Shopping
I hated those long lines at the grocery store. I hate the grocery store, period. Little kids running around and crying. I don't know if any of them even spoke a word of English. My friends stood by me, as to keep themselves as far away as they could from these weird little Mexican children.
This didn't matter really, at least I was away from my job. It was so boring there. It always made me look forward to going home, almost like school did as a child.
"Why are we here anyways?" Asked Ethan.
"I told you before, we needed supplies." I told him.
"Supplies for what?" Asked Andy. He kept looking at the candy display that was next to him.
"Don't you even think about taking something." I said not even looking back at him.
"Aw come on, no one would catch me!"
"Sure, just say that out loud," Ethan started to get worried, "you know you can get caught with attempted theft." He started searching the ceiling for cameras.
"Is that even possible?" Asked Andy, scratching his head.
"It might be, so just don't steal anything." I told him. "That's what I don't need, you in jail."
"Aww, why should it even matter?" His eyes scanned over the candies once again. "If you're dumb enough to get caught shoplifting you should be penalized with death. Its not that hard to not get caught." I got fed up with him and hit his head with a twinkie that lay on the floor next to me. He only laughed and I hung my head into the cart, wanting to get out of there as soon as I could.
I looked up from the cart and saw the man in front of me, he was staring right at me. I moved uneasily in his eyes, his stare made me uncomfortable.
"Could I ask you something, young man?" Said this old guy.
I shifted myself again. "I suppose."
He walked closer to me. "Take this card." He took it from his coat pocket and handed it to me. I stared blankly at it in my hands. "Go to this place sometime this week around five." He said, tapping the card with his finger.
The man then paid for his groceries, smiled at me and walked away.
"What was that all about?" Asked Ethan.
I read what was written on the card. It's ink was a bright gold, and was hard to read. "Hes a doctor." That word seemed to silence my friends.
After paying for our groceries, we left. Those damn shopping carts always seemed to be broken. They must ship them like that.
Andy was laughing on the way to the car in the parking lot, and Ethan was yelling at him.
"What did you do now?" I asked him.
He pulled out a Baby Ruth from his pocket. Smiling, he unwrapped the candy bar, "Gotta love it," he said and took a bite. Ethan searched the area for anyone that possibly followed Andy.
"You are such a tard, you know that." I said to him and got in the car.
The Meeting
The room was cold and well lit. Magazines where thrown everywhere, and yet there were still many left on the shelf they had. Andy sat next to me laughing at something he was reading. It was probably some sort of bad news, he found those sorts of things funny for some reason.
The room's hard carpet (if you could call it carpet) had stains deep in its material for who knows how long. Ever since I started going there, those stains have been there. They are almost welcoming, they are apart of this place.
I didn't want to be there. I had nothing else better to do, I had no real plans, yet I didn't want to be there.
Light music played on the little speaker in the ceiling, I think it was Kenny G.
"The music sucks, huh?" Said Andy, still reading or just looking at the pictures.
I only jerked my head slightly in response. Sleep wanted to take over my body, so I just closed my eyes to compromise with its power.
`There's no one else here' I thought to myself. It was a big waiting room, I couldn't see why it was so empty. Only two people inside there on one day, it didn't fit right with me.
The nurse called me, and I walked out of the room. Andy didn't even look up from his magazine.
Last Chance
Andy greets me as I walk out of the office. He stood in the waiting room, rocking on his feet. His magazine lay dead on the floor, I'm pretty sure that he had gotten bored flipping through the pages and let it be. The both of us walk out in unison.
"What he say?" he asks as we got into my car.
"Nothing really, just that I need to take a few days off for myself."
He fell silent, "That was it?"
"That's all he had said." I nodded.
"Where do you plan to go?" He sat reclined in the passenger seat, oblivious to the factual risks of automobile accidents.
I looked at him. "Why don't you put on your seat belt?" I wasn't going to start the car if he didn't put it on.
"Do you really think I need it?"
"Yes."
He reluctantly slung the strap over his shoulder, as stubbornly as an adolescent. Re-assured with his safety, I started the car and drove home.
Upon returning home (home being my little apartment), I was greeted by Ethan, who was what seemed to be guarding the door, or checking if anyone was standing outside of it.
"How was the appointment?" he asked as I walked into the kitchen.
Before I could say anything, Andy interrupted me. "He had said he needs to take a trip somewhere."
