I have no idea what to do. I can't leave, and Shelly is... she's dead.
Are they going to kill me too?
The two men in suits are still standing silently in the doorway, completely still. They haven't said a single word since the first man left. That was ten minutes ago.
Five more minutes passed, the only sound filling the room was the incessant ticking of the clock.
The third man walked back in, cigarette still burning, phone in his hand. He scanned the room casually, then fixed his eyes on me.
"Alright, listen, and listen damn well, 'cause I'm only gonna say it once," he said coldly. "We know you took your dead friend's cell phone. We want it. Hand it over, and you get to live. Don't, and I'll personally make sure you die a slow, painful death."
My hands trembled.
"O-okay," I stuttered. "The phone's in my work bag... by the door. Just let me grab it, and I'll give it to you."
He turned to the man nearest the door. "You. Get her bag."
The man obeyed, silently fetching the bag and handing it to the leader.
The leader tossed it at me. "Here. Hurry up."
I fumbled with the zipper, hands shaking, heart pounding. I couldn't just give him Shelly's phone. She probably died trying to keep it from them.
But if I refused, I'd be next.
That's when I had an idea.
Shelly and I had the same phone model. Mine had a cracked screen from dropping it a few days ago, it barely worked, but it would pass at quick glance. I slipped her phone deeper into the bag, then pulled mine out and held it tightly.
I looked up and extended the phone toward him.
"Here," I said. "This is her phone."
He took it with a smirk. "Much obliged, little lady."
He turned the phone over in his hand. "Now, as promised, you get to live. However,... we're going to need a little assurance that this is the real thing."
"What... what do you mean?" I asked, instinctively backing away as he crouched in front of me.
"I mean this."
In one swift motion, he drove a needle into the side of my neck.
"AHH! What—what was that?! You said you'd leave me alone!" I screamed, clutching my neck where he had shoved it in.
"I said I'd let you live," he said, grinning. "Didn't say where."
The world began to blur. My limbs felt heavy. My thoughts slowed.
"No... please..." I mumbled.
"Goodnight," he whispered, almost playfully.
My body crumpled to the ground. Darkness swallowed my vision. My last thought before everything went black was:
Shelly, I'm so sorry.