Consequences

Car Trouble... Pay With A Life

Car Trouble...Pay with a Life

Roma pulled her long hair back into a pony tail and was headed out the door. She was given the responsibility of running the kitchen tonight, and she seriously didn't want to let Rae down. She knew that Duke wasn't happy about it, because he always through into her face, that he was the older sibling. The fact that they worked at the same restaurant was where their similarities ended. Roma lived in a second floor apartment which was a part of one of the oldest houses in the little beach town. Every day she would travel back and forth on the lengthy thirty two steps, she would always hear in the back of her head Duke complaining constantly how difficult it was carrying all of her belongings the day she moved in. It was a quaint sea green colored two story Victorian home, with a huge white wrap around country style porch, decorated with all of the foliage Roma had magically grown over the years. The landlord didn't mind so much, it was obvious that he was smitten whenever he would set eyes on her, although he knew to keep his distance because she made that known. The sound of the pebbles crunching under her sandals, echoed as she made her way to her car. Putting the key into the ignition, she would always say her little chant, “Negative energy you may not stay. I release you be on your way. From here on out I banish thee. These are my words, so mote it be,” with that being said she turned the key and was stressed when the car did not turn over and start. She didn't want to be late on the one day so many people had depended on her to be there. She popped the hood and decided that she was going to take a look, but soon realized that she had absolutely no idea what in the hell she was going to be looking for, let alone fix. As much as she would regret calling him, she had no one but Duke to ask for help.

Duke sat in his tunic blouse with is feet propped up on the coffee table, and reaching for a lighter, to burn his tobacco in his pipe. He enjoyed his free living in his camper right by the beach. His camper was small, only enough room for a small bed in the back which many wondered how he could have slept comfortably because of the size difference, a dinnet across from a small sink and stove. Duke had a small toilet tucked away under his tiny bed, when she had needed a place to stay one evening. He had rigged a “shower” behind the camper, which really consisted of a garden hose, hidden behind a few rain jackets that had been sewed together. It was euphoric to listen to the ocean waves splash against the sandy shoreline, the gulls calling out during the sun rise, and the wind rattling at his wind chimes tingling his ears with nature's musical soundtrack. The camper canopy was open, with dim party lights stretched along its edge, highlighting his patio chair and carpet with incandescent light. Just as he was relaxing under the starry night sky, he was interrupted by the ringing of the electronic contraption his sister had bought him. He was never keen on cellphones, but Roma insisted he have one for emergencies. “Hello Roma,” there was a slight pause before he heard her response. As if she was barking commands at him, she was merely shouting out frustration, “It's not starting again! I am so tired of his hunk of junk! I'm going to be late... I can't do that. Duke, this is my chance to prove that I am responsible! I need...” She rambled on for a few more minutes, before Duke interrupted and informed her he was on his way.

Duke was steady on his bike, just as the sun had started to set. He wasn't much of a materialistic kind of guy, so when Roma had purchased him a beat up bicycle from a yard sale, everyone was surprised that he was willing enough to accept it, let alone, use it. The main road into town was still in the dark ages, literally. That stretch of the road still had not been equipped with street lights, reflectors, or guard rails. Duke was about ten minutes away from Roma's apartment, when he saw the reflection of flashing lights, and car honks. “Ain't that a pretty bike you got there?”, some rough neck yelled from the passenger side of the vehicle. “Only for you sugar,” Duke responded. The revving of the engine was deafening to the ears, as they inched a little closer to the side of the road, nearly colliding with Duke on his bike. “What's a little girl like you doing out on this road tonight?,” the same Neanderthal spoke again, but this time hanging out of the passenger side window. Another voice was heard from the back of the vehicle, who informed that it was not a girl, but a dude. “What the f**k man!!!???!!!,” Duke heard while all the other men in the vehicle were laughing. Duke tended to mind his own business, but tonight only made matters worse. When the rowdy men were seeing that no matter what they said was having no effect on him, they started to resort to more violent ways to get his attention.