Ethan looked at me, "where to?"
"Don't know yet." I spoke as I pulled out a can of soda from the fridge; all the talking in the past hour or so bothered my throat. My mouth had grown soft and dry.
I walked into the living room and found what was expected. David was slouched over on the sofa, staring at the TV. He never seemed to be watching anything, just staring into the abyss inside the glass square. I felt I should have said something, but I suppose some things are better left unsaid.
I packed up a few things, enough for a week or so. Andy kept insisting we take an airplane, but I know how Ethan felt about them. He seemed disappointed that we didn't fly, it had made him quiet the entire drive. Personally, I think it was better that we drove, so we didn't have to deal with the seats, tickets, or people. I could never really handle people whenever I was around them, especially when they are in large groups. I suppose that is why I enjoy the company of my friends a lot more.
We arrived shortly after dark, and reserved into some cheap hotel. The room smelled of smoke, but was comfortable and well lit yet dim to my fancy.
David immediately fell onto the couch, looking deep into the ceiling, almost as if studying it for the clue he always seems to look for.
"What's up?" I asked him.
"Nothing," his eyes never moved, "same old same old."
"Is it her?"
His eyes left the ceiling and looked into mine. "Yeah." His word sounded like a gasp of air.
"It's still there, isn't it?" Part of me was sick of dealing with this same topic. I only spoke in order to possibly make him snap out of it. It never worked.
His only response to that was the movement of his mouth, almost a smirk, or one of the fakest smiles I've ever seen.
The silence was broken between us by the flush of a toilet. Andy walked out of the bathroom, wiping his hands on his pants. "So what do we do tomorrow?" he asked.
"Well," I paused to think, "I always wanted to see the book depository."
* * *
They were asleep, but I stood and looked out the window. I always loved the multi-floored buildings, for the view I guess. The city lights engulfed me, filling a coldness and warmth in my chest. For the first time in a while, a smile spread on my face. I felt like walking outside to smell the fresh night air, but decided not to. I didn't want to wake the rest of the guys up. Content with my thoughts, I closed the curtain and returned to bed.
That night I slept well.
Nothing Left
The marked 'X' on the street called to me, speaking of all it had seen. I ignored it and went down the elevator, and like a Disney theme park ride, led me to the souvenir shop. My friends were standing around, looking at everything this over price store had to offer.
"Hey," Andy said to me, "Get this." He pointed toward the inside of the glass case, which held a paper that looked as if had aged hundreds of years. It held similar information on the assassination of both Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. Some of the things were so much alike, it is as if the entire U.S had planned for both in advance.
"Hi, I'd like to purchase this for my friend," I said to the cashier. Giving me a clammy stare, she looked around me, Andy waved to her. She looked back at me and raised her eyebrows as she rang up the cash register. Andy never has his own money, I usually end up buying him everything. That is if he doesn't steal it first.
Ethan was in the corner of the room, his eyes running across the room in every direction. I knew that I shouldn't have taken him to this place, he was paranoid enough as it was. He has been so affiliated with government conspiracies that it wasn't funny.
"See," he said as he walked up to me, "I told you they were in on it." His eyes darted around again. "It was cause they were different... revolutionary." He grabbed the bag out of my hand and looked at the paper inside it. He started to read it. I knew at that point that Andy wanted to use the paper to add fuel to Ethan's paranoia, he was usually mean to him like that. "Aha!" He hit the paper with his fingers. "This is proof, Lincoln and Kennedy were both assassinated by the same group. The government is what is doing this, they think 'president? Who cares, we got to keep America under our thumbs' see, they thought no one would notice. They now know that we know. He looked around once more. "We got to get out of here!"
"You got that right." Andy said, as he pointed to the inside of his jacket. The inner pocket had a J.F.K piggy bank sticking out of it.
"What are you doing?" I whispered to him.
"Relax, no one saw me." He looked around a little then started to walk outside. I knew we had to get out of there. I walked over to the left side of the store and tapped on David's shoulder. He was looking at the paper dolls of the former first lady, Jacky.
"We got to go dude." I tugged on his shirtsleeve. His eyes were fixed on the dolls.
"She's," his eyes lit up, "so beautiful." His head tilted downward. "She reminds me of Nikki; so fragile, yet strong. Beauty herself." His eyes turned glassy.
