Petra: A Short Story
Jennifer Lee Gutierrez | February 11, 2015
She secretly had a crush on him and did not have the guts to tell him just how much she wanted him. She met him in the strangest place.
Xuxa was driving down the highway when she got a flat tire. It was a few minutes past one o’clock in the morning and she was a bit shaken since she was practically in the middle of nowhere. She immediately pulled over, took her cell phone out to call her sister. However, her sister did not answer. It just dawned on her that her sister went camping and left her phone.
“What a bummer!” She hung up.
She quickly messaged a few of her friends, but they were either out of town, asleep or busy doing their nightly business. What could she expect? It was the middle of the summer and most people were on vacation. She went ahead and called triple A. It took them longer than half an hour to arrive. She waited in the car with all of her doors locked. At one point she thought she saw a mysterious man slowing down to approach her vehicle. Xuxa quickly made it seem as though she was talking to her boyfriend on the phone. She spoke loud, “So you are almost here? Great! See you!” The car passed hers before she could finish her sentence. Then she saw some flashing beams on her rear view mirror blinding her. She became paranoid and ducked in hopes that it wasn’t a serial killer ready to tear her into pieces.
There was a loud knock on the window and Xuxa screamed.
“Sorry to startle you ma’am, but did you call triple A?” the voice resonated from outside the window.
Xuxa rushed up to sit straight and bumped her head on the padded ceiling of her car. The guy standing outside just smiled. Xuxa looked back at the van then looked at the guy. She did it twice before opening her window.
“I see you have a flat tire. Would you like me to help you with that?” His charming aura put her into a trance. Xuxa nodded in agreement.
“I’m Tony, by the way. Do you have your triple A card?” He stated.
“Yes.” She rushes into her purse, pulls it out and hands it to him.
“You know I think I’ve seen you before, Xuxa, is that correct? Tony wondered.
“You have? Where?” Xuxa seemed baffled at his question.
“There is a triple A office near Titan street. Do you live or work in that area?”
Xuxa couldn’t hold her excitement back. “Yeah. How could you even remember?”
“I’m always in that area and I think I saw you there yesterday wearing some kind of cardboard paper costume. I could be wrong.” Tony rapidly blurted out.
Xuxa’s face turned from white to tomato red in a matter of seconds, “Oh yeah, I was working on a project for kids.”
As Tony kept changing her tire, he did not miss the opportunity to release what Xuxa was hoping to hear. “Regardless of whatever, you looked nice. I’ve seen you around and I think you’re beautiful.”
Petra, not knowing how to handle the compliment but loving every word of it, replied, “So, is that it?”
Tony feels a bit embarrassed, “Oh, yeah. You’re all set. Have a good night ma’am.” He walks away, gets into the van and drives away.
Xuxa could only think, “I should just stab myself in the nose with a dull knife! How stupid could I be? I need to get better at taking compliments.”
The next morning Xuxa walks out of her apartment building. Rushing to work, she notices a familiar face walking towards her. At first, she ignores it but he doesn’t seem to be turning away from her. Instead, he walks up to her.
“Xuxa?” He shouts.
She sees it’s Tony, the toll triple A guy from last night. “How did you know where to find me?”
He takes out a card, “I forgot to give you your triple A card back. I apologize for that.”
“Oh,” Xuxa wanted to ask him why he didn’t just mail the thing, but she realized that he saw her quite often. “Thanks.”
“No problem. I want to say something to you and it may change everything. I just can’t help it.”
Xuxa did not know what to expect out of him. All she could do was stand there, stare at his big beautiful hazel eyes and listen.
“I like you and I’ve liked you for some time now. I know you don’t know me, but there is something about your aura that brings me closer to you. And last night was just a sign that I needed to tell you.”
Xuxa was not sure why that would be bad. “How would that change everything?”
He looked at her intensely and wanted to tell her. “I would have to tell you some other time.” He looked at his watch and ran away, “I have to go!”
Xuxa was stumped at what just happened. “I’m lost.” She gets into her car and stays there for a few minutes.
She hears a knock on the window, “Ma’am! Ma’am! Are you alright?”
She wakes up in the middle of the afternoon and looks out of her car window. She doesn’t know what just happened. She opens the window. “I’m fine.”
“Did I just dream all of that?” She said to herself.
The person outside the window looks at her, “I don’t know lady, but I think you've been sitting in this car for some time now. I wanted to make sure you were still breathing.”
“Really?”
Xuxa puts the key in the ignition and turns her car on.
That afternoon, as she is sitting in traffic, a car runs into her from behind. “What in the world was that?” She almost hit the windshield from the impact. Xuxa looked back and noticed the person behind her was falling asleep on the wheel. She rushed out. “Excuse me sir, are you okay? You just hit the back of my car.”
The middle-aged man jumped out of the car absolutely horrified. “I am so sorry. I will pay for everything. I am super stressed. My wife just died. My job is working the hell out of me. I have insomnia and the state just took my kids because they think I’m an unfit parent. Please forgive me! This has been the worst time of my life.”
Xuxa was speechless. Words wouldn’t dare approach her lips. All she felt was sadness toward the fellow man. They called the police and her car wouldn’t start so the police called a car service. About ten minutes later, Xuxa spotted the three A’s on the van. She was dumbfounded at the idea. “Two days in a row.”
She saw it was Tony. He saw her, but when she went to speak to him, he cut her off, “Hello, I’m Tony. Do you have your triple A card?”
Xuxa was trying to figure out if he was merely playing games or his actions were aiming at being professional in front of the police officer. “Yes, here you go.” She handed it to him.
Tony took the card, scanned it with his machine and returned it to her without looking at her. He towed her car and the police officer gave Xuxa a ride home.
At home, Xuxa sat down in front of the TV and played a movie. She felt nice and relaxed. Time elapsed and she heard the phone ring. She woke up and answered it,
“Hello?”
“Hey, may I speak with Xuxa?” A familiar voice questioned.
“Yes, who’s calling?” She sounded groggy from the nap she had taken.
“You may not know me, but this is Tony. The guy that works for triple A.” He waited for her response.
Xuxa sat up elated at receiving the call. “Hey!”
He exhaled in relief, “I wanted to know if you were interested in going out sometime.”
She wanted to answer as fast as she heard his last words leave his lips, but she couldn’t play easy to get, “Well, let me see. When would you like to meet up?”
“How about this Friday?” He inquired.
“Let me see.” She paused for a few seconds pretending to look through her agenda. “Friday? Friday, sounds good.”
“Great.” Tony confirmed, “Does Friday at 7:00 work for you?”
“Yes, it does.” Xuxa had a grin from ear to ear.
“Perfect, see you. Have a good afternoon.”
Xuxa was so happy that she snuggled up in her couch again and kept watching her movie. Hours later, she woke up and it was dark outside. She noticed that it was Friday on her phone.
“Wow, it’s Friday already? I need to get my hair done.” She gets up. She looked at her phone again and realized, it was only 8:30pm on Thursday. “What is happening to me? I’m imagining things.”
She goes to the bathroom and notices five different types of medication. “What are these for?” Xuxa begins reading them. One is for depression, another one for bipolar behavior, and the rest she couldn’t understand.
“Bipolar?” She turned around and was unclear as to why that bathroom didn’t look like her own.
“Where am I? These meds can’t possibly be mine. Am I going crazy?” She thought her mind was running games on her. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but it was mystifying how the scenery changed from one minute to the next. Xuxa had been feeling like her life was taking so many twists and turns. Why did Tony act like he didn’t know her? She thought about it for some time.
Xuxa’s mind returns to the house. She begins walking around and she recognizes her kitchen, but the bedroom is foreign to her. The toilet was strange as well because she was certain it was the first time she set foot in it.
“Someone help me. How can I not know my own place. Maybe I am on medication and forgot to take them yesterday or today.” Xuxa was too busy trying to fathom her life for the few hours she was awake.
