Erica waited for Benjamin outside beneath oak. This would be a beautiful night, she thought. Looking at the sky. Myriads of stars blinked and she smiled at them. She remembered back then, in the same spot when Benjamin told her to look at the star in the sky and promised her to help her get one. And she whispered back to him “I don’t want the stars. I want more of you here” Envisioning his smile after her words. And as if his smile from her imagination happened right there, Erica smiled too.
A car drove beside her. And a man with a black suit and mask aligned down. With a pistol in his right hand.
Erica was scared. “What do you want?”
“Your life,” the man said. And fired Erica and the flower she hid in her chest pocket burst out with blood.
Coincidence happened Henry walked there, he saw the man shooting Erica, and shouted, “What!”
The man in marks pointed the pistol toward Henry, targeting his head, he pulled the trigger, but there is no more bullet. He then ran after Henry.
Henry couldn’t run that much. He caught him and give him a hard blow on his neck and Henry fainted. The man dragged him to Erica’s dead body and put the gun in his hands and then drove away.
Police’s car siren was heard. And Henry woke up with the pistol in his hand.
Torches flared to his eyes from one policeman and his picture was snapped. “Here is him, the shooter”
Henry was scared. “I don’t kill her. I came here to meet Sophia”
“Surrender. Put down your gun,” the policeman said. And Henry ran for his life.
“Caught him alive,” A voice was heard from the police car.
Henry breathed fast. Policemen chased as he ran like antelope through the wool, to the street. And he didn’t looked back. And then right there – right at his back. Police car horned. The street was not safe and he ran back to the wood. He looked back and saw many policemen, and yelled, “I don’t kill her”
The policeman was about to meet him, shouting, “Surrender now”
And Henry ran even more.
Lucky to him. He saw a river nearby. And headed toward it. I will jump into it, He thought.
Stretching his hand to grasped Henry’s clothes, the policeman failed “Surrender. Don’t jump”
Henry jumped inside the sea and was carried away.
“Shit,” the policeman said, gazing at the sea, but couldn’t see Henry who has disappeared with the water. Another policeman ran to meet, breathing hard. “He has escaped.”
“Johnny, it’s not your fault,” the second policeman said, “He dares to jump into the sea?”
“Yes, Mike,” Johnny said.
All souls of running policemen arriving, they were all breathing fast.
Johnny looked at them, saying, “Men, he escaped”
“He jumped in the sea,” Mike said.
They all widened their eyebrows, gazing into the water, but couldn’t see him.
“The car is waiting for us in the street,” Another policeman said, “We should go now.”
They all looked tired as they walked back to the street, and then entered the car. The driver turned the key in the ignition and jerk engine into life, launched down the street, and then the car turned the right.
…………
HENRY POV
I lost my strength while swimming in the sea, and then I get drown. I can’t recollect what happened after that, all I knew is that I feel that I was lying on a soft bed. I opened my eyes ajar, and saw a girl, sitting in a corner with a woman. The girl looked back at me, and shout, “Mom, he’s alive”
“Oh,” her mom said as she looked back at me, and then walked to me.
“Where am I?” I asked.
“Relax boy, we saw you beside the sea,” the woman said, “Alice, get me tea”
“Okay ma,” the girl said.
The woman placed her hand on my forehead. “Hope you are feeling better now?”
“Yes. Thank you”
Alice walked in with a jar of tea, pouring some on a cup, and then hand it over to me. “Take.”
I sit up and collect the cup of tea from her. “Thank you”
“What’s your name?” she asked
“Henry.”
“Hey, guys.” Her mom stood up. “I’m going to the market.”
“Okay ma,” Alice said.
“Bye dear, bye Henry,” she said and then walked out.
Alice looked at me. “You’re handsome”
“Thank you,” I said, “You’re beautiful too.”
She just smiled. “May I asked how you fell into the sea.”
I sighed. “Policemen chased me.”
“Oh!”
“Yeah”
“But why?”
“They thought I killed Erica.”
“Erica?”
“Yes, I met a man shooting her. The man chased, cached me, beat me till I fainted. And after that, I woke up with a gun in my hand, and I saw policemen”
“Oh! This is bad,” she said, “Why can’t you tell them you’re not the killer.”
“I told them.”
“You should tell them the truth”
“Who will believe the truth?” I said, “I just ran for my life”
“And they chased you to the sea?”
“Yes.”
“You’re brave to jump in the water. What if you died?”
“I can swim though, but I get drown because I lost my strength.”
Alice looked at me. “What’s the next to do?”
“Next to do?”
“Yes, Yunno they must know the truth,” she said, “Do you remember the face of the killer?”
“He wore a mask. I don’t see his face”
“Oh my God.”
“I think, I will continue running till they know the truth.”
“Oh no, you mustn’t run anymore, you must do something.”
“There’s nothing I can do about it.”
Alice’s mother darted into the room with a newspaper in her hand, “Oh my God, Henry, why did you kill a girl?”
I sighed. “I’m not the killer.”
She pointed to the newspaper, saying, “This says so.”
“Mom, he has explained everything to me,” Alice said, “It’s a trap. The killer beat him down and put the gun on his hand beside the dead body.”
“Oh,” she said, “really.” Looking at me.
“Yes,” I said.
“Can I believe this?”