text: Abby Moran Geraldo 
   
   
   Chapter 1  
    Yesterday I witnessed the unspeakable. A young child was murdered under the bridge and his body was left to float upon the water. The child was not even six years old. The man got away and I was left just standing there; I was too stunned to move or speak. The man left a knife but he wore gloves so it was of no use for fingerprinting. No one understood how dangerous this act was; I did.     Nobody believed me when I told them that the father would seek revenge for his offspring. Nor did they believe me when I told them he would go insane in time. Of course they didn’t know his father like I did because his father was my brother.Now you’d think I’d be devastated at the murder of my nephew but honestly I didn’t know him all that well. I had only met him as a baby and I hadn’t visited since his birth. Still something inside tugged at my heart hard and that was I’d never know him as a man. What kind of man would he become? Nobody would know now because of a man that is unknown for the time being. I knew I wanted revenge just like his father but at the same time it was almost like peeking into a strangers death and that just isn't how I'd like things to be. I guess it is my own fault for not visiting more but Mike wouldn’t want me at his house anyway. I’d probably be too loud for his wife.     “Mike, I know how you feel but you have to believe me….you don’t need this kind of revenge.”     His pocket knife was outspread and he was tilting it in his palms.     “How would you even know? You have no kids, so you don’t understand.”     It was true I didn’t start a family yet but it doesn’t mean that I didn’t understand enough to know he was hurt.     I didn’t know what to tell him at this point. I already tried to comfort him and he wouldn’t accept it, I tried to calm him but he wouldn’t. All I know about my nephew was that his name was Geraldo and he was not even six yet. I didn’t really know him; I just knew his basic biography. So Mike had some good points but I’m more stubborn than him and I just don’t care if I didn’t know the kid. I know my brother and I’d do anything in my power to help him. He seemed to be alone while I was talking to him but after a while I heard his wife moan from the bedroom. She always has some sort of headache or migraine and I know it’s harsh to say but it gets really annoying. I know sometimes she just says she has one so I’ll leave because I already know I’m a loud mouth and can’t keep quiet to save my life. Her name is Mae. I don’t know why she married my brother because she stays in bed all the time except to make supper and doesn’t really pay much attention to him and his problems. I guess in a way I’m his second wife because I listen to him but I don’t know how he’d feel about me saying that.    “Jim, I don’t know what I’m gonna do without my little boy. He was such a great son and I just know he’d have liked you.”     I just smiled and held him.     “Well I know you were a great father to him.” He sniffled and looked at me.     “How can you tell?” I sighed and held him tighter     “Because a good parent will always sob at the death of their child.”     I felt a hot tear roll down my cheek but I wiped it away before Mike saw. “I know I didn’t know him that long but I want you to know that I’m grieving too. You are never alone.” More tears rolled down but there were too many to wipe away so I just let them fall off my chin and onto Mike. He turned so he could fully hug me and it took us a long time to let go. Tears fell and I heard both of our hearts beating really fast. Deep down both of us knew that Mike needed his revenge and he’d get it sooner or later.     Mae got out of bed moaning “What’s all the ruckus?"     She looked down at us impatiently tapping her foot. “Show some sympathy, Geraldo was murdered.”     I don’t know where I got the courage to say that to her but somehow the words just came out.     “Who’s Geraldo?” she asked still half asleep.   “Your son.”   She is annoying and I could just tell she had a few drinks, especially when I looked down and she was holding a bottle of vodka.     “I don’t have a son named Geraldo!” she took a big gulp and stumbled over to the kitchen counter where she threw up in the sink.     “Are you drunk?” Mike asked. Mae turned and tried to hide the vodka behind her back.     “Oh of course not Mikey. I am just a little woozy.”     Mikey. A sure fire way to tell she’d been drinking. She calls him Michael or Mike and that’s it. That’s just one thing Mike doesn’t get so he just believes her and that really pisses me off about their marriage. She lies and he just thinks she’d never lie to him and believes it.     “Excuse me for I minute Mae, Mike can I talk to you?”    “What is going on?”     “Mae is lying to you; can’t you tell she’s drinking again?”    “My wife wouldn’t lie to me….it’s part of our vows.”    “C’mon Mike, she didn’t even recognize the name of her own son.”    “Well…..”    “And she’s stumbling, throwing up, what more proof do you want?”    “I guess your right Jim but what am I supposed to do? I can’t live alone right now.”    “I’m not sure right now but we’ll think of something I promise.”    Mike got back out to wife and cleaned the sink of her vomit and helped her back into bed. He took the vodka out of her hand and threw it away. I already knew he had a plan and it was in motion. 
   
   
   
   Chapter 2  
    After my visit with Mike I drove home. I live pretty far away from him usually but I’m renting a place so that I’m closer if he needs me. I searched through my pockets for my keys when I stumbled across an index card I hadn’t noticed was in there before. So naturally, I opened it up and read the contents inside.      Dear Jim,   I’m killing Mae tonight. You were right I don’t need to put up with that broad’s lies.  Sincerely, Mike 
      I thought about this for a moment. I could let him kill her and then she’d be gone for good but then of course Mike would be on death row for killing someone on purpose. I couldn’t let that happen so I drove back to Mike’s house just in time to watch the knife stab through Mae’s heart.     “Mike! What are you doing?!” Mike sat on the ground.     “I killed her Jim.” I just stood there in the doorway.     Then I went to Mae’s body and checked for a pulse but I didn’t get a single beat. I couldn’t believe it; he killed Mae. There wasn’t a thing I could do.     Of course I decided to hide Mike from this catastrophe at my real house. It’s out in the forest where no one else goes. There is a pond full of fish to eat and a well for water. It was the only place I could think of for the time being. To be honest, I was more concerned about how insane Mike really was at this point. I mean he just killed his wife so did that mean that I’m next? I pondered at this and did so intently that I almost rammed into a tree. I barely missed it.   “Oh Jim I feel so great! I feel so alive!”     “Mike…just…don’t say that in public.”    For the rest of the ride home we were silent. Once in a while Mike would bring out how it felt to put pressure down on the knife into her body but I didn’t respond to that. I was happy to see my house and my backyard. Pollen had collected on top of my rooftop and I knew the first chore of the day already.     “Mike when we get in there, you need to make yourself scarce in the guestroom, understand?”     He looked at me with wonderment. He was actually happy to have the experience. I don’t know if he was truly insane or if he just liked the thrill. He did as he was told and closed the blinds and turned off the lights. I found it strange; it was like he knew the whole procedure of hiding when I didn’t tell him anything but to stay in the guestroom.     “Oh Jim you never do anything right!”    “Oh Jim you are always too loud!”    “Jim why must you come over so much?”    “If you’re going to come over so much Jim could you at least wear decent clothes?”    The many voices of Mae were going through my head. Now that I think about her…..I still feel like she was a complete jerk to me and Mike. Maybe she deserved to die. I never really saw what she was like as a mother but I had a few images that came to mind. I imagined her hitting Geraldo constantly and yelling at him, but never listening to him and his problems. I could be entirely wrong, I’ve been wrong before but to be honest I’m not entirely convinced that she was all that of a good mother. My thoughts were interrupted by a loud noise coming from the guest bedroom. “Mike are you alright?” No reply. “Mike?” there still was no reply. I went to the guestroom and Mike was no longer in the room. “Great a crazy man is now on the loose.” 
   
