course, my gadgets are all over this house.” Sal said and began to laugh. He took Penny’s bag and hung it up. “Go look around! Trust me, if you pull any levers, I will be alarmed and make sure everything is okay.” Sal explained and left the room.  Penny ran with glee to the dining room and then up the spiral stairs. From the outside this house looked god awful and just plain pathetic, but from the inside I felt as if I were in the home of a millionaire. The walls were painted gold with landscapes of rolling hills from the countryside. It had a crystal clear lake with birds in the distance. The amount of artistry was so fine and masterful, I felt as if it could be put in an art museum. The red wine carpet was flawlessly cut and clean. The ivory railings on the staircase were smoothed and polished to perfection. I ran up the stairs to find Penny, when I heard a sudden shriek!
Penny was on the floor of the bedroom staring directly down. I looked and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
To my amazement, there was a fish tank covering the floor. It felt like we were walking on water. There were tons of fish covering the surface of the water. We were in wonderment. I helped Penny up and we continued to explore the bedroom. A bookcase to the far right of the room looked suspicious. I walked over and began reading the books. “Philosophy on Life”, “War and Peace”, “Diary of Anne Frank.” All such generic titles. I needed to find one that stood out. Penny was looking through, trying to find something to read for when she returned to California. “Oh, this is perfect, Stuart Little has been talked about in the Times.” Penny exclaimed as she reached for it. She yanked at the book until she fell to the floor. We both yanked at it until it moved about half an inch. The bookshelf began to rotate. I grabbed Penny and we stepped back. The bookshelf was now facing sideways. The wall on it’s other side was now tunneled. We grabbed a candle that was light on a nightstand and began to walk. It was darker than night as we walked through the cold tunnel. We reached the end and got to a door. I turned the knob and opened the door.
The room was full of gadgets and large television screens. On the screens, were images of the entire house. The kitchen, the living room, the dining room, and the bedroom. Sal was sitting on the chair that was facing all the screens. He turned around and smiled. “I’m so glad you found me.” He said as he stood up. “I have a car that you may use, the people after you are smart but, I purchased two tickets for California. I suggest you spend the night here but, I only have one guest bedroom so you’ll have to share a bed.” He explained. Penny looked at me and smiled. “That’s so generous of you but, I think I need to get back to California and stay as far away from Carter.” Penny said. I don’t understand. She didn’t mind being with me and she almost got shot but, she still tagged along. I had to make her stay.
“Penny, if you want, I could sleep on the floor. I don’t want to go on the run if you’re not going to run with me.” I said as I walked up to her. I put my hands to her cheeks and leaned in to kiss her. She began to close her eyes and as our lips touched, I felt a spark. She pushed her body against mine and we had the most passionate kiss. I pulled away and looked at her. “Do you still love me?” She asked as she touched her lips with her fingers. I couldn’t answer her. She was my dream girl but, I didn’t know if I truly loved her. I wanted to say yes but I just couldn’t fathom seeing myself with her in the next five years. She was engaged for god sakes and I wouldn’t want to ruin that considering what I’ve done to her in years past. I said the only thing I knew I could say at this point, “Penny, I don’t love you.”
“Oh thank god. I don’t love you either but, I promise I’ll stay with you.” She said as she ran and leaped into my arms.
That night I slept next to her on the bed. She ended up curling up against me. We both woke up early and to our surprise, clothes sat on a chair sitting near the door. Penny showered and came out looking like a millionaire. She had her hair in curls, dangling onto her shoulders. She wore a beautiful spring dress that went to her knees. She had a pair of brown mary-janes on. I smiled and kissed her on her shiny, red lips.
