more of this and some of that...
I know no one is reading this little work of fiction but I've decided to keep posting it anyway.
RAGING BULLS, PRETTY GIRLS, AND MEN WITH GUNS
The next hour was spent in perpetual silence as we trudged through the biting wind and cold to Mr. Hawthorne’s house. Upon further examination of the address on the package we realized that the man in question actually lived halfway across town. This elicited much yelling from Grant and much shrugging from Vance as he doused himself with more vinegar. I held on to the package with my slowly numbing fingers as we walked the empty streets. No one was out probably due to the cold as Grant had mentioned numerous times before and the only thing reminding us that there was life in the city was the soft glow of lamps in the windows, smoke from the chimneys, and the smell of food cooking somewhere. We passed the wire fences of the abandoned warehouses and finally made it to the tree-lined street that was Elm. “According to this Mr. Hawthorne lives at house 932” I said as I tried to keep my cold fingers wrapped around the package. “Finally!” seethed Grant as he pulled his scarf closer around his neck “It’s about time we made it!” he said his words coming out in angry puffs of breath. Vance didn’t say anything, he had been oddly sedate throughout this entire ordeal, I couldn’t really blame him though he was still on antibiotics from his oral surgery the other week and they made him supremely drowsy, I’m sure in the next few days he would be back to his usual self and when I say usual self I mean crazed, sadistic carnivore.
We walked up the street looking at the mailboxes and houses searching for the right number. When we finally came across it we weren’t really impressed. It was a low sitting house with a chain link fence and weeds growing uncontrollably in the yard the paint was peeling off the windows and the drapes in the window looked ragged. Bricks crumbled away from the chimney and the stairs looked as if they could collapse at any moment…all in all it was not a nice looking house. “What a dump” Grant said with a snort, I had to agree. “So let’s get this over with Shaw,” he said looking to me to throw the package over the fence so we could go back and fix lunch. The mailbox was nowhere to be seen in the yard so I decided to go to set it on the porch I hesitantly opened the gate which moaned on it’s hinges as it gently swung open for me. As I made my way up the overgrown walk way I tried to avoid the weeds and brambles as best I could seeing as they were thick in diameter and walking on them would undoubtedly make me trip. “What are you waiting for?” yelled Grant from his place at the gate standing next to Vance who looked as if he were watching paint dry “Hurry it up so we can get out of here!” he screeched. “Would you shut up already? There! Are you happy now? It’s done!” I yelled back at him finally losing my temper but when I whipped around to see the look on his face at being told off I was rewarded with a frightening sight. There standing behind my brothers was a large man in a military coat and large black boots and two guns pointed right into their backs.
All the color had gone out of Grant’s face as a visible trail of sweat formed at his brow Vance’s eyes were shut tight and his shoulders were visibly shaking as he dropped the bottle of vinegar. I’m not sure how I would’ve looked at the time considering it felt like all time had stopped and the only 4 people alive were me, Grant, Vance, and the man with the guns. The unnamed man looked at me, his eyes like coal, and his features heavy and dark he sneered at me as I looked from him to my brother’s faces. “N-now don’t do anything hasty” I said quietly trying to keep my voice steady and try to reason with him but my knees were shaking and all I could do was envision Grant and Vance laying face down on the concrete their faces blank and blood pooling on the ground. “No!” I thought to myself my face growing hot as I stared intently at the man and asked “What do you want with us?” he just laughed as he nodded towards me “The package” he said in a heavy accent I couldn’t distinguish “That is why I am here” I looked down at the box then I glared back at him “What do you want with that?” I asked eyeing him suspiciously as he stared at me under heavy lidded eyes “It is of no consequence to you” he said simply. “It must be somewhat important if you’re willing to kill 2 people over it” I sneered I don’t know where all this courage came from but it was the only thing buying me any time as I tried to think of a way to get us out of here alive. He laughed again as he watched me shift uncomfortably on the broken down porch “You are awful brave to be talking to someone like me that way boy” he spat out “It is true it is important but it is nothing you need to worry over…your friends” he said digging the tips of the guns into their backs for good measure “Are merely bartering chips in case that you don’t hand over package nicely”. “And if I do hand the package over nicely?” I asked eyebrow arched “Then we have no problems” he stated matter-of-factly with a toothy grin. Grant who had been totally silent up until this point managed to gasp out a good ear splitting “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR SHAW? FOR THE BOTH OF US TO GET KILLED? JUST HURRY UP AND GIVE HIM THE DAMN BOX ALREADY!” The man just laughed as he kicked the back of Grant’s leg silencing him and barked out “Yes! Yes! You wouldn’t want them to die now would you Shaw? Hand over the package like a good boy”.