   
   
   Chapter 3  
    I couldn’t believe Mike was gone. I sat on his bed right onto yet another index card. I wonder if this was his signature thing to do. I was almost afraid to open it up and read it but at the same time I was afraid of where Mike was going. Maybe if he was on the kill again I could stop him in time. I took a deep breath and opened the index card slowly.      Dear Jim,  Please do not worry. I am fine. I am taking some time to think by my favorite lake. Did you ever notice how lovely it is there? I hope you like riddles, Jimmy. A hard one is on your way.”  Sincerely, Mike 
      What type of riddle did he mean? He knows I’m not that good at them and give up easily so it must be just for fun. I went to the lake and saw a man just sitting silently by the water. “Mike what are you thinking?” He swept his hand across the water making small waves appear. “The lake is quite beautiful don’t you think?” I just saw out of the corner of my eye his pocket knife in his pocket. I didn’t respond to his question and he didn’t ask again. “I love it here at the lake Jim. It is so beautiful but I believe it needs decoration, wouldn’t you think?” I didn’t know what to say. “Mike what is going on?” He smiled and breathed heavily.     “Geraldo was killed at a lake Jimmy.”    “I know.”    “Of course you know. You were there.”    “Mike?”    “You were there to watch the knife stab through his body and you didn’t stop it!”    “It happened way too quickly Mike….I didn’t know what to do.”      He slid his hand through the water again. “Not that it really matters now. Does it Jimmy?”     He was really scaring me now. What was he planning?     “Oh wait now I remember I had said of a riddle to you, did I not?”     I nodded and tried to seem happier but I was truly scared of him right now.     “A man walked into a bar but never went back home. Explain this.”     I didn’t understand what this had to do with anything but I played along. “Did he move away afterwards?” this wasn’t really the best guess but I hadn’t a clue.     “No.”     He seemed distracted in the water but at least he answered me.     “I’ll let you think about it Jimmy. You only clue is that it is a simple answer. If looked upon to intensely you will never know the answer.” Okay. Nice clue Mike. This was irritating and I pondered at it for a week. Mike did his same routine every day which was to go to the lake for three hours just looking at the lake.     “I give up. I really don’t know the answer.”     He grinned but said nothing.     “Mike…..you are really worrying me. Why don’t you come back to the house… watch some TV and just relax?”     He just wasn’t talking to me. “Well if you change your mind that is exactly what I’ll be doing.”     I’d never really take Mike as the nature guy but I have to admit he’s pretty calm there……a little scary but at least calm. I haven’t any clue why he gave a difficult riddle that is supposedly simple. I heard a sigh as I walked towards home and glanced only to see Mike had decided to join me.     “Thanks for changing your mind.” All he did in reply was grunt.     In other news, the investigation of Mae Bunsen’s mysterious murder is still under full operation. As of today, these few facts about the case can be revealed. Her son Geraldo was murdered a day before. There was a bottle of vodka in the trash and neighbors are referring her to as an alcoholic wife with no sense of direction and no purpose in life. More details will be broadcasted later in the case.  
      Mike’s eyes were glued to my television set. I couldn’t watch this anymore. I grunted and pretended to be quite sore.     “Mike, be a pal and get me some water…my feet are just killing me tonight.” He nodded and headed for the kitchen.     I turned the channel to an antique roadshow and waited for Mike to return.     “What happened to the news?” Mike asked and eyed me.     “Well look at you! You can talk after all! The news went off for the night.”    “Oh. So I guess this is good night then.” He slowly walked to the guestroom     “Mike you aren’t acting right. I’m really worried about you.” He shook his head and looked at me.   “I haven’t slept. I haven’t eaten much. Those things change a man.” That was all he said before he left and I heard the creaking of him getting into bed. 
   
   
   
   Chapter 4  
    I woke up and rolled over to my other side.     “Oh my… what the…..Mike! What are you doing in my bed?!” Mike grunted realizing I was waking him up.     “What am I doing in your bed? You’re in mine Jim.”     I started to protest but looked around the room to realize I really was in his. What happened last night? What got into me?     “Oh sorry Mike, when did I come in last night?” Mike rubbed his eyes again and again.     “Last night? Oh not to late….just around midnight!”     I felt bad. I let Mike sleep (he was going to anyway) and I got up to start making breakfast.     The crust from my eyes was stinging and I thought for just a second I might still be dreaming. Then I smelt something in the kitchen, not the normal rotten fish smell. I’d never smelt anything like it, it was the worst smell I’ve ever smelt. I am not a dog but in spite of my dignity I started smelling around for it. The lay down freezer (which I don’t use ever since I got the refrigerator) is where the awful stench was coming from.    But what could possibly be in there? It’s nothing I would know about, considering that would be rotten food and booze. I patted the freezer and something moved inside it. I sighed in relief, a little critter just got caught inside and it must’ve had to do its business or something. So I went to get my cage so I could catch it and free it. I grabbed it from the living room and went back to the freezer. “It’s probably small Jim so just do it.” I told myself. Carefully I started to lift up the lid but before I could peek inside Mike jumped out of bed and stopped me.     “Don’t go in there again.” He said to me sternly as he shut the lid hard.     I stood there for a moment in shock, then slowly back away and made some eggs.     Mike was heaving hard from all the commotion of the morning. He eventually caught his breath and sat down at the kitchen table to eat breakfast with me. I cleared my throat hoping to get a clue to why I couldn’t go in there.    “So what’s in it Mike?”    “It isn’t something to be concerned about.”    “Well it sure has quite the smell.”    “Just let it go Jim.”    “How are your eggs?”    “Fine.”    That was the end of our morning chat. I cleaned our plates and went to bed, as soon as I woke up Mike had already left for the lake. Good god I didn’t understand that man. This whole killing his wife thing has really changed him. He’s a new man, but not the man anyone would like to see. Even I can see he is much stranger than his usual self.     I still don’t understand the stench, the riddles, and the reason for blaming me so much for Geraldo’s death. I mean no I didn’t stop it but I didn’t kill him either. I don’t think, given these circumstances, I could even try to sleep with Mike still in the house, at least not well. I went to Mike’s room and picked up his notecard he leaves me.     Dear Jim,  I thank you for the hospitality but I have some unfinished business. No today I am not at my usual lake. Don’t try to follow me; I need to be alone for a little while. I’ll be back later at night. Please be patient and don’t wait up.  Sincerely   Mike 
      Well this is confusing. What was his “unfinished business” anyway? I was hoping it wasn’t another one of his famous murders that I was going to be involved in for shielding him. Oh boy, should I follow him? I figured I should anyway.     So I went into my shed to get my 9 millimeter pistol just in case. I always keep it in my wooden box I created as a kid. It’s way too big for just my 9 millimeter but it works and nobody will think that’s what it’s for. As I was daydreaming of that day making the box, I opened it to find there was no gun in my box. Mike had taken my gun with him. So against my bad gut feelings I decided to try and follow Mike without any weapon or source of protection. I revved up the engine of my car and drove off following some foot tracks Mike had made in the mud.     When the footprints stopped short I was right behind Mike in an alley closest to a parking garage. I saw my gun in his hand pointed at some man in a hoodie I didn’t know.     “I know you did it.” Mike had a stern voice but I could tell his hands had a slight shake to them holding the gun pointed at someone, finger on the trigger.     “Look man, I didn’t do anything!”     The man had his hands up and was not hiding the fact that he was terrified. His whole body was shaking and he couldn’t stop screaming everything he asked or said.     “I know you did. That day by the lake? You killed my son.”     The man pleaded and begged for Mike not to shoot, he swore he didn’t kill anybody. “You have the wrong guy!”     I couldn’t watch this any longer, I had to stop him before he shot an innocent man.     “Stop Mike!”    Mike turned with an angry look in his eyes.    “Jim go home. This doesn’t concern you.”    “I miss him too Mike, and your my brother this does concern me.”    I put my arms in the air to show innocence and slowly walked closer to him.    “He didn’t deserve to die Jim!”    “I know Mike, I know. We don’t even know if this guy did it or not. You might make a huge mistake.”    He was silent so I continued    “Just give me the gun Mike.”    “No!”    He stepped away from me.     “You don’t understand Jim! I have to do this for Geraldo!”    “Mike this man is innocent.”    Mike started heavily breathing, he was running out of breath. He started to sink to the ground letting go of the gun as he did so. His other hand clutched his heart and I raced to him. “Mike!” he didn’t reply he just looked at him and gasped for air. “Mike!” His eyes started to shut and I called the ambulance for help. I knew this would blow his cover for hiding from the murder but I couldn’t let him die out here either.  
   
   
   
   Chapter 5  
   
  Mike was fine but in a coma. He was admitted into the hospital as soon as he got there. I have been to the hospital everyday now and keep him up to date on the Mae Bunsen case. I told him the answer to his riddle was the man was dead and read to him old stories our father read to us as kids. They say people can hear others around them when they are in a coma so I pretended as if he were still awake. I talked about sport scores I saw, old memories and just about anything. I even bought him a get well card and as a present framed a picture of Geraldo for his hospital room.  
   