"Forget about her, we got to go now." I yanked him again and we left the store.
"Hey, You!" It was the cashier. I turned around and saw one of the security guards running towards our direction. I knew Andy would get us in trouble.
We ran through the streets toward the Planet Hollywood that was close by. Andy was laughing his head off, Ethan was in a near state of hysteria, David was calm.
We ran into the '50 Store Warehouse' that was next to the Planet Hollywood. I rushed down to the basement floor and hid behind the rows of arcade games. I had no idea where the others went, they must have either gotten into more trouble, caught, or ditching me. This little vacation to Dallas wasn't the fun that my doctor had told me it would be. I slowly walked back to the main floor, and didn't see any sign of the security guard.
A crash a couple of floors up and a few screams caught my attention. I stood still, until I heard Andy's laugh and glass shatter. I hurried upstairs knowing that he was the cause of the screams.
I pushed through the escalators until I reached the floor with an Antique store. Andy was running around inside, throwing everything in his reach all over the store. David was on the other end, looking through old toys, his face his usual expression. Ethan was curled up in the corner, trying to make himself as small as possible.
That is when I blacked out.
I awakened to bright lights, I didn't know how long I was out. My entire body was confined in some type of material. The room was soft and pleasant, haunting, and yet I felt at home. Something was wrong with my location, it told me things. I knew that I was alone, though. I knew that I would never see my friends again.
I never did.
Destroy
Years go by, and nothing seemed to change. The only true difference was that my friends were forever gone. I talk to some people every now and again, but they never seem to have anything to really talk about. Maybe its me, but people just seem to be completely boring.
I met a girl at the airport when I came home from Dallas. I like her, but her name doesn't matter. She seems just as faceless as the rest of them.
Jobs are hard to find now, but I'm managing. With them gone, it almost feels that I have fewer mouths to feed. They never worked anyways.
I haven't gone to the doctor for a while, he says I'm needing less and less appointments. That's a good thing though. I doubt I'll be taking any more trips though.
Sometimes I think I see Andy or Ethan walking around the streets, rarely David. I turn around whenever I see that, hoping to find them standing by my side or right behind me, for us to have the good times again, but it is only my reflection.
I hated those long lines at the grocery store. I hate the grocery store, period. Little kids running around and crying. I don't know if any of them even spoke a word of English. My friends stood by me, as to keep themselves as far away as they could from these weird little Mexican children.
This didn't matter really, at least I was away from my job. It was so boring there. It always made me look forward to going home, almost like school did as a child.
"Why are we here anyways?" Asked Ethan.
"I told you before, we needed supplies." I told him.
"Supplies for what?" Asked Andy. He kept looking at the candy display that was next to him.
"Don't you even think about taking something." I said not even looking back at him.
"Aw come on, no one would catch me!"
"Sure, just say that out loud," Ethan started to get worried, "you know you can get caught with attempted theft." He started searching the ceiling for cameras.
"Is that even possible?" Asked Andy, scratching his head.
"It might be, so just don't steal anything." I told him. "That's what I don't need, you in jail."
"Aww, why should it even matter?" His eyes scanned over the candies once again. "If you're dumb enough to get caught shoplifting you should be penalized with death. Its not that hard to not get caught." I got fed up with him and hit his head with a twinkie that lay on the floor next to me. He only laughed and I hung my head into the cart, wanting to get out of there as soon as I could.
I looked up from the cart and saw the man in front of me, he was staring right at me. I moved uneasily in his eyes, his stare made me uncomfortable.
"Could I ask you something, young man?" Said this old guy.
I shifted myself again. "I suppose."
He walked closer to me. "Take this card." He took it from his coat pocket and handed it to me. I stared blankly at it in my hands. "Go to this place sometime this week around five." He said, tapping the card with his finger.
The man then paid for his groceries, smiled at me and walked away.
"What was that all about?" Asked Ethan.
I read what was written on the card. It's ink was a bright gold, and was hard to read. "Hes a doctor." That word seemed to silence my friends.
After paying for our groceries, we left. Those damn shopping carts always seemed to be broken. They must ship them like that.
Andy was laughing on the way to the car in the parking lot, and Ethan was yelling at him.
"What did you do now?" I asked him.
He pulled out a Baby Ruth from his pocket. Smiling, he unwrapped the candy bar, "Gotta love it," he said and took a bite. Ethan searched the area for anyone that possibly followed Andy.