Xuxa takes a seat on the bed and leans forward, letting her head fall onto her hands. She is worn out. At least her brain is, but she has no clue what has caused it. “What did I do today?”
She descends into a deep sleep and wakes up at 5:43am. “Time to work.” She arrives at work and notices that she has a few missed calls. She does not recognize any phone numbers, but she calls them back.
“Xuxa, how are you darling? I haven’t heard from you lately. Where have you been?” a beautiful senior citizen female voices.
“I’m fine. Who is this?” Xuxa speculates.
“You didn’t save my number again? Dear, you need to save my number. This is grandma.”
“Grandma? I’m sorry. I will save it now. While she is typing the word in, someone knocks on Xuxa’s office door.
She looks up, notices Tony and waves at him through the glass door to enter.
“Hey” She says trying to decipher how he knew she worked there.
“Hi, I have seen you come here almost every morning when I’m heading to work, so I reckoned you worked here.” He stated.
“That’s fine.” She didn’t know whether to be freaked out or happy about it. She chose the latter instinct.
He was nervous, but asked her, “Are you free to go out tonight?” He didn’t want her to forget. He was feeling a connection to her.
She found it strange that he would ask her again, “Yeah, I agreed to it before. I haven’t changed my mind.” Her smile made him feel at home. “I have to get back to work now?”
Tony forgot to add, “I didn’t tell you where we should meet. Would you like me to pick you up or shall we meet somewhere else?”
“You can pick me up. I’m sure you know where I live by now right?” Xuxa rushed him, but glanced a smile although she was busy on the computer.
That night, Xuxa went home and got dressed. She had some free time before meeting Tony so she sat down on her couch and took a short nap.
Xuxa seemed sound asleep. Tony began knocking on the door. He waited, but no answer. He knocked again. He noticed the lights were still on so he walked to the window and checked to see if anyone was there. He saw Xuxa asleep on the couch.
He panicked and began to knock furiously on the door. Yet, she wouldn’t get up. He finally checked for a key around the front of the house and found one. He opened the door and went in. He knew he shouldn’t have done that. It was trespassing. He walks up to Xuxa and begins slightly shaking her. She wakes up and loses control of herself.
“It’s me! It’s me Xuxa, Tony!” He uses his forearm to shield himself from the items she is throwing at him.
“Intruder! Intruder! Help! Someone, help me!” Xuxa shouted from the top of her lungs then she walks to the back of her apartment home.
“Dammit, she’s going for it.” He swiftly hides behind the couch.
Bang! The gun goes off.
“Shit!” Tony was scared to death.
“Who are you? And why are you in my property?” Xuxa’s demeanor changes from the sweet and kind woman she is to a cold-hearted warrior.
“Xuxa! Please don’t shoot! Let me tell you!”
Bang!
Tony fleetingly crawls to another safe spot.
“Talk!” Extremist Xuxa hollered.
“You’re my wife!” He nearly broke down in tears. First she was disoriented at the statement then her attitude softened.
She became silent and plopped onto the couch. “Are you joking? Don’t joke with me. I will rip you into pieces!” Tony peeked out of the side of one couch and she propped her gun ready to blow his face off. He pleaded, “Babe, please. Let me prove it to you.”
“Fine, do it. If you’re messing with me, you’re dead!” She was quieter, but her strength remained in control. “Get up!” She ordered him.
Tony slowly got up and walked towards the bookcase. “What’s in there?” She grabbed the gun aimed it at him.
“Just a video, my love, just a video.” He stuck his arm behind the books and grabbed a video. “I’m going to play the video okay?” He cautiously stated.
Xuxa nodded with the shotgun. Her thoughts were lost and she could not picture this man as her husband. He didn’t look like anyone she had ever seen before.
Tony finally played the video. Both of them were shown on a vacation in Hawaii.
Tony holds the camera at the beach and records a happy Xuxa.
Xuxa: So, here I am with the love of my life. This is the life of a power couple.
He turns the camera to himself.
Tony: She’s the boss. Kids, whenever you come into this earth, just know that your mom is the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.
Xuxa grabs the camera and turns it to her.
Xuxa: Babe, you sound like we just got married.
Tony: It’s been eight years and it still feels like we just got married last year. Kiss me babe. Show these kids how mommy and daddy love each other.
Xuxa: You’re my rock babe.
Tony places the camera down and forgets to shut it off. He grabs Xuxa by her face and kisses her.
Tony: And you keep me coming back to you no matter what. I’ll always be here.
The video changes from the beach to another scene.
This time, Xuxa is shown tied down to a chair in a dirty dungeon or basement.
Tony: Babe, why do you want me to do this?
Xuxa: I can’t keep ruining your life. I love you and I know you cherish me, but our love is only going to kill us both.
Tony: Why don't we just go to a doctor and get you better?
Xuxa: Don’t you get it babe? The military did this to me. They know my every
move. If I go to any doctor I’m not approved to see, they will find me and kill me. They have been waiting for the chance since I quit.
Tony grows desperate, “So let’s handle it on our own. I will take care of you and never let you lose control. How about we try that?
Xuxa: You’re too sweet. What if it doesn’t work out?
Tony pauses.
Tony: It will. I’ll make sure of it.
Xuxa: But if I lose control again. I want you to do something for me love.
He doesn’t want to hear it so he begins shifting around in a circle.
Xuxa: Stop it! I need you to kill me if I ever lose it again. That’s why we got the camera on this time, remember?
Tony: I know, but I just don’t want to lose you. I love you! Do you know how that feels? I’m dying inside just knowing that I won’t have you. But killing you. That is out of the question.
Xuxa: If you don’t do it, they will.
In the living room, while holding her gun, Xuxa has enough of the video. “I get it. We’re married and in love. Fuck!”
Tony turns it off.
She gives him the gun and the order, “Kill me.”
Tony starts to break into tears, “ I love you baby. I don’t want to lose you. We have made so much progress.”
“I don’t even know you half of the time, how is this going to work? If I could kill myself I would do it, but it seems they've programmed me not to do it.”
Tony smiles although his face is drenched in tears, “I met someone who can help.”
“Are you sure they aren’t linked to the government?” Xuxa is highly concerned that anyone who could cure her, would have connections to the government and snitch on her.
He nodded negatively, “Not in the least. It’s a boy. A genius boy whose dad I had a chance to talk to.”
“Is the dad in the military?” She sternly requests.
Tony doesn’t answer, “He’s a veteran and he won’t say a word. He really wants to help.”
“I’m not taking my chances. Not only will they kill me, but they will kill you too. That’s the last thing I want to happen!”
Sirens approach their home. Xuxa and Tony are aware. Xuxa’s instincts prompt her get out. She rushes to the kitchen where she has a secret hole in a cabinet under the kitchen sink. Tony goes into the hole first and Xuxa follows, by closing the door and putting a bucket over the hole they escaped in. She whispers to him, “Go straight and on the next opening turn left.”
“It stinks here,” Tony muttered.
Xuxa lets out a sudden, “Shhhh. Now turn right and go straight. You’ll see a gate.”
Tony approaches the gate and tries to open it. It was bolted and he can’t get it open.
“Move back,” Xuxa grabs Tony by the collar pushes him back and blows the gate open.
Tony begins coughing and Xuxa shoves him out of the pipe tunnel. As soon as they make it out, the police are seen patrolling by. They notice and the sirens are turned on. The chase begins.
Xuxa runs faster than Tony, being that she was one of the biggest and best spies in the history of her government. She drags him with her and he gladly follows. She is his prize, the love of his life. He would fight any battle with her and for her.
“Where is this person you’re talking about?’ Xuxa asked while rushing to a hiding spot. They turn left, then into a path that she knows quite well. She finds the dumpster. She takes off the duck tape that surrounds it as if it were abandoned and both of them jump in before the police notice where they went. Xuxa rotated a knob on the bottom of the dumpster. After removing the lid, they enter an underground spot she had secretly dug in the event an emergency situation like this would arise. They enter an abandoned dungeon with a twin size sleeping futon, and some non-perishable food that would sustain them for a few weeks.
