Kyla’s Secret

“Come on, please, please be here,” she breathed fearfully. She’d briefly considered running out the back door into the woods beyond but didn’t think she could make it before Corrine entered through the front. The bitch could run a hell of a lot faster than she could, and she also had a gun at her side that she knew how to use. Yes! she thought as she spotted the gun and pulled it out of the drawer. But what if it wasn’t loaded—or what if she couldn’t get it to fire, even if it was? Well, it better be loaded, she thought, and it better fire too, because the only way to escape this one is to kill her. Intentionally. If she didn’t kill Corrine, Corrine would either kill her, expose her little secret, or both. Her mind raced as she pulled back the hammer like she’d seen done in the movies many times before. She struggled to quickly decide where to ambush the officer. She would’ve liked to get her in the back as she was going downstairs, but couldn’t guarantee she’d get lucky enough to time it just right. You have to get her as soon as she comes in the door, she told herself. Kyla ran down the hallway and peered through the green opaque curtains in the living room window. Corrine was bending over, cooing to her dog. For a split second, Kyla thought of darting out the front door and shooting Corrine outdoors, but she feared the sound of the door opening would give the officer enough time to draw her own weapon. She had to take her by surprise. Trembling like an earthquake, she hurried to the wall behind the door, both hands gripping the gun tightly. Her heart was beating so madly she thought she might pass out. Each second seemed like an eternity. The key slid into the lock. Kyla sucked in her breath and prayed that somehow, someday soon, she would live to put her arms around her parents again. What followed seemed to happen in slow motion. The door pushed open. Corrine paused and sneezed. The second Kyla saw enough of her, she pulled the trigger. The pop was deafening inside the house. She hoped to hell no one had heard it—there was no turning back now, and she had already made up her mind about what she wanted to do, not seeing any other choice any more than she had in Meagan’s case. Luckily, the nearest neighbor was hundreds of feet away and probably couldn’t have heard the shot unless they were outdoors. She wasn’t ready for the police yet, assuming there were any competent and not corrupt. Corrine cried out in agony that would’ve torn at Kyla’s heart, had it not been for the circumstances. The officer clutched her leg just above her ankle, and a stream of angry German spilled forth in a frenzied torrent. Blood gushed from the wound and began turning the sandy carpet a deep crimson. Kyla ran behind her, pointed the gun at the crown of her head, and said, “Remove your gun and toss it aside.” Corrine was still wailing. “Do it now!” Kyla was terrified she’d reach up and shoot before she could react, but she didn’t. Kyla darted forward and snatched the gun as Corrine tried—and failed—to grab her ankle. “Where’s the fucking Kindle?” Kyla demanded, pocketing the weapon. “You fucking crazy Arschloch! What are you going to do, kill me?” Kyla shook her head vigorously. “Not if you tell me where every single fucking copy is of any video you ever filmed of me without my permission—which would be every video you could possibly have.” “Fuck you, you crazy shit.” Kyla responded with a kick to Corrine’s wounded leg. The howl that followed barely sounded human. “You get it now, bitch? I ask the questions, you give the answers. You tell me how to destroy my vids, you live. You don’t, you die. I don’t give a shit about your other oblivious stars of your seedy, twisted desires, but I want my fucking vids and I want them now!” “W-what makes you think you’re going to get away with this?” “Uh-uh, who’s asking the questions here?” Kyla lowered the gun toward Corrine’s head again. “Now, do you want to live or not? Hurry up, Corrine. Tell me if I’m worth dying for, because if spiting me is worth throwing your life away then I’ll—” “It’s on the fucking nightstand by my bed!” Kyla quickly glanced down the hallway, then back at Corrine. She hated to leave the sicko, even with a serious leg wound, but what other choice did she have? “Don’t make a fucking move,” Kyla ordered, then ran as fast as she could, snatched the device, and rushed back. Sure enough, Corrine was trying to pull herself upright and was now kneeling. “Oh, good, you can crawl,” said Kyla. Corrine was breathing heavily and sweating profusely. “Look, just call me some help, take the Kindle, and get the fuck out of here and out of my life forever.” “Not good enough. Crawl to the back door.” The woman raised her head, confusion and fear in her eyes. “What?” “You heard me. To the back door, old lady!” Kyla kicked her, then jumped back, not wanting to risk getting too close. Her arms still worked fine, and if she got within their reach, she’d beat the life out of her. “You have the Kindle! What more do you want from me? I’ll keep your damn secret safe. I wouldn’t have proof to back it up, and I still don’t want—” “Where else have you got copies of me on video? On your desktop?” “Nowhere.” Kyla kicked her hard in the ribs. “Where else!” “Nowhere!” She kicked again, then aimed the gun at her head. “I said where fucking else!” “NOWHERE!” “Remember, if I’m going down for a million years anyway, then I have no reason to spare your life. So I want to know where else they are before I find them myself, and I will find them if they exist,” Kyla said with a confidence she didn’t really feel, not knowing as much about computers as Corrine did, “and plaster all your other lovely vids all over the internet like frosting on a cake.” She kicked at her again, amazed at her own strength. “I swear to God, Kyla, that’s the only place they are. You can check if you want, but I swear I moved them off my desktop and onto the Kindle in case I was ever investigated.” Kyla thought the corrupt officer might actually be telling the truth. “Ok, we’re done in here. Now crawl to the back door before it gets any darker.” “What are you going to do, shoot me out there? The neighbors will hear.” “Of course I’m not going to be stupid enough to do that. You’re just going to show me where that well is you mentioned, and together we’re going to drop this little gem right down that fucker.” Kyla bent over and held the Kindle in front of her face. “What tools do we need to open the well?” “Huh?” “The well. It has a covering on it, doesn’t it?” Corrine nodded. “There are just a few old strips of wood on it. Most are loose. Even a wimp like you could pull them off.” Kyla kicked her in the side, hearing the air whoosh out of her lungs. “At the rate you’re going, you may never walk again. Be careful who you call a wimp. Now get moving! Crawl, you gutless, cowardly, perverted bitch!” “I c-can’t,” Corrine stammered. “You can and you will!” Corrine fought to reach the door. With the amount of blood she’d lost, Kyla didn’t doubt she was struggling and weakening. “K-Kyla, just take the Kindle and go. You don’t need to drop it in the well. Besides, a close friend is coming over tonight and—” “Oh, bullshit. You don’t have close friends. You’re too much of a bitch to have friends. Now move it!” Kyla kicked her in the buttocks. “The well… the well is too far away for me to crawl to.” “Where is it?” “In back.” “I know that, you stupid shit, but how far in back? Do we need to go into the woods, or is it in the clearing?” “It’s about fifty feet from the back door, before the woods. Maybe a little more.” Corrine was starting to shiver, blood loss making her cold. Kyla yanked open the slider when Corrine finally reached it. “Not a fucking word, or the deal’s off. Got it?” “Y-yeah.” Corrine was so weak now that Kyla doubted she could scream if she wanted to. She found the well’s opening under some brush and pried off the wooden strips. “Bye-bye,” she said, dropping the device into the dark. She listened. It took several seconds before she heard it hit. The thing was deep. She looked back at the bleeding officer. Now how the hell was she going to get the woman into the well after she killed her?