Crack…

The paper slid out from the two halves of my fortune cookie. I was waiting for my take out Chinese food from the local restaurant Chopsticks. Luckily they gave you your fortune cookies before the food because they take forever. My girlfriend Kate would be none too pleased if I came back without a fortune cookie for her, so I slipped one in my pocket . I looked back to my cookie. 28 27 45 60 12 32 Today’s lottery numbers. I flipped it over to the right side. The message had been whited out. On top of it was an even more disturbing message scrawled in red pen. Your life is in danger. Say nothing to anyone. You must leave the city immediately and never return. Repeat: say nothing.

I looked up and glanced around at the chefs. None were looking at me or looked suspicious. I could hear the cashier calling my order. “Number 34. Chow Mein and Orange Chicken for Kyle. Number 34. Kyle your order is up.”

I walked up in a daze and grabbed my food. I stumbled across the parking lot and fell into my 2014 Corvette Stingray. Working for Google has it’s benefits. I put the key in and drove off. As i passed in front of Chopsticks, I saw everyone piled up against the doors and windows screaming and falling over each other. Boom! The windows shattered and chunks of the building went flying, followed by a shockwave that rocked my ‘Vette back and forth. What was left of the building was in flames. “Holy shi-”

My head slammed back into my custom racing seat. I realized that I had subconsciously floored the car and was heading towards Kate’s place where she was waiting for her Chinese food and cheesy movie Friday. I slowed down as I got closer. I saw her apartment light on, and she was there, staring out the window at the stars. I saw a figure come up behind her. “Kate!!” I screamed, but she couldn’t hear me.

I shut my eyes, and heard a scream that pierced the quiet like a knife through butter. When I looked back, she was gone, a red stain on the window. I sped off, my vision blurred by tears. Once I got on the freeway, I pulled her fortune cookie out of my pocket. It was crushed. I realized there might be something in there to help me. I opened up the package, and crumbs fell all over my seat. I wasn’t in the mood to care right now. Her slip of paper was white outed the same way as the other one. I wiped my eyes and read. By now Kate is dead. Your only safe haven is the Bahamas. You are a wanted criminal for the bombing. I screamed at the top of my lungs and punched my steering wheel over and over letting all the rage out. I hit one too hard and it shifted my wheels, and my car started to lose control. I grabbed the wheel and righted the car. I had a long drive ahead of me, and I couldn’t use my credit card. I pulled off the freeway and went to the bank. After a long hour of looking over my shoulder, I had withdrawn all $27,985 from my checking account. I hopped in my car and sped off. I had who knows how long to get from Mountain View, California to the Bahamas. I decided to make the trip fast.

Saturday. Arizona. Sunday. Texas. Sleep. Monday. Louisiana. Tuesday. Georgia. Sleep. Wednesday. Florida. I decided my best chance of getting to the Bahamas was by plane.

I was at the airport, and trying to find parking. I finally found a spot. I stepped out of my car and stretched. Then the smell hit me. I threw up on the spot. A few families looked, and shielded their kids eyes. I realized that I must look like a criminal. Looking and smelling homeless, sleep deprived and driving an expensive car. I regained my legs, and then a thought hit me. I’m a wanted criminal, I can’t go into the airport. And I can’t pay cash for a ticket. They’ll know something’s up. I decided my best bet was a container ship and slip the captain a few thousand to turn a blind eye. I jumped back in my car and sped out of the airport. A few miles down the road, I heard sirens, and saw a Dodge Charger, ruined with that ugly white paint, with sirens on top. And he was trailing me. I decided my best bet was to pull over and act normal. As I pulled over, I realized that there was at least $7,000 sitting on the passenger seat. Damn. I must look like a drug dealer right now. I quickly stuffed the money under the chair as the policeman walked up to the car. “Do you know why I pulled you over?” he asked, spitting some tobacco juice on the ground.

“I was speeding?” I half asked, half said sheepishly.


“You were going 90 in a 60.”


I panicked. “Sir please, my mom is on her death bed. Please. I need to be with her when she passes.”


The cop looked at me for a while. “Fine.”


“Thank you, sir. Truly thank you.”

He walked to his car and once he was in, i pulled into the road. What a sucker. I made sure to go at 55 max, because I could see him trailing me in my rearview mirror. A few miles later, he pulled off the road. Once he was out of sight, I got back up to 70. That was all I dared after the close encounter. I finally made it into Miami, and got to a shipyard. I went up to the man at the entrance. “Hello. Are any of these going to the Bahamas?”

He nodded towards a ship that was pulling away. “Your ride just left. Next one’s in five days-”

I missed the rest of what he said because I was already in my car and driving down the dock. The gangway was still up, but it was lowering fast and it was disconnected from the ship. I floored the gas. 100 yards. 80 yards. 60 yards. It was getting lower. I shifted into fourth gear. 20 yards. I was going 180mph. And then I was in the air, flying towards the ship. My front wheels cleared the boat, but my back wheels clipped the edge, sliding me into a container. My head smacked on the wheel, and I sat there in a daze. I saw a blurred figure come into the alley, with someone behind them. I blinked a few times and everything came into focus.

My mouth fell open. Standing there was Kate. What in the world? And behind her. A man. I looked him over and realized that he was the cashier. And he had a gun.

“Pretty damn good stunt I pulled. And they think you did it.”, the cashier taunted.

I tried to open my door, but my side was pinned against the container. I pulled myself across the seat to the passenger door and got out. I stepped out.

All the sudden I was on the ground. I don’t know what I noticed first, the pain or the Pop! of a gunshot. I heard Kate scream. “Shut Up!”, the man yelled.

I lifted my head, and searing pain shot through my right shoulder. The man noticed me and threw Katie into one of the containers. Her legs crumpled, and she fell to the ground without moving. “Katie! No.”

The man was moving towards me now, the gun pointed at my head. He was right on me now. He pulled the hammer on the gun back. I shut my eyes.

POP!!

I felt the man fall on me. I opened my eyes and pushed him off. I started to sit up. I looked toward the sound of the gunshot. There, on the bridge, the captain stood with a shotgun. “I understand you’re lookin’ to escape to the Bahamas. I heard the whole bit about him framing you. You been on the news too.” he shouted down.

“You’re going to send me back aren’t you?”


“Well you did just see me kill someone, so I believe if I took you back I’d have to be arrested too. So I’ll keep your secret safe, you keep mine. Deal?”

“Deal.”

And with that, the captain came down to the main deck, picked up the body, and threw it off the ship, down to the bottom of the Atlantic. He nodded, and went back up to the bridge. Katie rushed over and kissed me. A little drizzle started to come down on our heads.

“I got something for you”, I said.

“What’s that?”

“Close your eyes.”

With that I walked back to the car, and came out with the Chinese food, all squished and rotten.

“Okay”, I said.

She opened her eyes and lost it. It must’ve been at least four minutes before she stopped laughing. Once she calmed down, she took it out of my hand and threw it off the boat. And with that, we sailed off towards the Bahamas, and who knows where else.