“You made this?” Tony was shocked to know of his wife’s outstanding skills. She had carved a hole under the ground big enough for two or three people to enter and sit up in with a futon mattress, food locked in a chest, and clothes to disguise herself into different people even a man if the situation presented itself. The thrill of this entire night turned Tony on even more. However, Xuxa wasn’t in a sexual mode. She was trained to work as a top of the line secret operative. She couldn’t be detected because the hole she created had metal panels covering the entire inside of the hole. Even if the police or secret agents got near, they wouldn’t be able to find her because her plate when near hers deactivated her tracking device. The lid that lead from the dumpster to the hole was had barely any visible lines that exhibited there was a lid there. She did a great job painting its lines well enough to blend the lid with the dumpster.
Officials passed by more than four times that day, but her device was nowhere to be detected. Meanwhile, it was Xuxa and Tony’s third day in the hole. Both of them were still clean since she had stored special wet bath towels that would last a few months if necessary. They planned. Xuxa was willing to take her chances in going to see the friend her husband mentioned to her. At night, Tony had to tie her down and put cloth in her mouth in case she woke up with a different personality. After the government taken control of Xuxa’s mind and body, they ruined her immune system, causing her to have multiple personalities and act on each one according to the way they wanted to control her. Each had characteristics more violent than the last. The longer Xuxa went without taking the medication the government her prescribed to, the worst her personalities became. Each person within her had less passion, was less human and became more barbaric. Only one personality of hers was calm and her name was Petra.
One sunny day, Xuxa woke up. She was calm and scared. She noticed Tony sleeping on the floor while she slept on the mattress. She spit out the cloth in her mouth. “Did we have some kind of sadomasochist or something?” She wondered. “Hey Tony? What’s going on? Why do you have me tied up?” She was growing anxious.
Xuxa didn’t know him as her husband. This time, she was Petra. “We have been here for a few days and we’ve been waiting for the right moment to get you some help.”
Xuxa wasn’t only calm, but she was a bit naïve. She believed almost anything anyone told her. For some reason she trusted Tony. She was still scared. Yet, something in her heart felt serene when she was around him.
“Can you untie me please?” She said in that innocent voice of hers.
Tony acceded to her wishes. Xuxa felt his energy, his love, and his willingness to care for her.
“Why do you have to tie me up?”
He didn’t know how to break it down. He shook his right foot then combed through his hair with his hand and took a deep breath. He was not sure if it was a trick from Xuxa to beat him down and kill him.
“You worked for the government and they have a good amount of control over you via a gadget that isn’t so easy to locate in your body. It’s practically invisible, but it keeps changing your personality. If they find out where you are, they’ll kill you.”
“What!” She cried out. “What did I ever do to the government for them to want to hunt me down and murder me?”
Tony didn’t know how to explain it because he was afraid she might scream. “Okay, I need you to be quiet for a moment. Please don’t yell. They can find you just about anywhere.”
She looked around her. “How did we even get here?” She felt disgusted by the way her surroundings looked.
“You created this place. “ Tony added. “This was your hide out. You were the one who brought me here for the first time about a week ago. You also changed your look while we’ve been in here so the officials have a hard time knowing who you are.” Tony gave her a mirror. “You also created a metal plate that you told me you’d place on your lower back so they couldn't track the one in your body.”
“Wow!” She looks in the mirror. “Black hair and brown eyes? Gosh, I look terrible! Are you sure you’re not trying to kill me?” She looked at the shotgun next to Tony.
“No, no!” He whispered loudly. “I have been wanting to tell you something really important, but I don’t want you to scream. I would never hurt you.”
She was bewildered. “What else could possibly be worse than this?” She thought. “Tell me, I won’t yell.”
“You’re my wife.” He stared at her waiting for her to say something.
Xuxa smiled. She knew she had a crush on him for a reason. It made sense how he knew so much about her and knew where to find her. Tony quickly took out his wallet and showed her a picture of their wedding day and another on a vacation together.
“One more thing, you’re name isn’t Xuxa.”
“What!” She screamed.
“Shhh.” He briskly gestured with his index finger.
“But wait, my triple A card says Xuxa.” She said rather confused.
Tony looked at her, “I’ll explain later. We need to get out of here to get you to a friend of mine.”
“For what?”
Tony forgot he needed to repeat himself again. “He’s going to remove the invisible device that is causing you to change personalities. And since you’re not taking medicine, you’re becoming more violent by the minute. The reason the government placed it in your system was to help you cope with deadly situations pretty mildly and that would help you change persona easily. They can only change you after you take a nap or fall asleep. This is the reason why I have to tie you up. Sometimes you can’t recognize me when you first wake up, but after I explain the situation to you, it can be easier to manage.”
She was stupefied by his words, “What’s my name and how many times have you told me this story?”
“Your name is Petra Dosser and I’ve told it more than five times. I just want you to know that I am not giving up on you. I want to grow old with you and I will do anything to help you.”
Petra hurries toward Tony, hugs and kisses him. He hugs her right back. “Now, let’s get out of here.”
Tony takes the same route out, but notices that the dumpster was removed and the hole was cemented. “We’re stuck.”
“What do you mean?”
Tony asked her to go back to their spot. “We came in through this hole and now it’s covered.” Suddenly, they hear a truck approaching their area. A voice from the outside yells, “Bring the cement! Open that hole again, we’re going to fill it up. We need to kill any and all rats in there.”
Tony knew those people were out to get them. Petra was frightened and didn’t know what else to do. She was about to start crying, but Tony put his hand over her mouth. “We’re getting out of here. Are you with me?”
Petra nodded although tears rushed down her red cheeks and onto his hands.
“Let’s look for another hole. I’m sure you had another outlet just in case you couldn’t get out of this one.” They began searching around the hole. The construction workers opened the hole and began dropping cement into the hiding spot. Petra began to freak out. Unexpectedly, her mind shut down and she closed her eyes. Tony looked at her. It wasn't the first time he had seen this transformation take place. Petra’s militant instincts kicked in. She looked behind all covered areas. She found the second hole she made. She whistled softly to get Tony’s attention and gestured him to follow her. Without her realizing it, she was the agent again. She knew where to go. Behind her Tony closed the hole again so the cement wouldn’t follow them. However a few minutes in, the pressure was so powerful that it broke through the cover.
The construction workers heard a whopping blast, they stopped but an official motioned them to continue dropping the cement.
Petra and Tony found the exit. Petra looked to hear and see if anyone was around. It was silent. She sat back and kicked the gate out after a few tries.
Tony was pleased to know she could still use the instincts of her other personalities. He was no stranger to the street they walked out to. He grabbed Petra by the hand and ran down the street.
A few hours later, they arrived at Tony’s friend’s home. As he walked up the stairs, he noticed something abnormal. His friend’s door was cracked open. Officials were there asking questions. As Tony decided to step back, he made a noise that prompted the officials to check who it was. Luckily, a neighbor’s kid called out, “Dad help me with my homework!” Petra and Tony rushed into the apartment next door. The officials walked back to interrogate the friend. One official stuck his head out, but didn't see anyone in the hallway.
The boy who helped them was the son of the veteran. Phil was the genius boy who was hiding next door. He was willing to help. They took Petra into the bedroom, had her lay face down on his friend’s bed and told them that he had to cut her lower back.
Petra looked up stunned at the idea. Tony hated to know that this was happening to her. “We have to do it love. We need them to stop controlling you.”
She took a deep breath and asked for a bottle of the hardest liquor they had in the apartment. The friend said, “I’m sorry ma’am, we’re Muslims. We don’t drink alcohol.”
“Shit!” Is all she could vocalize. “Then give me a clean blanket.”
