Lost

Use me to do what?

Jonathan ate the chocolate bar slowly. He didn't want it to finish. He wanted to savour every bit of it. Ruth ate one too. Jonathan looks at her sideways. He wondered what her story was. Her skin was smooth. Her long hair jet black and shiny. She closes her eyes as she devoured the sweetness.

"You love sweets."

"Sometimes."

Jonathan looks at the rain, it seems as if it would continue until night fall.

"Where are you going to sleep?" he asked. He didn't think a woman would sleep here under a tree.

"I sleep here sometimes, most times I get in really late so it's only for a few hours."

He was shocked. "Why? surely you must have a husband or a relative to stay with."

"I don't and tonight, I will not be here, I'm coming in late."

Jonathan was speechless. She seems of sound mind, so why would she live here? He knew it must get cold during the night. Especially now that the rain was falling.

"You can stay here if you like, I'll take back something for you to eat and a change of clothes."

"You would do that?" he asked incredulously.

It was now very dark. Jonathan's head was feeling a lot better, it usually eases at nights. Ruth was fumbling around in the big bag that was under the tree. She handed him a thick blanket. "here, it will get really cold later on in the night."

"Thank you so much!"

He puts the blanket around him and goes to sleep. When Jonathan awoke later that night, the rain had stopped falling and Ruth was no where in sight. Ruth!" he called quietly. He was met with silence.

"Ruth!" he called yet again. Then he recalled her telling him she wasn't going to be there and that she would take him a change of clothes and something to eat.

I wonder if I should go look for her? she seems like a nice woman. Getting up from the ground. He kept the blanket tightly wrapped around him.

Walking down the dark track away from the tree. He could barely make out

the silhouette of two figures up ahead. I wonder if that's Ruth?

Peering up the darkened street . He saw one of the figure, tightly hold the other and the person seemed to be struggling to break free.

"Ruth!" he whispered under his breath and hastened towards the silhouettes.

Cluthching the blanket closely against his chest. Jonathan trots forward. He wasn't too far away, when he heard the man's angry words, "I want my money, now!"

"I told you, I don't have it!" the woman wailed.

"When will you have it!"

The woman didn't answer. "You think I'm playing with you!" the man snarled, shaking her.

"Ok, please let me go and I'll go work for it now!"

"Where are you going to get it now? as you can see this place is quiet!"

"Not here! In the town, business is good there!"

"Ok then, let's go!" the man began to haul the woman in Jonathan's direction.

"Let her go!" Jonathan yelled, when they were close enough to him. Where they were, it was some distance away from the street light. So Jonathan still thought it was Ruth being manhandled.

The couple stopped in their tracks, up until Jonathan spoke, they seemed oblivious of him approaching them. The man guffawed, after getting over his initial shock, "make me!" he snarled, wrapping his hands tighter on her blouse.

"Mister keep outa it!" the woman said, chewing on a bubble gum loudly.

"Are you alright lady?" Jonathan asked, concerned for the woman, even though he realized it wasn't Ruth.

"I'm fine, mind your darn business!" the woman responded, getting annoyed that a complete stranger was interfering into something he shouldn't.

The man stepped around Jonathan, still holding on to the woman. Jonathan decided to follow them, just to make sure the woman was really alright.

Maybe the woman was afraid of the man and didn't want to say anything, to make the situation worse! Jonathan thought, as he follows closely behind.

After following them for a short time. The man let's go off the woman and turns in Jonathan's direction.

What was he up to now? Jonathan wondered and stopped walking. In no time the man was beside him, pressing something cold and hard in his side.

"Quit following me now! or you may regret it!" the man hissed in his ear, pressing the steel in his side ever harder.

"You heard the woman say that she's fine, but still you are here, interfering! it's obvious you are asking for trouble and if you aren't careful, you'll get! got it!"

The man's breath reeked of alcohol and cigarettes.

Jonathan glanced around the man's huge body in front of him, not feeling an ounce of fear. They were under a street light so he could clearly see the woman standing there rolling her eyes and popping the gum in her very red lipped mouth. While swinging a small, black hand bag in her hand.

The bored look in her eyes, was telling Jonathan that she's fine. She couldn't be that good of an actress, he decided. Glancing once more at her, she would've been beautiful, if not for the thick, black eyebrows drew there hurriedly or carelessly.

Jonathan holds up his hand in defeat. "You are right, she seems fine, I'll go now." He turns to leave.

"Not so fast man! since you are so concerned for Kitty, why don't you help her by giving her the cash?"

Jonathan felt a little worried now. "I don't have the money or I'd definitely help out the lady."

The man grabbed the blanket away from him and threw it on the ground.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Jonathan protested.

"Doing what I should've done, the minute you poke your nose in our business!"

"I'm sorry man, I'm going now!" he was not to leave, because the man pressed the coldness on his now bare skin.

"Don't move! keep your hands in the air!"

Jonathan quickly obeyed by dashing his hands up in the air.

"Come Kitty and search his pockets!"

She skipped over to Jonathan and began feeling his pocket. "I don't think he has any money, he looks homeless!"

"He may look homeless, but some of them are theives! remember Jennifer!"

"Yeah, yeah you are right!" and Kitty really got down to searching him. Even his private area wasn't spared.

After digging his crotch, his pockets and everywhere that had a crack and found nothing. She straightened and said, "nothing's there!"

"We could use him, don't you think Kitty?"

"Yup, we could, great idea!"

"Use me to do what?" Jonathan finally spoke.

"You'll know soon enough!" The bulky man moved the steel from his side and takes Kitty's hand and moved out of ear shot.

Jonathan wasn't about to wait and hear what their plans were for him. He took off down the street, like a bat out of hell.

The burly man shouted, "stop! stop! right now!"

But Jonathan didn't listen, he dived in the bushes at a section where no street lights were. Jonathan got a chance to move towards the tree, because as soon as he crossed the street, a few cars stopped them from crossing right after him.

Jonathan smiled at the stroke of luck and advanced stealthily, forward. He looked in their direction to see how near they were to him, just in time to see them tore across the street and heads towards him. They were close enough now for Jonathan to hear the heavy footsteps of the man and the clicking of Kitty's heels as they tries to find him.

He laid still, when he heard their footsteps approaching close to him.

"Where could that fucker be? he was just right here!" the man growled.

"Let's continue to look, he's around here somewhere," Kitty instructed.

"Yes I know, lets separate. I'll look over this side and you look over to the clump of bushes over there!" the man told her, pointing close to where Jonathan was lying down, barely breathing.

Whipping out their phones and each goes into the opposite directions. Jonathan thought he was soon to be found out. At least it was Kitty who had the chance to find him. Maybe she won't rat him out! he thought hopefully. Jonathan's hope soon dashed out of his mind, when he recalled, the nonchalant look she had, when the man pressed the steel to his side.

Maybe she's even worse than him! Jonathan thought ruefully as Kitty's phone light came closer and closer to him. Think! he scolded himself, how can I get myself out of this situation? The more he tried to come up with something, the more his head hurts. 'Oh, god! my brain is useless right now' Jonathan thought sadly.

He didn't have to peep over the bushes to know that Kitty was only seconds away from discovering him. He knew those two were up to no-good, so he dreaded every second. Should I make a dash for it?

Wouldn't that be better than waiting here?

What if I run and the man decides to use his weapon?

Would I be able to escape?

It's really dark, he wouldn't be able to see properly to make an accurate aim, right?

Just as Jonathan decided to run for his life. Kitty's light shone brightly on his momentarily stunned face.