  I kept talking to him and giving him cards (since nobody else knew he was here). Then I started to remember about the lay down freezer stench.  I told Mike more stories and told him I had to leave early. Now with Mike in a coma at the hospital, he obviously could not stop me from opening it. I wondered what it could be all the way home. A bomb? Maybe some fireworks? An animal? To really be honest with this new Mike it could be just about anything. I got home and went straight for my crowbar to open it up. Why I thought of a crowbar? To be quite honest something inside me thought a crowbar can be used to open things or knock things out. I ended not having to use it as Mike just left it thinking I’d never go try to open it again.  
   
  I took a deep breath while I opened it. I closed my eyes so I wouldn’t look until it was completely open. As I opened it more and more, the stench  became more and more prominent. I opened one eye after another to find the rotting corpse of Mae Bunsen. What moved when I touched it were a swarm of maggots attacking at every piece of flesh, bone, and muscle. I couldn’t breath for a long time. I picked up my cell phone, It was Mike’s doctor, Dr. Huntington. “Jim you might want to come back to the hospital, your brother is starting to wake up. He’s at a stable stage where we think you can come and visit him.” I just listened. “Jim?” I forgot to answer. “I’m sorry for the pause, I’ll be down there as soon as I can. Thank you for calling.” I blinked my eyes realizing I just told a doctor I would go back to the hospital again. Setting my cell phone securely in my pocket, I rode back to the hospital.  
  Mike was blinking viciously trying to wake up more and his voice was weary but he held up a conversation very well. I understood what he was saying and he understood what I was saying. 
   
  “Little Drummer Boy was my favorite.” 
   
  I asked him what he meant 
   
  “You read to me Little Drummer Boy from when we were kids. It was my favorite.” 
   
  “Mike you could hear me?” 
   
  “Yes. You told me about the Mae Bunsen case, how they still haven’t gotten the killer.” 
   
  “Yea bud, they haven’t.” 
   
  “I hope they catch him.” 
   
  “What?” 
   
  “Whoever killed my wife. I hope they catch him.” 
   
  I looked around the room and shut his hospital door.  
   
  “Mike do you know who killed your wife?” 
   
  “Of course not Jim.” 
   
  “Mike……you killed Mae.” 
   
      He ran his fingers through his hair. “Me?” His voice was the old Mike I knew. “Yeah Mike…you killed her.” He shook his head sobbing terribly. “I can’t believe it Jim. Mae is gone and-and I killed her…….Where is Geraldo?” I couldn’t stand to see him like this but I had to tell him since he obviously hadn’t a clue. “Geraldo was murdered, Mike.”  Mike shook his head more and sobbed heavily. “My whole family….dead. Except for you. Oh god Jim what am I going to do?” I shook my head. “I really don’t know. It seems your mind didn’t want to remember so when you woke up you just didn’t.” Mike gulped and I started pacing trying to figure out what else could be done.  
   
     “Jim, if its true….what you say about me, I don’t want to run from the police.” I noticed he was still sobbing while he talked. “No Mike, you can’t do that. I mean I know it’s the right thing to do and all but you’ll be put on death row for sure. “Yes I will. But I’ll die knowing I turned myself in. I’ll die knowing I did what was right. I’ll die with honor. That’s all I want.” He was sniffing but wasn’t crying as hard as before. Maybe he didn’t want me to hide him in the first place….maybe he wanted to turn himself in and not hide. I admitted to myself it was kind of cowardly for him to hide anyway.  
   
     “Jim I know they’ll put me to death. But you must know that I loved you as my brother. You’ve always been there for me and I will never forget that.  I heard the doctors say that since I’m awake, any day now the police will come to arrest me. When that happens, I want you to have all of my things and keep them close to you. There should be a video tape and a cassette. Please listen to both of them, they have my voice on them for you to replay while you’re missing me.” I plain out sobbed because I knew this had to be the end for Mike. “Oh Mike don’t do it man! I love you too as my brother and all. I don’t know if I can live without you.” We sobbed together for a while until a doctor came in  
   
     “Just checking in, I saw a door closed….is everything all right in here?” We nodded and he went to get us a box of tissues. When he came back he sat on the other side of Mike. “Folks I have some bad news. They found out that you murdered your wife…the police say they are on the way to explain to you what is going to happen and get your side of the story. They said they should be here any moment. So just try to stay calm as they ask you some standard questions.” Mike nodded and I watched the doctor walk away. 
   
    “So you are really going to turn yourself in Mike?” He nodded again as a hot tear rolled down his cheek. “Yes it’s not like I have another choice anyway but yes it is something I have to do for Mae.” I gave him a hug and tried to calm him down more before the police arrived. It didn’t take long before the nurse hung up her phone and came in to tell us the police had just entered the building. I bit my fingernails and made sure one final time that Mike was going to go through with this. He said yes confidently this time which made me feel a little bit more comfortable.  I heard elevator doors open and shut and then loud stomping footsteps coming closer to the door. They bellowed at the doctor in strict voices as they asked for the room number of Mike Bunsen.  I saw the doctor point at our door and the policeman look at us and whipped his sunglasses off his face. 
   
  I thought to myself “What did I get myself into?”  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Chapter 6  
    I started biting my nails again as I watched the policeman slowly walk into the room. The one with sunglasses had a giant stomach which he puffed out neatly as he stood. The other which I assume was his partner was very slender with not a single facial hair on his little face. His arms and hands were very tiny and as he jotted down some notes I wondered if they would one day fall off from being so tiny. I tried to ask what kind of notes he was taking but he told me it wasn’t for my concern. The bigger policeman spoke in a voice, stern but not in any way violent or harsh.     “Sir under the word of the law, you have killed another person. By such as you are in a hospital condition, after you are released you are to be arrested immediately. You will have a court date on June 25th of this year. An officer will always be at your door to guard. You cannot have any visitors for while you are healing. Do you understand? Nobody goes into this room except for nurses and doctors.”     Mike nodded. “Who are you?” he turned his gaze on me and I said while stuttering that I was his brother Jim and asked if I was an exception for being family.     He sighed and rubbed his rubbed his forehead. “Jim he is considered a murder in the hands of the law. I’m not supposed to do this but you can stay for this particular meeting. But I can’t let you visit him.”       I understood he couldn’t have the same rights as other patients being a criminal so I just nodded and let the meeting proceed. The policeman asked Mike his side of the story and Mike explained that he just found out but he wasn’t going to protest that he didn’t do it. Shocked at his answer, the policeman stared at him eyes wide.     “Are you making a confession?”    “Yes.”    “Very courageous and honest of you, most criminals don’t confess right away.”    “Well if I’m going to die, I might as well die an honest man.”  The policeman got up and whispered something to his partner.    “This is my partner officer Chaney. He will be guarding for tonight. Your lawyer is going to stop by tomorrow to talk to you more about the trial. Jim please come this way with me, the meeting is over so you must be escorted out.”    “I just have one request, I would like to say good bye to Mike.”     “Alright but make it quick.”    I reached over and hugged Mike whispering in his ear. “If you’re up for one more chance at being free, join me and my plan. You ask to go to the bathroom and escape through the window. I overheard they are taking the catheter out tomorrow. I’ll be outside with my car, escape and jump in.”     I let go and said “Good bye Mike.” With a wink    “Good Bye Jimmy.”    Did I think he would go through with my plan? Probably not, But I wanted to give him an escape plan now that he was better. The policeman escorted me right out to my car and I thanked him for letting me stay for the meeting.    “Look, I know what it’s like….I got a brother too. If you want to check up on him here is my card. Just give me a call and I’ll let you know how he’s doing.”     “Thanks. I’d probably have to, so I don’t have to worry myself to death.”  It was a joke but he didn’t laugh and I stood there laughing at my own joke awkwardly. “Anyway thank you.” He grunted at me and I shook my head and got into my car.     I wasn’t leaving I was going to stay until that policeman left so I could pull up to where the window was. He left quick so I was able to just drive up quickly. I fell asleep in my car waiting for the sun to rise of morning.     I dreamt Mike decided to join me and we never were found. He was his old self that wasn’t creepy or scary. In fact, we had a thanksgiving dinner with family like the ones we had a long time ago. I woke up because I heard a window open and a man quickly climb out of it. It was Mike. 
   