The boy wasn’t sure why she needed one, but he got it anyway. Petra balled it up and bit into it. She signaled for the Phil to start.
“She wants you to get on with it.” Tony translated.
The boy began cutting through her skin. She yelled into the sheet. She bit the blanket harder and harder each time her skin was penetrated deeper. She grabbed the mattress and squeezed as hard as she could. Tony closed the door and after a few minutes Petra passed out. The pain was far too severe for her to handle.
Tony got worried, “Will she be alright?”
The boy lacked concern of his patient’s consciousness, “She’ll be fine. I just need to find his plate.”
Feeling uneasy, Tony shot back, “Are you saying that you’re not sure it’s in that spot?”
Bang!
The boy jumped and turned to Tony, “They just killed my father and if they find me here, they’re going to kill me too.”
Tony looked at him with sorrow. The boy was getting nervous. His hands were shaking and all he could think of is how his father just died for him. He knew that his father would never tell them where he was. The officials were aware of the boy’s genius and what he could do to deactivate Petra. He was sweating a river over the handkerchief his friend gave him. “It’s not here either.”
Petra had cuts in three different parts of her back. The skin was open and the boy was working on controlling the loss of blood from her body.
The front door’s bell rang. At first, the neighbor’s parents who were sitting in the living room looked at one another. The wife raised her eyebrows in shock. Then, it rang again. She wrapped her hair and got up, “They’re going to suspect if we don’t answer.” She opens the door.
“Excuse us for interrupting you. We are looking for this boy. Would you happen to know where he is?” One official asks as he stares at the lady in the face in search of any clues and showing them a picture of Phil.
She began speaking with a thick Arabic accent. “My friends and family only Muslim. Sorry, no boy like that in this house.” The officials looked at each other thinking she lost her mind and began walking away.
She closed the door and looked into the peephole. She sensed they stopped walking and she began talking to her husband loudly with the accent. “We only love our kind. No one else belongs here, right Abdul.” She looked again and saw them leave.
She lost the accent and used her normal English accent, “Baba, we need to get them out of here immediately. Go into the room and warn them.”
The husband walked back there, gently turned the knob and opened the door. Petra had five areas in her back cut open. Phil looked up at the father. He uttered, “You need to hurry, they might come back here if they start asking around.”
The boy went back to the incision on the shoulder. Tony was growing restless. The boy was a genius but he had no idea where the officials had stored her plate. /there were a number of places they had done it in the past “I got it!”
The front door blew open. “Where the hell is that boy?” Yelled a deep voice from the hallway.
The boy removed the plate and gave it to Tony.
Tony put it in his pocket then covered Petra with gauze that he had prepared. The husband attempted to stall the officials, “Excuse me sir, what are you talking about?”
“Where’s the boy before I blow your head open?”
The man pointed to the bathroom, knowing that the boy wasn’t there. Tony took the chance to leave out through the fire escape. He dragged Petra, but it was nearly impossible.
Bang! Another one dead.
Tony made it down to a few floors below and noticed a window open. He entered only to see someone holding a gun to their faces. “Don’t bring trouble here.”
Tony was desperate. “Please! I need to keep her safe.”
“No! She looks dead to me. Just drop her!”
Petra, dazed and confused opened her eyes and looked at the gun in front of her. She was in pain but her killer tendencies swung into action. She pushed Tony’s head to the side and with her other hand twisted the gun away from the guy. A bang went off. She grabbed the gun and shot him. An official looked out the window and shot at them. Petra shot at him causing his lifeless body’s blood to drip all over them. They rushed into the apartment and she fell on the ground. She had lost a lot of blood. She needed to rest, but she couldn’t.
Tony wanted to acquire her skills, but it was impossible. “Petra, tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”
“They’ll devour you honey. I got this. I’ve been through worse. Follow my lead.”
Tony didn’t know what to do or say. He just listened. There were only a few officials looking for her and if she could kill them, they could get away.
She took all of the gauzes off of her back, swiftly pushed them to a corner and dropped face down as if she were dead. An official barged into the room. “You killed her?” He laughed out loud. “He killed his own wife.” The official told a partner as he approached the room. “Good job. You’re gonna get a medal for this one.”
Tony looked at her and the first thing he could say was, “She tried to kill me.”
Two more officials walked in and the body was still, she waited, held her breath and listened until no more officials walked in. One approached the body and went to turn it around. The moment he touched her, she shot him, kicked him back and shot the other two. Tony threw himself to the ground away from the shooting. One official was able to take a shot before he fell to his death. He didn’t shoot Petra, but her husband. Petra sprung up and went to Tony’s rescue. He was shot on the shoulder. She ran to the bathroom but she couldn’t find anything to wrap his shoulder in. She took the gauze she had removed from the floor and began pasting it onto his wound. “Don’t worry babe, you’re going to be alright.”
She heard a few other footsteps running toward the room. She took her gun and was ready to shoot, but there were just a few kids who lived in that home. They rushed to the man who lived there, “Dad!” Their deafening weeps resonated down the hallway.
Petra ran out of the apartment with Tony. They both dragged. Her wounds were still fresh and painful and he was weak from his. They jumped into a cab and requested to go to a hospital in the next town. She didn’t want to take her chances.
At the hospital, both Petra and her husband were recuperating in the same room. A few minutes later, two officials walked in. Petra noticed them and was ready to run out. “Mrs. Dosser. We aren’t here to kill you or take you in. The officials that were trying to kill you had a secret mission on their hands. I’m Doug Warner and this is my partner Jake Sinnings. The son of one of our best men came to us and told us about your situation. It pains me to know that we lost an amazing general over some secret bullshit. Meanwhile, making you a puppet of theirs.”
Petra was a bit skeptical, but she ran with it anyway. Tony woke up and saw the officials. He jumped. “Calm down Mr. Dosser. You’re safe with us.”
“How can I trust you?” Petra remained uneasy.
Doug looked at her, “We could’ve killed you in your sleep if that’s what we wanted. We just want to get the men that did this, but I need you to lead us to them. That’s the only way we’re going to be able to stop this madness. You’re not the only person they have controlled. It’s a whole corporation that uses people as assassins then they try to make it seem as though we are all part of this. When you think you’re working for the big man, it’s all a lie. You’re really working for a rich son of a bitch who doesn’t want to get his hands dirty by hiding himself behind people who are wiling to die.”
Tony looks at Petra as to signify that he doesn’t want her to take the mission.
“What do I have to do, kill them?”
“No, just lead us to the main man. They’ll want to kill you, but not before torturing you.” Jake carried on.
Petra stared at Doug and told him, “I know who it is and I don’t have to look far to find him.”
Doug was perplexed. “You could tell me, this entire conversation is being recorded.”
“Good. He’s standing right next to you.” Jake quickly reached for his gun and killed his partner. Tony jumped behind his bed and Petra kicked Jake in the groin, he shot toward her and she kicked his gun out of his hand. She screamed in pain, but raised her body with all of her might and punched him in the face while he was hunched over from the kick. He smacked her. She fell onto her wound. He approached her and punched her unconscious. Tony snuck from behind and kicked him in the back until Jake fell away from the gun. Tony ran for it, grabbed the gun and shot Jake a few times.
Tony hurried toward Petra. He called her name and moved her, but she was lifeless. He called for a doctor. After a few nurses and doctors peeked into the room and realized it was safe to enter, they walked in. “Please help her, please!” Tony pleaded.
“Sir, please come with us. The police will be here any minute.” One nurse said.
A year later, Petra and Tony are at the beach. Petra is holding a camera and showing the view of the water. She then turns the camera to Tony. He takes the camera away from her and shows her laying down with a big pregnant belly. She rubs it. “Gabby, your daddy and I are ready to bring you into this world and have a great time with you.” She blows a kiss to the camera. The camera goes off.
They lean back and relax.
“I’d follow you to the end of the world,” Tony shared with her as he grabbed her hand.
