Hidden Witness

CW: Violence and Murder scenes are shown

Author: Please enjoy readers!

3 seconds is all it took.

I laughed and Theo’s wonderful voice rang out again. “Bailey… You’re lucky, you are the president’s daughter” I smirked “Shut it douchebag” My phone hung up. I turned to my older brother Mark, frowning. “Hey, are you using up the internet?” He shook his head showing me his phone “My phone isn’t working” Our driver Mr. Kim rolled down the thick back window separating us. He dipped his head in respect and spoke directly to Mark. “Sir we seemed to have run into a predicament.” Mark turned to me and pinched my cheek. “Call dad,” he said seeming a bit worried. I smiled and picked up my phone. Then remembered. “Can’t you try?” jokingly pushing him; I handed him my phone and twisted to face the driver. “Mr. Kim, can you please take us to the White House?” He grinned and faced the front “No problem Ma’am… No problem at all”.

The next moment didn’t seem real.

A bullet struck Mr. Kim in the chest making the car jolt to a stop, his head resting on the steering wheel. I screamed overcome by fear and panic. His blood stained the back of his suit a dark red. Mark covered my mouth with his hand silencing me. He shook his head and closed the front window separating us from the now-dead Mr. Kim. His eyes were wide with panic; He shoved me down and crouched down beside me in the Limo. He came close to me and hugged me whispering in my ear. “There are 4 guns on either side of us.”

I glanced to my side still shaking and the guns were there latched to the door just for emergencies. Mark grabbed the ones on his side and attached them to the holster that dad had gotten him just in case. But I didn’t have mine with me. I tapped him lightly and whisper-yelled to him “I’m going to sneak ahead and grab his holster” I pointed rushingly at the dead Mr.Kim and he shook his head, mouthing *be careful*. I crawled across the limo floor, opened the window, and grabbed his holster.

Then I saw something that made my blood run cold. Outside in a black car, gunmen were wearing what seemed to be… Secret Service uniforms. Fog lightly brushed up against the window blurring their identities. I squinted and leaped back; one of them was coming right to the car. I crawled back to Mark “We need to get out of here!”

I looked back at the window and he looked at me with wide eyes. He whispered his plan to me. “Their car should be on the side of us, we can get out on your side without being seen and run to the white house through the woods.” I slowly opened the car door, smelling gas as I did so. I took out my gun and held it in front of me clicking the safety off. Crawling on the floor I could see the woods just a few feet away, but we would have to run for it. I held up my hand so Mark could see me count down the time we would start running. 3...2...1

We broke off into a run, gunfire sounding off behind us. Mark reached for my hand and we ran and ran until the leaves and twigs bit at our feet. Until we were heaving and gasping for breath. I rested my head on a smooth rock, watching my breath in the night sky. Mark looked at me with cold and scared eyes “We have to keep going, we are not dying today, Bailey” He continued walking ahead of me.

I caught up to him and we continued running. My tired feet slowly come down on the crunchy autumn leaves. As we reached the White House I came to a stop. Something was off, I didn’t know what but it was something. “Let’s go inside,” I said. Mark nodded and followed me to the White House. Back entrance, not front... I had watched too many movies to die from such a stupid mistake. I opened the door and we found ourselves in the large kitchen. More weapons, we needed more weapons.”I’ve never been in here before” I said while we scramble through the cupboards quietly. Mark turned to me and said in a low voice” found ‘em”! I crept over to the countertop he opened and I saw so many knives. I looked for the butcher knife just to see it in my brother’s hand taunting me with it, whatever I thought as I grabbed a long but slim knife and closed the cabinet.

“Which way next”? I asked my brother contemplating where to go. He furrowed his brow like he did when he was nervous. “We should go to the backyard and escape this madhouse”. I was thinking about it but I wasn’t leaving until I found something. I had so many questions running through my head “Why Mr. Kim?, are we next?” Then I turned to Mark scowling. “ Where’s dad?!” He acted like I said nothing and instead asked, “ Where do you want to go”? I told him firmly “Dad’s office”. As kids, we were never allowed in, and to this day we still aren’t, but we needed a place to hide and some answers.

