Chapter 1
2152 Words
Chapter 1Ruby blood dripped from his arm. He took a dirty towel from the heap, put pressure to stop its flow but the thin fabric blotted and crimson seeped through the dirty cotton.
“f**k. What are you doing?”
Joshua raised his head, looked at Sullivan and whispered, “I cut it here on the corner and I can’t stop it.”
“s**t, man. You can’t leave blood,” Sullivan hissed. “Dammit. It’s got your DNA. I knew I shouldn’t have taken you with me.”
Joshua gritted his teeth. He didn’t like making Sullivan angry. He volunteered to break in, steel the rims, pawn any stuff so he could get closer to him—so that Sullivan would pay more attention to him, maybe even like him.
Now Sullivan ignored him as he continued to rummage through the toolbox, throwing what could be sold in a large, greasy duffel bag he brought.
Joshua hung his head, and the pain brought his focus back to his arm. He eyed the table’s sharp metal corner that jutted outward and caused the gash.
Joshua heard the sound at the same time Sullivan heard it. Joshua hunkered down, hiding in the shadow of the car, parked in the garage, accidentally loosening his grip on the rims he stacked. As they rolled away from him, Joshua’s heart beat faster.
The homeowners weren’t expected for another hour.
He lunged to the side, toward the corner that sliced him, then took the towel from his arm to wipe the corner.
“f*****g dipshit, what now? You’re just spreading more blood around,” Sullivan whispered, his tone short, impatient. He too was scrunched on his haunches; light brown hair covered his right eye. Sullivan brushed it from his own face and glared at Joshua. “Stay cool,” he said.
For a moment, Joshua wished it was Josh’s hand that moved Sully’s hair. Until a few days ago, when Sully stood up to a bully for him, Joshua didn’t know that Sullivan even knew he existed.
Sullivan took off the outer shirt he wore then wiped the corner where blood from the dirty towel wound up. “That stupid towel is all blood now. We need to get out here quick.”
“I’m sorry, Sully.”
“Don’t call me that.” Sullivan took his outer shirt and stuffed it in the duffel bag as he pressed his finger to his mouth and signaled Joshua to remain quiet.
Joshua watched as Sullivan took off the V-neck shirt he still wore, took the bloody towel Joshua held, then wrapped the shirt around the arm like a tourniquet. Joshua gulped. Sullivan’s shirtless lean torso distracted him and as he moved to lean on the car, his head hit the car door handle.
“Ow!”
“Dude, what the f**k are you doing?” Sullivan hissed as he shook his head. “We can’t get out of here if you’re making so much noise.”
A door opened, then slammed, followed by a jingle of keys. They couldn’t discern what they were saying but they could hear a man’s and a woman’s voice. The voices trailed off, then Joshua heard a door near the kitchen entrance, next to garage being opened and closed.
“Come on, let’s go.” Sullivan grabbed the bag he put down and motioned for Joshua to follow him as they headed toward the side door facing a fence. They hunkered down close for several minutes. Bullfrog sounds in the distance, as well as crickets from the swamp seemed to hum along with the air conditioner. “All right, I don’t hear anyone. Let’s go.”
Sullivan slowly twisted the doorknob open and looked out. The streetlamp offered some light. Joshua couldn’t hear anything in the cul-de-sac. Sullivan stood to a half crouch before straightening as he walked out. Joshua saw Sullivan look around before he waved Joshua to follow him.
Holding the rims in one hand, he followed Sullivan, who dropped the bag.
Measly gains for all the work they did, casing this house, entering it when they realized the garage was unlocked. Joshua now wished he was anywhere but here.
Sullivan broke out in a run, tripping the outside lights’ motion sensors while Joshua ran in a jog, gripping the rims. Joshua’s heart beat hard, fast, and several yards down the road not far from Sullivan’s car, Joshua heard a male voice.
“Stop! I’ve already called the police!”
Joshua turned to see a large, severely overweight man chasing him a few yards away. Because of the lighting, he couldn’t make out the man’s face but Joshua had no doubt it was the homeowner. Joshua stopped, turned, and threw the rims at him to slow him down.
“s**t! What are you doing, man?” Sullivan yelled. “We could have gotten some money out of them. Now we got nothing!”
Joshua ran, trying to catch up to Sullivan’s long legged stride as he darted behind the unfinished homes in the new subdivision. “I’m not going to jail for you!”
A warning shot rang out. Joshua stopped in his tracks, and half-turned to see the man breathing hard, several feet away, pointing the gun at him, his hand shaking. “The next one’s for you, f*****g thief! You better stop!”
Joshua backed up. When he saw the flash, he knew what caused the split-second sound that followed.
Shit! I’m gonna die.
He froze, expected death, when a blur came from nowhere, and a force pushed him down. He fell hard to his left. He hit his head on the pavement before he lost consciousness.
* * * *
The acrid smell woke him. His eyes fluttered open and as he did so, sharp pain pierced his left side where he fell. He saw a hooded figure hunched over him. He batted away the hand that held something close to his face. A few candles illuminated the dark room, and as he moved, he realized he lay on a canvas, Army-type cot.
“Be still. You had a hard fall,” the male voice said. “I had to wake you with these salts so I could be sure I didn’t have to take you to the hospital.”
“Who are you?”
“My name’s Eli.” The man moved back, away from Joshua.
“Where am I? How did I get here? Where’s Sullivan?”
“You’re at my place. I took you here after you almost got killed.”
Joshua scoured the room. In the dim light, he saw a stack of books on a small table, close to the sink, microwave, and small stove. Dishes stacked next to the sink, while obscure tapestries covered the windows, blocking out light. Clothes hung from a rolling rack. One shirt stuck out: it looked like a security guard shirt with Eli’s name sewn in as the name badge.
