TINA'

t shade of gray and golden light, the weight of reality began to hit me in my sober state. My mind was

been compressed by the weight of a thousand men.

eful not to wake him. After searching through one side, then the other, I found his wallet... a thick, brown leather one tha

t, along with his company card and a few

eart racing as I worked quickly. I did t

aint glow of dawn barely breaking through the darkness. I turned to glance b

? But no. Shaking off the thought, I focused on getting home before Ta

lunky sound that resonated in the quiet morning environment. I gaz

e home. My steps were quick and steady, as I walked to the bus stop. I glanced at

fished out my phone, onl

h

d calls from Taylor scrolled down endlessly. My heart sank. The clock on my phone read 5:00

I was too scared to open it and read the content. Finally, a cab stoppe

hone and began rea

at I'm worried about you. You're all I have in this world, and I want you to make s

t and moved on to

t the club. You're not responding to my t

, I stopped reading the me

leave a message. If you're calling

ylor always answered her phone, no matter how busy she was. Even if

didn't seem likely because

back to reality. I was so lost in thoughts, I h

limbed out. My feet moved instinctively

ork? Oh, she was definitely g

nse was the same as before: "The person you're trying to call is

r your sake we haven't been robbed." I paused, rolling my eyes. "Also, I made it to the club just fine. Sorry for not responding to your messages earlier-I was too busy liv

all, I could afford to splurge... I'd mad

ing, her

g could have prepared me for the sce

n the ground, black ashes scattered everywhere. The table was f

get r

, our clothes were everywhere, and the wardrobe was open and empty.

noticed-I had no signal. A wave of anxiety and fear washed over me, and my hands began to tremble. My c

remembered, we hadn't

a signal. The moment a single bar flickered to life, I proceeded

ead through the texts I

a joke, pick up your fu

th her, but I know she's lying... she sounded completely out of i

omething bad, Val.

a chip. Take them and run. The money on the card will be enough to start a new life. Change your first a

bear the weight of my body. My vision blurred as I sat t

noticed before, smeared across the floor. My br

of red droplets, each one pul

skipped and I went pale, cold sweats broke out of my face as I gazed inten

here was no signal. The tension in the room seemed to ha

all directions, moving from one end of our small balcony to the other. My phone vi

up and I clicked on it, as I st

e was tr

e. Run away.. and never look back. Also please don't involve the police, they have ey

.. I love you

choed through

't kill me. Please...

cream, a loud thud resonated from the vo