I decided to try one last gamble with an old friend and stepped outside. I was greeted with a red dot on my chest belonging to a Remington M24. I didn't need to see the weapon to know what was trained on me. I had gifted it to him last week after all. Heartbeats passed as I stood there with my arms raised. In my hand I held a sign with words I wished were not true.

"I know where Claire is".

I held a second sign hidden behind the first. Two phone numbers, one on each side. One number would reveal truth held back. The other was a another lie upon lie. I hadn't had time to consider which gambit was better, so I wrote down both and hoped this would buy me time to think. I closed my eyes and hoped the light would be gone when they reopened. Maybe I could continue running if it was. It wasn't, of course. I had to give him a number. One would vilify me even more. One would do the opposite. Was it justice to be forced to choose after what I've already done? I closed my eyes and made the cowards choice, and showed the truth.

I waited. Thinking out the seconds of pain this bought me. He would be taking out his phone. Bring.. bring... Bring.. bring... Then Claire's voice. A few words on an answering machine was all that remained of the truth. I waited for the choice to be made for me.

Bang.

Echo.

Birds scattering from the trees.

Silence.