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Chewing Gum
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| Contest: | Microfiction Challenge 2020 |
| Round: | 1 |
| Genre: | Suspense and/or Thriller |
| Action: | Chewing Gum |
| Word: | Grip |
| Results: | 1st Place |
“We’re gonna kill you, bitch!”
Doris took off running, slinging her recently recovered backpack over her shoulder and leaving the boy who’d taken it moaning in pain on the pavement behind her. The group of bullies had taunted her ever since she left the school grounds. She’d been in detention again, this time for chewing gum in class. The principal said she had an attitude problem, but she suspected it was more of a pigmentation problem. She wasn’t the only one to break a few rules, yet somehow seemed to be the only one suffering the consequences. Now her troubles appeared to have followed her home.
When the boys started following and threatening her, Doris phoned the police. The operator thanked her and said they’d “look into it.” Great. Then one of the boys grabbed her bag and ran. She chased him down and swept his legs, a handy move she’d picked up in Taekwondo class. The boy tried to fight, but she slugged him and retrieved her bag. But the other boys weren’t far behind, enraged by what they’d seen.
Doris reached into her bag as she ran, fishing desperately for her phone while the boys got closer. Finally she gripped it, drawing it from her bag just as she turned a corner.
She never saw the flash of the gun, or the terrified eyes of the officer holding it. She only heard the shot. There was a moment of searing pain, the gushing of blood…then darkness.