I took my shower and came out to an empty room. The bed was folded and the chair that had clothes on it was now empty. I quickly ran downstairs and saw Penny sitting at the dining table eating toast. Sal was in the kitchen blending something. I sat down on the couch and a girl walked by me. She was wearing black and white and she carried a feather duster. “Miss Melony, can you bring Mr. Huffington something to eat.” Sal yelled as he blended more fruit. “Of course Sir, what would you like Mr. Huffington?” She asked and smiled at me. She had a short maid’s dress on and tights that ran along her legs. Her hair was bright red like the color of wine or a rose. Her skin was pale like a beautiful angel and she was ravishing. “If you have any cereal, that would be great.” I said and smiled back.
Penny didn’t seem too happy that Melony and I were talking while I ate my breakfast. The truth of the matter was that Penny was engaged and I had no feelings for her. Melony was stunning and had a great personality. I figured that she was the perfect girl to date. At that moment I didn’t want to go to California with Penny. I could stay here until I found a place where trouble wasn’t around every corner. “Hey Carter, why don’t we get going so we don’t hit traffic.” Penny said as she dumped her dishes directly in front of Melony. She sat back down and folded her arms in her lap. I was now annoyed with how Penny was acting. She thought that if I flirted with any girl, I must want to marry them too. “I’m actually starting to think that I could stay here and you could just go back to California, hassle free.” I said and looked at her. “What happened to me running away with you?” She shouted and got up. “I didn’t say it was set in stone. We don’t know what could happen once we got to the airport!” I yelled back. Penny just stared at me in disbelief. She started to tear up. She wiped her tear of with her finger and walked out of the room. “Sal, where’s the door?” She shouted from the other room. Sal walked out of the kitchen and came back in moments later. “She’s gone.” Sal said as he poured me a smoothie.
I drank my smoothie in anger. She is so stubborn! Melony was now washing the dishes. I came up behind and wrapped my arms around her hips. “So, she’s gone, what do you want to do now?” She said and turned around. Our faces were centimeters apart. I looked into her eyes and leaned in to kiss her when I heard a bang from upstairs. We both looked up and saw as Sal fell from the railings. Another bang shot off and the window near us shattered. Melony grabbed me and cried, “Follow me if you want to save your life!”
We ran through the hallway until we got to a door. She reached underneath a plant that was on the shelf near us and found a key. Her hands shaking, she pushed the key through the hole and shoved the door open. It was a dark room and she flicked the lights on. She squeezed my hand and ran to the closet. A carpet covered the floor. She ripped the carpet off and there was a handle sticking out. “Go down there and follow the tunnel until you see daylight. It will take you right outside the subway station.” She yelled and kissed me, our lips pressed for only a second. She hugged me tight and ran out the room. I opened the panel and jumped down. It was pitch black. I ran as fast as I could. I kept running until I could barely breathe. I soon saw a light up ahead. I went up a small hill and came up directly in front of a subway station. I looked at the road and called for a cab. "Take me to the airport and hurry!" I yelled as I got in. As I was being driven I realized that my money was in my wallet and Penny had my wallet. I didn't say anything until we arrived. I reached for my pocket to make it seem as if I was looking for money when I found a folded envelope. I opened it and inside it had a note attached with some money. The note said:
   Dear Carter,
I am so sorry that you couldn't stay longer. I hope all is well and that you find this before its too late. I am safe. I really enjoyed talking to you and if you ever return to New York, look me up.
  Sincerely,
Melony Richards

