|
|
| |
Run or Die
As the car sped down the almost empty highway at three in the morning, Debbie's mind wandered. The ride had been long but just what she needed after the past week. She leaned back and considered what had brought her to this. Maybe it had started back in high school. Oh, there was no way for anyone to know then what would happen but her friendship had led her to this conclusion of a wild ride.
Wendy was shy in high school., which was odd since she was one of the craziest people ever, and once you got to know her, she never shut up! Anyway, Debbie had made friends with her and soon they trusted each other with everything. Wendy told Debbie all about her mistakes she had made in her past and about her crazy experiences. In exchange, Debbie told Wendy all about her dates and how to be a good Christian. They were good friends but after graduation and a few letters they lost touch..
Until one day when Wendy called to say she was in town. She wanted to meet and so Debbie managed to work out some time for the two to go to lunch. At lunch Debbie began to get concerned about Wendy. She looked scared and confused. She told Debbie she was fine but she didn't act like it. Wendy finally told her what was wrong right before time for her to leave.
"As I told you, I went to Russia to finish out the last three months of my year in missions after going to Mt. Zion in Penn. Well, after I got back two men from the CIA contacted me and started asking all of these questions. I thought it was really freaky, but I answered them to the best of my ability thinking they were just being over - cautious. Two weeks later I was recruited to join the CIA on a little field trip."
By now, Debbie was getting scared herself. Her eyes were wide open as she looked at the woman sitting across from her.
"You mean, you joined the CIA?" Debbie asked.
"Not quite, I wasn't exactly asked. They just took me. They told me that if I didn't cooperate they'd kill my family and eventually me, after torture to find out what secrets I know."
"But you don't know anything, do you?"
"I didn't then but now I know way too much. They want to kill me. That's why I came to you." Wendy took a deep breath. "I know that it's been a long time but I thought you might be able to help me. They won't trace me to you and I need some help."
"What did you have in mind?" Debbie looked skeptical.
"Well, I need to get into this plant -"
"I have a husband, a house, a child, and a good - paying job. I can't do anything like this. I'm sorry, Wendy; I can't help you.."
"I guess I might as well give up now then. I can't turn to anyone else. You're the only one I can trust to save the lives of millions of people."
"Millions of people!? Yeah, right."
"I'm not kidding. They're talking about starting a nuclear war."
"You've gone insane." Debbie jumped up from the table and ran out of the room.
The bright lights and loud "fog" horn of the eighteen wheeler brought Debbie back to reality. She swerved back into her lane. She pulled over onto the shoulder of the road and broke into sobs. She shook until she thought she would pass out at any moment. Why her? Why did it have to be this way for her? It didn't matter. It was over and she was going home. Like Wendy had said, they'd never trace Wendy to her.
The evening after Debbie had had lunch with Wendy a client she had taken to dinner brought up his nephew who was a carrier with the CIA.
"My nephew mentioned a wanted poster for a woman from Alabama. Didn't you grow up there?" Debbie's client said.
"Yes, I did but Alabama is a large state."
"True, true. I just thought that it was odd for a 26 year - old to be such a nuclear scare to the CIA."
"Did you say a 'nuclear' scare?"
"Yes, that's what my nephew said. Just seems strange that the CIA and not the FBI is handling this but maybe it's not a internal problem."
"Maybe." Debbie stated then changed the subject, but all she could think about was Wendy's visit the day before. She had called her friend a liar. She didn't want to be involve but wasn't that the right thing to do?
The following day Wendy called again. She wanted to talk to Debbie one more time before she left. Debbie agreed, and they planned to meet for lunch at the same restaurant as before. When Wendy didn't show Debbie called the hotel where Wendy had been staying but there was no answer. Worried, Debbie went to the hotel to find her. There was a note for Debbie to meet her in Washington, DC.
Not quite sure why, she called in to work and left. When she arrived at the hotel Wendy had told her, Debbie went straight up to the room registered in the name Wendy had used in high school Spanish class. As she opened the door, a strange feeling came over her. She reached for the light and called for Wendy at the same time. The artificial light steamed down over the limp body in the middle of the floor. The only sign of violence was the bruises on the young girl's neck, the cause of death.
Debbie turned around, closed the door and ran to her car. She sped as fast as she could trying to get out of town. Finally, about three hours later she slowed down and stopped shaking as badly. That's were she was then, in her car on the side of the road, crying her eyes out until she decided it was time to go home.
As Debbie pulled up in her driveway relieve flooded over her. That was it. She wouldn't worry about it anymore. With that decision made she started to step out of her car when the house in front of her, her house, blew up. Glass and burning pieces of wood hit her still-closed car door. It wasn't over, not yet.
TO BE CONTINUED............