Probably the beginning of my worst days.
I got into a coughing fit and I had a chunk of blood rest itself in my hands.
“Wonderful..” I said after I cleared my throat and washed the shit off my hands.
There was a knock on the bathroom door.
“Hey Joey, you okay?” Denise asked me.
Watching the blood flow from my nose in the mirror, I hurried to turn the water back on to wash the blood off my face.
“Yeah. I’m alright.”
I didn’t want her to see me like that. Especially that I turned her sink from white to red.
“This is gonna be fun…”
* * *
After the encounter with, whoever they are, I decided I needed to re arm myself.
I went to the store with my bow in my grasp. Not strange at all right? But I figured my life became an adventure slash horror slash survival game. A game where there are no continues. No saved game slots. This was a one time deal.
The very same store I got my clothing from welcomed me back, and I quickly bought new arrows and tips for my arrows – ones meant for hunting large game. Plus I needed a new hatchet. Skipped out on the clothing this time, figured wearing my hoodie and jeans was sufficient.
Scanning the parking lots with my eyes, surveying routes of escape on foot and probable ambush points (I started reading military infantry manuals), I kept my head on a swivel (something also explained in the manual) to keep a look out.
It was a busy day in the small town, no one batted an eye that a young man was walking the streets with a bow. I’m surprised no one thought that was awkward.
I squatted down to go into the oversized shopping bag and retrieved a few arrows to keep in my left hand while I stuffed the rest in my school backpack. Can’t carry a plastic bag while trying to defend yourself – sounds like a recipe for disaster.
While walking past an outside coffee shop, there were patrons just chatting away with their friends and colleagues. Laptops were out. People doing homework or work related tasks. It was kinda a nice day out. Even spotted a chick stuffing her face with the biggest muffin I’ve ever seen.
Obviously wasn’t staring – okay maybe a little.
I drew my hood up to cover a little bit of my face to avoid further recognition, because I was certain I was being watched.
My dad told me to stay home – he’d be pissed if he knew I disobeyed. I already knew I was taking a huge risk by leaving the confines of my home.
But what did it matter? Some asshole was off my property in a fucking sniper suit – aimed down his rifle sights right at me.
So I decided my plan was to stay in a populated public area, most safest option. If anyone wanted to target me, there would be dozens of witnesses.
They wouldn’t have the fucking balls, would they? Or did they just not give two shits?
I briefly stopped near a hardware store, seeing if anything stuck out to me. Or if it appeared I was being followed. I pretended to be distracted by looking through the front window of the shop to spot anyone that seemed out of the ordinary.
Sure enough, there was a guy across the street where I stood at a Chinese restaurant, sitting there with a drink, surrounded by a bunch of people eating.
I got you, bitch.
He also looked like the guy I saw that chased me down the alleys in their black SUV’s. So I stood there to see what he was doing. Maybe I was just paranoid.
Who cuts their forehead frequently?
He was looking over at me often, while sipping his drink. He pulled out his cell phone, and it appeared he was sending a text, while looking over at me.
Now, I had two options. Escape and evade, or fight from a higher vantage point. The problem with the second option is, I’d have to find a way to not be seen while getting to higher ground. Who knows who else is watching me.
I walked down the access road behind the hardware store, and discovered a ladder to access the roof. This might be risky – but at least I’ll have a higher success rate of survival, and if anyone climbed up the ladder, it was a fatal funnel. A choke point.
The other problem was posed – if someone was across the rooftops as well – I’d be in serious trouble.
After deciding the best course of action, I went back down the alley, and stood in front of the hardware store.
The guy wasn’t there anymore.
Am I just being paranoid?
I looked around as quickly as I could, standing there as people walked past me.
I felt my hair stick up on the back of my neck, and I darted as fast as I could. Crossing streets with busy moving cars, dodging them to avoid getting hit.
Who knew cardio was so important?
I dipped into a local park, people were walking their dogs, playing with their kids on the swing sets, joggers taking their paths to get their miles in for the day. I stopped running when I reached the giant center water piece. A set of angels on top of a stone fountain, water spouting from their mouths.
I panned around while I caught my breath.
Am I really seriously being paranoid? Was I being watched or not?
Once I got my breathing under control, I spotted what my suspicions were.
There was three guys, converging on me as I stood at the stone fountain. With no hesitation I grabbed an arrow and notched it quickly, drawing back at the first guy I saw clear enough.