As we head up the stairs my brother whispers “it’s awfully quiet”. We come to the large wooden doors and we see the secret service shuffling through our dad’s desk, their backs facing us. I turn to my brother and smile at him “Finally some help, the good guys!”. Before Mark could say anything I barged into the room. “We need help! Some people are trying to kill us! Please!”. They swiftly turn their heads and the one closest to us breathes in a low raspy voice one “Kill them”.

My brother took his Glock and shot at the guard, but his aim was never great (even on the toilet), so when he shot the bullet, the guards dodged it and it struck the portrait of George Washington. I launched into the fight and slashed and stabbed at them, but never landing a killing blow. That’s when they took out their M-9’s and aimed for us. I cut into one of their hands while my brother dropped his gun and I suddenly thought “Did he quit, that easily?” But no, he grabbed a guard’s gun and twisted it, re-aiming it towards the armed man’s face. Faster than I could register, the guard whipped his knife towards Mark’s face leaving a bloodied gash. “MARK!” I screamed filled with rage. I kicked the knife, disarming the guard and shooting him. The other guard slipped my mind and they grabbed me to the point it burned.

The guard said “back away, and surrender or she dies” Mark’s eyes are full of terror; he takes out his gun and aims. Shaking I scream “ Just do it, Kill them” at this point, I am crying, I don't want to die. I closed my eyes ready to be shot, hoping he would hit the main artery, killing me quickly. A gunshot rang out. Was I dead? I opened my eyes and saw the guard dead on the ground lying there bleeding out. That’s when I realized the masks on their faces and immediately took one of them off. A gruff man with hazel eyes and black hair stared back at me. On his dying breath, he murmurs “Long live the revolution.” Then his eyes went cold. I turned back to Mark, a confused look on my face. “What’s the revolution?” He shrugged and went to pick up the walkie-talkie that was laying on the ground. He twisted the peg and soon a low monotone voice rang out filling the void empty silence. “Have you found anything? Have you found the kids?” We looked at each other. They were talking about us! Mark turned the peg and in his recreation of the monotone voice, he responded: “Negative boss, we are still looking, over” Mark grabbed my arm and pulled me along. “Let’s go find dad... Bean” I looked at him cross from the nickname. “Let’s go, but don’t ever call me that.” He shrugged “I’m seventeen and you are sixteen… I am clearly in charge here. So let’s go! Walk faster” I rolled my eyes and muttered “whatever fuzzy hair” We set off downstairs. Through the dim French windows, lights fill the room from the corner of my eye, I see a black SUV pull up but don’t stay around to see who comes out.

We rush to a place we know no one can find. Our secret hideout as kids. It leads to all the rooms using the vents. It’s the perfect place to stake out. We go down the ladder and close the trapdoor. And I glanced back at Mark and swallowed “You don’t know this path because I made it…. But it’s safe!” He glared back at me “YOU DID WHAT?!” I rolled my eyes “Brother dear, stop being such a worrywart dad won’t find out” I waved my hand motioning for him to follow me. The walkie-talkie rang out once again. “All men come to the White House interrogation room. It’s time for the presidential execution ” I whipped back to face Mark. “We need to go NOW!” We bolted up the ladder and got to a vent where we heard loud voices. “Time for my idea” I mumbled. I couldn’t mess it up. I looked around the room and I saw dad sitting on a chair bloodied and bruised a gun to his head. I poked my gun through the vent and aimed for the leader’s head. I would have only one shot at this since the other minions weren’t there yet. Taking a deep breath I shot and the bullet hit him in the back of the neck. Clutching his neck tightly he fell heavily onto the floor. Calling Mark over we scrambled out of the vent and into the room. “Dad!” I screamed with joy.

But this wasn’t over yet. For my plan, Mark had gotten the authorities to line up outside of the White House. We had to climb out the window. One of our most dangerous parts was left. We climbed out the window clinging onto the ledge, the cold autumn air wrapping tightly around us. We made our way down when next to me Mark slipped. He was dangling on one hand. He pulled himself up shaking “That was close!” We climbed down and there the authorities were. I collapsed and a familiar presence wrapped around me. “Theo?” I looked up and there was his worried face. With Ice blue eyes and bright blond almost white hair. “I heard what happened, are you ok?” He helped me up and I grinned back at him. “Never better!” He helped me and walked me to the car as the authorities helped my dad and brother.

I felt a sharp pain in my side and touched it only to come back with blood on my fingers. Another sharp pain shot up my side. And I turned to Theo only to see him smiling evilly at me.