It only took an hour, but I got the cassette recorder to work! And now I have Darrion taking us directly to Bianca!
"I want to go home!" The blond-haired boy I just kidnapped screams.
"And I want to be with Miss Melanie. But we can't do that unless you kill Bianca Solaine."
"I want to see my mom!!"
"I just said that we'll see your mom after we kill Bianca!"
"But I want to see my mom! I miss my mom!" Tears started rolling down his cheeks the more he thought about being with his mom. "Wuuuaahhh!!!"
Now he's balling! What do I do? I don't know how to console a crying child! Maybe I could hit him over the head! It got his mom to stop whining, why wouldn't it work here? I just need to be gentle. I slide closer to his seat, causing him to sniff his tears and look into my eyes. I raise my hand and gently bring it down onto his head, immediately putting him to sleep.
Hey, no blood! I really can do it gently! This might not be so hard after all! I promise Miss Melanie, I'll get this seven-year-old kid to kill Bianca no matter what!
The gray clouds partially clear the farther away we got from Miss Melanie. The sun hidden behind the murky horizon runs low beside us as we exit the small quiet neighborhood into a more rural area where the grass is bright green. The landscape becomes more rural the farther we go, as Darrion passes more fields of wheat and vegetables and fewer chain restaurants.
The sun is climbing down the horizon, and the dark purplish sky combines with the bright orange sun to make a breathtaking sunset outside the window. There's even some cows and horses running around behind the wooden fences! The soft sound of the car diligently flying over the road and the occasional sob from the little boy both eventually turn into white noise. Watching all of it pass by is making me... sleepy. But I can't doze off or the kid might jump out the car while it's moving. He has to know that'd kill him, right? I can't take that risk. But... I'm really tired.
"Darrion, if the kid wakes up and tries to jump out of the car you'll get him, right?" He didn't respond, but he'll get him.
Yeah... he'll get him. He'll get em'.
I close my eyes knowing that Darrion do me the favor and stop the boy if he tries to jump out of the car while I'm asleep. And with them closed, the cushioned seats of the limonene slowly morph into a familiar green beach chair. The sounds of waves rolling over the sand around me also feel familiar.
If I could live on a beach for the rest of my life I would. It feels like home to me, even though I don't think I remember ever going to the beach. Or remember having much of a home. But if I did, I'd invite all my friends for a beach day so we can all hang out! All two of them! The only thing that could make it better is...
"Vilma." It's Melanie the crab!
"Hi Miss Melanie!" I turn on my side to look at her beauty in the sand.
"You failed me."
"What..." I instinctively sit up.
"You're a reoccurring failure Vilma. I give you simple jobs and you never complete them. And now you're asleep on what should be an elementary task."
"I'm... I'm sorry!"
"This is your last chance, Vilma. If you can't do this, I'll never love you. You'll be alone forever."
Never!? "I won't fail Miss Melanie! I love you!"
She scurries across the sand, walking closer and closer to the crashing waves. "I'll do it Miss Melanie! Don't leave!"
She doesn't listen to me, so I get up to grab her shell. But while I sink my toes in and out of the sand to catch her, she's already gone, hidden under the sea. She left without me...
"Ah!!" Oh, it was a dream. I'm still in the limo. And the kid is still here! But the limo isn't moving like it was when I was last awake. Why did we stop?
I look out the window to see where we are, and Darrion's done his job perfectly! Miss Melanie's so smart to trust him! I open the limo door and step out to get a smell of the city air, to see the buildings that pass the sky far in the distance, to hear the blaring horns. The people walking in the street trying to get where they need to be, the moonlight glistening down on the black trash bags in the street. The stationary cars on the road, the fat rats running in the street, the smoking manhole covers, that one guy selling pirated movies on the corner! It always feels good to be back in New York! Darrion did it, we're in Brooklyn like I asked! And what better place to look for Bianca than here! I don't know exactly where she is and I've only ever been to this part of New York City but Miss Melanie sent us here, so it has to be the best place to start looking for her!
"Alright kid, the faster we kill Bianca, the faster I can get to Miss Me..." I turn around to the seat where he is and he... isn't there. My eyes go wide and I nearly melt into the floor.
"Darrion! You were supposed to keep him from leaving!" He doesn't respond, he just keeps dancing in his seat to whatever is playing in his headphones.
Oh right, deaf. Then this is my responsibility! Miss Melanie told me to watch over him and I'm failing. If I can't follow her directions, then she'll never love me! I'll be a loveless failure for the rest of my life!
"Vilma Reyes will not be alone forever! I will earn her affection!" I scream to the world.
I pop my head above the car and see the faint blond figure running around the corner of the street. I slam the car door and race after him, crushing the few pedestrians who are unfortunately in my way. When I turn the corner, the kid is standing still on the curb, whining to a hefty woman in a police uniform who is consoling him in her arms in front of her police cruiser.
"There you are!" I wrap my hand around his arm tightly so that he can't run away. I was scared for a second there, but everything is alright now!
"What are you doing to him?!" The police officer yells as she pulls the gun from her waist and points it directly at my head.
Oh right, the police officer. "Nothing officer. Just taking my son on a walk."
"Let go of him now! He said he was just taken from his home by some people he doesn't know! You're under arrest under suspicion of kidnapping!"
"I already told you, this is my son... Jimmy."
"Let go of him or I'll shoot!"
Hm. That's not good. I mean, I don't care if she shoots me, but if it hits the kid and kills him, Miss Melanie won't be happy about it. I need a plan, something that couldn't possibly fail! And I think I have it fast! What would Miss Melanie do!?