   
   
   Chapter 7 (What happened after Jim left in Mike's POV)  
    The head nurse Trudy came in telling me it was time to take the catheter out. She had a cheery expression and the ponytail in her hair was bouncing as she moved around the room. I felt like someone who was a normal patient and not a criminal. To be honest, a criminal in a hospital isn’t that great because you aren’t in jail yet but you have so many restrictions you might as well be. Officer Chaney was right outside my door and he didn’t let the nurse come in without proof she was head nurse. He sure was stern but I guess that’s his job.    “Alright.”    “This might hurt a little.”She said as she took it out little by little. Her tiny hands in rubber gloves tugged and pulled.    “Oh god!”    I panicked I mean that isn’t what you want your nurse to say. “What do you mean Oh god?!”    “You’re just bleeding….no need to panic sir.”    I rubbed my forehead feeling lightheaded at this point. Several doctors were called in.    “I’m sorry doctor, I just have been under a lot of pressure today and I wasn’t completely concentrating on this.” She tried to explain to the first doctor.     “Well Mr. Bunsen I am very sorry for your predicament. I’m going to help you out here, catheters are my specialty.” I sighed a sign of relief as he carefully took it out and stopped the bleeding somehow. I thanked him and the doctors left but Chaney was still outside. He didn’t seem like the friendly type but I tried to strike a conversation with him anyway.    “So Chaney, you got a family?”    “Why?! You want to kill my wife?”    “No, I was just wondering.”    “Well, just keep your wondering to yourself.”     “Okay…….nice day we are having.”    He didn’t respond.    “No rain, no cloud, just good ole sunshine.”    Still no reply from Chaney    “What does a fella’ have to do to go to the bathroom around here Chaney boy?”    “Sir you will refer to me as Officer Chaney and I will have to escort you down to the first level bathroom.”    “Well could you hurry up Officer? I need to be escorted there now.”    He called for a nurse to help me outta bed and said he could handle me from there on. We went in the elevator silently and all the way down none of us spoke a word. He escorted me to the bathroom and guarded outside the door, probably not realizing the window was in that room and someone could easily escape. I locked my door and found the little window Jim talked about. I looked out to see if he was out there and I saw his car and him sleeping in it.   I chuckled at how easy this was and tried to open the window. It was locked shut tight.    “Damn boy, hurry up. Can’t sleep in there you know.”    “Oh I’ll just be a moment.”    I tried to unlock the window but it was shut tight, apparently no one had any desire to escape through here or no employees wanted them to at least. With all my strength I pulled up on the lock which eventually became unlocked and I managed to open the window. I saw that the window was so closed to the ground and I should’ve realized this since it’s on the first floor but I didn’t think it over that much.     Just as I was embarking on escaping my ole pal Chaney figured it all out and knocked down the door with his foot and he got to watch me go out the window and drive quickly away. But I did get to hear him exclaim, as we drove out of sight “Shit! I lost another one!” I knew this was wrong but I was afraid to die and I was afraid of what my lawyer would think of me or anyone for that matter. So I hid and ran away from my worries and Jim helped me.  
   
   
   
   Chapter 8 (back to Jim's POV)  
   
  Shocked cannot even begin to discuss what I feel right now. I just stepped on the gas as soon as he came in my car. His hospital robe was still on but I had other clothes at the house anyway for him.  
   
  “Mike I’m really glad you decided to get out.” 
   
  He smiled “I am too Jim, I really am.” 
   
  “Look they know where I live so we’ll have to pack up real quick, get new looks, and move out.” 
   
  “Where would we go?” 
   
  “Well I started looking at some condo’s in Las Vegas…..I put a down payment on one actually.” 
   
  “A condo Jim? Isn’t that a bit risky?” 
   
  “Well, it could be but we won’t look like ourselves though. It should be safe and if not we’ll move again.” 
   
  “I don’t know Jim…….it sounds too out in the open to me.” 
   
  “Well just wait until we get there. I promise we’ll be fine and have a great time in our new place.” 
   
  “Condo. Our new condo Jim.” 
   
  He obviously didn’t like my condo idea but it didn’t really matter. Plus I had already paid for it so what else could I do? The rest of the ride home was silent except for the 80’s music playing on the radio.  When I got to my house, everything was clear so we quickly packed up our stuff in the car and headed out.  We each had two weeks’ worth of clothes before we would have to wash clothes which, in context, is not really that bad but we needed to blend in with Las Vegas. I figured we would sell our clothes and use the money to buy new clothes.  
   
  While I talked to Mike about my brilliant plan, Mike started to change his appearance.  He used some tanning lotion his wife had, and put it all over his self. I had to admit; he could definitely attract a mate being tan more than he could when he was pale. I had personally exchanged my contacts for my old glasses and didn’t shave my face stubble, in hopes it would shield my identity. Mike didn’t have a problem with vision and I didn’t have clear lenses for glasses so he just stayed tan. When we got to Las Vegas we would dye our hair. He’d be blonde and I’d be red. 
   
  On the way up to Las Vegas a man stopped us looking for a restaurant he could go to with his family. We pointed out The Nest and he thanked us. Mike suddenly looked at me. 
   
  “Can we go too? I’m starting to get hungry myself.” 
   
  “I am too but we aren’t far enough away from home. When we get to the Condo I’ll make you something.” 
   
  “C’mon Jim. I’m starving!” 
   
  “Fine. But we can only get something to go.” 
   
  I pulled into The Nest and it turns out they don’t serve to go. Of course, new rules ! Mike gave me a sad look and I gave in. We picked a booth by the window so we could keep an eye out for the police. I wanted to just go home honestly; Get our hair done and be completely unexposed to people but of course Mike and his hunger are going to get in the way of that. 
   
  We just ordered a large pizza and two sodas. The waitress warned us it takes a little while for pizza to be made since the place is jam packed. Mike said it was okay but I guess we think a little differently. I squirmed in my seat and bit my nails until they were tiny stubs. I looked and saw our waitress coming but she only had our sodas. Of course, the pizza wasn’t finished yet because they needed baking time.  
   
  “Would you like some breadsticks while you wait?” 
   
  “That would be wonderful! Wouldn’t it Jim?” 
  I just grunted slightly 
   
  “Wow your buddy there sure is hungry.” 
   
  “Oh no he’s just nervous.” 
   
  “Oh, why?” 
  I gave Mike a look and he seemed to understand he shouldn’t have said that “Ummm…….fight with his girlfriend Lucy.” 
   
  She nodded like she understood and walked back into the kitchen with a skip in her step. 
   
  “Mike are you crazy?!” 
   
  “Sorry! I forgot! “ 
   
  “Yeah well just don’t forget again. We can’t afford any mistakes like that after all we’ve been through.” 
   
  He nodded and I just stared at the window for a while.  
   
  “This place sucks! You all suck! Go home bums!!” We looked over where a drunken man was slurring away out of the bar area.  
   
  “Security?! You think you can just call security and I’ll be gone? I’ll put them down like a sack of flour!”  
   
  We watched as he threw a chair at someone’s head and the waitress head for the phone. Mike was in a daze. He just watched this man throw chairs and menus about in the air. Shouting and slurring as he did so.  
   
  We heard a siren and saw flashing lights outside the window. Someone called the cops. I shielded my face and, watching me, Mike did the same with his menu.  I started squirming again but this time I banged my knee hard and made a loud noise. The police turned and one came over to ask if I was okay. “Yesssss……off-off-officer.” He looked at me strange but then walked back to the drunk man now throwing things at the police.  
   
  “Mike we have to leave.” 
   
  “But how? We’ll look bad if we leave just now.” 
   
  “I know. We need another escape plan to get out of here.” 
   
  “What about the window?”  
   
   
   
   
   Chapter 9  
   
  The window! Why hadn’t  I thought of this before? I looked around frantically for an unlocking mechanism but I couldn’t see one. I knew what I had to do. 
   
  “Mike, how tired are you?” 
   
  “Not bad I guess. Why?” 
   
