Twisted Dreams

Price

“How much?”

“Fifty cents a cup, ma’am!”

“Then I’ll take two!”

I smiled until it reached my ears and poured two large cups of iced lemonade, glinting in the hot sun. She gave me a dollar, then winked and slipped me another. I thanked her earnestly and watched as she continued down the street, holding one cup carefully as she sipped from the other. I wiped my forehead with my cloth and drank from my water bottle, saving the lemonade for customers.
I’ll have enough money in no time! I thought, peering into my jar full of quarters and dollar bills.

No time at all.

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“Time’s up, kid!” The gruff voice shouted, crackling slightly through the loudspeaker. A bang! sounded out as a door bashed open two floors below me.

I tightened my grip on the rusty bed posts, planted my feet firmly, and pulled as hard as I could to the side. The bed gave a mighty shriek but finally gave, crashing down the stairs. I immediately took off to the window on the other side of the room, hardly giving myself time to catch my breath, before slamming it open and beginning to climb through. The sound of many pairs of boots stomping below me joined my pounding heart. Every shout seemed louder and louder. Sweat collected on my forehead, but I ignored it, squeezing through the tight window frame.

Just as I tumbled out the other side, a loud crash echoed from the room I was just in, as  the door slammed into the makeshift barricade. The men shouted unintelligibly as they brute-forced their way in, destroying the door and shoving the bed frame aside. I took off running, feet slipping on the angled roof tiles. I could hardly see five feet ahead of me in the darkness, relying solely on the moon’s glow.

Gunshots rang out, missing me by inches.

A ravine opened up ahead of me and I sped up, swallowing my fear and pushing off of the very edge of the roof. I was weightless for a moment, suspended in the air mid-stride as my stomach dropped. I landed on the other side on a flat roof this time, rolling to catch myself, pushing up again as soon as I regained control. Men yelled behind me, bullets wizzing past and creating craters in the concrete at my feet. My ears rang.

I ran to the other side of the building and dropped off the side. When the men reached the ledge, only seconds behind me, I had vanished. They spread out, barking orders. Some scanned the nearby rooftops. Others raided the surrounding houses. But I was simply gone.

When I finally pulled out my prize a few hours later - a heavy, but surprisingly small metal box - I was several miles away, having ran through endless sewer pipes below the streets. I closed my eyes, remembering the sight of lemonade glistening in the bright light.
Much easier to get what I need this way. I smiled to myself as I tucked it back in my jacket, looking down the tunnel and stretching my legs, before continuing my trek.

One million in the bag.