Out of the frying pan
Chapter 7:
The next morning, I.H.O.S had been opened for about an hour and Jim still wasn't back. The night before, when Marik and Malik looked back in the dumpster, Jim wasn't there. They looked in the kitchen sink, the freezer, and even the mud hole out back, he wasn't anywhere to be found.
"I can't believe they stole our hobo! They stole Jim!" Marik hadn't stopped complaining since the night before.
"Maybe Jim ran away. Hobos are not very reliable, you know. He probably decided his work was done here and he wanted to move on."
"…Malik, you acting like he's the Lone Ranger. He's a hobo that can't even make a decent sandwich!"
"Then why did we keep him around, if he was so useless?!"
"Because we had something that Curt didn't have."
"Oh, big whoop. We have a hobo. Those things are dirty. I mean, I had to do excess moping because he tracked dirt in the restaurant."
"You are overly critical. Besides, with Jim here we could run the restaurant more smoothly. It's hectic today and we need a third person."
"That's no big deal, you could just hire another homeless man off the street." he rolled his eyes, "… And you know, I don't get why you care so much. It's just a hobo."
"It's the principal of the whole thing. You can't just go around stealing things from people! It just ain't right."
"Why? We steal all the time. And we got their… uh, well I'm not sure what it is… but we got it." Malik started to open the box that they stole form McDonalds last night. They didn't open it the night before because Marik made Malik help with looking for Jim.
When Malik did open the box, he revealed eight medium sized bottles of purple liquid. Marik reached in and took out a bottle from the box; he read the label on the back.
"It says use small portions for each serving of meat…"
"Anything else?"
"Eh, it has a bunch of warnings but that's it." Marik took off the top and poured it on all their ingredients, "There we go."
"Marik! The label said to use it on meat! Does that lettuce look like meat to you?"
"…Well, a little. But that's because we left it out all night." He walked back out to the register to take more orders. But before he shut the door, he called back to Malik, "Make sure to use all that stuff, Malik."
"Yeah, sure, fine, whatever."
After another hour past, Marik was starting to get antsy. He paced around the front door and looked out the windows from time to time.
As it grew later in the day Marik finally decided to do something about Jim's disappearance, "Malik, where's the phone?!"
Malik walked out of the kitchen and handed Marik his cell phone, "Who are you calling?"
"I'm going to get Jim back, Malik. One way or another." He turned the phone on.
"What!? You're not going to call McDonalds, are you? Marik, come on. I think-"
"Nope. I'm calling the police. It's been 24 hours, so I can file a missing person report…" he thought for a minute, "Malik, do you know the number for 911?"
"Gimme that!" Malik snatched the phone from his yami, "You are not going to file a missing person report for a hobo!"
"…Fine, then."
"Now listen here, Marik! I-" he stopped, "Did you just say… fine, then?"
"Yup."
"But I was all ready to argue with you. Well, if you're not going to call the police, what are you going to do?"
Marik dialed seven numbers, "I'm going to use your idea and call McDonalds. I'm going to tell Curt to hand over my hobo!"
"Ugh."
The phone started to ring and soon, Marik heard someone's voice, "This is McDonalds, how can I help you?"
"Get Curt on the phone, now." Marik ordered.
About a minute passed before Marik heard a very familiar voice, "Marik? Is that you? Why are you calling here?!"
"Curt, I know you have Jim and I want him back!"
"Jim? What the hell is a Jim?"
"It's not a Jim. It's Jim. The hobo that works for me. You have him and I want him back, now."
"…Oh. A hobo is what you want? Fine, I'll give you a hobo… but you have to give back what you stole from me last night!"
"Are you kidding? No way. I actually have a use for the stuff I took from you. But what can you do with a hobo?"
"Lot's of stuff. I can chop him up and use him for a new type of hamburger patty. What do ya think about that?"
"You wouldn't dare."
"Try me."
Marik sighed in aggravation, "…No. I'm not going to give it back to you."
