//EDITED//

Only idiots would go to their damn office after witnessing some kind of illegal trade.

And I am a fucking idiot!

I finally got out of the park and it only took me two hours of being chased by cold-blooded killers. Eh at least I got out, right?

I run past the pedestrians and don't bother to say sorry to the people I knock over. Honestly, it's their own fault, I mean can't they see I am running for my life? And who the hell just falls over. I didn't push you that hard dude. Someone grabs my arm and pulls me back.

"Where do you think you're running off to?" Says a rough voice behind me.

"Let...go...of...me," I say in between kicks.

"No can do. We gotta make sure you're dead this time."

Panic rushes through me. I can't die like this. I won't. I go limp, letting him think I have stopped fighting, and then I use my advantage to raise my right leg and kick him where the sun don't shine. He stumbles back in pain and lets go of me, I turn around and face him. I kick him in the chest and punch him in the nose causing blood to run. I think I may have broken it.

"You bitch!!!" He yells when he sees blood coming out.

"That's what you get when you mess with me, asshole," I spit at him.

People are looking at us now, and I push my way past the crowd. Seriously, now they decide to pay attention to me?! I quickly hail a cab and tell the driver to go to The New York Times Newspaper building. Once we reach the building, I jump out of the cab.

"Hey kid, where's my money?" yells the cab driver.

"Hold on, I will be right back!" I yell back.

Without waiting for a response, I run into the building. Even though it's past seven, a few people are still in the building working. God, I hope Mrs. Henson is here. Wow, this is probably the first time I ever actually wanted to see her face.

I blame this one on stress. Seriously, it's doing weird shit to my brain.

Taking the stairs two at a time, I finally reach the third floor where Mrs. Henson's office is. I run up to the reception desk where Claudia is working. Even though Mrs. Henson is Lucifer, Claudia is a sweet angel. Whenever I come out of Mrs. Henson's office, exhausted from arguing, she always cheers me up, and that woman makes killer cookies. Seriously, her cookies are worth dying for. Sadly, she has no one to share the cookies with except Jake and me. Her husband died a few years ago, and all her children abandoned, her leaving her all alone. Sometimes I wonder how such a sweet old lady has kids who are so heartless. Thankfully, Claudia is still here, packing her stuff to leave.

"Claudia!" I yell across the room, running up to her.

"Thea dear, why do you look so pale? And why are you here at this hour?"

"Have...to...talk...to...Henson," I say between breaths. "Very important."

"Well, it should be important! It looks like you went rolling in the dumpster."

"Jez thanks, Claudia but is Henson here?"

"Yes she is in her office, but she is about to leave," she says looking at me, concerned.

"Okay, thanks!" I say and give her a quick hug.

I run up to Henson's office and knock.

"Mrs. Henson it's me, Thea," I say, knocking again.

"Come in Woods," she says.

I hesitate. Something seems off—usually her voice is filled with authority and power but today it sounds weak and forced. It's like she's scared.

Why would she be scared, though?

Come on Thea, she might just be tired. Just show her the damn video and photos about the illegal deal. After she realizes how amazing your story is, run to the police station for help.

But shouldn't I have gone to the police station first?

Just go in already! Stop arguing with yourself!

Yup, my brain is so messed up.

Following my conscience, I open the door even though I have a horrible feeling about this. As soon as I step into the room, the door shuts behind me, making me flinch. Mrs. Henson is facing away from me and staring at the amazing city view she has from her large windows. The room is dark and only the lights from the city and her laptop shine into the room.

"Mrs. Henson?"

She slowly turns around and looks at me with piercing dark eyes, like she is trying to look into my soul.

"Ms. Woods, why are you at the office at such a late hour? You should go home." She says sternly.

"Mrs. Henson I have something to tell you. I have a story, a big one—"

"Go home Woods," she says, again interrupting me.

"But Mrs. Henson I—"

She puts her hand up to stop me from speaking.

"I think I told you this in English, but I will repeat it again if you did not understand. Ms. Woods go home, and don't come back until tomorrow morning when your shift starts. If you want to deny my orders then you won't have a reason to come back tomorrow—do you understand me?"

I so hate her. I risked my goddamned life for this and now she is threatening to take my job away if I don't leave. This is just bullshit, but sadly she is my boss and I won't mess with my current job trying to get a promotion that I probably won't receive.

"I understand Mrs.Henson," I say, and turn to leave.

"Aw are you giving up already?" asks a deep voice from behind me.

I quickly turn around and came face to face with Mr. Walker. He looks amused to say the least, and has a huge smirk on his face. Walker also has a gun aimed right at Henson's head. She is shivering from fear, and normally I would have enjoyed her seeing her scared, but not like this.

"I didn't think you would give up so easily, I am very disappointed in you Thea."

"I don't need to impress you," I say surprisingly.

"No, I guess you don't. But right now you hold something very important in your hands, and I would like it back," he says calmly.

My hands tighten around my phone, and I hold it close to me.

"You're out of your damn mind if you think I will give this to you," I spit.

"I have asked you nicely Thea, but since you're not cooperating I guess it will just have to get a bit messy."

His arms tighten around Henson, and he shoots her in the left leg. Her screams fill the room and blood flows from her leg. I looked at him in horror.

"I won't hesitate to kill— You've seen, with your own eyes, what I am capable of, so just give me the damn phone Thea!"

The door bursts open, and Claudia walks in with a terrified expression.

"I heard a gunshot and screaming. Is everything okay?!" She asks, looking from me to the guy holding a gun to our boss's head.

"We're fine Claudia, you may leave now," Walker says.

Claudia's face snaps to Walker and she lets out a terrified shriek.

"Claudia leave, go—"

Before I can finish my sentence, a gunshot fires, and a bullet hits Claudia square in the chest. Blood slowly spreads from the bullet hole as she falls to the floor.

"NOOOO!!!!" I scream.

I pick her up and set her on my lap, smoothing her hair back. I watch as all the color in her eyes slowly disappears and her skin becomes cold.

"Claudia," I whisper her name gently, as if it is some kind of fragile glass.

She smiles at me and pats my cheek.

"At least I get to die in the arms of my granddaughter."

Her body becomes limp in my arms, and the hand holding my cheek falls down with a thump.

"Now that we have a bit more privacy, let's finish what we started shall we?" says Walker while he rubs blood off his pants.

I hate him. I hate him so much I felt like strangling him 'till he begs for mercy, and when I am done I will kill him, slowly and painfully.

"Now Thea, be a good girl and give me the phone," Walker says calmly.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me!!" I yell.

"Sadly, I don't kid Ms. Woods."

With frustration, I grab the first thing I see which happens to be a vase, and I throw it at him. To my surprise, he uses Henson as a shield, and it hits her, but she doesn't scream again.

"I will ask you one more time, and one more time only. Give. Me. Your. Fucking. Phone."

"And I will tell you one more time. In. Your. Fucking. Dreams. Asshole!"

Without hesitating, he fires at Henson's other leg and pushes her to the ground.

"Just know Thea, these two deaths are on you," he said, staring directly into my eyes.

Before I can utter a single word, he fires his last bullet straight through her heart. I stare at the two bodies before me. One of them was Satan in the form of my boss, who I have been wanting to kill since my first day. Then there is Claudia, who is still dead in my arms. Claudia, the sweet secretary who was one of the two people I held dear to me in this whole world.

Even though I didn't pull the trigger, I feel like I did something way worse than physically killing them.

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