Counting Minutes | Gay MxM |

3. Watching and Waiting

-Blake-

I spent the rest of the week gathering supplies for the night of the robbery, such as a warmer sleeping bag and a bigger backpack. On Monday evening, I filled the bag with food and water, and headed to the Simmons' place. I'd decided to spend the rest of the time hiding in the hills above the rich neighborhood, keeping an eye on the Simmons residence while staying out of the view. I didn't really have great memories of staying in shelters and motels, so I preferred sleeping outside, anyway.

I returned to the spot on the fence that was closest to my camp, and after making sure no one was around, I started climbing the closest tree. The gap between the tree and the fence was quite wide, so it was harder to get to the other side, but at least I didn't have to walk past the entire neighborhood and their cameras.

Balancing my weight on the thick branch, hoping it would hold my weight, I gathered all my power to jump over the barbed wires on top of the stone wall. The branch cracked a little when I jumped, but didn't break. I landed on the soft grass on the other side and stopped to listen to the sounds around me.

The only street in the neighborhood was in front of me, ending at the stone fence. The Simmons' house was the last one on the street, so there would be no traffic – one of the reasons I chose this house – since the closest neighbor was much further down the road. I could barely see the house, meaning they and their cameras could barely see me.

The few oaks gave me only a little shelter, so I started sneaking towards the hill, trying to stay hidden from the view. The Simmons' had a fence of their own, but it only reached to my chest so climbing over it was easy. I was careful not to be seen or heard while I sneaked between the two fences, and once I reached the bottom of the hill, I started climbing.

Part of the hill had been blown off to make room for the building, so it was pretty steep to climb. I was an experienced climber, but it was still difficult for me to get up, especially with my backpack. Last time I had climbed the hill at the other side where it was easier, but again, I would have to walk through the neighborhood to reach that spot.

I didn't want to get caught in any of the cameras, especially now, since Mrs. Simmons knew my face. I wanted to be on my way to the next city by the time she'd notice they had been robbed. If someone spotted me sneaking around the neighborhood before Friday, everyone would be noted, and she would be more careful. Maybe she'd understand the tickets I got for them were just a hoax.

Once I reached higher grounds, I stopped to look around. I could see the entire house from where I was standing, but I didn't like how far it was from me. The backyard was vast, and there were only a few trees growing close to it, so I couldn't sneak closer without getting detected from the inside. I'd been aware of it when I chose this house, but it wasn't a turnoff. I had plenty of time to figure out how to get closer to it.

I sat down on a big rock under one of the trees and put my bag away. The ground was flat where I was hiding, so I was grateful for the tall grass and bushes around me. No one would see me lurking around, even during the day. Just a few feet away was a nice little rock formation with a ledge between the trees I could use as a shelter as well.

I sighed in content. The hiding place was perfect – if I ignored the fact that I couldn't get close to the house. I had small binoculars with me, so I could at least see inside through the windows. However, it was the windows that were proving problematic. Or the lack of them, to be precise.

The first and second floors had plenty of them, but the third floor only had two small, reflective windows on my side. There was a big balcony on the other side, and the outer walls were made of glass, but even if I was brave enough to walk around the building, the balcony would block my view inside.