Thursday, December 17, 2009

We could have died

I have this pain in my left shoulder. It's been a couple days now. It was really hard to get to sleep last night. When I finally did...

I was in a packed van. I knew everyone from various places with the exception of one small boy. He was sitting in the far back with Dom, another child. SN was watching over them. The middle seat had NESF, MNom, DH and Ton. I was riding shotgun. Devid was driving.

We were cruising down the road to go check out a new deposit of antiques. It wasn't long before sirens came up behind us. "I think we're getting pulled over," Devid said. "I can't let that happen," Ton replied, leaned out the window and opened fire. Everyone was caught off guard. There was screaming and chaos as one of the bullets took out the front tire of the cop car. It spiraled uncontrollably behind us as we sped down the road.

"What the hell was that!" "Don't you know there are children in this car!" "Are you insane!?" Finally Ton spoke, "I'm not going back to jail. If they pull us over we're all going to jail." We were now fugitives and everyone accepted that fact easily.

This didn't stop us from our previous mission. We made our way to a spot under the Ballard Bridge. The whole area was piled with various tables, lamps, sofa and other furniture. There was some discussion about the era from which a certain piece originated. Lots of talk about what would look best where. None of it mattered. I was continually looking over my shoulder expecting a swat raid.

A few pieces of furniture were selected and loaded into the back of the van. We were loading everyone up when we realized the children were missing. We divided up to find them. I went down near the waters edge to find they were in the middle of the canal on some sort of metal disc.

Another disc was near the shore that I used to reach them. When I got us all on the same platform the water seemed to crystalize into razors. Large sharks were swarming around piranhas. "Stay close to me." The disc began rising and sinking slightly, causing our surface area to diminish. The children were crying and each had a death crip on my shirt. I successfully navigated the disc back to the shore and the water returned to it's usually tranquility.

"We need to find a place to lay low for a while." Ton directed us to Renton. We came upon a shanty with the title "Adam's" on the sign. I'd never seen a place like it before. The walls were crumbling and the lights occasionally shot sparks. We sat down at a series of tables and ordered a round of drinks, "virgin for the minors". A large poker table was brought out and it was explained that we would have to play to pay off the debt for the gun used earlier. We were only a few hands in when an old girl friend of mine showed up with a group of rather large men. They wanted to play pool but the poker table was blocking the pool table. She began screaming. "You guys this might be bad, that's my ex-girlfriend." One of the men grabbed the edge of the table and chucked it across the room, chips flying everywhere. "This scene is spent we need to go." There was a lot of confusion as we all tried to get out. "We have to go back and pay the tab!" "After all of this you're concerned about a bar tab?" "We can't burn this bridge we'll need these people again." I rushed back in and paid the tab quickly, narrowly avoiding a barstool to the head.

We ended up at a house similar to what I imagine Brooklyn row houses to look like. Everyone was on edge and each of the windows was manned by someone with a gun. Suddenly my ex arrives in a vehicle with a friend of hers. They'd come to return the SN's purse that they'd stolen. As I'm walking out to talk with them I turn to DH and say, "I want a red dot on her head until she leaves."

I went down to talk to them. Her friend says that they're sorry and the money and key rings are gone. I looked in the purse. There were many keys and key chains floating about. My ex then leaves her friend standing on the stairs as she tears off. We discuss how screwed up the whole scene was. Some time passed and my ex showed up again. Her friend jumped into the car immediately. As they were getting ready to drive away my old girl pulled a gun from her lap, "you've had your chance." Before she was able to fire a shot came from the house behind me. She was hit right in the hand, which caused her to drop the gun and hit the gas pedal. I turned around to see Devid with a shot gun smiling from the top floor window. I gave him a salute and went inside.

We decided that we had to go back to "Adam's". We drove past the building 3 or 4 times, sizing up the scene, before deciding to head in. We pulled around back to park by the pier. There was a group of people down a small alley. "We aren't ready to meet them yet. Best to avoid em for now." "Meet who?"

The parking lot was nearly empty but there was still a man directing traffic. His neck arched up and to the left, his eyes to the moon. His face was a festering green and he wrecked of rotting flesh. Zombies.

He approached the van asking for a fee. SN grabs a gun from under her seat and blasts him right in the head. The children start screaming as she begins to wipe the goo from their faces. "I ain't paying that thing." People start pouring out of "Adam's". As soon as they realize that we were the same people involved in trashing the place earlier any glimpse of tolerance was gone. They each had some form of very large gun within arms reach and suddenly we realized that this wasn't a standard gun fight, but more a display of high powered artillery. Rockets exploded all around us. I could hear the clankering of metal and concrete as grenades rolled into view. Flames engulfed the view in the rearview as the owner of the establishment ignited the end of a long wand connected to a tank of gasoline strapped to his back.

I remember looking over to Devid in the drivers seat. "This is way too hot for me." And he peeled out. The smell of burning rubber overpowering the rest of the carnage.
As soon as it seemed like the worst was behind us I lit a cigarette and looked back, "Is anyone dead?" The young boy was the first to reply, "We could have died?"

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