Take It & Run

                I’d taken the bus from North side to South side, which took about an hour and a half. I’d left The House around 9, there was a bus stop less than a block down and I was grateful that the bus went to the mall. I knew how to get from Dean’s place to Julius’s, but other than that I didn’t know my way around the North side at all. I could navigate from the mall no problem though. I’d taken the bus there a lot as a kid, and I hadn’t forgotten the route.

                I got off about three blocks from my brother’s house, the house I used to live in. The one that I’d made all the payments on, and kept up the utilities. I’d done everything; and I was the one that had been kicked out.

                I shook my head as I limped up the street to stand across from my old home, staying shadowed by the large spruce trees. The kitchen light was on, as usual, but the only car in the driveway was mine.

I took a deep breath as I looked around. No enemies in sight. This was my chance, I either had to take it or walk away.

I squared up and walked across the street to the alley that ran behind the house. My knee was already protesting, but I ignored it. I’d borrowed the brace Julius had lent me a few nights before, and knew it wouldn’t give. Coming up to the gate, I reached out to the latch seconds before I heard a car coming down the street. I immediately flattened against the fence, thankfully being smart enough to pivot on my left knee, and held my breath.

The car passed and continued down the street to become part of the city noise. I tilted my head up as I panted to regain my stability from the scare.

After a minute of intense listening, I turned back to the gate, reaching cautiously for the latch. It clicked open and I held my breath again as I pushed open the gate.

The backyard was dark and quiet, just like usual. I latched the gate again and limped along the fence to get over to the side of the house where my room used to be. I lightly kicked around in the snow near the fence across from the window until I found the loose boards that lay there. I picked them up one by one and leaned them against the house just under my window. I’d snuck in and out of the house that way a million times before, I was just praying that my knee would permit it one last time.

I got the last board into place with a sigh. I put myself into position and did a couple psych runs before actually hauling myself up onto the boards and tediously making my way up to the window. It was like climbing stairs, but sideways, on a two inch ledge, with no railing.

As I reached the highest board, I braced myself against the house and easily popped out the screen. I dropped it to the ground and picked up the old screwdriver left on the window ledge. I shoved the tool between the frame and the window as I hooked the tips of my fingers on the edging of the other side and pried.

For a few seconds when the window didn’t budge I wondered nervously if someone had locked it. I’d barely finished the thought though as it slid open a few millimeters. I worked the screwdriver from bottom to top, wedging it open until I could get my fingers behind it to pull it all the way back. It slid open smoothly, letting out a waft of warm air. I pulled myself on to the ledge and slowly swung each leg up and over into the house.

My breath caught at the sight of the room. It had been torn apart. There were clothes and papers strewn everywhere. The mattress had been flipped over and the night table was in pieces. It looked like a tornado had gone through my old room.

I started to lose my balance and jumped down off the window sill in a panic to get to my closet. My knee cracked when my feet hit the floor and my ‘jump and run’ became a ‘tuck and roll and try not scream’.

After at least a full minute of my fist in my mouth, I dragged myself over to the closet, one hand carefully cupped around my knee. The panels hadn’t been touched, and relief washed over me. I ripped back the baseboard and dug my fingers under the edge of the panel. I pulled back the corner and immediately saw the glint of my keys. I reached through the gap and yanked them out, releasing the panel as soon as my hand was clear.

I lay on the floor for a few minutes, high from the excitement, listening for movement, and then trying to figure out how I was going to get out as the ache came back to my knee to replace the stabbing pain. There was no way I would make it back out the window without breaking my neck. As I considered it, I realized I’d have to go out front for my car anyway; the path I took to get there probably wouldn’t matter. I sighed and pulled myself to the door with an army crawl, not trusting my knee to stand.

At the door I pressed my ear against it to listen for any indication of someone in the house.

Nothing.

I flipped over and pushed myself back against the wall. Slowly and carefully I used the wall to get myself on my feet. I leaned against the door for another minute before finally turning the handle. I cracked the door and peered through the gap into the hall. It was dark except for the faint light at the end of the hall coming from the kitchen.

I glanced back at the window. I probably should have closed it, but f**k it. They would know I was there anyway. No point in trying to hide it.

I turned my attention back to the door and gradually pushed it all the way open. I limped, heavier than before, a few steps into the hallway, hesitating slightly to walk to the living room.

You’re being a coward.

Shut up. I replied as I stepped forward. I walked to the end of the hall without even realizing, and took in the living room and kitchen. Nothing had really changed; it was messier but the set up was the same.