All of this yelling at me to do things was staring to piss me off but I stiffly picked up the package and made my way down the rickety stairs and into the unattended lawn. “STOP!!” yelled a female voice from the inside of the house I was so alarmed that I staggered back and fell backward with the package laying on top of me. The man with the guns lost his grip on my brothers who ran out of dodge and behind a parked car but not before they grabbed me and hauled me with them. We peered around the car to see that the man was now poised to shoot at the front door of the house “Show yourself!” he shouted as he readied himself I don’t think any of us were ready for what happened next. From the front door of the house burst forth a bull the size of a monster truck it shot like a bullet towards the man who hastily got out of it’s way as he spun around towards the house we saw a pretty young girl with a large gun wearing a military uniform and hat come running deftly down the worn out stairs and come charging at him full speed. She fired six shots at his body which he somehow managed to avoid as the bull came running towards him at a frightening speed trying to impale him on it’s horns. Vance, Grant, and I just stared at this spectacle in shock, awe, and disbelief as they danced around each other with lightning speed all the while remaining uninjured. “You think that bull is working for the chick?” Grant asked in a whisper as the girl with the hat kicked at the man in a rage as he avoided the bull. Her face was contorted with anger as she looked towards us and shouted “Take that damn thing and get the hell out of here!” she shouted as she blocked an onslaught of punches from the man. “What is she going on about?” asked Grant who was looking somewhat bewildered “I think she means that” said Vance pointing to the box which now laid on the shabby front yard.
There was an audible gulp from me…to comply to what she wanted one of us would have to run past that raging bull, that hulking man, and that waif of a girl to get to it. “Well I nominate Shaw to do it since it was his idea to come here in the first place” said Grant who was looking ready to run “We should go with him” said Vance looking determined “He may need our help, although I don’t know how helpful you would be” he said as Grant looked scandalized but merely nodded and followed us towards the fray. We started hesitantly at first but quickly picked up the pace as we neared the battle and once we were a few feet away we started a mad dash towards the box Vance made it there first and scooped it up then he threw Grant over his shoulder and grabbed me by the hand and we ran full throttle out of there. As we passed her, the girl gave us a solemn nod and a quick yet dazzling smile and we made our way to safety. “That was crazy!” squawked Grant who went put down gave Vance an ugly look and said, “Why the hell did you pick me up like that? I could’ve run away on my own if you haven’t noticed I have perfectly good legs” he said giving him another weird look for good measure. Vance just kind of smiled indulgently and said “Of course you could” which earned him another scathing look from Grant who then turned his attention on me and said “Well what are we going to do with that blasted thing?” he said pointing to the box. I honestly didn’t have an answer and simply said, “Let’s just get home first” and we began out silent trek back to the house. We made our way back to the house and rounded the corner only to see that where the house once stood was now a smoldering heap of planks and charred belongings. Grant’s mouth was open so wide you could’ve fit a watermelon in it without any difficulty, Vance looked as if he had just finished a glass of water and just realized there was a bug at the bottom of the glass as for me I imagine I looked close to tears. Our situation just got a lot more complicated.
RAGING BULLS, PRETTY GIRLS, AND MEN WITH GUNS
The next hour was spent in perpetual silence as we trudged through the biting wind and cold to Mr. Hawthorne’s house. Upon further examination of the address on the package we realized that the man in question actually lived halfway across town. This elicited much yelling from Grant and much shrugging from Vance as he doused himself with more vinegar. I held on to the package with my slowly numbing fingers as we walked the empty streets. No one was out probably due to the cold as Grant had mentioned numerous times before and the only thing reminding us that there was life in the city was the soft glow of lamps in the windows, smoke from the chimneys, and the smell of food cooking somewhere. We passed the wire fences of the abandoned warehouses and finally made it to the tree-lined street that was Elm. “According to this Mr. Hawthorne lives at house 932” I said as I tried to keep my cold fingers wrapped around the package. “Finally!” seethed Grant as he pulled his scarf closer around his neck “It’s about time we made it!” he said his words coming out in angry puffs of breath. Vance didn’t say anything, he had been oddly sedate throughout this entire ordeal, I couldn’t really blame him though he was still on antibiotics from his oral surgery the other week and they made him supremely drowsy, I’m sure in the next few days he would be back to his usual self and when I say usual self I mean crazed, sadistic carnivore.
We walked up the street looking at the mailboxes and houses searching for the right number. When we finally came across it we weren’t really impressed. It was a low sitting house with a chain link fence and weeds growing uncontrollably in the yard the paint was peeling off the windows and the drapes in the window looked ragged. Bricks crumbled away from the chimney and the stairs looked as if they could collapse at any moment…all in all it was not a nice looking house. “What a dump” Grant said with a snort, I had to agree. “So let’s get this over with Shaw,” he said looking to me to throw the package over the fence so we could go back and fix lunch. The mailbox was nowhere to be seen in the yard so I decided to go to set it on the porch I hesitantly opened the gate which moaned on it’s hinges as it gently swung open for me. As I made my way up the overgrown walk way I tried to avoid the weeds and brambles as best I could seeing as they were thick in diameter and walking on them would undoubtedly make me trip. “What are you waiting for?” yelled Grant from his place at the gate standing next to Vance who looked as if he were watching paint dry “Hurry it up so we can get out of here!” he screeched. “Would you shut up already? There! Are you happy now? It’s done!” I yelled back at him finally losing my temper but when I whipped around to see the look on his face at being told off I was rewarded with a frightening sight. There standing behind my brothers was a large man in a military coat and large black boots and two guns pointed right into their backs.
