Inseparable Strangers Read Online Free Page B

business trip to Japan for two weeks, so she opted to be
with him instead. I shouldn’t have been surprised; every time she’s “in love”
she excludes everyone around her, and then as soon as they break up, she’s back
in your face wanting attention. It was kind of relieving. I wasn’t the best
hostess, and after my time with her today there was no way I would’ve been able
to handle her for more than twenty four hours.
    After
hanging up with Victoria, I changed my clothes and drove over to Felts Park for
a relaxing run. It was an hour before dusk so I didn’t have much time to get my
sprints in. The trail was peaceful; that was until I stumbled upon a group of
guys beating on somebody.
    I had been running
on the greenway like I did every evening when I heard a bunch of commotion
about a hundred feet ahead, past a line of maple trees losing their green to
the cool air. The closer I got, the more I could hear male voices cheering
another on to ‘kick him again,’ followed by grunts and a low moan. At first, I
was hesitant to approach them, but my curiosity got the best of me. Taking my
pepper spray out of the wristband, I held it down by my thigh as I treaded to
get a better look.
    My
incognito skills failed. One of the guys that was more of a bystander than a
participant turned my way right as I stepped on a twig. Shit.
    “Shit!
Guys let’s go. Leave him. We’ve been seen,” he said, his voice sounding
panicked. Dusk was already taking over and I struggled to get a good look at
the guys as they took off running the opposite direction.
    Slowly,
I walked over to the man lying on the dirt. His hair was covered with twigs and
leaves, and blood was smeared over his hands. Something about him looked
familiar to me…something about the coat, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. He
was on his stomach with his face turned away from me. Not sure if he was alive
or dead, I nudge him with my foot to see if he made any movements. A breathy
moan followed by air gasping coughs caused a puff of dirt to cloud up around
his face. Now that I know he’s alive, should I leave him or should I try to
help? Why am I even asking myself this? I don’t care if he lives or dies. He’s
just one more freeloader heading to hell.
    A
loud gasp inflated my lungs and a scream nearly followed.I smacked my
hand over my mouth when the grungy man turned his head to face me. It was him.
It was the bearded freak who helped me yesterday… the murderous creep who
invaded my dreams. Without a second thought, I spun around and started to run
down the trail, back to my car, back where it was safe.
    “Help
me. Please.”
    His
plea stopped me dead in my tracks.
    Why
did I stop? This man tried to kill me in my sleep. He hates me because I didn’t
thank him.
    “Please
don’t leave me again,” he grunted. A coughing attack took over him, and he
curled up into a ball as he whimpered in pain.
    “I’m
calling 911,” I told him, pulling my phone out. That was the only logical thing
I could think to do. It would be my good deed for the year. It was my way of
letting him know I appreciated his help.
    His
hand reached out to me. He held his palm out as if to tell me to stop. “Don’t.
Please don’t call anybody,” he choked out followed by another fit of coughs.
    Leaning down with
my hands resting on my knees, I examined his injuries from a safe distance.
With all that hair on his head and face, and his long, brown coat covering most
of his body, it was difficult to see how badly he was hurt. “Look, dude, I
can’t carry you to my car, so if you want to go to the hospital, you’re going
to have to go by ambulance.”
    “I—
I can’t,” he huffed. “I can’t go to the hospital. If you can help me get over
to the park bathrooms, I’ll rest there until the morning.” He rolled over to
his side. His body was still curled in a fetal-like position. He laid there for
a couple of minutes, then with a struggle, pushed himself up into a