The Elements were all in place

         He already knew it was too late. The elements were all in place. He had to get out alive, come hell or high water,  yet could he trust his instincts. Every hair on his neck tingled with electricity as time stood still.  He cocked his head to the left to listen to what the wind would tell him. His eyes told him there were hidden surprises in the shadows or was it his imagination running wild? How long had he been standing there debating his next move? Five minutes, 30 seconds,  an hour? Time was up; hesitation was not an option. He closed his eyes for half a second, glanced briefly over his right shoulder, then leaped to his feet to begin the race of his life.

         Darkness was already upon the city when he emerged from the building.  He crept along the sidewalk, keeping  his eyes fixed on the his feet . The last thing he needed  right now was to call attention to himself. His appearance alone would tell his story without him having to open his mouth.  Every five seconds or so, he glanced over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't being followed.  He noticed that his pants were torn and there was blood on his shirt. He ripped his shirt off and turned it inside out. Now the blood looked more like a chocolate stain. While he was changing his shirt, he didn't notice the shiny luxury car slither up behind him.  Without looking, he took off running because he realized the race had just begun.  His thoughts were racing faster than his feet were carrying him; where was he running to and who was he running from? He turned the corner and continued running north away from the center of town.  At least he was heading in the direction of home but was that car still behind him? He was afraid to look over his shoulder because, in truth, he really didn't want to turn around and see it creeping behind him like a medieval serpent .  He slowed down  to a jog and then before he realized it, he was walking at a normal pace.  Up ahead at the corner, sat the car, waiting.  They saw each other at the same time so he bolted up the nearest gangway.  He quickly assessed the area and saw that it went through to the next street which usually was a busy street filled with people all the time. That might deter his friend from following him anymore.  He spilled out of the gangway, crashed into a couple walking a small dog, and promptly fell on his knees, yanking the leash out of the woman's hand.  " Hey, watch where you're going" yelled the man.  " OH, dude, sorry.  he mumbled. The woman sneered at him and picked up the dog.  " You aren't hurt are you, Precious?" she cooed.  "Ma'am, I didn't hurt her, did I? " he asked.  "No, otherwise, YOU would be in big trouble, mister.  Let's go home." she replied.  She grabbed the man's arm, turned on her heel , and pulled him with her.  She had no idea just how much trouble he could possibly be in. He watched them leave, wondering if he was being watched. He picked himself up and started walking toward home.  While he was apologizing to the couple, the car had saw what happened and drove away. There would  be another time to catch their prey. 

           He resented the fact that he was being pushed into situations that he had no control over. Why did he have to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? How many times had his mother warned him over and over again. Why was he so hard headed? Was it in his DNA or was it just plain stupidity? His mother's voice faded away as he discovered he was alone at last. He checked to the left and to the right. Not a single soul; not a single vehicle.  He found a dark entry way to sit down and collect his thoughts.  All he could think about was....Did "they" know I was there  watching every move? Do they know that the faces I saw were forever engraved in my memory? Was that car just a coincidence or am I just crazy?  He realized  he would have to sneak into his house but how was that possible with Sam always patrolling the property.  He would be lucky to make it over the fence without being spotted on the security cameras let alone scamper up the lawn to attempt to soundlessly open the backdoor and slide in undetected.  It was hard to imagine that this day started out rather slow and uneventful.