  “Here’s the plan. I’m going to break this window with my fist and we have to run as fast as we can out of it and go in the car. The police will be on our trail but I think we can confuse them.” 
   
   
  “Jim I have a better idea. We pay someone to distract the cops. Play it off as a joke of a sort and go to the door.”  
   
  “Would anyone do that?” 
   
  “You’d be surprised Jim. You’d be surprised. Watch and learn.” 
   
  I watched him go over to a guy sitting at the bar with a beer in his hand. He obviously wasn’t drunk because he seemed to hold up the conversation between them. I saw the man nod and Mike handed him some money. He came back to the booth and sighed in satisfaction. 
   
  “Done.” 
   
  I look at him in amazement. “What did you say?” 
   
  “I just said I thought it would be funny if he distracted the cop and that if he did I’d give him a twenty.” 
   
  “And he just said yes?!” 
   
  “Wouldn’t you?” 
   
  “Never mind that, lets just get out of here.” 
   
  “Hold on. We gotta wait for the distraction first.” 
  We kept watching the guy at the bar and finally he acted drunk for us. “Why does this stuff cost money?!” He threw his beer at a guy’s head and missed luckily but he caught the attention of the police sure enough.  
   
  “Now we can go…C’mon Jim!!” 
   
  I was just in awe watching how a mere twenty was spent on getting us away from the police. It was just so cheap. Much cheaper than I figured. 
   
  “C’mon Jim! They are almost done beating him with their clubs!” 
   
  I knew it was wrong but I ran out of there with Mike. I knew it was wrong to leave the guy there all bloody and mangled but I couldn’t be turned in after all we had done now. I had to keep going. So we hopped in the car and just continued down our path to the new condo. I panted as I turned the wheel at each corner.  
   
  “We almost didn’t make it out of there. Phew right?” 
   
  I didn’t want to answer Mike right now. 
   
  “You to admit it was thrilling…” 
   
  “Mike I don’t really want to talk about it right now.” 
   
  “What do you want to talk about then?” 
   
  “Maybe we should just be quiet for the trip up to the condo.” 
   
  “Alright then…….Are you alright Jim?” 
   
  “I’m fine Mike.” 
   
  I don’t know what is going on with me. I’m not thinking before I speak and the words I speak are usually in harsh tones. I could tell by the look on Mike’s face.  I wanted to apologize but I sincerely didn’t want to talk to anyone. I mean that being said in itself is pretty selfish but the other part is I don’t want to have to deal with Mike’s questions. I know he’s just concerned but right now they just seem annoying.  
   
  Mike somehow did understand this insanity inside me ans was silent the whole trip up to the small condo. I guess when I picked it I didn't notice how oddly shaped it was but I was only thinking of a hideaway, not fanciness.It was all white except for the black roof and it was fairly modern looking on the inside.  
   
   
   
   
   Chapter 10 (WARNING takes place at a club please be mature.)  
    We had reached the condo. It was all white except for black shutters. Nothing too special, but at least we had a place to hide out. We went right in and started setting up the place. My nerves calmed down and in spite of my yelling at Mike he agreed to go to the nearby club with me. I figured it was packed enough that we wouldn’t really be found out about and with our disguises we wouldn’t even look like ourselves anyway. I had a buddy of mine send us some silk button up shirts and new jeans.     “Mike are you coming?”    “I’m not sure red really suits me Jim….I think blue brings out my eyes.”    “Who the hell cares? Let’s just get going before there is a long line waiting outside.”    “Fine.”    He continued to button up his shirt and zip up his fly to his pants. “Well how do I look?”    “Mike, you look absolutely fine, now lets get in the car,”    “Alright, Alright…goddamn your pushy.”    “Shut up! I’m just keeping us on time.”    He kept mumbling but hurried along to the car with me.    We finally pulled up the club called Bodacious Bodies. It had brightly colored neon signs, music loud enough to hear inside the car with the windows up, and lots of people. The line wasn’t quite out the door yet but it was long enough anyway. There was a bouncer (which whom I made a special reservation with) with a tight black T-shirt on so his muscles were showing in every place. He just stood there opening and closing the little gate, nobody really tried to mess with him…..at least from my standpoint. He recognized the names I gave him, Joseph and Geraldo, and then we were in for the night, free to party.    “ five dollar cocktails? “  “Two Mimosas.”    She wrote it down on her pad of paper and headed towards the bar area. We decided instead of looking around we would sit at a table and wait for our drinks and listen to the loud pumping music. Mike didn’t look like he was really enjoying himself much but I decided things would get better once he started to dance or actually socialize with other people.     “Here you go and I also want to tell you there are free refills and a free shot for every 5 drinks you buy.”    “Thank You.”    “Excuse me but what is your name?”    “My name is Geraldo and ……”    He was cut off by a beautiful woman in a tight dress who decided to just sit on his lap without asking.    “So what is your name hottie?”    “Geraldo. And yours?”    “Clarissa.”    “Alright then.”    “Do you dance?”    She said as she rubbed her hand across his chest.    “No not really.”    “Then maybe you’d like to….”  She whispered the rest in his ear and Mike understood exactly what was going on. He excused himself to the bathroom and told her to go with him. So I was left alone to drink and wander through the place. I danced a little bit with some girls and I drank….I drank a lot. After 5 mimosa’s and a winning position in a shot contest , I was drunk for when Mike came out. Apparently I am not the kind that gets violent when they are drunk, I just get an attitude of not caring and shouting exactly what I’m thinking.    “So how was it  GERALDO 
   ?”    He just looked at me with an embarrassed and disappointed look.    “C’mon now, don’t leave me hanging!!”    As quick as a flash he jumped out of his seat and grabbed my arm.     “We’re going home right now. Do you understand this?”    I nodded and we went out the door and into the car. I started searching for my car keys in my pocket.    “No. I’m driving your way to drunk now get in the passenger side and buckle up.” 
   
   
   
   Chapter 11  
    Chapter 11    He kept driving with this serious look on his face and was persistent on ignoring me. I threw up three times before we got home, then I passed out. I woke up in my bed and right beside me sitting in a chair was Mike. That disappointed, serious look was still plastered on his face. “Morning Jim.”    “Morning.”    “Do you understand what happened last night?”    “Yes.”    “And I’m assuming I don’t really need to go into details about why I’m upset?”    “Well I mean now that you mention it……”    “Why didn’t you tell me?”    “What do you mean?”    “When I woke up from my comma why didn’t you tell me Geraldo died too?”    “I just….I don’t know…I couldn’t think of a good time.”    “Well now seems like a pretty good time.”    “Geraldo was murdered by someone. We don’t know who. They dropped the case.”    “They DROPPED it?! Since when?”    “Recently…..I’m really sorry Mike.”    He stood quickly and started pacing while murmuring something that sounded like son of a bitch but it was kind of hard to make sense of it. He was biting his nails like I usually end up doing out of the two of us and his pacing started to slow down.     “Were there witnesses?”    “…….”    “WERE THERE WITNESSES?”    “No.”    “Then I guess there isn’t much I can do but investigate myself.”    He grabbed his coat and stormed out. I knew exactly where he was heading; the lake where Geraldo was killed. Luckily I was quick enough to catch up with him and take the passenger seat. At first he told me to get out but I told him I wanted to help him solve this so he couldn’t just nudge off help. It was cold outside and it didn’t help I had the jitters about being back in our hometown where police were looking for us. I shook in my seat and twiddled my thumbs while Mike drove highly concentrated on the gas pedal to get there as fast as he could. I thought I saw a policeman at one point and ducked but it was just a citizen trying to cross the street.     I had never actually seen Mike like this ever. When he was crazy before the coma he was just….well crazy but now I don’t see crazy in his eyes, I see determination. His determination could not be broken under any circumstances, this I could see. We drove for what seemed like hours until we reached the spot that Geraldo was killed; the lake.     “What do you really expect to find here?”    “Evidence.”    “After all this time? Surely you must understand that whatever was left behind is probably long gone.”    “Yes but I think I could at least find something of relevance.”    “Don’t you think we should maybe…I don’t know do some interviewing first?”    “Why do that first when we can find evidence to back them up?”    I just nodded and continued on to the sight to pointlessly look around with Mike. We were careful not to speak each other’s names. I walked around aimlessly with him for the ridiculous motives of Mike. Sometimes I just didn’t know about him.     I watched also as Mike looked around with him arms in his pockets and an expressionless face. He nodded a couple times for reasons I had no notion of. He would squat like he’d seen on those television crime shows. What those television shows don’t show would happen next though. He thought really hard after not seeing any evidence and then motioned me to the car to talk in private. I couldn’t believe this was actually going to happen and to be honestly I wasn’t entirely sure that this wouldn’t put us more in trouble with the law than we already were and that in itself would be quite the trick considering we are wanted already for a list that stretches a mile long.  
   
