Time, I was almost out of it.
The golden pocket watch given to me by an old love spun in a million circles after it flew out of my hands. I saw the engraving of my name, Switch. Is this going to be the last thing I see?
I had fallen right into the trap.
Five guys talking to an innocent woman. There were only twenty of us left in the bar. It was the closing hour. I didn’t trust those men. But then again I never do, do I? Maybe the others were right. That was my weakness after all.
A lack of trust.
That’s how I lost her. Through a lack of trust. The one flaw I could never fix in myself. Trusting others. Even her.
“Why the fuck were you following us?” One guy said after he threw another punch into my solar plexus.
I coughed. These guys weren’t normal. They weren’t just frat boys or drunkards looking for a woman to prey on. They were preying on me, and I fell right for it. I’m pretty sure even the woman was involved. I looked at the guy who punched me. I caught his name as Ben. “Well, Ben, I first have to ask my question. Who hired you?”
Ben smiled. “Ah, so you are smart. It doesn’t matter who paid us, we were just told to make sure you stop doing what you’ve been doing. To be frank, I don’t even care who you are. But a paycheck is a paycheck.”
So, someone out there didn’t like the fact I was out there saving women from being roofied and taken. “Yeah, a paycheck is a paycheck, but I prefer being paid in honest ways, Ben.”
“This is an honest way. I was paid to take you honestly out of the picture, I was honestly told how to find you, and was honestly told that you couldn’t refuse saving people. And look where we are. All true. All honest,” said Ben.
I looked around the alley. My arms were being held by the largest of the men. The others were standing guard at the only exit. Ben cracked his knuckles and got them ready for another punch. I had to keep talking until a plan came to my mind. “So, you were all paid to make it look like you were about to do something to her, and then knew I would follow. Sounds like someone knows me, and they don’t like me either, huh?”
“Of course they don’t like you. From the word in the underground, you’ve been doing this for months and have cost a lot of wealthy people a lot of money.” Ben punched me in the jaw. “And people hate losing money, even those who have tons of it.”
I moved my jaw. My jaw remained unbroken. Ben held back on that one. I looked around the alley. Ah, a friend. I looked at Ben. “Underground, huh? Didn’t know that kind of thing was real. Especially out here in towns like this.” I lied.
“Oh yeah, small towns are the best places for crime lords to work. It’s easy to buy off the law, to make the locals listen, and to find people like me who are willing to deal with people like you.” Ben punched me in the stomach.
I caught my breath and laughed.
Ben raised his brow. “What are you laughing about?”
“A joke I just made up,” I said.
Ben smiled. “Let me hear it.”
“There’s people like me, and people like you, but what do you call the people in between, caught in a hard place with nothing to do?”
“What do you call them?” Asked Ben.
“Rocks stuck between a fool.” I slammed by foot down on the one holding me. He let go to react, and in that reaction I freed myself, ducked under Ben, then picked up the giant stone I had caught in my eye. I turned fast and slammed the stone into Ben’s nose. Then I slammed it into the knee of the one who held me while Ben beat on me.
“He broke my fucking knee!” The man yelled.
I slammed the stone into the same knee again to make sure his statement was true. Ben staggered, and I took no chances of him recovering fast enough. I slammed the stone into the side of his head. There was a wet smack, and then Ben fell to the floor. He wasn’t getting back up. I turned and saw the other three at the exit. They looked at what I had done to their bigger friends.
“AHHHHH COME AT ME!” I roared as I beat my fist on my chest.
The other three ran off, not wanting broken limbs or noses.
I threw the stone down and picked up my pocket watch. As I walked into the light, I checked the time. It remained frozen on the time of when I lost her. Just as it should have been. I looked back into the alley, then to the moon above me. Someone out there just made the wrong person their enemy.