Copyright © 2015 Jennifer Lee Gutierrez
She secretly had a crush on him and did not have the guts to tell him just how much she wanted him. She met him in the strangest place.
Xuxa was driving down the highway when she got a flat tire. It was a few minutes past one o’clock in the morning and she was a bit shaken since she was practically in the middle of nowhere. She immediately pulled over, took her cell phone out to call her sister. However, her sister did not answer. It just dawned on her that her sister went camping and left her phone.
“What a bummer!” She hung up.
She quickly messaged a few of her friends, but they were either out of town, asleep or busy doing their nightly business. What could she expect? It was the middle of the summer and most people were on vacation. She went ahead and called triple A. It took them longer than half an hour to arrive. She waited in the car with all of her doors locked. At one point she thought she saw a mysterious man slowing down to approach her vehicle. Xuxa quickly made it seem as though she was talking to her boyfriend on the phone. She spoke loud, “So you are almost here? Great! See you!” The car passed hers before she could finish her sentence. Then she saw some flashing beams on her rear view mirror blinding her. She became paranoid and ducked in hopes that it wasn’t a serial killer ready to tear her into pieces.
There was a loud knock on the window and Xuxa screamed.
“Sorry to startle you ma’am, but did you call triple A?” the voice resonated from outside the window.
Xuxa rushed up to sit straight and bumped her head on the padded ceiling of her car. The guy standing outside just smiled. Xuxa looked back at the van then looked at the guy. She did it twice before opening her window.
“I see you have a flat tire. Would you like me to help you with that?” His charming aura put her into a trance. Xuxa nodded in agreement.
“I’m Tony, by the way. Do you have your triple A card?” He stated.
“Yes.” She rushes into her purse, pulls it out and hands it to him.
“You know I think I’ve seen you before, Xuxa, is that correct? Tony wondered.
“You have? Where?” Xuxa seemed baffled at his question.
“There is a triple A office near Titan street. Do you live or work in that area?”
Xuxa couldn’t hold her excitement back. “Yeah. How could you even remember?”
“I’m always in that area and I think I saw you there yesterday wearing some kind of cardboard paper costume. I could be wrong.” Tony rapidly blurted out.
Xuxa’s face turned from white to tomato red in a matter of seconds, “Oh yeah, I was working on a project for kids.”
As Tony kept changing her tire, he did not miss the opportunity to release what Xuxa was hoping to hear. “Regardless of whatever, you looked nice. I’ve seen you around and I think you’re beautiful.”
Petra, not knowing how to handle the compliment but loving every word of it, replied, “So, is that it?”
Tony feels a bit embarrassed, “Oh, yeah. You’re all set. Have a good night ma’am.” He walks away, gets into the van and drives away.
Xuxa could only think, “I should just stab myself in the nose with a dull knife! How stupid could I be? I need to get better at taking compliments.”
The next morning Xuxa walks out of her apartment building. Rushing to work, she notices a familiar face walking towards her. At first, she ignores it but he doesn’t seem to be turning away from her. Instead, he walks up to her.
“Xuxa?” He shouts.
She sees it’s Tony, the toll triple A guy from last night. “How did you know where to find me?”
He takes out a card, “I forgot to give you your triple A card back. I apologize for that.”
“Oh,” Xuxa wanted to ask him why he didn’t just mail the thing, but she realized that he saw her quite often. “Thanks.”
“No problem. I want to say something to you and it may change everything. I just can’t help it.”
Xuxa did not know what to expect out of him. All she could do was stand there, stare at his big beautiful hazel eyes and listen.
“I like you and I’ve liked you for some time now. I know you don’t know me, but there is something about your aura that brings me closer to you. And last night was just a sign that I needed to tell you.”
Xuxa was not sure why that would be bad. “How would that change everything?”
He looked at her intensely and wanted to tell her. “I would have to tell you some other time.” He looked at his watch and ran away, “I have to go!”
Xuxa was stumped at what just happened. “I’m lost.” She gets into her car and stays there for a few minutes.
She hears a knock on the window, “Ma’am! Ma’am! Are you alright?”
She wakes up in the middle of the afternoon and looks out of her car window. She doesn’t know what just happened. She opens the window. “I’m fine.”
“Did I just dream all of that?” She said to herself.
The person outside the window looks at her, “I don’t know lady, but I think you've been sitting in this car for some time now. I wanted to make sure you were still breathing.”
“Really?”
Xuxa puts the key in the ignition and turns her car on.
That afternoon, as she is sitting in traffic, a car runs into her from behind. “What in the world was that?” She almost hit the windshield from the impact. Xuxa looked back and noticed the person behind her was falling asleep on the wheel. She rushed out. “Excuse me sir, are you okay? You just hit the back of my car.”
The middle-aged man jumped out of the car absolutely horrified. “I am so sorry. I will pay for everything. I am super stressed. My wife just died. My job is working the hell out of me. I have insomnia and the state just took my kids because they think I’m an unfit parent. Please forgive me! This has been the worst time of my life.”
Xuxa was speechless. Words wouldn’t dare approach her lips. All she felt was sadness toward the fellow man. They called the police and her car wouldn’t start so the police called a car service. About ten minutes later, Xuxa spotted the three A’s on the van. She was dumbfounded at the idea. “Two days in a row.”
She saw it was Tony. He saw her, but when she went to speak to him, he cut her off, “Hello, I’m Tony. Do you have your triple A card?”
Xuxa was trying to figure out if he was merely playing games or his actions were aiming at being professional in front of the police officer. “Yes, here you go.” She handed it to him.
Tony took the card, scanned it with his machine and returned it to her without looking at her. He towed her car and the police officer gave Xuxa a ride home.
At home, Xuxa sat down in front of the TV and played a movie. She felt nice and relaxed. Time elapsed and she heard the phone ring. She woke up and answered it,
“Hello?”
“Hey, may I speak with Xuxa?” A familiar voice questioned.
“Yes, who’s calling?” She sounded groggy from the nap she had taken.
“You may not know me, but this is Tony. The guy that works for triple A.” He waited for her response.
Xuxa sat up elated at receiving the call. “Hey!”
He exhaled in relief, “I wanted to know if you were interested in going out sometime.”
She wanted to answer as fast as she heard his last words leave his lips, but she couldn’t play easy to get, “Well, let me see. When would you like to meet up?”
“How about this Friday?” He inquired.
“Let me see.” She paused for a few seconds pretending to look through her agenda. “Friday? Friday, sounds good.”
“Great.” Tony confirmed, “Does Friday at 7:00 work for you?”
“Yes, it does.” Xuxa had a grin from ear to ear.
“Perfect, see you. Have a good afternoon.”
Xuxa was so happy that she snuggled up in her couch again and kept watching her movie. Hours later, she woke up and it was dark outside. She noticed that it was Friday on her phone.
“Wow, it’s Friday already? I need to get my hair done.” She gets up. She looked at her phone again and realized, it was only 8:30pm on Thursday. “What is happening to me? I’m imagining things.”
She goes to the bathroom and notices five different types of medication. “What are these for?” Xuxa begins reading them. One is for depression, another one for bipolar behavior, and the rest she couldn’t understand.
“Bipolar?” She turned around and was unclear as to why that bathroom didn’t look like her own.
“Where am I? These meds can’t possibly be mine. Am I going crazy?” She thought her mind was running games on her. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but it was mystifying how the scenery changed from one minute to the next. Xuxa had been feeling like her life was taking so many twists and turns. Why did Tony act like he didn’t know her? She thought about it for some time.
Xuxa’s mind returns to the house. She begins walking around and she recognizes her kitchen, but the bedroom is foreign to her. The toilet was strange as well because she was certain it was the first time she set foot in it.
“Someone help me. How can I not know my own place. Maybe I am on medication and forgot to take them yesterday or today.” Xuxa was too busy trying to fathom her life for the few hours she was awake.
