Mafia- The Game No One Wants to Play

Victim One- Jared

Bang!

      A gunshot rings out. I sit up in bed immediately. Whispers from the street below waft in through my open window. I work my way out of my blankets and walk to the window. A group of people run out of the flat across the street.

      My eyes widen when my brain pieces everything together. I make a move to run to the stairs and find out what happened, but part of me wants to be smart. It talks to me. Don’t go out there, Will! Are you crazy? Do you want to be shot too? Go back to sleep. Sleep is good.

      I give in to the part of my brain that makes sense and I crawl into bed. A few minutes later, sirens wail down the street and flashing lights shine through my window. Still, I am tired and I fall asleep easily.

      I wake when the sunlight pouring into my room falls onto my face. I rub my face and sit up. I get up and dress myself in a t-shirt and some basketball shorts. I run my fingers through my messy hair, then head down the hall.

      I  turn on the news in my small apartment’s kitchen to see if there’s anything on last night. Luckily, that’s what they’re talking about when I turn it on.

      “Reporters say that the boy’s body was found lying in his bed, but with a bullet hole in his head. Officers of the Praxton County Police Department arrived at the scene moments later along with the EMS, but it was too late for Jared Wilson. The officers report seeing a group of five males leaving the area soon after the gunshot was heard, but none were caught. We’ll fill you in with more information as soon as possible. Now to James Davis with the weather.”

      The TV screen fades to black and a musical tone tells me I turned off. All I can do is stare in horror and confusion.

      “Jared Wilson.” I know the name, but I never knew the kid personally. We went to high school together, but I was never really friends with him. Still, the death of a past classmate horrifies me. Moreover, the fact that there may be a Mafia living nearby scares me senseless.

      The day passes like any other day, but an uncertain feeling follows me. I try to pretend nothing happened, but none of my friends want to hang out. Mom keeps the news on all day, but they never say anything more about the potential Mafia.

      Around ten o’clock, my cell phone rings. It’s Cassie, my girlfriend.

      “Hello?” I ask wearily.

      “Are you watching the news?” She asks. She sounds worried too.

     "Uh huh."

     "How're you holding up?"

     “I’m fine,” I grunt. I can’t let my girlfriend know I’m afraid. I need to be strong for her.

“How are we supposed to know what to expect? What if someone close to us dies? What if it’s you or me?” Her voice grows louder and faster with every word.

      “Quiet, Cass. It’ll be okay. I’ll keep you safe.” I hear her sniff through the phone. “We’ll be okay, Cassie, I promise. Do you need me to come over?”

      “No!” she nearly shouts through the phone. “Don’t go outside, Will. Please. It’s not safe and I don’t want you dying.” I groan and agree to make her happy, though I don’t plan on following through.

      “You should get some sleep Cassie. Don’t worry yourself with all this. We’ll be okay.” She sniffs again and quietly gives me an okay. I hang up the phone after saying goodnight. I retire to my bedroom with some old popcorn from the movies a few days ago.

      The news still doesn’t give any helpful information, so I take a shower and go to bed. I start out having trouble falling asleep, just worrying about me or Cassie or someone else getting hurt, but I push the thoughts out of my head.

      Besides, I tell myself, it was only one person. That doesn’t mean they’ll kill everyone. But does it?