“Well, thanks, but I need to be going.”
“I think you should rest the night here and maybe tomorrow, if you’re up to it, then of course—”
“No, really. I’m fine. I mean, I’ve got a splitting headache but I’m good.”
Joshua sat up and as he did so, the pain intensified. He put his hand to his head as the cot creaked from his shifting weight.
“Here. Let me get you something to drink and eat.” Eli stood and headed towards the sink.
Joshua swung his legs over the side of the cot and looked at his bare feet.
“Where are my shoes?”
“They’re over by the door. They were caked with mud so I didn’t want the dirt on the cot.” Eli approached Joshua. “Here’s water and plain crackers.”
Joshua looked at the Saltines that dotted the plate, then Eli who still had his face partially covered.
God, I’m hungry.
Eli moved closer, holding the food. Joshua took the plate. With his other hand, Eli took off the hood that framed his face, displaying blond hair, which stood from static, as Josh cradled the glass of water with both hands.
Joshua took a bite of one of the crackers while gazing at Eli. He couldn’t tell in the dim light what color Eli’s eyes were, but Eli’s oval face had a perfectly sculpted long nose, not too big or wide that tapered to full lips. Below Eli’s lips trailed a dimpled chin. He looked a few years older than Joshua but not by much.
Maybe twenty-two or twenty-three?
Joshua studied him for a moment. Light porcelain skin, no blemishes or freckles, no laugh lines or crowfeet around the eyes.
Okay, maybe twenty-four at the most.
Without realizing it, Joshua smiled and Eli did so in turn, handing him the water. “You need to drink too,” he said. The voice was warm, non-threatening.
Eli brought one of the candles on the table behind him closer, giving Joshua a better look at Eli’s face and the most mesmerizing smile that Joshua had ever seen. Eli’s dirty blond hair touched his collar.
He’s beautiful!
“I can make you a sandwich, but all I have is peanut butter and jelly.”
“I’m good.” Joshua gulped the rest of the crackers whole and guzzled the water. His heart beat faster. “Really, I should be going.”
Eli’s face scrunched. “Are you sure?” In two seconds, Eli barraged him with questions to test Joshua. “Who’s the president? What day is this? How old are you? What day of the week is it?”
Joshua’s answers came fast too. Once satisfied, Eli hunched back. “All right. I’ll bring your shoes to you.” Eli stood, walked over to the door, grabbing the Converse shoes Eli placed the shoes next to Joshua’s bare feet.
Joshua unlaced then slipped the shoes on quickly. After he did so, he closed his eyes and willed the throbbing headache away. After lacing back his shoes, he stood but he lost his balance for a second.
“Whoa. Take it easy. You’re probably a little dizzy.” Eli moved close, then grabbed Joshua’s elbow to steady him.
Joshua looked at Eli and thanked the dim light because his ears and cheeks felt hot. At this close range, he could smell Eli’s scent. He couldn’t tell what it was but it smelled manly yet citrusy sweet.
“Thanks, bro.”
Eli dropped his hand from Joshua’s elbow, as quickly as he put it there in the first place, then moved forward so Joshua could follow him out.
After Eli opened the door, Joshua stopped. Stairs faced him but traffic above buzzed by.
“Whoa!” Joshua looked up. Shocked. “You live in a basement in Florida? I thought no one could have one because of the water table.” As he reached the top of the stairs, Joshua scanned around, checked out the street signs. He noticed the tall buildings and realized where he was. He also noted that Eli stood more than five inches taller.
“The other side of this studio is a bar that’s been here for decades in one form or other. I’ve rented the back space here for a while.”
“Yeah? But where I was—”
“You were west of the city. I know. I had to bring you downtown.”
“Can you point me to the bus stop?”
“I could. Or if you want, my car’s around the corner and I could take you home.”
Joshua didn’t want to ride the bus: the trip could take two or three hours on public transit and with his throbbing head, he wanted to be somewhere else but here. But he also didn’t have money for the bus or anything.
“I can pay you back if you give me a ride.”
Eli’s eyebrows arched. “I doubt you can pay me back, considering what you guys were doing, but I’ll be happy to give you a ride.”
Joshua stared at the ground for a second, not sure why those words hurt him.
Shit! Like I care what this guy thinks of me.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know if you’re a cop or something but I—well—I’ve been living on the streets awhile.”
“Don’t worry. I get it. I’ve been there.”
Joshua gazed at Eli in the streetlight: he could tell Eli’s eyes weren’t brown.
“They’re blue by the way.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I have blue eyes just in case you can’t tell in this light. They’ve actually got some green in them so to be precise, well, it’s probably aquamarine.”
“Umm. Okay, I didn’t ask.”
“You didn’t have to. I knew what you were trying to do. You shouldn’t be so obvious.”
“Whatever, Eli. I think you’re presuming a little.”
Eli walked quickly to the side alley. “Maybe I am, maybe I am. Here’s my car.”
Joshua looked at the Honda Accord. It looked several years old, but clean.
“I hope you’re not looking at my rims. I plan to keep ‘em.”
Joshua felt the redness spread again to his ears, cheeks, and part of his neck.
He didn’t say anything as Eli walked over to the passenger side of the door, opened it for him. Without saying a word, Joshua took his seat, picking up a jacket that lay in the front.
He locked himself in with the seatbelt and moved to put the jacket in the back when he noticed several stains of blood on it. Joshua looked at Eli. “Last night, you know, when you found me,” Joshua stammered as he eyed the dark red spots. “Why were you in the neighborhood?” asked Joshua.
Eli shrugged against the bucket seat. “I could tell you but it’s a long story. And, don’t worry, that’s my blood. I got some on my jacket after I got shot by that man who chased you.”
- Writer
