A Character's World

MC Makes a Friend (Unintentionally)

(MC's POV)

 I was currently touring Chicago. So far, I had only signed seven shirts, three hats, two American flags, and one teenage girl wanted me to sign her breast. I declined for obvious reasons.

 I thought about stopping in Goldwin while I was nearby, but I wanted to finish touring Chicago first.

 I stopped on the sidewalk to check the city map on my phone. I stood to the side as to not obstruct the path.

 "Let's see. Paulo's Steakhouse is two blocks from here. Nothing will ever be as good as Emperor's Coffee, but I can give it a shot." I put my phone in my pocket and walked to the restaurant.

 "Psst. Hey, you," a voice whispered from a nearby alleyway. 

 I stopped and peered inside. "Hello?" I spotted no one. 

 "In here, you bumbling idiot." A hand reached out and pulled me into the darkness of the alleyway.

 "What's the big idea?!" I said, annoyed. 

 "Shh. Listen, I need you to do me a favour and you look like a trustworthy guy," said a middle-aged guy with a small beard. 

 "Favour? Look, buster, I don't know who you are-" 

 "I'm Carlos," he introduced himself. He handed me a bag of a white powder. I had a suspicion what it is, but I did not want my theory confirmed.

 "You need to give this to my customer on the waiting in front of Lilly's Hair Stylists. He is paying five-hundred dollars for this, so make sure he pays the right amount. Here's a jacket with a hood." He tossed a jacket at me. 

 "I didn't agree to this-" 

 "Go forth, my dear boy. Get me that money!" He sunk back into the shadows. Grumbling, I put on the jacket and left. I'll get this drug deal over with and go visit Sayori. Oh, and I'll say hi to the others, I guess.

 This is stupid, I decided as I crossed the street. Why did I let myself get roped in to doing this? Who even is Carlos anyway? He is probably a sex offender or something.

 "Hey, buddy, how you doing?" 

 I did not jump in fright, but I will admit I froze for a second. "Carlos, go away. I'm doing your stupid favour," I said, annoyed. 

 "Just making sure you are following through on it." Carlos stuck his hands in his pockets and whistled.

 He kept pace with me. "So are you one of those Goldwin Characters? I've heard a lot about them," he inquired. Maybe if I answer his questions he will leave me alone.

 "I am," I said quickly. 

 "Cool. My niece and nephew live in Goldwin, you know," he said. 

 "Huh, that's interesting. Can you leave me alone now?" I hissed. 

 "Nope! You're fun to talk to." This guy was a pain in the ass. I was tempted to shove him into traffic.

 We arrived at his destination and met with the client. Carlos hid in a nearby clothing store while I made the sale.

 "That will be five-hundred dollars," I said. 

 The man forked over the cash. "Prices are going up like crazy these days," he muttered. He took the bag of crack and left.

 "Congratulations on a successful sale." Carlos clapped me on the back and took the money. 

 "Now I can add drug selling to my resumé. Great," I said sarcastically. 

 "Not so loud!" Carlos glanced around at the passing pedestrians.

 I saw a cop asking questioning people, so I took my hood off. 

 "What is it?" Carlos asked. 

 "Cop coming this way," I nodded at the officer. 

 Carlos shoved the money in his pocket. "Let me handle this."

 The cop reached us. "Hey, mind if I ask some questions?" 

 "Not at all, officer." Carlos turned into the picture of innocence.

 "There was an anonymous tip about a drug sale happening on this street corner. You would not happen to know anything about that?" the cop asked. 

 "I'm very sorry, officer, but no. Me and my son were just going to the cinema." I wanted to glare at him, but I restrained myself.

 "You didn't spot any suspicious figures wandering around?" 

 Carlos shook his head. "No, officer. Chicago is a very busy city, you know. It would be very easy to miss someone like that."

 The cop gave up on the questioning. "I will ask someone else, then. You two have fun with your movie." The cop moved on to someone else.

 "The cinema?! What movie did you even have in mind if he asked further!?" I was done with this guy. The reply was witty, though. 

 "The Let's Get Out of Here movie starring you and me, premiering now. Let's go."

 As we walked to my hotel, he asked me something. "You know, you've never told me your name. What is it?" Carlos inquired. 

 "MC," I answered. 

 "MC? Are those initials or are you a rapper?" 

 "Initials. It stands for Main Character." 

 Carlos nodded. "I suppose there are a lot of main characters, but you seem like a cool one." I ignored him.

 My phone dinged with a text. "Your girlfriend?" Carlos teased. 

 "Not yet, but she will be." I opened Sayori's message.

 It read, 'We are besieged by masked gunmen. We can last a while though, so we want you to save Robyn instead. She got kidnapped by her fake boyfriend named Henry. We think he is keeping her somewhere on college campus. Only if you're close by, though. Otherwise forget about this message. Okay, love you, bye! xoxoxoxo."

 I ran out the doors and hailed a taxi. "Where are you going!?" Carlos ran after me. 

 "To Goldwin to rescue my friends." 

 "Then I'm coming with you. You payed me a favour so I will return it." At least he had a sense of honour. 

 "Fine, get in the taxi."

 We rushed to Goldwin City. I only hoped we could get there in time to save everyone.