I glanced into the kitchen, half expecting to see Zac staring back at me with a beer in his hand.

He wasn’t, thank God. No one was there. The house was empty.

With a huge sigh of relief I limped to the front door. About 5 feet away my heart nearly stopped as I heard keys jingle just outside.

“F**k,” I half ran, half dived for the side door that was just down a short hallway from the front one. It lead outside to a path that went between the fence and the garage, and ended in the driveway. I’d barely made it through the door when I heard the front door open. In a surge of panic I sprinted down the path, ignoring the shooting pain through my leg. Pressing the FOB like a maniac as I heard voices raise into shouts behind me, I slid over Zac’s hood and flung open my car door. I jumped inside, fumbling to get the key in the ignition, praying to all that was holy for it to start. I cranked it over for what felt like an infinity before it finally came to life.

                “Thank you God,” I whispered as I threw it in reverse and peeled out of the driveway as someone started to come around the corner of the garage. As I jammed it into 1^st gear I heard gunshots and the crack of bulletproof glass from my rear window.

“F**k!” I ducked down as my tires hunted for grip on the icy road. Two more shots hit my car before finally she started to move. I slid from side to side across the road as I heard more shots fired. At least four bullets hit my car and one came straight through and into the windshield not more than an inch from my right ear.

“Son of a b***h,” I cursed as I drifted left around a corner onto a service road that ran along the main one. I looked in my rear-view mirror as I came up to the intersection connecting the main roads and my heart sank.

Zac’s car came drifting around the corner. “Awe, f**k.” I quickly scanned the main street, “Here we go. Please have traction, baby.” My tires screamed as the car lurched out onto the street, swinging in to a perfect break in traffic. I headed downtown, taking every open spot, and not stopping at any of the lights. I lost and found Zac a couple times before ending up in residential. I weaved the blocks at random before hooking onto a main road heading west out of town. I took some county road detours, making sure I’d lost them, as I headed farther away from the city.

After about half an hour of cruising down gravel roads winding down and lost in thought, my low fuel light came on.

“Oh great,” I muttered as I turned down a road I thought would lead back towards the highway. After about ten minutes I came back across the train tracks and could see light along the road ahead. It turned out to be Beaverlodge and I pulled into the first gas station I saw, which ended up being FasGas. I let my car idle for a few minutes to let the turbo cool down. My car was pretty far from stock, and after running it so hard from letting it sit for two months, I didn’t want to go and wreck it.

As my car idled I looked around the gas docks. There was an old blue pickup with a driver to match two pumps over, and a semi on my other side at the end dock where the canopy didn’t cover the bowsers. I sighed and reached over to the passenger side and grabbed my jacket off the seat. I’d taken a quick inventory of my car when I’d got into the county, and nothing seemed to be out of place. I dug my wallet out of my jacket, and killed the engine as I opened the door. I slowly got out as my knee screamed in protest.

I pumped my gas, favouring my right leg and keeping a constant eye out. I noticed the guy in the semi-truck eyeing my car suspiciously. I turned to my car, taking in the damage. I had bulletproof glass in all the windows, but it only went so far. The back window had four holes through it and had been spider webbed to s**t. The rear driver window had spider webbed about a foot square but hadn’t gone through. Not that it mattered, the window was still toast. I looked down at my quarter panel and my eyes drifted over the trunk. F**k. My car needed some serious body work. No wonder I was getting looks.

On top of the damage, my car needed work anyway. With chrome-red rims and metal-flake red detailing on satin black, it was way too conspicuous. Especially to be hanging around with The Saints. Or anywhere even near Grande Prairie for that matter.

The pump clicked off and I took a 360 sweep as I hung it back up. I needed to get out of here, get somewhere that I could hide my car. There were a few people looking at my car now, including the convenience store cashier.

You should have known better. With your luck he probably already called the cops.

F**k off.

‘Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?’ It sang in response.

I said f**k off.

You aren’t gonna be saying that when you get arrested! Or when you get the bill for your car! The little voice laughed manically as it faded away. I didn’t even want to think about the trouble that being arrested would cause. Some ignorant officer would probably find me strung up in my cell by a bedsheet from an officer on the Dragon’s payroll if I did get hauled in. Not to mention how much fixing and remodelling my car was going to cost. It would be a small fortune. One that I couldn’t begin to even hope at being able to afford.

I shook my head as I climbed back into my car. I fired it up and headed back to the only place I could think to go.

Author's Note

This is old. Not sure if I'll actually use it or just keep it as reference.