   
   
   Chapter 12  
    Mike had decided we needed to look at Geraldo’s deceased body and take pictures of his death wounds. Personally, I figured the police would find us at a public place like a morgue that had security. I guess though Mike had thought of all the explanations. He wanted to kidnap someone to do that for us. You’d think a man ALREADY fleeing from the police wouldn’t want to anything else to piss them off more. I guess Mike isn’t most criminals.    “It has to be someone who can’t get away from us. Someone who isn’t strong...”  “Mike, you aren’t suggesting a kid; are you?”  “Well no Jim not a kid but maybe just someone weaker.”  “Why go through the trouble?”  “Well I figure that trouble is now attracted to us and if that’s the case we might as well keep a reputation.”  “I don’t even want a reputation! This is your entire fault! If you hadn’t gone and killed May none of this would have happened in the first place!”  Mike sighed in disgust but he even knew that we were in this together no matter what I had to say about it because the truth was it was my fault too for leaving him and then sheltering him. I had to stay with him now.     We just happened upon a weaker man with a camera making a wish into the lake. The lake was primarily used to make peace, oh the irony. He kissed a penny he held in his shaking hands then tossed it. As he did so, I watched as Mike grabbed him and carried him back towards us. We ran until we were behind a bush.     “We don’t want to hurt you.” Yes this is how I start things and then came Mike...  “But if you don’t cooperate we will!”    The man just nodded along frightened as we told him we needed him to go into the morgue and say that he was “paying his respects to his little neighbor Geraldo”. Then ask the officials to leave so he could say good bye in peace and take photographs of everything he could find on the body. It seemed like something straight forward, but we had to explain it many times to this poor old man. He agreed upon the terms (usually people do when it’s life or death situations) and walked over to the nearby morgue where little Geraldo lay. He walked up to the tall gates and told his name.    “I’m Michael Bridgestone.”    “State your business”    “I was the neighbor of Geraldo Bunsen and I’ve come to pay my respects.”    “That day to pay respects was a long time ago now. Good Day.”    “Please wait! I just have to……I was…..I was chronically ill for those days please let me in.”    There was a pause, a sigh and then clicking of locks unlocking the door. We watched as he stepped closer in where, just as we suspected, an escort was waiting for him. He seemed brawny and tough; he was at least six feet tall. Then we watched as they slowly drifted into the darkness of the morgue itself. The door shut and shortly after the gate shut tightly. Now we had to wait.    
   
   
   
   Chapter 13 (Michael Bridgestone's POV)  
     
   Why does the bad luck always fall to me? I mean here I am just trying to get my good luck wish in when I’m being told to do something for someone I don’t even know pertaining to the morgue. What business has HE? And you know I could’ve probably not done this. I probably could’ve walked over there and told them I was being threatened. They’re guards they could’ve helped me right? But no, me, being my foolish self-had to get involved.  As I stood there shaking and watching the rattling gate open I just told myself this was never a good idea.  The guard told me that I could enter if I was escorted by none other than himself. He’d have his partner on duty outside to keep watch.  
   Inside the morgue was a pretty simple design. The room was divided in half. On the left side was an operations table and some tools which assumedly is where autopsies would be conducted I hoped.  On the right were shelves upon shelves of different draws-the draws of the dead folk being preserved. It was freezing and smelt like rotting fish with some twists.  I gulped as the guard shoved me closer to the shelves where this “Geraldo” was.   
   My legs were shaking vigorously along with my old withering hands. The guard took from his belt the large key ring which held millions of keys and one by one went through them. I watched intensely as he grabbed key 452 and put it in the slot of draw 452 and open the draw which contained a small little boy. Was this Geraldo? A little boy? What could he have possibly died from? I thought this to myself but didn’t mutter any of it to the guards. “Might I pay my respects in private? I’d like to say a blessing and a few words.” I tried to say without trembling.    
     
   He left. I held in my tears. 
   “Oh bless you boy, you sweet innocent soul. What devilish fiend has taken you? Bless your father, your mother, your family, your beautiful sweet innocent soul.” I whispered delicately as I stared at his pale skin and bloodied neck.  I looked down at my camera that I brought, that soon would what I knew god would consider a sin. Would he though? I have no placement to really know. Either way, I apologized to god for my sinning and took pictures of this tattered boy resting on a steel slab. Never did my fingers burn as much as they did that moment clicking the little button on my Polaroid. 
     
   By this time, If I hadn’t done this, I could’ve already been home eating supper at the dining room table. I could’ve invited my son over with his wife and my grandkids. But instead, I was threatened into taking these ghastly, horrid pictures of a murdered little boy which the purpose was unknown to me. As I’d finished taken the photographs that seemed equally important, I took the boys hands, kissed them once, and placed them on my forehead for several minutes before telling the guard I’d finished my few words to him. 
     
   The guard walked in formally and slowly. Each step he took could be heard as an individual stomp on the floor.  He had a look which longed to show empathy but still remained as an unshaken face he’d been commanded to do. He had his hat at his side and gave me a slight bow out of respect. “Are you here to claim him as well?” he said rather gruffly. “He hasn’t been claimed and you’re the only person to come in here to see him.” I thought this through for a moment but claiming him would mean that I’d have to actually know him or be related in some way or another. I of course was not.  So I shook my head and started to walk towards the exit but the guard grabbed my shoulder and twirled me to face him yet again. “If you had no means of claiming him, then what for I dare ask was your purpose?” I started to sweat robustly as if I were a sprinkler. “I mean no harm I just wanted to give a blessing to the poor boy. It’s so sad what happened to him and I couldn’t bear with myself not to.” 
    “So you don’t know this boy?” 
     
   “Not in the slightest.”  I mean this wasn’t any sort of lie because I really didn’t. 
     
   He murmured to himself a few things which I couldn’t quite make out and then his tight grip loosened and he escorted me out of the building. Something told me he probably wasn’t supposed to do that but it didn’t matter because the issue was dealt with and I was done. I could go home and eat my dinner in peace and never have to deal with this situation again. I was relieved and sweaty but I was done. So I started to look around for those two strange men who gave me this very strange task but, they were nowhere to be found at least from what I could see. I looked all around and finally I found them concealed by a large shrub not too far away from the morgue. 
     
   I gulped and then started to breathe heavily yet again. I started inching closer and closer to the shrub my heart pounding within each step I took.  I finally got to their shrub when a hand grabbed my ankle and pulled me more behind it out of the public’s eye. This was just what my arthritis needed. Sure enough, there sat those two strange men who’d threatened me early all calm and relaxed as they asked for the camera.  My hands shook as I handed them the polaroid and each of them grinned as if this was their Christmas present. They told me I could leave now and without even thinking about the other pictures I took on that camera I raced away. Some things are more important than others, I know this all too well. 
   
   
   
   Chapter 14 (Back to Jim POV) 
     
   Chapter 14 (Back to Jim POV) 
   Well mission accomplished Mike. We got pictures but what are we to do now? I thought to myself as we made our way back to our condo. Mike was silent the entire time as was I. He seemed in deep concentration, not on the road of course though, on the case he put himself in to investigate. What was I thinking? Well…… 
     
   “So when do we eat Mike?” 
     
   “When we get back to our condo Jim” 
   I twiddled my fingers for a bit and tried to speak again. 
     
   “How far are we?” 
     
   “Twenty minutes.” 
     
   “Alright then maybe we should talk about something to make the time pass.” 
     
   “Why don’t you take a look at those photos and tell me what you see? Two birds with one stone.” 
     
