Between the Lines✔ [COMPLETED]

[10] Breakfast Buddies

Kyle

I was only twelve when the situation had finally caught up to me fully. Up till that point, I was still trying to process why Ace made me do all those strange things. Sure, I was smart and I was incredibly smart, and I'd always strived to be smarter and smarter, but I didn't understand why Ace kept making me do things without giving me reasons. 

It was when I was twelve that he'd sent me out for the first real errand; the first real errand to almost kill me.

I didn't want to go.

All I knew was that what he'd said about reporting me...

I couldn't let him do it.

I can't let him do it.

So I worked. 

So I work.

I stumbled into an abandoned gas station that stood in the distance of an active airport, a knapsack hanging over my shoulders and the seconds ticking down to midnight. I'd taken an extra dose of anxiety over my shoulders because I'd never been told to do something like that before. Beads of sweat trickled down my face as I panted and ran. 

I spotted three tall, built men leaning against a black van near a dilapidated wall in the station –all wearing all black, their faces covered by full face masks. I stopped in my tracks almost immediately. My heart was already beating so quickly and I was filled with even more panic.

One of the men spotted me and pointed, hitting his accomplices, who then turn to find me.
I swallowed in fear. 

One of the men started walking towards me –the only visible feature of his face were his eyes, and even those I couldn't see in the darkness.

What are they going to do? I remember thinking.

Are they going to kill me?

Are they going to take the thing and kill me?

What are they going to do?

Please don't kill me!

I froze in my spot.

The other men followed behind the first one. 

"I'm... here because..." I began, as the first man approached me. I swallowed hard. "...Ace... s-sent me. Are... are you... H-Hiran?"

The first man inhaled sharply. "Indeed. Did you bring the stuff?"

I shuffled hurriedly into my knapsack to find the small black bag weighing what I thought felt like about a half pound of something I was uncertain of.

I didn't know what was in the bag. I didn't know. I really didn't know. 

I extended my hand with the bag and he took it, allowing a despicable grin to creep over his face so I could see his teeth even in the dark.

Then, to my horror, Hiran's smile faded, and it faded so slowly, and his eyes turned to me to quickly, that I knew something had been wrong. 

"Where's the rest of it?" He demanded.

The... the rest?

"W-What?" I asked, frightened and confused, "I... I don't know anything about it... I swear! I'm just the delivery boy!"

He turned to the men behind him saying, "Don't kill him, but send a message."

Send a message?