Xuxa takes a seat on the bed and leans forward, letting her head fall onto her hands. She is worn out. At least her brain is, but she has no clue what has caused it. “What did I do today?”
She descends into a deep sleep and wakes up at 5:43am. “Time to work.” She arrives at work and notices that she has a few missed calls. She does not recognize any phone numbers, but she calls them back.
“Xuxa, how are you darling? I haven’t heard from you lately. Where have you been?” a beautiful senior citizen female voices.
“I’m fine. Who is this?” Xuxa speculates.
“You didn’t save my number again? Dear, you need to save my number. This is grandma.”
“Grandma? I’m sorry. I will save it now. While she is typing the word in, someone knocks on Xuxa’s office door.
She looks up, notices Tony and waves at him through the glass door to enter.
“Hey” She says trying to decipher how he knew she worked there.
“Hi, I have seen you come here almost every morning when I’m heading to work, so I reckoned you worked here.” He stated.
“That’s fine.” She didn’t know whether to be freaked out or happy about it. She chose the latter instinct.
He was nervous, but asked her, “Are you free to go out tonight?” He didn’t want her to forget. He was feeling a connection to her.
She found it strange that he would ask her again, “Yeah, I agreed to it before. I haven’t changed my mind.” Her smile made him feel at home. “I have to get back to work now?”
Tony forgot to add, “I didn’t tell you where we should meet. Would you like me to pick you up or shall we meet somewhere else?”
“You can pick me up. I’m sure you know where I live by now right?” Xuxa rushed him, but glanced a smile although she was busy on the computer.
That night, Xuxa went home and got dressed. She had some free time before meeting Tony so she sat down on her couch and took a short nap.
Xuxa seemed sound asleep. Tony began knocking on the door. He waited, but no answer. He knocked again. He noticed the lights were still on so he walked to the window and checked to see if anyone was there. He saw Xuxa asleep on the couch.
He panicked and began to knock furiously on the door. Yet, she wouldn’t get up. He finally checked for a key around the front of the house and found one. He opened the door and went in. He knew he shouldn’t have done that. It was trespassing. He walks up to Xuxa and begins slightly shaking her. She wakes up and loses control of herself.
“It’s me! It’s me Xuxa, Tony!” He uses his forearm to shield himself from the items she is throwing at him.
“Intruder! Intruder! Help! Someone, help me!” Xuxa shouted from the top of her lungs then she walks to the back of her apartment home.
“Dammit, she’s going for it.” He swiftly hides behind the couch.
Bang! The gun goes off.
“Shit!” Tony was scared to death.
“Who are you? And why are you in my property?” Xuxa’s demeanor changes from the sweet and kind woman she is to a cold-hearted warrior.
“Xuxa! Please don’t shoot! Let me tell you!”
Bang!
Tony fleetingly crawls to another safe spot.
“Talk!” Extremist Xuxa hollered.
“You’re my wife!” He nearly broke down in tears. First she was disoriented at the statement then her attitude softened.
She became silent and plopped onto the couch. “Are you joking? Don’t joke with me. I will rip you into pieces!” Tony peeked out of the side of one couch and she propped her gun ready to blow his face off. He pleaded, “Babe, please. Let me prove it to you.”
“Fine, do it. If you’re messing with me, you’re dead!” She was quieter, but her strength remained in control. “Get up!” She ordered him.
Tony slowly got up and walked towards the bookcase. “What’s in there?” She grabbed the gun aimed it at him.
“Just a video, my love, just a video.” He stuck his arm behind the books and grabbed a video. “I’m going to play the video okay?” He cautiously stated.
Xuxa nodded with the shotgun. Her thoughts were lost and she could not picture this man as her husband. He didn’t look like anyone she had ever seen before.
Tony finally played the video. Both of them were shown on a vacation in Hawaii.
Tony holds the camera at the beach and records a happy Xuxa.
Xuxa: So, here I am with the love of my life. This is the life of a power couple.
He turns the camera to himself.
Tony: She’s the boss. Kids, whenever you come into this earth, just know that your mom is the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.
Xuxa grabs the camera and turns it to her.
Xuxa: Babe, you sound like we just got married.
Tony: It’s been eight years and it still feels like we just got married last year. Kiss me babe. Show these kids how mommy and daddy love each other.
Xuxa: You’re my rock babe.
Tony places the camera down and forgets to shut it off. He grabs Xuxa by her face and kisses her.
Tony: And you keep me coming back to you no matter what. I’ll always be here.
The video changes from the beach to another scene.
This time, Xuxa is shown tied down to a chair in a dirty dungeon or basement.
Tony: Babe, why do you want me to do this?
Xuxa: I can’t keep ruining your life. I love you and I know you cherish me, but our love is only going to kill us both.
Tony: Why don't we just go to a doctor and get you better?
Xuxa: Don’t you get it babe? The military did this to me. They know my every
move. If I go to any doctor I’m not approved to see, they will find me and kill me. They have been waiting for the chance since I quit.
Tony grows desperate, “So let’s handle it on our own. I will take care of you and never let you lose control. How about we try that?
Xuxa: You’re too sweet. What if it doesn’t work out?
Tony pauses.
Tony: It will. I’ll make sure of it.
Xuxa: But if I lose control again. I want you to do something for me love.
He doesn’t want to hear it so he begins shifting around in a circle.
Xuxa: Stop it! I need you to kill me if I ever lose it again. That’s why we got the camera on this time, remember?
Tony: I know, but I just don’t want to lose you. I love you! Do you know how that feels? I’m dying inside just knowing that I won’t have you. But killing you. That is out of the question.
Xuxa: If you don’t do it, they will.
In the living room, while holding her gun, Xuxa has enough of the video. “I get it. We’re married and in love. Fuck!”
Tony turns it off.
She gives him the gun and the order, “Kill me.”
Tony starts to break into tears, “ I love you baby. I don’t want to lose you. We have made so much progress.”
“I don’t even know you half of the time, how is this going to work? If I could kill myself I would do it, but it seems they've programmed me not to do it.”
Tony smiles although his face is drenched in tears, “I met someone who can help.”
“Are you sure they aren’t linked to the government?” Xuxa is highly concerned that anyone who could cure her, would have connections to the government and snitch on her.
He nodded negatively, “Not in the least. It’s a boy. A genius boy whose dad I had a chance to talk to.”
“Is the dad in the military?” She sternly requests.
Tony doesn’t answer, “He’s a veteran and he won’t say a word. He really wants to help.”
“I’m not taking my chances. Not only will they kill me, but they will kill you too. That’s the last thing I want to happen!”
Sirens approach their home. Xuxa and Tony are aware. Xuxa’s instincts prompt her get out. She rushes to the kitchen where she has a secret hole in a cabinet under the kitchen sink. Tony goes into the hole first and Xuxa follows, by closing the door and putting a bucket over the hole they escaped in. She whispers to him, “Go straight and on the next opening turn left.”
“It stinks here,” Tony muttered.
Xuxa lets out a sudden, “Shhhh. Now turn right and go straight. You’ll see a gate.”
Tony approaches the gate and tries to open it. It was bolted and he can’t get it open.
“Move back,” Xuxa grabs Tony by the collar pushes him back and blows the gate open.
Tony begins coughing and Xuxa shoves him out of the pipe tunnel. As soon as they make it out, the police are seen patrolling by. They notice and the sirens are turned on. The chase begins.
Xuxa runs faster than Tony, being that she was one of the biggest and best spies in the history of her government. She drags him with her and he gladly follows. She is his prize, the love of his life. He would fight any battle with her and for her.
“Where is this person you’re talking about?’ Xuxa asked while rushing to a hiding spot. They turn left, then into a path that she knows quite well. She finds the dumpster. She takes off the duck tape that surrounds it as if it were abandoned and both of them jump in before the police notice where they went. Xuxa rotated a knob on the bottom of the dumpster. After removing the lid, they enter an underground spot she had secretly dug in the event an emergency situation like this would arise. They enter an abandoned dungeon with a twin size sleeping futon, and some non-perishable food that would sustain them for a few weeks.