         As his feet hit the ground, he knew he was only safe for a half a nano second.  He was moving so quickly, it appeared that his feet didn't even touch the ground.  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sam off to his right coming around the corner. It was now or never.  He ran for the door and reached for the knob only to find it stuck.  He started to jiggle it violently. His panick strictened face was frozen in a grimace as he could hear Sam advancing closer.  At the last possible moment, the knob turned ever so silently and he slipped into the house.  The only sound he could hear was his heart beating. He quietly stole up the back staircase and into his room where he flopped on his bed.  After a few relaxing moments, he realized his clothes needed to be changed and just exactly how was he going to dispose of them.  The ripped pants would be easy to explain but the blood. He wasn't even sure whose blood it was.  He didn't feel any pain anywhere. Maybe he should strip down and check out his body. He didn't want any surprises.  Standing in front of the mirror, he saw no marks on him anywhere.  He spun around checking everywhere.  Where did the blood come from, he wondered.  He climbed into the shower and let the hot water wash over him, releasing all the built up tension. He grabbed the shampoo bottle, squeezed a glob into his hand, and put it on his head. A bolt of agonizing pain coursed through his head. He found where the blood was coming from; his fingers felt a gash just above his hairline.  His mind began to regurgitate the events of the evening. Did he actually believe what he saw or was it just some elaborate scheme?  He decided he would go back and poke around for evidence of any sort. He wasn't sure what he would do if he actually found some proof and then again what if there was nothing there.  If that happened, he would walk into the nearest doctor's office, explain that his mind went on vacation without him and he wanted to join it wherever it may be.  At that thought, he chuckled to himself and turned off the water.  He put on silk pajama bottoms, a muscle shirt, and slid under the blankets.  Sleep arrived quickly sending him into a deep slumber  just as the raindrops began to fall.

         JUSTIN, WAKE UP!!!! MOM SAYS TO GET YOUR YOU KNOW WHAT OUT OF BED! Justin opened one eye and squinted at his baby sister who was perched on the foot of his bed.  She keeps her distance since he woke up one morning swinging. She will never make that mistake again. He still feels awful about the whole episode. Of course, his mom understood but his father was another story.  He started to stretch to wake up his muscles  when pain coursed up his left side.  His breath caught in his throat and made a sharp sound.  Amber looked up surprised that such a sound was coming from her big strong brother.  Justin winked at her as he rolled out of bed.  He glanced at the clock on his nightstand and realized he was going to be late if he didn't put it into high gear. He ran into the bathroom while Amber left humming some song he didn't recognize.  He looked in the mirror to double check that there were no visible marks anywhere that his mom  might discover.  Good, nothing but unbroken skin. The pain was bearable; a couple of Advil would keep it from screaming for attention.  He grabbed his book bag and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Hopefully, his father would be long gone and he wouldn't have to make small talk with him. That could be such a chore.

         Breakfast was waiting for him just like always except sitting on the floor next to the washing machine were his clothes from last night.  He thought he had put them under the bed to be disposed of when he returned from school.  He piled the food on his plate trying to act normal because what he really wanted to do was bolt out the house at the speed of light.  He drew in a deep breath when his mother walked in singing an Elvis song. He smiled at his food and caught Amber smirking at him as their mom walked past them, picked up the dirty clothes, and started the washer. She suddenly dropped them as if she was being shocked. Justin froze and Amber looked at her. She sheepishly smiled at them as she pulled her cell phone out of the front pocket of her jeans.  While she was talking, she gathered the clothes and dumped them into the washer. From Justin's view point, he could see the bloody shirt and then it was gone into the washer without a second glance.  Amber picked up her dishes, placed them in the sink, and turned toward Justin.  "Justin, are you picking me up after school today or do I need to take the bus?" she asked.  " No, Sis, you have to take the bus today. I have plans after school, I'm sorry. Maybe tomorrow, ok?"  "Okay, bro. See you at dinner."  She scooped up her backpack and out the door she danced.

         Justin cleared the table since he really wasn't running that late. His mother emerged from the laundry room. His mother frowned at him for doing the  maid's work. He shrugged his shoulders ignoring the pain it caused and smiled at her.  He had to act like last night never happened. He braced himself for the onslaught of questions that his mother was about to bombard him with. All sorts of excuses were flowing in his brain. He only hoped the one he picked would explain things short and sweet. His mother's words broke through the fog that had settled in his head.  "Justin, sweetie, did I hear you have plans after school?"  " Yes, Mom, I do. Is that alright or do you need me home?"  " No, that's fine. Just call me if you are going to be late for dinner, ok?"  "Yes, mom. Thanks. Got to run."  He bent down and kissed her cheek. She smiled and touched her lips with a finger then placed it on his cheek.

