Alone In the World

Chapter 5: Piece Of The Cake

Now that I had the gun in my pocket, I devise a plan to scare away the men to get the groceries and wagon.

As soon as I found an abandoned alley, I thought about the ammo, until I heard someone calling me.

He had a nasal, raspy voice.

The man had torn brown clothes, probably stained from mud and had worn shoes: it was one of the men who beat up Seth.

On his hands are dirt and blood, clinging his fists.

Behind him is his comrade, lying on the ground with a bullet in his head.

The untouched groceries and the wagon sat idly next to him.

The guy panted when he walked towards me.

His blue eyes were widened with fear, and he looked like was desperate to get away from here.

"Hey," the man waved, walking over to me.

I smiled, unloading the weapon and hiding the gun behind my back.

Thankfully, the man didn't see it.

"Hello," I said nonchalantly.

"Where are your parents?" he asked.

"They're waiting for a bus," I lied.

"I was going to the store and get food for them."

The man's eyes widened then looked into my pockets.

"You have money?" he asked.

I nodded very slowly.

His anxious smile appeared on his face when he walked two steps to me.

"Can I have it?"

His dead friend, the greedy look on his face, and the fact that he stole my brother's wagon and food.

It could only mean one thing...

"Are you running from the cops or something?" I ask jokingly.

The man raised his eyebrow at me in surprise, then told me that he doesn't have time to explain.

"Just give me the money," he barked.

"Sure," I said. "If you give me the wagon and the food."

The man let out a raspy laugh, earning me a frown.

"You think this is easy, kid?" he asked.

"You know you are talking to some stranger, right?"

"No," I answered. "I am talking to a criminal."

The man snorted another laugh.

"I have seen you before," I continued.

"You and your friend were the retards who beat up a kid and stole his stuff."

I suddenly stop smirking, and rested my back against the wall.

The man stares at me nervously, said that he isn't afraid of me.

"You should," I warned.

"I knew something like this was going to happen, so I put a hidden camera on the wagon."

The man quickly took out a small knife then snarled at me.

"You're lying," he rasped.

"You're nothing but a filthy liar."

I stared at the small dagger then back at him.

"Are you an idiot?" I asked bluntly.

"What?" the man asked.

"First of all," I began. "You want my money, and now you want to kill me?"

"And second, you shouldn't waste your time killing me, because with your friend as a corpse, and the stolen items, you will have more blood on your hands."

On the outside I was confident, but on the inside, I was scared that he will actually stab me.

Surprisingly, the man muttered to himself and tucked the knife into his pocket.

"Fine," he sighed. "I'll get you the wagon."

He disappeared for a moment then came back with the wagon and the plastic bags.

"Thanks," I said. I reached into my right pocket, where the gun was stored.

As I quietly unloaded the ammo, I handed the weapon to him casually.

The man looked surprised when he took it.

"Why do you have a gun in your pocket?" he question.

"Dad gave it to me," I shrugged, lying to his face.

"I guess it's for protection."

He gave me a doubtful look then rolled his eyes.

"It's loaded," I lied again. "I checked."

The man nodded then disappeared into the alley.

I clutched my chest with my left hand, and walked back home.

Just then, I heard a loud siren as a cop car dashed across from me, and wedged inside the small alley.

Two policemen got out of the car and spotted Seth's bully from behind the garbage can.

"NYPD!" one of the cops shouted. "Surrender!"

The man got out from behind the trashcan and shoot two of the police officers, but no bullets came out of it.

He tried to find some ammo in his pocket, until the one of the cops tasered, grabbed by the shoulders, and shoved him in the cop car.

Smiling to myself, I took out the ammo out of my pocket, walked into the alley, and shoved it into the dead guy's pocket.

Making sure no one is watching, I stormed out of the alley, and went back on my trail to home.

As soon as I reached to the house, I opened the door then closed it behind me.

The smell of wine rushed inside my nose as I put the groceries inside the refrigerator, placed the mint chocolate chip cake on the table, and called Seth downstairs.

When my sleepy brother marched down the stairs, he saw his red wagon and became overjoyed.

He hugged the wagon then hugged me very tightly.

I brushed away his still-dampened red curls, and  got out two plates from the cupboard.

We skipped the birthday candles and went to cutting the pieces.

I plopped a huge chunk of cake on Seth's plate and mine, sung Happy Birthday, then devoured the pieces.

"So, how did you get the wagon back from the jerks?" Seth asked.

"Elementary, My Dear Watson." I quoted.

He rolled his eyes then resumed eating his slice.

As I sliced my fork into the center and laid it on my tongue, I touched Seth's bruised cheek carefully with my thumb.

Sensing my thoughts, he pushed my hand away.

"Don't worry about it," he reassured. "I'll be fine."

I casted him a doubtful glare.

"The last time you said that," I reminded.

"You have been beaten to a pulp."

Seth gave me an annoyed glare, finished his cake, and put his dirty plate in the sink.

I ate my slice, until the frosting and chocolate crumbs remained on the plate.

After I washed the plates and put away the cake, Seth marched upstairs to bed.

I followed him to our bedroom, deciding to take a long, hot shower.  All of a sudden, I heard someone choking.

I hurried up the stairs and saw Flint, grabbing Seth by the neck, and strangling him.