Five Seconds After Death

Blackness. Wet leaves sticking to my face as I run.

I feel so out of breath, I need to stop soon, I-I can't do this.

A small figure pushes through the damp foliage around them running from flashlights and aggressive shouts behind.

They slip, and fall into a muddy divot. Quickly getting back up they ignore the pain and scrapes bolting ahead to a small empty shed on the edge of someone's property.

They duck inside, the shouts now sounding far away. Hovering below the single window they peek out. Now somewhat illuminated he brushes his long dark hair away from his glasses.

Seeing his assailants have since left, he slouches down onto the ground taking a deep sigh as he goes.

This was such a stupid idea, what am I even doing this all for again?

He shoves his hands in his pockets disposing of a brown paper package, throwing it angrily across the shed.

I don't care about getting a new pair of shoes, I'll just have to go without them for now. God, I was so stupid to listen to him.

A familiar voice echoed in his head:

"Just do this one job for me Zach. I promise I'll split the money with you. You can buy yourself a new pair of Adidas with it! Didn't you want those? Just trust me."

Zach hugged his knees and groaned. Berating himself for listening to his deadbeat brother. Hiding drugs for him was one thing, but selling them was different. Zach had taken a lot of flak for refusing to help him in the past. Seeing that most of the time it was just the two of them at home, with their mom away with her latest boyfriend.

In the end he always gave in to Marc's demands.

Because he was a good brother right?

Maybe...

A loud yell jolted Zach out of his slump. He jumped up to the window and looked out.

Three figures in the distance, one pacing, as the others slowly crept closer to the shed. Zach began to panic and ducked down, crawling hurriedly towards the corner of the shed where a slight breeze could be felt. He crammed himself into the small opening. Loose wires and drywall ripping at his skin.

He was out.

Zach bolted ahead through the forest as more shouts sprang up close by. He ran, and ran, reaching a point where he nearly collapsed.

Zach stopped abruptly and caught his breath.

He was ready to resume running, but not before a bright light flashed in front of him.

This was it, they'd found him.

"Zach?"

That wasn't his brother's voice, or the voice of the guys that had been chasing him. It was familiar. The light moved from his face down to his feet. Zach finally got a look at who was standing in front of him. "Sawyer? What are you doing out here?"

"I could ask you the same. You look like shit, kid"

Zach knew Sawyer. He worked at the only store in town that sold records, and it was the one place Zach would always visit after school. He didn't know why the guy tolerated him, some teenager who would constantly pester him about what music he listened to, his thoughts on the world and the people in it. He seemed to fascinate Zach and at the same time make him laugh. Maybe it's because Sawyer never talked down to him, never lied to him, never bothered him about his home life.