“You made this?” Tony was shocked to know of his wife’s outstanding skills. She had carved a hole under the ground big enough for two or three people to enter and sit up in with a futon mattress, food locked in a chest, and clothes to disguise herself into different people even a man if the situation presented itself. The thrill of this entire night turned Tony on even more. However, Xuxa wasn’t in a sexual mode. She was trained to work as a top of the line secret operative. She couldn’t be detected because the hole she created had metal panels covering the entire inside of the hole. Even if the police or secret agents got near, they wouldn’t be able to find her because her plate when near hers deactivated her tracking device. The lid that lead from the dumpster to the hole was had barely any visible lines that exhibited there was a lid there. She did a great job painting its lines well enough to blend the lid with the dumpster.
Officials passed by more than four times that day, but her device was nowhere to be detected. Meanwhile, it was Xuxa and Tony’s third day in the hole. Both of them were still clean since she had stored special wet bath towels that would last a few months if necessary. They planned. Xuxa was willing to take her chances in going to see the friend her husband mentioned to her. At night, Tony had to tie her down and put cloth in her mouth in case she woke up with a different personality. After the government taken control of Xuxa’s mind and body, they ruined her immune system, causing her to have multiple personalities and act on each one according to the way they wanted to control her. Each had characteristics more violent than the last. The longer Xuxa went without taking the medication the government her prescribed to, the worst her personalities became. Each person within her had less passion, was less human and became more barbaric. Only one personality of hers was calm and her name was Petra.
One sunny day, Xuxa woke up. She was calm and scared. She noticed Tony sleeping on the floor while she slept on the mattress. She spit out the cloth in her mouth. “Did we have some kind of sadomasochist or something?” She wondered. “Hey Tony? What’s going on? Why do you have me tied up?” She was growing anxious.
Xuxa didn’t know him as her husband. This time, she was Petra. “We have been here for a few days and we’ve been waiting for the right moment to get you some help.”
Xuxa wasn’t only calm, but she was a bit naïve. She believed almost anything anyone told her. For some reason she trusted Tony. She was still scared. Yet, something in her heart felt serene when she was around him.
“Can you untie me please?” She said in that innocent voice of hers.
Tony acceded to her wishes. Xuxa felt his energy, his love, and his willingness to care for her.
“Why do you have to tie me up?”
He didn’t know how to break it down. He shook his right foot then combed through his hair with his hand and took a deep breath. He was not sure if it was a trick from Xuxa to beat him down and kill him.
“You worked for the government and they have a good amount of control over you via a gadget that isn’t so easy to locate in your body. It’s practically invisible, but it keeps changing your personality. If they find out where you are, they’ll kill you.”
“What!” She cried out. “What did I ever do to the government for them to want to hunt me down and murder me?”
Tony didn’t know how to explain it because he was afraid she might scream. “Okay, I need you to be quiet for a moment. Please don’t yell. They can find you just about anywhere.”
She looked around her. “How did we even get here?” She felt disgusted by the way her surroundings looked.
“You created this place. “ Tony added. “This was your hide out. You were the one who brought me here for the first time about a week ago. You also changed your look while we’ve been in here so the officials have a hard time knowing who you are.” Tony gave her a mirror. “You also created a metal plate that you told me you’d place on your lower back so they couldn't track the one in your body.”
“Wow!” She looks in the mirror. “Black hair and brown eyes? Gosh, I look terrible! Are you sure you’re not trying to kill me?” She looked at the shotgun next to Tony.
“No, no!” He whispered loudly. “I have been wanting to tell you something really important, but I don’t want you to scream. I would never hurt you.”
She was bewildered. “What else could possibly be worse than this?” She thought. “Tell me, I won’t yell.”
“You’re my wife.” He stared at her waiting for her to say something.
Xuxa smiled. She knew she had a crush on him for a reason. It made sense how he knew so much about her and knew where to find her. Tony quickly took out his wallet and showed her a picture of their wedding day and another on a vacation together.
“One more thing, you’re name isn’t Xuxa.”
“What!” She screamed.
“Shhh.” He briskly gestured with his index finger.
“But wait, my triple A card says Xuxa.” She said rather confused.
Tony looked at her, “I’ll explain later. We need to get out of here to get you to a friend of mine.”
“For what?”
Tony forgot he needed to repeat himself again. “He’s going to remove the invisible device that is causing you to change personalities. And since you’re not taking medicine, you’re becoming more violent by the minute. The reason the government placed it in your system was to help you cope with deadly situations pretty mildly and that would help you change persona easily. They can only change you after you take a nap or fall asleep. This is the reason why I have to tie you up. Sometimes you can’t recognize me when you first wake up, but after I explain the situation to you, it can be easier to manage.”
She was stupefied by his words, “What’s my name and how many times have you told me this story?”
“Your name is Petra Dosser and I’ve told it more than five times. I just want you to know that I am not giving up on you. I want to grow old with you and I will do anything to help you.”
Petra hurries toward Tony, hugs and kisses him. He hugs her right back. “Now, let’s get out of here.”
Tony takes the same route out, but notices that the dumpster was removed and the hole was cemented. “We’re stuck.”
“What do you mean?”
Tony asked her to go back to their spot. “We came in through this hole and now it’s covered.” Suddenly, they hear a truck approaching their area. A voice from the outside yells, “Bring the cement! Open that hole again, we’re going to fill it up. We need to kill any and all rats in there.”
Tony knew those people were out to get them. Petra was frightened and didn’t know what else to do. She was about to start crying, but Tony put his hand over her mouth. “We’re getting out of here. Are you with me?”
Petra nodded although tears rushed down her red cheeks and onto his hands.
“Let’s look for another hole. I’m sure you had another outlet just in case you couldn’t get out of this one.” They began searching around the hole. The construction workers opened the hole and began dropping cement into the hiding spot. Petra began to freak out. Unexpectedly, her mind shut down and she closed her eyes. Tony looked at her. It wasn't the first time he had seen this transformation take place. Petra’s militant instincts kicked in. She looked behind all covered areas. She found the second hole she made. She whistled softly to get Tony’s attention and gestured him to follow her. Without her realizing it, she was the agent again. She knew where to go. Behind her Tony closed the hole again so the cement wouldn’t follow them. However a few minutes in, the pressure was so powerful that it broke through the cover.
The construction workers heard a whopping blast, they stopped but an official motioned them to continue dropping the cement.
Petra and Tony found the exit. Petra looked to hear and see if anyone was around. It was silent. She sat back and kicked the gate out after a few tries.
Tony was pleased to know she could still use the instincts of her other personalities. He was no stranger to the street they walked out to. He grabbed Petra by the hand and ran down the street.
A few hours later, they arrived at Tony’s friend’s home. As he walked up the stairs, he noticed something abnormal. His friend’s door was cracked open. Officials were there asking questions. As Tony decided to step back, he made a noise that prompted the officials to check who it was. Luckily, a neighbor’s kid called out, “Dad help me with my homework!” Petra and Tony rushed into the apartment next door. The officials walked back to interrogate the friend. One official stuck his head out, but didn't see anyone in the hallway.
The boy who helped them was the son of the veteran. Phil was the genius boy who was hiding next door. He was willing to help. They took Petra into the bedroom, had her lay face down on his friend’s bed and told them that he had to cut her lower back.
Petra looked up stunned at the idea. Tony hated to know that this was happening to her. “We have to do it love. We need them to stop controlling you.”
She took a deep breath and asked for a bottle of the hardest liquor they had in the apartment. The friend said, “I’m sorry ma’am, we’re Muslims. We don’t drink alcohol.”
“Shit!” Is all she could vocalize. “Then give me a clean blanket.”
The boy wasn’t sure why she needed one, but he got it anyway. Petra balled it up and bit into it. She signaled for the Phil to start.