         He dug in his pocket for his keys. The only good thing was that he didn't have his car last night; otherwise, he would have been caught for sure.  His car was easy to spot since not every teenager had a BMW  to drive around in.  The color, midnight blue with chrome rims. The car was his father's way of saying he loved him which to Justin was a big freakin'  joke.  They couldn't stand to be in the same room. Over the years, Mom and Amber tried their best to mend their differences but nothing every changed.  Justin slid in behind the steering wheel, put the key in the ignition and turned it. The engine purred to life. Justin couldn't resist racing the engine just a bit. He dropped it into drive and sped down the driveway. Impatiently, he waited for the gates to swing open. As he pulled onto the street, Amber's bus was pulling away. He could see her waving at him from the window. She, of course, couldn't see him through the tinted windows yet she knew it was him because Justin never let anyone drive his car. Not even their mother.  Justin pulled into the parking lot at his usual time. He wondered if his friends who left him last night knew what happened.  He wasn't quite sure how to approach them about it. Bud, he sure was the hot tempered one who was always flying off half cocked and Skip, one never knew if he was sleeping or just pretending to be asleep. It was creepy because on more than one occasion Justin had caught him sleeping with his eyes open but he never told anyone.  Adam, he's chicken little, the sky is falling, don't look at me cross-eyed.  Justin figured he would let them talk while he listened.

         Justin pulled into his parking spot, turned the engine off, grabbed his book bag, and exited his car.  His friends approached him with enough nervous energy to cause a riot.  Justin briefly glanced over their heads so he could get a grip on the smile that was trying to creep onto his face.  He wished he had a camera to capture each of their expressions. This was going to be  an uncomfortable conversation; he hoped he could keep his composure.

"Hey man, wha' up? "  said Bud. 

"Hey, Justin" Adam said.

"Hey guys" Justin replied.

Skip flashed the peace sign and nodded.  Justin looked up at the sky not knowing what he should do next.  Should he open the can of worms that his friends were too chicken to bring up or should he act like nothing happened? That seemed to be the question of the day.  The bell rang.  They all looked at each other, nodded and headed off in different directions.

         Justin slid into his seat next to the quiet girl with the glasses. She barely acknowledged that he was there.  Five minutes till the final bell rang; the rest of the class trickled in while Mr. Novecki  was writing on the blackboard. Justin pulled out his notebook, pen, and gave a heavy sigh.  He really didn't want to be sitting in a tiny desk, pretending to listen to a boring lecture about a subject that he could care less about; biology. He kicked back in his chair and preceded to look like he was ready to learn.  The bell rang; the room became quiet. Mr. Novecki  turned to address the class and started to lecture. Justin tuned out the teacher as memories of the previous night started to invade his mind.

         Justin watched his buddies drive away.  He had to get out of the car with them. He could no longer tolerate the bickering between Bud and Adam. They  reminded him of two old women yet he had to chuckled to himself because it also sounded like him and his sister.  If only he had driven himself, he would be on his way home instead of walking toward home. A loud sound echoed off the silent buildings. It was a sound he easily recognized from his forgotten past; a gunshot.  His head whipped around toward the noise.  He stepped soundlessly toward the building. It appeared to be a restaurant ; a small one.  He stood motionless, letting the wind speak to him.  He peered into the darkened window and saw a light illuminating from the kitchen door.  He walked around to the back and saw that the back door was cracked opened just enough to let some light spill out into the night.  Without thinking, he pushed the door in and slipped in. He glided into the shadows and waited. He didn't want to blindly stumble into the unknown.  Once his eyes adjusted to the dark, he started to walk along the wall, keeping deep in the shadows. Up ahead at the end of the short hallway, he could hear voices, all male arguing. 

         He crept closer toward the door. He wondered why and what were these men doing so late in the evening in a deserted restaurant.  Then again, what was he doing in here -stupidity?!  He crouched next to the doorframe and slowly peered inside.  What he saw was unbelievable. His brain couldn't wrap around what his eyes were looking at......It had to be a joke or something.  In the middle of the circle the men created was a pile of money so huge it was inconceivable.  Off to the side, a man was sitting in a puddle of blood, holding his leg. That would explain the shot he heard.