I let go of the boy's arm for a second, pull my arm back, and before she can pull the trigger, I give her face a light tap with my fist. It sends her flying through the air, over her police car, and into the middle of the street. I shake her blood stain off my knuckles and wrap my hand around the boy again. He probably wet his pants the way his knees are shaking.
Fear, that's it! Miss Melanie uses my fear of abandonment to get me to what she wants, so I can just use fear to make the boy do what I say! "If you don't listen to whatever I say, I'll punch your mom like I did that police officer," I say while scrunching my face to add to my scare factor.
My face must be terrifying to him because tears start welling up and he looks like he was ready to poop himself after hearing my threat. There! Now the kid'll listen to me, and that cop's nothing to worry about. I think I even see a few of the officer's teeth in the road too! That's two problems solved!
Murmurs around me get louder as the few people on the street slowly gather until a small crowd comes together to look at and record the unconscious police officer and my hand dripping in her blood. Oops. This is too much attention, and I don't think knocking everyone out is an option, even though it's usually such a foolproof plan! I need to think of something smarter, quick!
I turn around to face the larger crowd, and say, "She attacked me." It doesn't look like they believe me...
With no other option, I do the only thing I can do at times like these. I tuck the boy back under my arm and sprint down the street away from the crowd and their phone cameras. The gigantic skyscrapers watch me across the horizon as I bulldoze through the streets of Brooklyn. Past a few basketball courts, corner stores, and the occasional supermarket.
I'm not absolutely sure where I'm going, but I feel like I remember this area. My feet are moving on their own through the neighborhood, so my body probably knows where it's going. I need to get away from here before more police come around! I need somewhere to hide, but where can I... oh that works! A two-story brick building with a flat roof and a faded sign that says "Bastion Bar" is tightly placed in between another liquor store and a vacant lot. It doesn't look like much, but this is the home of the greatest man I've ever known! My best friend Arthur!
I walk to the entrance where a white guy about an inch shorter than me with a short blond buzzcut stands beside the door. I reach for the door handle and just as I do, he steps in between me and the door.
"You can't bring your child into this bar. And I'll need to see some ID if you want to get in."
"He's just my son... Tommy. I won't buy him anything I just need to talk to someone inside."
"I don't care who he is to you, I can't let a child into this bar."
"I know the owner, just let me in!"
"You need to follow the rules like everyone else or I won't let you-"
He's talking too much, and I need to get off the street so, without any other possible solution, I knock him out too. Serves him right for trying to keep me from my best friend. I step over the limp body of the bouncer and let myself in through the wooden door.
The inside is quiet as I remember, with only three people inside and all of them sitting at the bar. On it, alcohol of every shape and color is unguarded and free for anyone to grab. A serve-yourself bar where you pay after you're done. Arthur's the only person who could ever pull something like this off. But even drunk people know not to get on his bad side.
Two of the strangers have drinks and the man without one impatiently shakes his leg while scowling at a door behind the bar. The dim lights that shine from the ceiling give it a feeling of homeliness and warmth as they reflect off the brown wood floors and countertops. It's like my home away from home. Except it's not mine it's his. But if it were my home it'd be nice! Maybe I can ask him to sell me if I earn my first paycheck from Miss Melanie!
Suddenly, the sound of glass shattering against the floor pierces through a door behind the bar. Then, the door swings open and a tiny girl's bleeding forehead peeks over the bartop. Her black hair with blond-colored tips has pieces of glass mixed with a foamy liquid.
"Sir, sorry about the blood on your glass!" She says in a sheepish tone as she puts a shot glass decorated with a crimson streak up on the bar top.
Hm... I think I remember her from somewhere, but I can't get her name. Maybe if half her face wasn't hidden behind the counter, I'd get it.
"Vilma?" She says, the top of her eyes lock onto me and her eyes go wide. "What are you doing here?"
She walks to the right where the bar has an opening for her to come out and greet me. Glass falls off her black vest and white dress shirt, littering the floor. She has a pure and innocent face, and she is very very short. Or maybe it's just because I'm really tall? Either way, she's very cute. She's not as beautiful as Miss Melanie, but she's cute in her own way. Kind of like a tiny squid that squirts ink at anything that moves.
Nope, never seen this woman in my life.
"Vilma? It's me, Kriste."
Oh, now I remember her name! "Hey Kriste, how have you been!"
"Arthur is hard on me, but it's never anything I can't handle." She nervously laughs.
"You're always so dependable Kriste! You need to teach me how you do it so I can be better for Miss Melanie!"
"Oh... You're still chasing after her?"
"Mh hm! She's my one true love and I'll become the perfect partner for her!"
"That's nice." She must be tired from all the work Arthur gives her because her face sags and her voice loses its excitement!
"Oh, by the way, is that bouncer outside guy new or something?"
"Um… yeah Arthur said he needed someone to watch the entrance after kids in the neighborhood started coming in stealing drinks."
"He hired a bouncer to keep kids away?"
"He was handling it himself, but eventually he got so fed up he said something like 'I have better things to do with my day than play babysitter' and then he hired Ben. By the way, did you see him out there? He shouldn't have let you in because of the boy you're holding. And why do you have a child in your arms? Is he your kid?"
"Help me!" The boy yells.
"Shut up or I'll hit your mom again!" That'll scare him. "And the bouncer wasn't letting me through, so I knocked him out."
"Oh um… I'm not sure how ok Arthur will be with that."
"It's probably not a problem, we're best friends! He'll understand! But now that you mention it, I need to see Arthur." I pass her towards the door behind the bar where I remember Arthur's room being.
"He told me he's busy right now! He doesn't want anyone to come in!" She warns me.
"It'll be fine, Arthur loves me. Plus I only need to talk to him for a sec."
"Ok… And you never told me where you got the boy from."
"I kidnapped him."
"Oh... Good job I guess."
"Thank you!"