All the color had gone out of Grant’s face as a visible trail of sweat formed at his brow Vance’s eyes were shut tight and his shoulders were visibly shaking as he dropped the bottle of vinegar. I’m not sure how I would’ve looked at the time considering it felt like all time had stopped and the only 4 people alive were me, Grant, Vance, and the man with the guns. The unnamed man looked at me, his eyes like coal, and his features heavy and dark he sneered at me as I looked from him to my brother’s faces. “N-now don’t do anything hasty” I said quietly trying to keep my voice steady and try to reason with him but my knees were shaking and all I could do was envision Grant and Vance laying face down on the concrete their faces blank and blood pooling on the ground. “No!” I thought to myself my face growing hot as I stared intently at the man and asked “What do you want with us?” he just laughed as he nodded towards me “The package” he said in a heavy accent I couldn’t distinguish “That is why I am here” I looked down at the box then I glared back at him “What do you want with that?” I asked eyeing him suspiciously as he stared at me under heavy lidded eyes “It is of no consequence to you” he said simply. “It must be somewhat important if you’re willing to kill 2 people over it” I sneered I don’t know where all this courage came from but it was the only thing buying me any time as I tried to think of a way to get us out of here alive. He laughed again as he watched me shift uncomfortably on the broken down porch “You are awful brave to be talking to someone like me that way boy” he spat out “It is true it is important but it is nothing you need to worry over…your friends” he said digging the tips of the guns into their backs for good measure “Are merely bartering chips in case that you don’t hand over package nicely”. “And if I do hand the package over nicely?” I asked eyebrow arched “Then we have no problems” he stated matter-of-factly with a toothy grin. Grant who had been totally silent up until this point managed to gasp out a good ear splitting “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR SHAW? FOR THE BOTH OF US TO GET KILLED? JUST HURRY UP AND GIVE HIM THE DAMN BOX ALREADY!” The man just laughed as he kicked the back of Grant’s leg silencing him and barked out “Yes! Yes! You wouldn’t want them to die now would you Shaw? Hand over the package like a good boy”.
All of this yelling at me to do things was staring to piss me off but I stiffly picked up the package and made my way down the rickety stairs and into the unattended lawn. “STOP!!” yelled a female voice from the inside of the house I was so alarmed that I staggered back and fell backward with the package laying on top of me. The man with the guns lost his grip on my brothers who ran out of dodge and behind a parked car but not before they grabbed me and hauled me with them. We peered around the car to see that the man was now poised to shoot at the front door of the house “Show yourself!” he shouted as he readied himself I don’t think any of us were ready for what happened next. From the front door of the house burst forth a bull the size of a monster truck it shot like a bullet towards the man who hastily got out of it’s way as he spun around towards the house we saw a pretty young girl with a large gun wearing a military uniform and hat come running deftly down the worn out stairs and come charging at him full speed. She fired six shots at his body which he somehow managed to avoid as the bull came running towards him at a frightening speed trying to impale him on it’s horns. Vance, Grant, and I just stared at this spectacle in shock, awe, and disbelief as they danced around each other with lightning speed all the while remaining uninjured. “You think that bull is working for the chick?” Grant asked in a whisper as the girl with the hat kicked at the man in a rage as he avoided the bull. Her face was contorted with anger as she looked towards us and shouted “Take that damn thing and get the hell out of here!” she shouted as she blocked an onslaught of punches from the man. “What is she going on about?” asked Grant who was looking somewhat bewildered “I think she means that” said Vance pointing to the box which now laid on the shabby front yard.
There was an audible gulp from me…to comply to what she wanted one of us would have to run past that raging bull, that hulking man, and that waif of a girl to get to it. “Well I nominate Shaw to do it since it was his idea to come here in the first place” said Grant who was looking ready to run “We should go with him” said Vance looking determined “He may need our help, although I don’t know how helpful you would be” he said as Grant looked scandalized but merely nodded and followed us towards the fray. We started hesitantly at first but quickly picked up the pace as we neared the battle and once we were a few feet away we started a mad dash towards the box Vance made it there first and scooped it up then he threw Grant over his shoulder and grabbed me by the hand and we ran full throttle out of there. As we passed her, the girl gave us a solemn nod and a quick yet dazzling smile and we made our way to safety. “That was crazy!” squawked Grant who went put down gave Vance an ugly look and said, “Why the hell did you pick me up like that? I could’ve run away on my own if you haven’t noticed I have perfectly good legs” he said giving him another weird look for good measure. Vance just kind of smiled indulgently and said “Of course you could” which earned him another scathing look from Grant who then turned his attention on me and said “Well what are we going to do with that blasted thing?” he said pointing to the box. I honestly didn’t have an answer and simply said, “Let’s just get home first” and we began out silent trek back to the house. We made our way back to the house and rounded the corner only to see that where the house once stood was now a smoldering heap of planks and charred belongings. Grant’s mouth was open so wide you could’ve fit a watermelon in it without any difficulty, Vance looked as if he had just finished a glass of water and just realized there was a bug at the bottom of the glass as for me I imagine I looked close to tears. Our situation just got a lot more complicated.