   I didn’t really want to look at Geraldo’s body. Now I just felt guilty that I watched him get murdered. It ate away at my heart and my soul.  It kept me from sleeping at night. But I wasn’t going to refuse my brother in this state. So I pulled out the polaroid and pushed the power button at the top.  I had never seen one like it before. The ones I have had the pictures come shooting out at the bottom but this had so much more. This stored the pictures until you wanted them and then it would come shooting out. I could tell this was an expensive little electronic I was holding. 
     
   Scrolling through useless partying photos, I finally got to the Geraldo pictures. The first was of his head and neck region. 
     
   “It looks as if there is a large deep cut in his neck.. probably the cause of death. A slit of the throat.” 
     
   “Anything else like a sign of struggle?” 
     
   “No there are absolutely none. No signs of a struggle or huge fight.” 
     
   “So he either knew them or it was a surprise attack.” 
     
   I told him I was getting sick so he nodded and the polaroid was turned off. I could tell he was trying to be empathetic but really didn’t care at this point. He just wanted to know what happened to his kid. After a long wave of silence we finally reached our condo. I heaved a sigh of relief as we got out of our car and opened the door. 
     
   “Mike there is a message on the answering machine!” 
   I said aloud for he’d already gone up to his room with the pictures. 
   He came down the stairs, each stomp seeming to be harder and louder than the last. He sat on the last step and nodded for me to hit play on the answering machine. My mouth dropped and Mike’s brow furrowed. 
     
   Hello Mike and Jim Bunsen. Oh wait I’m sorry, Joseph and Geraldo. Did I get that right? As you can see I know very well who you two are problem is you two don’t know me. It’s quite unfair in my eyes. So I’ve been following you. Don’t know who I am? C’mon Jim think back to that day at the lake. Did you not tell Mike yet? You know Jim, that you were there and all. Surely you would tell your brother you witnessed his kid die. Well you two look great anyhow with the new look. If you want to see how I look however come to the alley between Fourth street and Third street. You can’t miss it, it was the place the news talked about recently. The place where two men were murdered. Oops I’m sorry that’s going to be the new headline when I’m finished with you two. I’ll see you there if you have the balls to show up. 
     
   There was nothing but silence. I slowly turned to look at Mike who was looking right back at me with a death glare. He was back to the old form. The one before the coma and the one that killed Mae Bunsen. 
   
   
   
   Chapter 15 
     
   “Mike…….” 
     
   “Save it.” 
   He started to make way for the door, grabbing his jacked from the coatrack. I saw something peeking out from his pocket but didn’t pay too much attention to it whatsoever.  Without thinking, I forcefully grabbed his shoulder and tried to pull him backwards. He spun around though with a knife in his hands and pointed it directly at my throat. 
     
   “Mike you can’t go there….he’ll kill you.” 
     
   “I care more that you didn’t tell me you witnessed his murder than that he might kill me. Frankly, if you don’t let me go I will kill you. Understand?” 
   I could tell this was really no joke at all. He was my brother, but if I stood anymore into his way then he would’ve really killed me. I eased my grip and slowly brought my hand to my side. He put the knife into his pocket and left. He didn’t even ask me to go with him….maybe he didn’t want me around right now.  I thought about it for a little bit longer until I figured I should go after him. Whether or not I killed was not the concern. The concern was if Mike was going to get himself killed. 
     
   I don’t know what I have turned into but considering Mike had taken the car I needed to find a new source of transportation and rather quickly if I might add. I looked all outside and the answer was right across the street. Our neighbor’s black mustang was the perfect choice; it was fast and right there. So I walked over and just simply bashed my hand at the window until it shattered so I could unlock it and drive off. The owner decided to leave the keys on the seat. The perfection of the whole situation was a little overwhelming. Not only did this guy keep his keys in his car, but had a baseball bat inside. Maybe he was a baseball player but who really cares? All I understood was how to make the car move and that’s exactly what I did. 
     
   As I drove off, I started to notice little specks coming down from the clouds in the sky.  Nothing huge or anything to worry about but just something you notice. I cleared them off with the windshield wiper and more would appear. Then, they’d come down harder and harder from the sky, making many tapping noises on the windshield and roof.  Harder and harder they fell continuously unto the car as I sped along disregarding any speed limit signs. Then came the dark clouds that held within them bellowing sounds of rage and electricity that stomped on the ground periodically. It was just like in the movies when something bad would happen to the characters and you could tell this by the thunderstorm. Especially in the horror flicks. 
     
   I quickly looked at ever alley I passed until I came upon the darkest one I could find. Standing in the alleyway, was a man in a jacked. Mike. He was alone so the other man had not showed up quite yet so I sat in the car just waiting for something to happen. I waited a few minutes but pretty soon my sanity was tired and I ran out of the car to him. I had both the keys and the baseball bat. My feet were soaked but even so I splashed through the street to get to that alleyway.  It had no puddles. The pavement was not even wet. It was just dark. It was so dark that if one were to walk quietly, he’d be pretty invisible towards anyone else. I could just make out the shape of Mike so I tried to carefully whisper to him in hopes of not scaring him with that knife of his. 
     
   “Mike.” 
     
   “Why are you here?! I left you at home!” 
     
   “I don’t really know to be honest.” 
     
   He just rolled his eyes at me and kept looking straight ahead waiting for this guy. 
     
   “What just touched me?” 
     
   “The baseball bat.” 
     
   I could sense his head was shaking out of pure exhaustion of me. Now he know how I felt when I was first housing him back at my place. For once I could understand him clearly. I heard footsteps in the distance, or so it seemed at least. Then, what was heard were the puddles splashing about in the street and then dead silence except for a third person breathing beside us. 
     
   “You took quite the risk my friends.” 
     
   “You aren’t a friend of mine.” 
   Mike was stern with his voice that it almost made me jump out of my skin. All it made our new company do is grunt and mumble. I head Mike fumble around in his jacket pocket then come up with the knife. 
     
   “Here I have with me no ordinary blade Mikey.  This blade has sinned on many people. One was a little boy and I believe his name was Geraldo. But my, that was some time ago. So I sharpened him up before this evening.” 
     
   Mike chuckled once and I could feel him twirling his blade he’d brought in his hands. “Well my knife has not sinned yet, but you see it is no ordinary blade. It’s the one that is going to kill you.” As soon as he spat out his last sentence he lunged and stabbed the man right below the heart. He only missed because the darkness surrounding him. 
     
   The man plummeted to the ground and it sounded like the lightening I’d encountered early but much more vibrant and loud.  He chuckled himself and whispered “My turn.” and slit Mike’s ankles.  He fell in pain but didn’t wince or anything. Mike stayed down for a short period of time before coming up with his knife and quickly stabbing him in the heart. Just to be sure he was dead I came over with my baseball bat and bashed the man’s head in a few times about the bloodied pavement.  I used my shirt as gauze to stop the bleeding in Mike’s ankles and helped him stand up, then to lean against one of the brick walls on the side of the alley. 
     
   As he was leaning there panting like a dog that had been in the sun with no water, he raised his knife at me and brought it down to about where my elbow starts. He carved an ‘x’ into my flesh. “That’s for watching Geraldo die.” I grimaced in pain as tiny blood speckles dripped down my arm slowly. He waited a bit and carved another one where my elbow ends. “That’s for not helping me with this fight and just standing there coward.” I grunted with pain that came oozing out as blood dripping warm down my arm. 
     
   “Can you walk?” 
     
   “Not per say Jim.” 
     
   “You’ll have to go a hospital.” 
     
   “Yes. I realize this but now I am at peace.” 
     
   “What do you mean?” 
     