"You have to! You have no idea what that'll do! You can't use it! Don't-" Marik hung up the phone.
"What'd he say?" Malik asked, going back into the kitchen.
"He wants that purple stuff in exchange for Jim. The nerve of that guy! I mean, Jim is a good hobo and all… but really."
"So what's going to happen to Jim?"
"Eh… Curt wants to chop him up and put him in hamburgers."
"… It's dangerous being a hobo, isn't it Marik?"
"Sure is. People kidnapping you, using you as a bargaining chip, and then putting you in fast food. It's a hard knock life."
------------------------------------
At the McDonalds down the street, Curt was in the back room pacing around Jim who was tied up in the center of the room.
"What am I going to do?" Curt asked himself out loud, "This is terrible. If Marik uses that in his meat… I don't even wanna think about the consequences."
Jim looked up but kept silent. He'd been tied up and stuck in that room since the night before. When Malik and Marik went into the freezer and left him sitting out in the cold…
Flashback:
A few minutes past since Marik and Malik had gone and left Jim by himself. So, he wouldn't be too lonely, Jim sang the Hobo theme song out loud.
"…Boxes and bridges are where I stand. Visit me often… in hobo land! Hobo land! Somewhere I am free…" Jim sighed, "Jeez, how long are they going to stay in there?"
He looked at the open freezer door. He remembered Marik telling him to stay right there. But his wandering instincts were beginning to take him over.
Instead of listening to Marik, Jim walked into the freezer. As he got deeper and deeper into the cold room, he noticed more and more sides of beef hanging from the ceiling. He curiously licked one of them, but when they tasted worse than he thought, Jim kept going.
He came to a door and peeked inside. Jim saw a bunch of black leather, blonde hair, and tan skin. Finally realizing that it was Marik and Malik, Jim started to run back towards the door he went into.
'Oh no! If Marik catches me in here, I'll be in big trouble! He told me to stay!'
As he ran past the hanging meat, and through the back door, Jim slid out onto the concrete. Instead of landing on his feet, Jim hit the trashcans and made a loud crash.
Jim got up and looked around to make sure no one heard him, but before he could even stand up straight, he saw Curt and another man rushing towards him. Jim tried to make a run for it but Curt was too fast. He and his employee grabbed Jim and started to pull him around the side of the building.
While still struggling in Curt's grasp, Jim noticed the shadow of a spiky haired man coming out of the front door, and then another man's shadow followed. Jim thought it was Marik and Malik so he tried to yell for help. But was gagged by Curt and his friend.
…End Flashback
Curt bent down and looked into the eyes of Jim, "Okay, I need you to do something for me."
Jim tilted his head in question but remained silent.
"Hey, I'm talking to you!"
He turned his head in the opposite direction, "… I'm not going to do anything you ask."
"Oh, yes you will." He said, smugly.
"No, I won't."
"You will. Or else I'll grind you're bones to make my hamburgers!"
Jim swallowed hard, "W-what do you want?"
"I have to get my Extra-Strength potion back from Marik. You're gonna steal it for me."
"I wouldn't dare steal anything from Marik! He gave me a job and has been really nice to me. Malik hasn't been so great… but, he's Marik's friend so he must be nice some times."
"…What do ya mean he gave you a job?! You mean he actually let's you work in his restaurant?"
Jim nodded happily.
"And you live in the dumpster, is that correct?"
He nodded again.
"That's unsanitary…Wait a minute," He snapped his fingers, "I got it!"
"What?"
"Never you mind. But I still need you to steal my potion from Marik! Now, either you're stealing it or I chop you up! What's it gonna be, huh?"
"…" he winced, "F-fine."
"Wonderful!" Curt turned to face to one of his employees, "…Get Kevin on the phone. Tell him to be at I.H.O.S at ten tomorrow morning."
"Who's Kevin?" Jim asked.
"Don't worry, he's going to be the diversion while you sneak in and take my potion back." He laughed to himself, "Marik's going to wish he'd never stolen from me!"