by Jamie Fade
Chapter 5
Then there was running and a lot of it. The night air cooled Marshall’s insides but his outsides were what needed cooling; hot beads of sweat ran down all over his body. The heavy jacket he was wearing full of money didn’t help either. Lamarr was only a few paces ahead of him. How could he have done this? How could Lamarr ruin everything in one thoughtless act of stupidity? Marshall wanted to yell at him, to tell him everything he had to lose, but he was running too fast to talk and so all that came out was air. All that came in was air, although it was all around him it felt like it wasn’t enough to satisfy his lungs, it felt as though it would never be enough. Marshall and Lamarr ran through a field that lay just behind the gas station. The field was commercial property waiting to be bought, it was well kept but not well kept enough, the thorns that snagged at Marshall’s pants and shoes told him that. They approached a tall wood fence that guarded somebody’s backyard. Lamarr hoisted himself up and straddled the pointed top of the fence then winced as he swung himself over. As Marshall did the same he could hear the faint sound of sirens, sirens that were getting closer, sirens that would hunt him down. Marshall started running before his feet could even hit the ground. He didn’t know where he was or where he was headed all he could do was follow Lamarr’s shadowy figure as it cut through yards and streets. Lamarr turned back to look at Marshall, he pointed his finger in the opposite direction as he made a sharp turn to the right. He wanted them to split up. Marshall knew that it was in his best interest to navigate away from Lamarr; it doubled his chances of not getting caught. Marshall ran adjacent to Lamarr, making sure to keep a good distance from him. He cut through another yard running at his top speed; everything was a blur as things whipped past his vision. Trees, bushes, fences, he couldn’t tell when one of these things stopped and another began, instead they just started to jumble together in an unsteady mesh of suburbia. The sirens that once echoed in the distance behind him were all of a sudden loud, making sure everything that was able to hear was aware of their presence. Marshall ran quicker trying to escape their boisterous onslaught. The sirens were torture, they scolded him as if telling him that coming along with Lamarr was a mistake; a symphony of hindsight. The sound was so nerve-racking that Marshall almost didn’t notice the crisp sound of tire touching concrete; he was headed towards a highway. If this had been anywhere else then a highway would’ve meant nothing but folks around Cresentville were notorious for being hitch-hiker friendly, if he could catch a ride and disappear into the myriad of cars that shared the common route then he would be home free. All that kept him from his deliverance was a wire fence that separated the neighborhood from the highway. Marshall launched himself over it making the most out of his muscular legs, it was only when he thought he had cleared it did he fall to the ground with a hard thud. The green residue of crushed wet grass stained his cheek, he tried to crawl away but something was holding him by his feet. Marshall looked back; the fabric of his jeans had loosened and tangled in the wire of the fence. Marshall breathed rapidly. The sirens still tortured him only now they were stationary, the police cars had stopped. He had to get out now otherwise he would be caught. Marshall desperately tried to untangle himself from the fence with the ferocity of his strength but it seemed that every time he pulled he would only become more and more entwined. For a moment Marshall considered taking his pants off but he reminded himself that the only chance he had of escaping was catching a ride and although the people were friendly to hitch-hikers he would have no chance if he stood by the road in his underwear. Marshall needed to get out and he needed to get out quick. A rustling bush caught Marshall’s attention; it could be the authorities coming to take him away. Lamarr jogged out from the bushes frantically heading for the highway, it became clear that they both had the same idea. “There you are Lamarr, hurry up and help me with this mess!” Marshall called. Lamarr looked back at Marshall then at the shadows that cascaded off the foliage from the headlights that were only a few feet away from him. “Is anyone there? Come out with your hands up!” A voice called. Lamarr looked in the direction the voice was coming from then back at Marshall who laid helplessly on the ground. Lamarr pulled out his cigarette and took a long huff of the gas. In the dark of the night Marshall couldn’t tell whether it was shame, regret, or blatant remorselessness in Lamarr’s eyes. He puffed out a body of smoke then turn and ran leaving him behind and just like that Marshall’s fate was sealed.