"You are such a tard, you know that." I said to him and got in the car.
The Meeting
The room was cold and well lit. Magazines where thrown everywhere, and yet there were still many left on the shelf they had. Andy sat next to me laughing at something he was reading. It was probably some sort of bad news, he found those sorts of things funny for some reason.
The room's hard carpet (if you could call it carpet) had stains deep in its material for who knows how long. Ever since I started going there, those stains have been there. They are almost welcoming, they are apart of this place.
I didn't want to be there. I had nothing else better to do, I had no real plans, yet I didn't want to be there.
Light music played on the little speaker in the ceiling, I think it was Kenny G.
"The music sucks, huh?" Said Andy, still reading or just looking at the pictures.
I only jerked my head slightly in response. Sleep wanted to take over my body, so I just closed my eyes to compromise with its power.
`There's no one else here' I thought to myself. It was a big waiting room, I couldn't see why it was so empty. Only two people inside there on one day, it didn't fit right with me.
The nurse called me, and I walked out of the room. Andy didn't even look up from his magazine.
Last Chance
Andy greets me as I walk out of the office. He stood in the waiting room, rocking on his feet. His magazine lay dead on the floor, I'm pretty sure that he had gotten bored flipping through the pages and let it be. The both of us walk out in unison.
"What he say?" he asks as we got into my car.
"Nothing really, just that I need to take a few days off for myself."
He fell silent, "That was it?"
"That's all he had said." I nodded.
"Where do you plan to go?" He sat reclined in the passenger seat, oblivious to the factual risks of automobile accidents.
I looked at him. "Why don't you put on your seat belt?" I wasn't going to start the car if he didn't put it on.
"Do you really think I need it?"
"Yes."
He reluctantly slung the strap over his shoulder, as stubbornly as an adolescent. Re-assured with his safety, I started the car and drove home.
Upon returning home (home being my little apartment), I was greeted by Ethan, who was what seemed to be guarding the door, or checking if anyone was standing outside of it.
"How was the appointment?" he asked as I walked into the kitchen.
Before I could say anything, Andy interrupted me. "He had said he needs to take a trip somewhere."
Ethan looked at me, "where to?"
"Don't know yet." I spoke as I pulled out a can of soda from the fridge; all the talking in the past hour or so bothered my throat. My mouth had grown soft and dry.
I walked into the living room and found what was expected. David was slouched over on the sofa, staring at the TV. He never seemed to be watching anything, just staring into the abyss inside the glass square. I felt I should have said something, but I suppose some things are better left unsaid.
I packed up a few things, enough for a week or so. Andy kept insisting we take an airplane, but I know how Ethan felt about them. He seemed disappointed that we didn't fly, it had made him quiet the entire drive. Personally, I think it was better that we drove, so we didn't have to deal with the seats, tickets, or people. I could never really handle people whenever I was around them, especially when they are in large groups. I suppose that is why I enjoy the company of my friends a lot more.
We arrived shortly after dark, and reserved into some cheap hotel. The room smelled of smoke, but was comfortable and well lit yet dim to my fancy.
David immediately fell onto the couch, looking deep into the ceiling, almost as if studying it for the clue he always seems to look for.
"What's up?" I asked him.
"Nothing," his eyes never moved, "same old same old."
"Is it her?"
His eyes left the ceiling and looked into mine. "Yeah." His word sounded like a gasp of air.
"It's still there, isn't it?" Part of me was sick of dealing with this same topic. I only spoke in order to possibly make him snap out of it. It never worked.
His only response to that was the movement of his mouth, almost a smirk, or one of the fakest smiles I've ever seen.
The silence was broken between us by the flush of a toilet. Andy walked out of the bathroom, wiping his hands on his pants. "So what do we do tomorrow?" he asked.
"Well," I paused to think, "I always wanted to see the book depository."
* * *
They were asleep, but I stood and looked out the window. I always loved the multi-floored buildings, for the view I guess. The city lights engulfed me, filling a coldness and warmth in my chest. For the first time in a while, a smile spread on my face. I felt like walking outside to smell the fresh night air, but decided not to. I didn't want to wake the rest of the guys up. Content with my thoughts, I closed the curtain and returned to bed.
That night I slept well.
