Love Birds

Crow's Nest

Crow’s Nest

Grinning wildly, I sprinted out of the gas station with my blue velvet sack held tightly in my arms, money spilling out the top. Yeah, yeah, robbing a gas station wasn’t exactly heroism, but the money I had collected from the cop wasn’t going to feed a growing girl. Plus, being the good guy was volunteer work. Playing the thief was just a hobby to earn me a few bucks here and there. I mean, I wasn’t exactly Batman, but I wasn’t Penguin, either.

            “Get back here you stupid kid!” the owner yelled, dashing out of the store and chasing after me, waving a bat in his hand. I glanced back at him and stuck my tongue out childishly, making him red in the face.

            “Lose the extra pounds and maybe I will,” I cackled, the chubby store owner yelling furiously. Pushing through the crowded sidewalk, I skipped around the corner onto an abandoned street full of old apartments waiting to be demolished and escaped the sight of fats. Slowing to a meandering walk, I threw the bag over my shoulder and headed into one of the old apartment buildings, finding the loose piece of ply wood and pulling it off and revealing the space in the window. I climbed through, a cloud of dust flying around me when I landed on the rotting floor. Coughing, I walked forward, taking in the ancient memory.

            “I’ll give you two grand for it,” the dark man said, my dad holding the package in his hand.

 

            “This stuff was flown all the way in from Mexico; it’s worth at least twice that.” Dad negotiated, ripping open the paper cover and showing the man the white powder. I clutched my stuffed rabbit closer to me, peering up at the two of them through the grates in the wall.

 

            “I said two grand, take it or leave it,” he snarled, moving away the edge of his coat to reveal a gun tucked into the lining of his pants. Dad smiled nonchalantly.

 

            “Have a nice day, sir,” he said as he opened the door for the stranger, making a movement that told him to leave. But instead, the man pulled the gun and pointed it right in Dad’s face. I gasped, my grip tightening around my rabbit.

 

            “I ain’t leaving without that package, Jack,” the man growled, the gun making a clicking noise. Suddenly, Mom came in with her revolver aimed at the man’s temple, a smirk playing her lips.

 

            “I believe my husband showed you the door,” she smiled, pressing the barrel to his head. “Leave before I decide to place a bullet in that useless little brain of yours.” Cautiously, the man tucked his weapon back into its spot in his pants, grudgingly turning around and walking out, slamming the door behind him. I watched as Mom tucked her revolver into the waistline of her pants while Dad went to return the powder in the kitchen.

 

            “Alright, sweetie, you can come out now,” Mom whispered as she unlocked the latch, opening the closet door that concealed the tiny closet beneath the stairs. She lifted me up and carried me into the kitchen where she had pasta boiling on the stove.

 

 

I pushed the memory away as I headed up the stairs, the red droplets faint but still visible on the wooden steps. The hallway moaned and creak beneath my weight as I walked towards what was once my old room. The yellow paint was chipping and peeling off the walls, water marks decorating the ceiling.

I breathed in the rotting scent of the decaying floor boards, remembering the times I had played in here with the pocket knife my dad had given me and the white stuffed bunny with the poker card bowtie and top hat from my mom. I turned and walked down to the opposite side of the hall, pushing open the door to my parent’s room, the blood splatter on the walls still painfully clear. The bag of money slipped from my grip as I walked closer to the massive red stain on the floor right beside where the bed used to be.

The blood was hard and flaked under my fingers, a shiver running down my spine. I composed myself and glared down at the blood pool, pulling the poker chip out of my pocket.

            “Hope they play poker in hell,” I murmured, flipping the poker chip and watching it hit the floor and roll across the pool, falling onto its side right next to the other chip I had dropped my last visit. Turning on my heel, I strode towards the door and grabbed my bag on the way out, slipping out the window where I had come in and made a sprint for my motorcycle that laid hidden at the end of the block.

            “What’s in the bag, beauty?” sighing at the unmistakable voice, I pulled out the night stick from my belt and spun around to meet Boy Wonder.

            “Just the groceries, honey,” I returned sweetly, dropping the bag by my feet as Robin pulled out his staff, I held up my weapon defensively.

            “But, sweetie, they’re spoiled.” Robin continued, making the first move towards the bag, I brought my stick up to stop his. “Maybe you should return them.”

            “Sorry, dear, but it was a lot of effort getting those groceries and I plan on keeping them.” I said, swinging for his ankles, but he jumped over it and hit the back of my knees, sending me down against the pavement.

            “Come on, no need to make this any harder than it really is.” Robin smirked, pressing the staff down against my chest. I grinned up at him with daring eyes before I gripped the bottom of his staff and pulling it over my head, dragging bird boy with it. I grabbed the bag and hopped over him as I made a run for my bike, smiling back at Robin as he was getting to his feet

            “Playing hard to get now, love?” he called to me with a wild grin on his face. I giggled loud enough for him to hear as I closed the night stick and placed it back in my belt. I opened one of the pouches and grabbed the smoke grenade, tore the top open, and tossed it behind me. Robin was instantly concealed in a solid grey cloud, hopefully disoriented and allowing me to make my exit. I jumped into the alley and pulled my motorcycle out from behind the stack of cardboard and sped out of the alley, nearly running over Robin who had found his way out of the cloud of smoke and had, luckily, just missed me.

            “See you later, baby!” I yelled back to him with a small wave before disappearing around the corner.