Deadly Silence (complete) Chapter 143

“You do delivery, right?” Vivian asked as she stepped up to the counter, heart racing as she waited for an answer. Even with Tyrell at her back, she felt exposed in this well lit business.

“Uh, yeah, we do.”

“Great. I want delivery.”

“…but… you’re here…? Do you mean take out?”

“Miss Vivian, what are you doing?”

Vivian turned to look at Tyrell and said, “I need your phone.”

“What are you planning?” He asked but did as she’d requested, passing her his phone.

“Lock code?”

“… 4-4-9-3-1. But why?”

Not sparing any time to explain anything to him, Vivian turned back to the guy behind the counter. “It’s a holiday and you’re working, so I’m going to make you a deal.” She put five, twenty dollar bills on the counter. “I’m treating you, and whoever else is working, to pizza.”

“…it’s just me and Jim…”

“Perfect. You’re getting a pizza, on me, and whatever change is left is your tip. In exchange, I need your delivery driver to deliver me somewhere.”

“Miss Vivian.”

This time when she turned to Tyrell, she began to answer the questions he’d been asking. “They’re looking for us, right? And you don’t exactly blend in, no offense. You’re like seven feet tall and built like a bear. If you keep running they’ll probably follow you, so I’m going to get someone they wouldn’t think about to bring me somewhere safe.” She then held up his phone. “And I’m going to use your phone to get someone to come pick me up, since mine … is dead.”

“I’m not leaving you behind.”

Vivian turned back around to the guy who was staring at them with his mouth hanging open. “Are… are we gonna be in danger if we help you?” He squeaked.

Instead of answering right away, Vivian put down another hundred in twenties. “Someone just tried to kidnap me,” she explained to the boy. “But my bodyguard,” she jerked her thumb at Tyrell, “managed to get me away. We don’t have a car, and there was a… an accident a couple streets over, the police are too busy with that to bother with this.” That part was almost a lie, but it felt like she didn’t have a choice. She could not have them calling the cops. “Please. I need your help.”

“I’ll do it,” came a new voice, as a tall, gangly boy came out from the back. He couldn’t be much older than Vivian, with large glasses and a buzz cut. With a finger, he pushed up his glasses and gave her a nervous smile. “It’s no different than delivering pizza, right? It’ll be fine.”

“But…”

“Noah, come on. She needs help. And can you really say no to the cash tip?”

The one named Noah sighed. “Alright, fine,” he muttered, taking the cash from the counter.

“Thank you,” Vivian exclaimed, relieved. Turning to Tyrell, she noted the sour look on his face. “I get you aren’t supposed to leave my side, but these are extenuating circumstances. I’m going to call Gilbert once we get going, okay? I promise. I’ll be fine. Just… take anyone who might be looking for us on a wild goose chase.”

“We don’t know if we can trust them,” he began, but she cut him off.

“Do you know where we are?”

He hesitated before answering, “Slice and Dice… a pizza place…”

“I don’t know this place, or them, but Miriam does. Sort of. She orders from here all the time, and they go above and beyond for her, even though they don’t have to. I get not trusting them — more than you know — but I need you to trust *me*. I will take the blame if you get in trouble for doing this, alright? Please?”

They stared at one another for a while before the man finally relented. “Alright… Alright. I’ll… cause a distraction and keep them focused on me while… you get to safety. Miss Vivian… you need to promise me you’ll do everything possible to stay safe.”

Vivian closed her eyes for a second and let out a breath. “Tyrell… I’ve spent most of my life living in fear. Staying safe is my default. Now go.”

He turned to leave, then stopped when he reached the door. Looking over his shoulder, Tyrell gave the two teens running the place a hard look. “If any harm comes to her because of either of you… I will make you live to regret it.”

Rolling her eyes, Vivian turned back to the boys, both of whom looked properly terrified. “He’s actually a big softy,” she tried to assure them. “So long as nothing happens to me… But anyway, we really should get going.”

“Oh, uh, okay,” the gangly one nodded. “I’m Jim, by the way.”

“Vivian,” she replied, following him to the back.

The place was relatively small, so it didn’t take long before they reached the back door. “The car is just… outside, but, uhm, are you alright? You have, uh… some…” Jim pinched the front of his shirt as he spoke.

Looking down, Vivian noted there was blood splatter on her shirt. *When did I get hurt?* She wondered, checking her nose and mouth only to find no trace of blood. *Oh. The nose bleed. Auntie Pat’s nosebleed from my fingers must have…*

Suppressing a shudder, Vivian said, “Could I use your bathroom really quick?”

“Yeah, sure. Just through that door.”

“Great, thank you. I’ll only be a second.”

Once inside, she closed the door and used the small mirror to take stock of her condition. From what she could see, besides looking paler than usual, she was fine. No cuts, or scrapes to speak of, though there might be bruising on her arms from being grabbed. Using the sink, Vivian washed her hands, grimacing at the sight of blood on her fingers. “So gross,” she muttered as she dried herself off and left the bathroom.

As she neared the back door, she caught sight of a coat rack nailed to the wall and pointed to it, “Are any of those yours?”

“Huh?” Jim stammered. “Y-yeah. The grey one…”

“I’m borrowing it,” she told him, taking the jacket off the hook and pulling it on. The hood on the back had caught her attention, and she pulled it up before they stepped outside. “I’ll bring it back,” she assured him as they hurried towards his car, a light coloured sedan that’d seen better days.

“No worries,” he muttered as he got behind the wheel.

Vivian almost got in the back seat, but stopped with her hand on the door handle. Now wasn’t the time for that, she told herself before changing course and getting in the front passenger seat.

“S-so where am… Where are you…. Delivery?”

She rattled off one of the few addresses she’d memorized, and Jim pulled onto the nearly deserted street. In a city of this size, it was surprising to see so little traffic, even on a holiday.

Taking out Tyrell’s phone, Vivian unlocked it and started dialling Gilbert’s number, only to stop before hitting the call button. “Shit,” she said with great emphasis.

“What? What’s wrong?!”

“The number I know is for this phone,” she explained, feeling stupid.

“Uh… well… what about his contacts?”

Vivian switched to the list of contacts, all of whom were *not* labelled like a normal person. It was like Tyrell didn’t want anyone to know what number belonged to who. How the hell did he remember who everyone was supposed to be when the entire list was aliases? “Yeah, he seems to hate people’s names. Shit.”

They were silent for a few seconds before the pizza guy hesitantly said, “…what about his call log? Would he have called this… uh… person you’re trying to reach?”

“Good idea,” she nodded, checking the call log. There weren’t a lot of different numbers in it, which was a relief. All she had to do was narrow it down.

*This one is… Samuel’s, I think. The last four numbers are the same. Who else would he call? Maybe Sebastian, since he’s basically second in command? Who else?* There were three more numbers she didn’t recognize, but only one caught her eye; each of the last four digits were a single number above the one she’d memorized for Tyrell. What were the chances that wasn’t done on purpose?

Vivian hit the call button and waited, holding her breath as it rang.