Nothing Left
The marked 'X' on the street called to me, speaking of all it had seen. I ignored it and went down the elevator, and like a Disney theme park ride, led me to the souvenir shop. My friends were standing around, looking at everything this over price store had to offer.
"Hey," Andy said to me, "Get this." He pointed toward the inside of the glass case, which held a paper that looked as if had aged hundreds of years. It held similar information on the assassination of both Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. Some of the things were so much alike, it is as if the entire U.S had planned for both in advance.
"Hi, I'd like to purchase this for my friend," I said to the cashier. Giving me a clammy stare, she looked around me, Andy waved to her. She looked back at me and raised her eyebrows as she rang up the cash register. Andy never has his own money, I usually end up buying him everything. That is if he doesn't steal it first.
Ethan was in the corner of the room, his eyes running across the room in every direction. I knew that I shouldn't have taken him to this place, he was paranoid enough as it was. He has been so affiliated with government conspiracies that it wasn't funny.
"See," he said as he walked up to me, "I told you they were in on it." His eyes darted around again. "It was cause they were different... revolutionary." He grabbed the bag out of my hand and looked at the paper inside it. He started to read it. I knew at that point that Andy wanted to use the paper to add fuel to Ethan's paranoia, he was usually mean to him like that. "Aha!" He hit the paper with his fingers. "This is proof, Lincoln and Kennedy were both assassinated by the same group. The government is what is doing this, they think 'president? Who cares, we got to keep America under our thumbs' see, they thought no one would notice. They now know that we know. He looked around once more. "We got to get out of here!"
"You got that right." Andy said, as he pointed to the inside of his jacket. The inner pocket had a J.F.K piggy bank sticking out of it.
"What are you doing?" I whispered to him.
"Relax, no one saw me." He looked around a little then started to walk outside. I knew we had to get out of there. I walked over to the left side of the store and tapped on David's shoulder. He was looking at the paper dolls of the former first lady, Jacky.
"We got to go dude." I tugged on his shirtsleeve. His eyes were fixed on the dolls.
"She's," his eyes lit up, "so beautiful." His head tilted downward. "She reminds me of Nikki; so fragile, yet strong. Beauty herself." His eyes turned glassy.
"Forget about her, we got to go now." I yanked him again and we left the store.
"Hey, You!" It was the cashier. I turned around and saw one of the security guards running towards our direction. I knew Andy would get us in trouble.
We ran through the streets toward the Planet Hollywood that was close by. Andy was laughing his head off, Ethan was in a near state of hysteria, David was calm.
We ran into the '50 Store Warehouse' that was next to the Planet Hollywood. I rushed down to the basement floor and hid behind the rows of arcade games. I had no idea where the others went, they must have either gotten into more trouble, caught, or ditching me. This little vacation to Dallas wasn't the fun that my doctor had told me it would be. I slowly walked back to the main floor, and didn't see any sign of the security guard.
A crash a couple of floors up and a few screams caught my attention. I stood still, until I heard Andy's laugh and glass shatter. I hurried upstairs knowing that he was the cause of the screams.
I pushed through the escalators until I reached the floor with an Antique store. Andy was running around inside, throwing everything in his reach all over the store. David was on the other end, looking through old toys, his face his usual expression. Ethan was curled up in the corner, trying to make himself as small as possible.
That is when I blacked out.
I awakened to bright lights, I didn't know how long I was out. My entire body was confined in some type of material. The room was soft and pleasant, haunting, and yet I felt at home. Something was wrong with my location, it told me things. I knew that I was alone, though. I knew that I would never see my friends again.
I never did.
Destroy
Years go by, and nothing seemed to change. The only true difference was that my friends were forever gone. I talk to some people every now and again, but they never seem to have anything to really talk about. Maybe its me, but people just seem to be completely boring.
I met a girl at the airport when I came home from Dallas. I like her, but her name doesn't matter. She seems just as faceless as the rest of them.
Jobs are hard to find now, but I'm managing. With them gone, it almost feels that I have fewer mouths to feed. They never worked anyways.
I haven't gone to the doctor for a while, he says I'm needing less and less appointments. That's a good thing though. I doubt I'll be taking any more trips though.
Sometimes I think I see Andy or Ethan walking around the streets, rarely David. I turn around whenever I see that, hoping to find them standing by my side or right behind me, for us to have the good times again, but it is only my reflection.