The Game of A Life Time

Chapter 1- Falling Down

"Would you like a receipt?"

The man behind the counter asks the woman in front of me, she has silver-rimmed glasses and a small pouch for a purse that hangs down her arm. The silvery-brown hair tells me she is in her sixties.

The boy to my right is bending down to reach the starburst on the bottom shelf. His mother was only a few feet away looking at a newspaper.

I start to wonder if it is all worth it, what I am about to do. The crazy thing is that I will block out everything and let it take over all of my senses. With one too many worries, I should not be present for this just in case something goes wrong.

The bell rings above the door on the opposite side of the counter. Thinking I am about to start, I wait for the queue. Nothing happens as I wait, the lady in front of me walks out of the gas station.

The man smiles, "hey, how're you doing?"

"Good," I gave him a quick smile.

Still no cue from Carter, I try to Stahl as much as possible. "Fifty on pump seven and these here," I hand him two Arizona Iced Teas.

"Sure thing," I hand him the fifty-dollar bill I got from the last run we did.

He puts the cash in the register and hands me a bag. I slide the giant cans into the bag and nod at him. I walk out the door and the chime rings.

I see a black mass follow through the door and I realize we are about to begin.

Turning back in the door, I step inside and hear voices from the other side of the store. Carter and the employee are discussing something.

The entity makes itself known to me by flickering the lights, one more word from Carter and I can disappear for a few hours. Most of the time, the entity will handle this stuff, but sometimes I have to be awake.

Depending on the queue that Carter gives me is what tells me the answer.

"Yeah, I want that too sunshine." There it is, the cue for me to step back.

I focus my mind on the object in front of me. Closing my eyes softly, I listen for the people stepping beside me and their urgency to leave the store.

I hear the click of the gun in his hands and I snap.

Drifting back in my mind, I open my eyes and see a dark shade of yellow. The entity is upfront, letting me slip back.

"Put it all in the bag," Carter says to the man.

One hand goes under the counter, "no."

"I will call the police," he retaliates.

Wanting to slip away with my physical body, but I can't. The entity is in control, I will have to stay put until we are done.

Running up the counter, my foot is stuck up on top and my arms are flung around the neck of the person behind the counter. Swinging my leg over the other, I somehow tackle the man to the ground.

With one hand, my fingers grasp the back of his head by the hair and smash his face into the ground. The other hand grabs the gun placed under the counter.

Interestingly enough, who would have thought California boys would have a weapon?

It is placed behind the guy's head. Holding his head up, I watch the anger drain from his eyes and fear takes its place. Blood gushes down his nose as his head comes in contact with the ground again, filling his guilty conscious one more time.

"Leave him and take the bag to the car," Carter stands over next to me with the bag of money out of my reach.

My hand involuntarily yanks and pushes a few more times until their whimpering moans are gone. Bloody pools at Carter's feet and I stand up. Taking the bag, I swipe the blood from my hands on the guy's polo shirt.