A Shot in the Dark
Damn shoplifters with their damn sticky hands stealing from my damn store. I jogged down the alley, mumbled off my location into the walkie-talkie, and continued to chase the fiend. He was a short guy, wearing black. It had been a quiet night, until that little asshole decided to break into the Best Buy I was watching. He grabbed a box – which probably contained a laptop or something – and disappeared.
If he got away, my job would be at stake. Muttering a curse, I turned corner and found myself between two buildings. It was pitch black – the moon wasn't giving off any light at all. Fear sprinted down my spine, chilling me to the bone. I struggled to catch my breath as I searched for any sign of the thief. I only saw shadows that threatened to move and scare the shit out of me.
My walkie-talkie whirred before my co-worker Mark rambled out, "I don't see the guy, Dan. Looks like he's long gone." Sighing, I leaned against the wall. Suddenly, I heard shoes against concrete. I looked up to see a figure turn onto the side-street that I occupied. When I saw the box tucked under the guy's arm, I darted after him. He got wise, though, and ran away.
I didn't have a fucking gun, and I wouldn't have fucking shot the guy just for stealing. However, when I saw the glint of metal under a street light, I suddenly wished I was the type of security guard that packed heat. Mark had a gun. Mark would've shot the guy dead.
There was one shot before I staggered back and the gunman disappeared. I groped at my shoulder, where the pangs of pain emanated from, and felt something warm…and wet. In the night, my blood looked black. Mark shouted through the walkie talkie. "What the fuck was that, Dan? DAN, are you OK!"
My world was spinning. I lifted the device to my mouth. "Just call a fucking ambulance."
I fell onto my back and watched the stars gleam in the pitch black sky as a haze covered my mind.
Ethan
The phone was ringing. My cell phone wasn't…the house phone, though, was ringing. That thing never fucking rings. I heard Boyd stagger out of his room, muttering a curse of his own. Isaac's bedside clock warned me that it was 3:15AM. Something was wrong. I could sense it.
"Isaac," I whispered, jabbing him gently on his shoulder. He moaned and shifted beneath the sheets, but never woke up. Moaning, I staggered out of bed. As I walked down the hall, I heard Boyd's voice.
"What?" he asked, voice gravelly. "Yes, this is the house of Dan-fucking-Mahealani. Who the fuck wants to know at 3:00AM?" I stepped into the kitchen, where the phone was plugged into the wall, and saw Boyd's expression change from aggravation to concern.
"Who is it, Boyd?" I inquired, not liking the croak of my own voice.
"What…what hospital?"
Oh shit.
"Boyd, what's going on?" I stepped closer as Boyd knotted a hand in his hair and leaned against the counter, is if looking for something to support his weight. "Boyd…"
"We'll be there soon. Just…Just call his parents, OK. Um…bye." Boyd slammed the phone on the receiver and turned to face me. "Dan was shot."
The next few moments were a blur of panic as we woke Isaac and got dressed. We piled into my car and headed toward the hospital where they were keeping him. "Did they say where he was shot? What happened?" My arms were shaking, as I steered the car down the road, toward the place where Danny could've been hanging on for dear life.
"No, they didn't fucking say," Boyd snapped and shifted anxiously in the back seat. Isaac stared out the window, watching the street fly by. I grasped his hand in mine.
"He'll be OK," I consoled.
But in all honesty, I didn't believe it myself.
We arrived at the hospital and the three of us ran all the way to the emergency room. The woman at the desk directed us to the second floor, where Danny was apparently in a room already. Confused, we hurried to room 2-G. On his bed, Danny was shirtless, his shoulder wrapped in white gauze that was spotted with blood. We crowded around him, but I was at the head of the group.
"Damn," he croaked, grinning, and something in me sighed with relief. He was still Danny. A part of me expected him to be some sort of brainless vegetable. The mind contrives the worst. "It took you assholes long enough to get here. I got here just after midnight."
"What happened!" demanded Boyd. He crouched beside Danny's head and grinned like a fool. I relaxed a little, seeing that Dan was awake and aware of his surroundings.
"Some dude shot me, in an alley way no less." Danny snorted and pointed to his bandage. "He got my shoulder and it hurt like hell, but I'm fine. They plucked the metal out of me and wrapped me up. I'll leave soon." His eyes darkened. "Which of you dicks told them to call my parents?" Boyd laughed, raising his hand.
"I didn't know how serious it was. I was scared, Dan. The chick on the phone made it sound like you were fucking brain dead."
"I just needed a ride home from the hospital. Damn. Now my dad is on his way here and…"
The door creaked and we all looked to find an older man walking into the room. He saw Danny, lying on the hospital bed, and something in his eyes shifted. It made me shudder, to see such unbridled love in his eyes, and I knew immediately that it was Dan's father. He was graying, but had those same dark brown eyes as Dan. He staggered forward and grabbed Danny's hand, pushing Boyd out of the way.
"Hello, Mr. Mahealani," Boyd greeted with a tamed smile.
"Danny…" the man muttered, eyes dark with concern.
"Dad," Dan sighed, smiling. "It grazed my shoulder. They rid me of metal and now they're sending me on my way. Don't worry about it. I'll tell you about it tomorrow but, if I remember correctly, you have a sermon to preach in the morning."
"The church will do fine without me for one morning," chuckled the older man.
"Where's mom?" Danny glanced at the door, looking worried.
"Sleeping. You really think I told her about this? She's better off not knowing."
"Allison, too?"
"I won't tell if you don't."
I watched them interact, amazed. My father and I… it wasn't so great.
I was just so happy that Danny was fine. Whatever that meant, I didn't care. I just couldn't imagine a world without him.
Isaac
Dan's dad left and I relaxed a little. The preacher always made me nervous. I sat across the room, in the only comfortable chair. Boyd texted on his phone while Ethan kneeled beside Danny, laughing and chatting with my dark-haired friend. As I sat there, watching the way Ethan's hand grazed Danny's, I felt a sense of doom wash over me.
Ethan was slipping away from me.
And there was almost nothing I could do about it.
Almost nothing.