   He tried to move a bit but instead realized this action would cause more pain. So he looked up at the sky and turned his head to slightly face me more. 
   “His killer is dead. If I go to jail, then I go to jail. It won’t matter because I have gotten my revenge already. I am now at peace.” He sighed what seemed to be relief but soon turned into a grunt of pain from his sharp wounds. I remember the mustang and carried Mike through the streets into it and raced off to the nearest hospital.  All the way he stared out the window playing like a small kid with the little water droplets on his window.  I didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t say anything at all. I occasionally looked at the marks on my arm but for the most part couldn’t feel them anymore. I was numb. We reached the hospital and I again carried Mike in to get his ankles stitched or whatever they needed to do. They gushed far more than I thought they would, to a point where the two piece of shirt I gave as gauze were completely drenched in blood. You would’ve thought the shirt was red to begin with. I could see Mike slowly shutting his eyes and his breathing becoming slower. They took him in immediately.  I was left to wait in a small claustrophobic waiting lounge for family and friends of patients. They had many magazines and books but I didn’t even pick one up. I just sat staring at my arm and the little carvings Mike had dug in me. The doctor finally came out late at night to where I was.  He had blood on his fingers, but not a whole lot. His face was expressionless as he took off his little blue mask. 
     
   My heart palpitated inside and my hands were clammy. The room seemed to feel extremely cold now and all the hair on my arm stood straight much like a cat’s does when it fights. He inched his way closer and closer; and each time he did so I grew colder and more frightened than before.  
     
   “Are you here for Mike Bunsen?” 
     
   “Yes.” 
     
   “We lost him at one point……” 
   My heart shattered into two and I could feel hot tears swelling up in my eyes. 
     
   “But we revived him and he’s doing fine. He got cut pretty deep in his ankles so we had to stitch it up to stop the bleeding and help it heal all on its own. He’ll feel a little sore for a while so we’re going to keep him here for a bit.” 
   I sobbed those hot, salty tears but for joy. I shook his hands and thanked him many times and asked for the room number which he gave to me but not before he spoke once more. 
     
   “You can visit him but the fact of the matter is that you both are having some trouble with the law…you can’t stay here and he’ll be in jail once he’s better.” I nodded and headed out the door to his room. 
     
   
   
   
   Chapter 16 
     
   The room was pure white with newly polished tiles and clean white walls. There was a whiteboard saying the name of Mike’s nurse and a note of legal standard. 
     
   “We’re in quite a pickle now aren’t we Jim?” 
   I looked over at the bed and saw Mike sitting there in his generic white sheets and pillows half awake. 
     
   I laughed “I think we were in a pickle the first time, this is nothing new by now.” 
   He laughed in response and opened the bedside table draw next to him and pulled out an index card. He cleared his throat. 
   “You need to call this number.” 
   “Mike, I don’t know who this is or what to say-” 
   “It doesn’t matter. You just need to call it….for me. Tell her I’m in jail, and what I’ve done, this person really deserves to know. So please just promise. You need to call this number.” 
     
   I inched my way closer to his bed and reached out for the index card. On it was the phone number I apparently had to call. Who would I be speaking to? How do I tell them?  All these questions flew through my mind like rockets through outer space.  I took my other free hand and hugged Mike for a few seconds, knowing it could be the last. Much later, doctor’s proclaimed he was doing well, and the police would come for him tomorrow. I’ll be honest; I felt a hot tear roll down my cheek in that moment. Just one tear by its lonesome slid down my right cheek. 
   I looked at my feet for a long time hoping this would all be a dream. I knew it couldn’t have been and wouldn’t be so I just thought of all the good times we had. The doctor came out saying he was sorry but he had to do this. Behind him, were two police guards who were so stone faced I couldn’t even see if they had any empathy in them at all, I doubted the y did. One, a man with black hair and sunglasses stepped forward and started to speak. 
    “The case of Mike Bunsen will he held on the 22nd of March, before this three week trial he will be held in a cell not a home of a loved one or friend. The case of accomplice Jim Bunsen will take place on the same date with the same conditions. Jim Bunsen will be the only one able to make one phone call, which will last only up to seven minutes. The two will appear in trial separately and be separated through-out the entire trial. Do you understand these conditions?” 
   “I understand these conditions.” 
   “Good. Until Mike Bunsen is taken away, Jim Bunsen cannot leave this room. A guard will be watching his every move until he may be escorted by that guard.  Everything done and said will be reported back to the station. Is THIS understood?” 
   I just nodded at him. He saluted his partner, one with blonde hair and blue eyes and muscles that could be clearly seen through his shirt. 
   “I need to call someone.” 
   The guard looked around for his partner. His stone-faced expression still plastered on his face. He turned back towards me, head held high. 
   “Make it quick. This will be counted as your one and only phone call. I’ll be counting for the maximum minutes of seven. You may begin as soon as I take down the number to which you are calling.” 
     
   I handed him the index card and he wrote down the number on a pad of paper he was carrying in his jacket pocket. He handed it back to me sternly and reminded me I only had seven minutes. 
     
   I looked once more at the index card with the phone number on it. I decided to use Mike’s phone because maybe it would be a contact of his. It was, but with no name or title. I slowly typed in the numbers and pressed send. It rang five times and then there was an answer. 
     
   “Daddy?” 
     
   
   
   
   Chapter 17 - The end of a journey 
     
   "No, this is Jim Bunsen...I was told to call this number..." 
     
   "Jim? Uncle Jim?" 
     
   That name made my hairs stand up on end, I hadn't been called that since Geraldo... 
     
   "Who is this?" 
     
   "Ava...Ava Mackson. Where's my father?" 
     
   After a long overdue conversation it was found out that Mike had an affair way back when and kept very good care to keep it a secret...even when that affair had created a daughter. He was a caring man so sent money whenever he could and kept in contact with her. I told her about the situation. She was in her late twenties or early thirties I presumed. The affair would have had to have taken place at the very beginning of Mike's pitiful marriage.  
     
   She knew of Geraldo and his wife through the phone calls with Mike, though she never met either one of them. She wanted information. I could tell by the gleam in her eyes that she was not going to stop interrogating until there was enough information to satisfy herself. There was no turning back or running from her. I gave her as much as I could - that is as much as I knew which as of now was not a very long time. I had no history for the boy except for meeting him on a couple of holidays. Then came the questions of her father. 
     
   "How is he?" 
     
   "I think he's a little unstable myself...but I guess he's taking everything the best he can." 
     
   "And Mae?" 
     
   "I don't think she's ever sober enough to know what's going on." 
     
   Ava rolled her eyes. It was clear that many stories about Mae were given to her and made her unfond of the woman. Although, it could have also been because this was the woman her father chose over her mother.  
     
   "Good-for-nothing bitch. She's never there for him. I bet she didn't even get out of bed this morning." 
     
   It was a fair assumption. 
     
   "Listen, I only have so much time. The trial is on March 22nd. Your father would want you to know that." 
     
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
   March 22 - Date of Trial 
     
   I couldn't believe how tight the cuffs were on my underfed wrists. I had no appetite to really eat much after all that had happened with Mike and I. He seemed more at peace than ever. He was smiling and acting like everything was perfectly fine in the world. I took a glance around the room to see a young woman sitting and watching intently. I was hoping that it wasn't her - she shouldn't have to see her father be sentenced like I knew he would be. 
     
   "For the murder of Lewis J. Mackson, how do you plead?" 
     
   "Guilty." 
     
   Mackson... 
     
   Could this have been the man that was supposedly a "father" figure for Ava? Was it a simple coincidence? Just for reassurance I took a glance behind me to see that same young girl with mouth wide open. It was no coincidence. 
     
   In this moment, the lawyer stood up and made his way to the lawyer's desk. Somehow or another, he had convinced them to let Mike say some final words before the sentencing. Mike stood. 
     
   "I would like to respectfully say that the man I've killed, had a right to die and before anyone objects to this, please hear what I have to say. Years ago, I did something that was very wrong - I cheated on my newlywed wife and also became the reason why a woman cheated on her husband. It was wrong, but I made a beautiful child with her..." 
     
   "To the point! Out with it!" the judge voice bellowed 
     
   "The point is the man I wronged was Lewis Mackson and he found out about the affair as well as my life with children. He took it into his own hands to kill my child and attack me, so I killed him. He had a right to die and there are a lot of people who need to know that."  
     
   I glanced behind me again and that young woman was crying. I knew exactly who his statement was for - and it wasn't for his life or to save himself from years of imprisonment. It was a story to them - something without evidence that couldn't be proved and something that definitely could not save him, but it could make his daughter understand why her second father wouldn't come home. That was worth it.  
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
   
   
   Publication Date: March 9th 2022 https://www.bookrix.com/-michelleying