“She wants you to get on with it.” Tony translated.
The boy began cutting through her skin. She yelled into the sheet. She bit the blanket harder and harder each time her skin was penetrated deeper. She grabbed the mattress and squeezed as hard as she could. Tony closed the door and after a few minutes Petra passed out. The pain was far too severe for her to handle.
Tony got worried, “Will she be alright?”
The boy lacked concern of his patient’s consciousness, “She’ll be fine. I just need to find his plate.”
Feeling uneasy, Tony shot back, “Are you saying that you’re not sure it’s in that spot?”
Bang!
The boy jumped and turned to Tony, “They just killed my father and if they find me here, they’re going to kill me too.”
Tony looked at him with sorrow. The boy was getting nervous. His hands were shaking and all he could think of is how his father just died for him. He knew that his father would never tell them where he was. The officials were aware of the boy’s genius and what he could do to deactivate Petra. He was sweating a river over the handkerchief his friend gave him. “It’s not here either.”
Petra had cuts in three different parts of her back. The skin was open and the boy was working on controlling the loss of blood from her body.
The front door’s bell rang. At first, the neighbor’s parents who were sitting in the living room looked at one another. The wife raised her eyebrows in shock. Then, it rang again. She wrapped her hair and got up, “They’re going to suspect if we don’t answer.” She opens the door.
“Excuse us for interrupting you. We are looking for this boy. Would you happen to know where he is?” One official asks as he stares at the lady in the face in search of any clues and showing them a picture of Phil.
She began speaking with a thick Arabic accent. “My friends and family only Muslim. Sorry, no boy like that in this house.” The officials looked at each other thinking she lost her mind and began walking away.
She closed the door and looked into the peephole. She sensed they stopped walking and she began talking to her husband loudly with the accent. “We only love our kind. No one else belongs here, right Abdul.” She looked again and saw them leave.
She lost the accent and used her normal English accent, “Baba, we need to get them out of here immediately. Go into the room and warn them.”
The husband walked back there, gently turned the knob and opened the door. Petra had five areas in her back cut open. Phil looked up at the father. He uttered, “You need to hurry, they might come back here if they start asking around.”
The boy went back to the incision on the shoulder. Tony was growing restless. The boy was a genius but he had no idea where the officials had stored her plate. /there were a number of places they had done it in the past “I got it!”
The front door blew open. “Where the hell is that boy?” Yelled a deep voice from the hallway.
The boy removed the plate and gave it to Tony.
Tony put it in his pocket then covered Petra with gauze that he had prepared. The husband attempted to stall the officials, “Excuse me sir, what are you talking about?”
“Where’s the boy before I blow your head open?”
The man pointed to the bathroom, knowing that the boy wasn’t there. Tony took the chance to leave out through the fire escape. He dragged Petra, but it was nearly impossible.
Bang! Another one dead.
Tony made it down to a few floors below and noticed a window open. He entered only to see someone holding a gun to their faces. “Don’t bring trouble here.”
Tony was desperate. “Please! I need to keep her safe.”
“No! She looks dead to me. Just drop her!”
Petra, dazed and confused opened her eyes and looked at the gun in front of her. She was in pain but her killer tendencies swung into action. She pushed Tony’s head to the side and with her other hand twisted the gun away from the guy. A bang went off. She grabbed the gun and shot him. An official looked out the window and shot at them. Petra shot at him causing his lifeless body’s blood to drip all over them. They rushed into the apartment and she fell on the ground. She had lost a lot of blood. She needed to rest, but she couldn’t.
Tony wanted to acquire her skills, but it was impossible. “Petra, tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”
“They’ll devour you honey. I got this. I’ve been through worse. Follow my lead.”
Tony didn’t know what to do or say. He just listened. There were only a few officials looking for her and if she could kill them, they could get away.
She took all of the gauzes off of her back, swiftly pushed them to a corner and dropped face down as if she were dead. An official barged into the room. “You killed her?” He laughed out loud. “He killed his own wife.” The official told a partner as he approached the room. “Good job. You’re gonna get a medal for this one.”
Tony looked at her and the first thing he could say was, “She tried to kill me.”
Two more officials walked in and the body was still, she waited, held her breath and listened until no more officials walked in. One approached the body and went to turn it around. The moment he touched her, she shot him, kicked him back and shot the other two. Tony threw himself to the ground away from the shooting. One official was able to take a shot before he fell to his death. He didn’t shoot Petra, but her husband. Petra sprung up and went to Tony’s rescue. He was shot on the shoulder. She ran to the bathroom but she couldn’t find anything to wrap his shoulder in. She took the gauze she had removed from the floor and began pasting it onto his wound. “Don’t worry babe, you’re going to be alright.”
She heard a few other footsteps running toward the room. She took her gun and was ready to shoot, but there were just a few kids who lived in that home. They rushed to the man who lived there, “Dad!” Their deafening weeps resonated down the hallway.
Petra ran out of the apartment with Tony. They both dragged. Her wounds were still fresh and painful and he was weak from his. They jumped into a cab and requested to go to a hospital in the next town. She didn’t want to take her chances.
At the hospital, both Petra and her husband were recuperating in the same room. A few minutes later, two officials walked in. Petra noticed them and was ready to run out. “Mrs. Dosser. We aren’t here to kill you or take you in. The officials that were trying to kill you had a secret mission on their hands. I’m Doug Warner and this is my partner Jake Sinnings. The son of one of our best men came to us and told us about your situation. It pains me to know that we lost an amazing general over some secret bullshit. Meanwhile, making you a puppet of theirs.”
Petra was a bit skeptical, but she ran with it anyway. Tony woke up and saw the officials. He jumped. “Calm down Mr. Dosser. You’re safe with us.”
“How can I trust you?” Petra remained uneasy.
Doug looked at her, “We could’ve killed you in your sleep if that’s what we wanted. We just want to get the men that did this, but I need you to lead us to them. That’s the only way we’re going to be able to stop this madness. You’re not the only person they have controlled. It’s a whole corporation that uses people as assassins then they try to make it seem as though we are all part of this. When you think you’re working for the big man, it’s all a lie. You’re really working for a rich son of a bitch who doesn’t want to get his hands dirty by hiding himself behind people who are wiling to die.”
Tony looks at Petra as to signify that he doesn’t want her to take the mission.
“What do I have to do, kill them?”
“No, just lead us to the main man. They’ll want to kill you, but not before torturing you.” Jake carried on.
Petra stared at Doug and told him, “I know who it is and I don’t have to look far to find him.”
Doug was perplexed. “You could tell me, this entire conversation is being recorded.”
“Good. He’s standing right next to you.” Jake quickly reached for his gun and killed his partner. Tony jumped behind his bed and Petra kicked Jake in the groin, he shot toward her and she kicked his gun out of his hand. She screamed in pain, but raised her body with all of her might and punched him in the face while he was hunched over from the kick. He smacked her. She fell onto her wound. He approached her and punched her unconscious. Tony snuck from behind and kicked him in the back until Jake fell away from the gun. Tony ran for it, grabbed the gun and shot Jake a few times.
Tony hurried toward Petra. He called her name and moved her, but she was lifeless. He called for a doctor. After a few nurses and doctors peeked into the room and realized it was safe to enter, they walked in. “Please help her, please!” Tony pleaded.
“Sir, please come with us. The police will be here any minute.” One nurse said.
A year later, Petra and Tony are at the beach. Petra is holding a camera and showing the view of the water. She then turns the camera to Tony. He takes the camera away from her and shows her laying down with a big pregnant belly. She rubs it. “Gabby, your daddy and I are ready to bring you into this world and have a great time with you.” She blows a kiss to the camera. The camera goes off.
They lean back and relax.
“I’d follow you to the end of the world,” Tony shared with her as he grabbed her hand.
Copyright © 2015 Jennifer Lee Gutierrez