The moment Duke had started to enter into the illuminated part of town, he thought these assholes would have stopped, but they didn't. “Stop that p***y ass bike dude! Before we run your sorry ass off the road!,” the vehicle swerved, almost sending Duke into the side walk. “f**k off assholes,” Duke said, as he pedaled as hard as he could, noticing that he was starting to approach parked cars, and feared that they would cause him to collide into massive monsters of steel. He could hear them accelerate, which caused his heart to do the same, thinking that he was only a few blocks from Roma now, and that once he was there all of this would come to an end. He panicked when he felt the bicycle start to wobble, after receiving a slam of the bumper. The bike lost all control, and Duke made the decision to jump off now, instead of hurling himself into a parked car. He knew the impact of his body into the ground would be excruciatingly painful, but he knew it would be better then having four schmucks on steroids beat the s**t out of him. The moment his body hit the pavement he felt his shoulder pop and the crunching sound of his fingers as they bent in all different abnormal directions. Duke felt unbearable pain the moment he took his first deep breath, his chest felt tight and that's when he heard the tires screech to a halt. The engine revved once again as the tires now peeled on the pavement heading back in reverse. He heard the men in the truck yelling once again, but they were too muffled, and hard to make out exactly what was being said. Duke rolled onto his stomach and attempted to drag himself to safety, still inching towards Roma's apartment. He felt their shadows looming over him moments before they reached down and hurled him up in the air by his arms. “Thought you could get away did you?,” the driver now stood in front of Duke, smacking at the cheeks of his face. Two of the other passengers stood on either side of Duke, and with firm grips on his arms, they were able to prop him up on his feet. Duke didn't realize how bad some of his injuries were until he tried to stand on his own feet. A pain shot throughout his entire body, practically crippling him and causing him to rest his weight on his attackers. The pain only intensified when he felt the first punch into his stomach, and effecting the nerves of his spine. “A real trickster...,” the driver said before he threw another punch, this time to Duke's face. At this point, Duke could hardly keep his eyes open, let alone continue to remain conscious. “Oh no you don't!,” the drive pulled him from the grip of the other two men, and let Duke fall to the ground.

Roma made her way to the corner of her street, hoping that maybe she would be able to see if Duke truly was on his way. As she made her way onto the sidewalk, she had seen a truck parked in the middle of the road. The engine was purring, and the high beam lights were bright enough to reveal the color of her eyes. The vehicle looked abandoned, that is until she could just barely see closer into the sidewalk, a group of men huddled around one another. She could hear the men laughing and joking about with one another. Debating on whether she should walk closer to them, she ducks behind the vehicles and starts to get closer to them. When she was only three parked car lengths away from the group, could she hear what sounded like to her, punching on a slab of meat. Roma lays flat on the ground and peers between the parked vehicles to see a person laying unconscious beneath the mob of men. She witnessed them stomping and kicking at what seemed like a lifeless body on the ground. She couldn't just sit there and continue to let this spectacle occur. Roma looked around on the ground and found a rock. With all the force she could muster in her body, she pitched it towards their vehicle. Hoping the sound would spook them away from the injured person on the ground, she smiled once she saw them scurry back to the truck and speed off leaving a trail of burning rubbing on the pavement of the road. She immediately called 9-1-1 before she even made her way over to the motionless torso.

The immobilized body was curled up in the fetal position, and the closer Roma stepped to this person she could see the horrific scene the aggressive mob had left. There was blood splattered every where. She feared the person was dead, but afraid to touch the person, she patiently awaited for the authorities to arrive. She could see in the distance the red and blue lights illuminating the area. Immediately the officers rushed over to the lifeless individual, checking for vital signs in hopes that it wasn't too late. As Roma stood aside, she saw them slow roll the torso over, and that's when her worst nightmare became a reality. “DUKE!!!!”, she let out a deafening scream. She rushed passed the officers and medics still screaming his name. Only then when she looked around at the scene, did she finally see his mauled bicycle twisted on the sidewalk. “That's my brother!!!,” she wiggled and forcefully attempted to push passed the officers now sectioning off the scene. She fell to her knees and began to cry uncontrollably reaching to only be able to touch his blood soaked hair. She felt hands reach under her arms bringing her to her feet. Not knowing who this person was, she just embraced the person, wrapping her arms around their body and sobbing onto their chest. “Please tell me hi will be okay? I don't want to lose my brother. He is all I have in this world!”, she continued to not want to watch them lift Duke's body onto the gurney before placing him into the ambulance. As she felt safe in this persons embrace, she felt them rub and pat her back, knowing they were trying to comfort her from her hysterics. “Let me get you to the hospital,” she heard a deep voice say in her ear. Roma could hardly move her wobbly legs, and taking her first step she falls to her knees. These same strong arms that have tried to comfort her through this experience, scoop under her legs and carry her to one of the police vehicles. She is placed in the front, and as the car is started up she final realizes that it was an officer that had been the one giving her compassionate cradle.

Having so many thoughts running through her mind, she couldn't keep up with any of them. Who can I call? Who can help? It seemed like the officer was reading her mind, “Is there anyone that you are able to call?” Roma could hardly speak, let alone form full sentences. She nodded her head, but could not stop the tears from falling. Those bastards hurt her brother, she had no one else. He was her whole entire life, and she would never be able to survive without him. The officer raced through traffic trying to get to the hospital.