Then they drew their pistols, suppressors on them.
I let the arrow fly, piercing the wind with a whistle as it made contact in the first guys chest. The arrow stuck out of his right side, right below the collar bone. Not a fatal wound, but hopefully to slow him down.
The innocent people around started screaming and snatching up their children to get away from the menace – me.
Hooray! I caused a public scene.
The other two kept coming, and didn’t hesitate with the people around me to open fire. Their suppressed weapons made tiny pit pat sounds as their barrels smoked from the rounds leaving the end. Their bullets struck the fountain as I ducked into the fountain. I grabbed another arrow from my other hand and notched it.
I let another arrow fly as I popped up like a steel target at a range, and the arrow made contact in the man’s right upper thigh. I watched him drop and scream in pain as he scrambled to fire more rounds from his pistol.
I ducked back down as the bullets headed in my direction.
I got back up quickly and tried to find the third. I got out of the fountain and started to haul ass as fast as I could while the third guy came out of no where and fire his suppressed pistol.
Grabbing another arrow from my hand to notch it quickly as he dropped his magazine to reload.
The other guy I hit in the chest was up, to stay in the fight.
Everyone was screaming in panic leaving the park as quickly as they could.
I let the arrow fly at the wounded guy in the chest as it pierced his neck. He wasn’t going anywhere as the blood pooled underneath him.
Running away from the third guy, he kept firing into the crowd, as two innocent people took the rounds instead of me.
Fuck.
I drew another arrow as I slid across the grass since I was soak and wet from the fountain, and notched it quickly as I tried to locate the third.
Now the guy I got in the leg was moving with a hefty limp, but he was still ready to keep fighting. Both his hands on his suppressed pistol, he started firing at me.
Fuck again.
I let the arrow fly and it made contact in his other leg, this time keeping him down – for a bit longer.
The third guy took advantage of the situation and got up close and personal as I turned around with a suppressor at my face.
“I don’t get paid enough to fucking kill kids, but you’re pissing me off. Drop the fucking bow.”
I looked into his eyes.
“Drop. The. Fucking. Bow.” He kept pressing.
I dropped the bow as it landed onto the ground.
I could hear the other guy moan in pain, as he leaned on his side, crawling to grab his pistol.
Someone must have called the police, because the place suddenly was swarmed with officers, guns drawn and fully suited for armed conflict.
“Put your weapon down!” One of them yelled as he aimed down the rifle sights at the guy.
The guy grabbed me and put me a choke hold, putting the barrel of his pistol to my head.
“I’m here for the kid. Get the fuck away from me!” The armed guy yelled at the cops as he walked in circles.
I could feel the blood leaving my brain, his hold was tight.
I grunted to get some blood flow as I turned my head.
“Just fucking shoot me!! Fucking SHOOT ME! Get it over with!” I yelled as loud as I could.
The cops got closer. “Hang on kid.”
“FUCKING SHOOT ME!!!” I yelled. For a moment – I wanted to give up. I wanted it all to end. I was a murderer, a horrible human being. A shitty son. A shitty sibling. A shitty student. My future was death or prison. And I knew that.
“Put the fucking pistol down!”
I can’t give up.
No fucking way.
I felt the blood leaving faster and faster, my legs getting weaker.
I could hear my pulse lowering itself.
I have moments before I black out.
“Fuck you and this kid.”
He let go and shoved me forward, and before I came close to fainting – he fired a round from his pistol as it went through my chest from the back. I fell to the ground gasping for air, as the round passed through my flesh.
The police didn’t hesitate and opened fire on him.
My vision was going blurry as I saw him hit the ground, riddled with more bullets than probably was required. One of the officers turned me over onto my back and applied pressure onto my bleeding wound.
“We need an ambulance, three injured civilians….” My hearing was going away.
I tried to grab his vest, my hands were barely working from almost passing out – I was successful in grabbing at him after a few attempts – and pulled him down, “let me go…. Let me die here…”
“Hang on kid. Helps coming.”
I don’t know if it was a moment of weakness, or the fear of meeting my maker, I needed to speak the truth.
“I…. I…. I killed them.”
“Yeah you did.” He said as he kept pressure on me.
“No… not them…”
“Hang on, don’t talk. Help is coming kid.”
“I killed…. The… Brickwells… all three of them….”
His eyes got wide while holding pressure.
“I killed them…..”
Then the world went to black.
I used to be a good kid.
Used to be.
Story Time 