57: Wakey Wakey

Aaron sat on the ground with dirt all over him and blankly stared at the house on fire. The neighbors had stormed out of their houses as soon as the bomb went off. Everybody was trying to do something to put out the fire. Carter hastily tried to fix a rubber hose on a water tap. A bunch of neighbors ran back and forth with buckets. They emptied their buckets on the fire and ran back to refill them. All Aaron could hear was the faint echoes of the commotion that seemed to happen in slow-mo in front of him. The windows of the ground floor where Big T lived, suddenly exploded into tiny pieces. A lot of the pieces landed just a foot away from Aaron. He squinted momentarily at the sudden flash but went back to staring at his surroundings emotionlessly. Flames raged out of the broken window. He heard a distant sound calling out to him. It was too distant to register. The sound kept on repeating. A hard slap across his face pulled him back into the real world. He was greatly startled and immediately sprang up to his feet. Boris stood beside him and waited for him to get a hold of himself. The noise of the chaos was deafening. There were screams everywhere. The debris of the destroyed house lay all around him. He stood there in confusion for a while. It finally hit him. He hastily looked around to find Sophie. He feared the worst and broke into a sprint. He feared that Sophie was still in the house that looked like it could come down at any moment. Boris caught him half way, by the back of his shirt. Aaron tried to fight him off. Boris was in no mood. He grabbed him by his collar, pulled him close and glared right into his eyes. Aaron’s fight weakened as he looked into his eyes.

“The police will be here any minute! We need to disappear now!”, Boris forcefully whispered to him. Aaron understood the concern but it didn’t fade his fears for Sophie.

“But Sophie?”, Aaron inquired with urgency. Boris let go of him but stood there emotionlessly. He motioned to the car.

“She’s already in the car”, Boris told him and Aaron was easily convinced to follow him to the edge of the world. They approached the car. Aaron was restless to catch a glimpse of her. He staggered to the car and Boris opened the door for him to enter. Sophie jumped out of the car as soon as she saw him and hugged him tightly. She had been weeping continuously, worried about him. Mike was in the front seat. All four of them looked straight out of a World War II movie. Their clothes were torn and they were covered in dirt. Mike was ready to step on the gas. Boris had explained to him why they needed to vanish and Mike didn’t need a lot of convincing. Aaron and Sophie kissed desperately. There was no shred of doubt left about their undying love for each other. Boris gave the couple some time to gather their wits but he was running out of patience.

“Alright. Save it for the road!”, Boris intervened in their display of affection and pushed them both into the car. He had originally planned to stay in the back seat like before but after seeing the state of the love birds, he decided to ride shotgun. Mike stepped on it as soon as they were all in the vehicle. The car screeched away. The police, fire trucks and ambulances entered the street as they drove out of it.

“Where to?”, Mike asked without taking his eyes off the road.

“That depends. Who is in the most presentable state?”, Boris spoke and looked at each of the passengers. It was Mike. All he needed was a wet napkin on his face and he would be good as new. “We’re gonna need new outfits. Nothing fancy but we can’t move around looking like prisoners of war”, he added. Aaron almost smirked at the expression. That’s exactly how he would sum up his situation. He was running from a battlefield with his tail between his legs after a brutal defeat. Mike understood what Boris was planning. It sounded like a good idea. The last thing they needed was unwanted attention. Aaron and Sophie sat in the backseat oblivious to everything that happened around them. They were still hugging with their arms around each other. Sophie’s head rested on Aaron’s shoulder as they both stared at nothing. It suddenly dawned on Aaron and he realized that they were not the only ones that lived in that doomed house.

“Hey! What happened to Tyrone’s family?!”, Aaron panickingly inquired. Sophie was also concerned as soon as Aaron spoke about them. Boris looked at Aaron through the rearview mirror and found him too worried to be left unanswered.

“They’re fine. The woman and the kid are at their relative’s house. They were the first to get back on their feet. The big guy will be home in the morning, if the cops don’t call him sooner”, Boris explained as openly as he could. Aaron and Sophie were relieved. The last thing he needed was another innocent life on his conscience. Mike drove on and they reached a mall. He got out and went on a shopping spree. He was precise in his choices. He only bought what was needed and saved time. He returned with a bunch of large shopping bags in a matter of a few minutes. The man would have won a prize if he had appeared on a TV show. He threw the bags in the back seat and entered the car.

“Now what?”, Mike asked Boris, expecting him to have some sort of a plan. He did.

“We’re not a hundred percent. Our bodies still might be in shock so we need to get looked at”, Boris advised. Mike agreed but according to Boris’s plan of action, authorities and hospitals were out of the picture. It puzzled him. “I know a guy that can get it done under the radar”, Boris added and started giving directions. Mike followed the directions to the letter. The directions took them to the highway and made them take a few dangerous dirt tracks and back alleys. Aaron and Sophie were starting to feel sleepy in the back. It took them a while but they had finally arrived. “Here we are!”, Boris declared and asked Mike to stop the car. Boris stepped out as soon as the vehicle came to a halt. Mike sat there puzzled at what he saw. Boris had brought them to a vet’s clinic and a cheap looking one at that. Mike sighed and shook his head. Boris didn't even look back at the car and walked inside. Mike, Aaron and Sophie didn't have a choice but to follow the man.