I couldn't believe that she knew all this would happen. Things were starting to fall into place. I'm beginning to think she wasn't even a maid. I paid the cab driver and ran inside. She had put my plane ticket in the envelope as well. I ran inside and I knew right away that things were not going to go smoothly. Cops were everywhere and planes were delaying like there was no tomorrow. Penny must be somewhere in this crowd. I knew in my heart that I would find but, how?
Something in my head was telling me that Penny wouldn't leave without me. If Melony left a note in my pocket, she must have left a note for Penny as well. Penny wouldn't leave this town without one thing. Her engagement ring. I remember her putting it on the bathroom counter in the hotel room. If she wanted that ring, she would be at the hotel.
I bolted to the door and ran outside. It was now raining out. I called for a cab and said "Plaza and if you can get there in under an hour I'll pay you double!" The car went into full acceleration and I sat back and relaxed. Once I arrived at the Plaza, there were police tape covering the lobby and witnesses crying. I ran up to a cop and asked, "What the hell happened? I'm a cop from Manhattan and I was sent here to help a fellow, such as yourself, solve this thing." He made a face of suspicion at me and pulled me under the tape. A body was under some blankets and my stomach dropped.  
Penny ran up to me and hugged me. She had tears covering her face. "I was so scared Carter, I'm so happy you found me." She said as she began to kiss me. The body was the woman who had helped us out those few days back. Penny had came here to get her ring and saw a man carrying a gun as he entered the lobby. The woman saw and recognized Penny and made motion to get down immediately. The man pulled his gun and began to shoot at Penny. She hid behind the concierge desk and watched as the woman jumped in front of the man causing him to fall and fire at her. Multiple people were injured and she died from the blows to her chest. "I found my ring. He had it in his pocket. He must've raided the room after Sal had gotten our stuff out." She said and pulled it out to show me. It glistened and I knew right then that she was truly happy with this guy. I didn't know where to go next or what to do. People were after us and there was only one person left who could help us.
I went outside to a phone booth. “Operator, can I get Melony Richards number?” I said as Penny walked into the booth. The operator connected me to her and a voice answered that didn’t sound like Melony, “Hello, if you’re looking for Melony, you will never hear her voice again. She is on the verge of death and if you don’t find her soon, she’ll be swimming with the fishes.” I didn’t know how to respond. Penny grabbed the phone and yelled, “Where is she? How much time do we have? Who are you working for?” The person on the other line only responded by saying, “You have twenty four hours until her brain is blown to pieces and my only hint to where she is, the sun always shines when it’s “gold” out.” And then the line went dead. “What does that even mean?” Penny exclaimed and slumped to ground. I went back inside the Plaza and asked for a piece of paper and a pen. I gave Penny the pen and paper to her and said, “Write down all the words I say.” I began saying everything he said forwards and backwards. She had a concise list written out:
*Swimming
*Fishes
*Sun
*Always Shines
*Gold
Penny was beginning to think he was talking about the Hudson. I knew it wasn’t somewhere near here if the sun always shines. And what about him saying “gold out” not cold cold out. A bus drove by and it was an advertisement for the tickets to California. It was the state’s slogan. “The Golden State” wants you to spend your summer here! It hit me like a bus! Melony was in California. It all made sense now! California is sunny and there are oceans covering all of the west coast. If we got to California, we could find Melony and catch this guy.
Penny called the airport and asked if our flight had already left. Luckily, if we left right now, we could still make the flight. I called us a cab and we were rushed to the airport. I held Penny’s hand as we ran inside and got to the gate. I gave them the tickets and we were escorted to the plane. I felt good about what we were doing. The plane took off and Penny and I dozed off for the next three hours.
We awoke to the warm window and shining sun. The flight attendant announced that sunny California was a scorching 86 degrees and getting hotter. We were wearing clothes for an early spring in New York and we felt like sweaty idiots. I asked the man sitting near us if there was a clothing store in the airport but, Penny interrupted me and said, “We can go back to my house and you can borrow some of Bill’s clothes since he isn’t here to wear them.” I smiled and we were escorted off the plane. We walked through the airport and got to the main entrance.  Penny walked towards a payphone and put a penny in. She dialed a number and someone answered on the other line. “How may I help you Miss Pritchett?” The woman on the line asked. “I need Rupert to come pick me plus one up. Can he take the limo?” Penny said and winked at me. “Very good ma’am.” The line went dead and Penny hung up the phone and smiled at me. “We’re taking a limo? Won’t that seem a little suspicious?” I asked and held her hand. “No one knows that I am a rich woman with maids, butlers, drivers and a house fit for a queen.” She said and began walking towards the door. I stopped her and asked, “Excuse me, since when are you rich?” “Since a became engaged to man whose parents own a jet. I mean I didn’t date him for his money but, that’s just a bonus to his good looks.” Penny said and pulled me out the door with her. A limo was waiting at the curb and a man walked out, tipped his hat and opened the door for us.
I slipped inside the limo and Penny slid next to me. She smiled and asked the driver to take us to Maurices Clothing Shoppe. “Penny, you said you had clothes at your house.” I said and gave her a look. She laughed and replied, “I’m in a good mood and plus, you have way bigger biceps than Bill so you wouldn’t fit into his clothes.” We sat and talked for a while. The driver even had complimentary drinks in the mini fridge for us. When we arrived at the clothing store, my eyes glistened in disbelief. How could they fit so much clothes in such a tiny yet, glamourous store?
