Rough Road Ahead (In Progress)

Chapter 11

    

             ****

            The second man was tall, very bulky, but not fat. But I had problems deciphering weather he was just big boned, or muscular with the loose tee-shirt he wore. It had a band name written on it in cursive letters, but I had never been good at reading hand writing and I was fair too out of it to make out much of anything. It was black which contrasted with his very pale completion and dark brown eyes.

            He had my father by the neck, his big arm wrapped around him, the gun in his back and another pointing at the rest of us. One in each hand. "Here's how this is going to work." He said, "daddy here is going to drive me and my brother here to the location we say, and when we get there you are all going to help us complete our job." He paused, looking at his brother, motioning for him to watch us and not him, "this is a respect thing. You respect us, we won't blow your head off. Got it? We say jump, you jump. You move one toe out of line and you are getting a hair cut." He motioned for me, "girly, grab the little guy and make him stand with the group. I don't like him over there all alone."

            I gulped, my eyes sliding to Sam who gave me a worried look and tilted his head, telling me to go. My feet lifted slowly, taking step by step very carefully as I moved, making sure my body made no sudden movements. Max looked at me frightened, his eyes watering as he stared down the barrel of the gun. My breathing was shaky as I neared Max, my arms still over my head, the blood flow stopping and causing them to ache.

            Finally I reached Max, my arms wrapping around him as he hugged me, "enough with the love. Move." He said as he waved his gun at us, "pick up the pace." He instructed and me and Max started to run, stopping when we met up with the group. "Good. Great start guys." He said, clapping his hands together with the guns. His brother kept his gun pointed at us, but I could see something in Brad's eyes as he moved his hands from over his head to his sides again, fists moving together. I felt like screaming 'no!' but I would have been too late. Brad started to run, pushing past my mother and running right into the brown haired criminal, tackling him to the ground. I heard the shot fired, but I didn't have the guts to watch. I knew he was dead.

                                                            ****

            He lay there on the ground, his arms sprawled out over the vast hardwood floor, a pool of crimson liquid around his chest. My eyes looked over him, head to toe, the cold presence that over took my body. It started in my stomach, moving to consume my legs and then my arms and then right up to my ears. It was like an infection, coursing through my blood stream as I stood there, my eyes glued to the un-moving figure. 

            That was when I saw his arm twitch, then spring back into life. "That's what happens when you mess with the Jones brothers." The older one said, letting his gun fall to his side.

            The brown haired criminal saw the horror in my face and motioned for me to move forward. I gulped, taking a step. "Pick him up." He instructed, kicking my brothers side. He flinched in pain, rolling over to look at the ceiling.

            I did as he asked, leaning over and grabbing Brad's arms, helping him to his feet. "Are you alright?" I whispered as I pulled him to a standing position, moving my hand over his chest to see where the bullet had entered. It had skimmed his ribs, bouncing off of them and leaving him with a small flesh wound.

            "Just peachy." He said stiffly, his voice breaking with pain. I started to move him towards the bathroom, but the brown haired man gave me an evil eye, telling me to set him down on the sofa.