Lost

"Damn!" his friend Kenneth slammed his hands on the steering wheel. Jonathan was not worried when he saw his friends car screeched to a halt and refuse to start. Even though he wasn't worried he still had to ask, "what's wrong?" "The car won't start!" he sounded frustrated. "So what are we going to do then?" Jonathan drummed his long fingers on his thighs patiently. "I'm going to check the engine to see if anything was wrong and if it is something I can't fix, we'll just have to walk. I have a cousin a couple miles ahead, I'll borrow his car to take us home. Kenneth stepped out of the car and lifts the bonnet. Jonathan didn't like the idea of walking with so much money in his hands. He had just received a lot of cash he was saving, in what was called a "partner" where several persons pool together a certain amount of money per week and each person will get their "draw" or their share of the money. As they have agreed with the banker. It was his turn this evening to receive his draw. He had kept the savings a secret from his wife as a surprise. He was a manager for a big supermarket. He was tall with short, jet black hair, green eyes and full lips. He kept the money a secret because he wanted to buy a new house in an upscale neighborhood his wife Tony had wanted to live in for years. Jonathan glanced at his friend of many years through the windshield and noticed that he was sweating profusely and seemed nervous. It seems very unusual for Kenneth to be sweating like that on such a cool Friday evening. Still, even though Jonathan didn't like what was happening, he trusted his friend. Jonathan puts the money on the car seat and steps outside to see if he could help with anything. "Is there anything, I could do?' he asked his friend who took a handkerchief from his breast pocket to mop his forehead. Kenneth's black eyes darted worriedly to the bushes along the road- to Jonathan's face. They were on a lonely stretch of road with bushes on both sides of the road. "It's not the battery because I recently bought a new battery, so I'm guessing it maybe the engine." Kenneth offered not looking at Jonathan. "And I can't do engines, I'm sorry man, but we have to walk and we'll have to hurry as it will soon get dark and around here is not safe." he said mopping his face, his brown hair now sticking to his forehead. Kenneth puts the soaking handkerchief in his pocket and slammed the bonnet shut and walks to the driver side to retrieve the keys. Jonathan stepped by him lifts up his heavy bag of money and stepped away for Kenneth to close the car. It had started to get dark and Jonathan began to get a little worried. They began walking in the direction Kenneth said his cousin lives. Jonathan's car was totalled on Monday when a drunk driver who was speeding rammed into his car while it was parked outside at a shop he stopped every evening to get treat for his kids. He had heard the loud bang, when he was inside the shop and didn't think anything of it. He was surprised when he stepped outside and Kenneth ran up to him and shouted, "I saw everything! It was a drunk driver! I saw him staggering before entering his car next thing I knew bang! and he sped away!" Kenneth had taken him home that day. "Let's go through here, we will reach quicker!" Kenneth pointed to the wooded area across the street. "I don't like this man!" Jonathan said, looking at the man he had known for years and would consider a brother from another mother. "It's cool man, I'll protect you, this is my area, I know this place like the back of my hand. No one will hurt you. I'll get you home in no time to that beautiful wife of yours!" Kenneth's thin lips curls in a small smile then. Jonathan smiled too at his reassuring words because he had really began to worry. "Ok, I trust you, you are my dearest friend!" with that, they go across the street to the wooded area. Upon entering the woods, Jonathan was taken aback by how dark in there was. He was a city boy he was not familiar with all these bushes and trees. "I don't like this at all!" he said, his voice shaking a bit. Let's go back on the road where I can see. I can't see a thing inside here!" "No, let's continue we will reach quicker, you want to get home to Tony and the kids right?" Jonathan nodded his head, he was too scared to open his mouth. The area was eerie it was the scariest place he had ever seen. Pitch black was the only words could come to mind. Jonathan fumbled in his pocket for his phone to use the flashlight so he could see better. He was so nervous, his hands shooked badly and to his utter dismay the phone fell to the ground. "Jesus Christ!" he swore, "how can I find the phone in this darkness?" If it wasn't so dark Jonathan would have seen the happy smirk on Kenneth's thin lips when the phone dropped from him. "Don't worry about it I will find the phone for you." Kenneth stooped down and felt around, he found the phone and smiled even brighter when he discovered that the phone was in one piece. He quickly shoved the phone in his pocket, and hopes it doesn't ring before he got a chance to shut it off when they began their journey. "I can't find it," he told Jonathan, "let's go I don't want to waste anymore time than is necessary." "Wait a moment let me try," Jonathan bends down, clutching his money to his chest and began running his hands on the ground. He couldn't see a thing, he could only depend on his sense of touch to find his phone. Meanwhile, while he had his head down, Kenneth cleared his throat loudly to drown out the sound of the phone switching off. "Where could it be? I was right here when it fell, it should be here!" he sighed nervously. Looking back at everything. Jonathan realized that every thing was going wrong for him from the start of the week. First his car got wrecked and now this evening his friend's car broke down. Now he was in a pitch black place where he couldn't even see his hands. With a bag of money and now he couldn't find his phone. "What else could go wrong?" he wondered getting up from the ground. Still clutching the money to his chest, he thought of the moment he had first met Kenneth. A young Kenneth had come into his office seeking a supervisory position. He was fresh from college, and was eager to learn. Even though he was only a couple years younger than he was, he had liked him right away. That was about five years ago. Kenneth was then twenty and he was twenty-two. Kenneth was even his best man at his wedding a year later. One year ago at lunch, he had told Kenneth about Tony's desire to live in an upscale neighborhood called Lordbrook. "It's possible man, all you have to do was join Miss Junes partner. It will run for a year. All you have to do is maintain your hand each week." "Sounds like a great idea!" "Yes it sure is!" "Tell me more about the partner!" Jonathan was getting more and more excited about the partner. "The amount of money to be pooled into it each week is kinda heavy for me, but you would be able to handle it, unfortunately I can't, because of my position, but you could!" "How much money are we talking?" When Kenneth told him he whistled. "That is heavy!" Jonathan commented. "Yes, but manageable for you," Kenneth told him. "Ok, I'm going to join!" "Yes, and the best part was, you could keep it as a surprise from Tony!" "Yeah I think you are right!" Jonathan didn't like keeping secrets from Tony, but he would like to surprise her by buying her the house. Looking back now Jonathan realize that Kenneth was the one who encouraged him to go in the partner. He was the one who had encouraged him to keep it a secret from Tony. He was the one who brought him to Miss June. He was there when the drunk driver totalled his car. And now he was here right behind him, and he could feel the hairs raise up on the back of his neck. For the first time in the five years he had known Kenneth, he was in fear of him. What was he planning to do! Was he going to kill him? How long before he made his move? Jonathan stumbled, once again, as he had done several times, since he entered the dreaded, eerie blackness. He can only hope that Kenneth doesn't harm him.