Penny yanked my hand and pulled me to the men’s clothing section. She figured I would need a nice suit for this evening. She insisted we would go out to dinner this evening. She also felt that I needed a bathing suit. “Penny! This isn’t some vacation, our friend is in danger and if you don’t take this seriously then don’t bother helping me!” I shouted and pushed her away. I began to walk out the door and she screamed, “Our friend? You mean your friend right? I am not going to consider some half dressed, damsel in distress, my friend! Go ahead, walk out, you can find your own place to stay!” I walked out that door and didn’t bother looking back.
I sat on a bench and covered my face with my hands. When I looked up, a hand was on my shoulder and a smile crept upon my face. It was the driver. “Sir, is Miss Pritchett joining you? Or shall I drop you off at the house at this moment?” He asked. I told him what I wanted to do and he opened the car door for me. He drove me to Penny’s mansion of a house. When we arrived, the car circled the miniature court and I saw a large fountain that had water flying through the air in the center of the drive. Beautiful flowers were growing all over the front of the house. He dropped me off at the front door and gave me a code to let the housekeeper know that I was permitted on the property. I knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. I peeked through the window and saw blood smeared on the floor. I ducked my head down and started to crawl around to another window. I peeked inside this one and saw even more horror. The housekeeper was lying on the floor bleeding out and probably dead. I smashed my back against the brick house and started to panic. What do I do next? I have no gun, no way to get help and Penny will soon arrive and get her head blown up. I am completely helpless. I got down on my knees and began to crawl around the house. I got to the back and found a pool. It was filled with crystal clear water until a moment later when a man in black grabbed the housekeeper's body and threw her in the water. He walked back inside and began shooting. I thought I was a goner for sure. I heard a car pull up and crawled as fast as I could to the front of the house. I saw the passenger door being opened and to my surprise was the person I never expected!
It was the man from the Plaza and he was carrying a body over his shoulder. Melony was that body! I watched as he set her body on the concrete and ran inside. The car drove away and I heard a faint moan. Melony needed me and I wasn’t just going to sit here and watch her slowly die. I ran around back and crawled to a garden shed. Inside the shed were plenty of defense weapons. I grabbed a small shovel and continued searching. I found a suspicious pot and looked inside. To my advantage, a small, loaded handgun was there and I knew the game wasn’t over yet. I took both the gun and shovel and made it back to the front of the house. Melony was still laying there, helplessly. I put the gun in my back pocket and ran to her. I picked her up like a baby and carried her to the side of the house. I layed her on her back and tapped her cheek lightly. She opened her eyes and smiled at me. “Car-C-Carter, Is that yo-you?” She asked and closed her eyes again. “Melony, listen to me, you look like you’ve been beaten pretty badly. I am not going to let you die on me. I ripped a piece of my shirt off and wrapped it around her bruised head. There was a garden hose nearby and I began wetting her bloody arms and legs. She opened her eyes and began swatting frantically in the air. She was going through shock. I got some water and began patting down her face. “Melony, I want you to get some rest okay? If you can understand me, blink twice.” I said and looked at her. She blinked twice and whispered, “I am not going to let death beat me, promise me, when I wake up, you’ll be there?” “I promise.” I said and she closed her eyes again. I carried her to some underbrush. I covered her body and made her undetectable from the naked eye. I put the small shovel in her right hand for protection. Now I had to get ready to run because sooner or later, someone is going to notice a body that’s missing from the front. I heard some shouting from the inside of the house and then the door slammed open. “Where is she?” The man shouted and looked left and right. I saw in the distance, the limo driving up. Now was my chance to save my life. I grabbed the gun and shot three bullets into the guy’s body. He fell to the ground and I ran to Melony. I picked her up and began running down the driveway. She opened her eyes and smiled at me. I met the limo at about halfway and saw Penny inside. She opened the door and slid Melony in. I shut the door and ran inside the passenger seat. I told the driver, “Head back to the city and just to let you know, you may die today.” He turned the car around and we began to head for the city.

© 2013 Nat Brancaccio


Author's Note

Nat Brancaccio
ignore grammar problems, what do you think of the dialogue? (It's not done yet by the way)

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This was a good story. It was very descriptive and flowed nicely. I was a little confused on who the narrator was in the beginning though. You use the name Carter in quotations and then say "I." And at the beginning of the second paragraph you say "My name is Penny" so I assumed the narrator was Penny. It wasn't until “Oh, Carter! I can’t believe it got this bad." that I realized Carter was the narrator and Penny was the other character. I'm not sure if you switched that when writing or what but it might be confusing for readers. The dialogue between the characters was nice and the storyline was exciting. I hope you continue this.

Posted 11 Years Ago



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Added on February 26, 2013
Last Updated on February 26, 2013