Shadow's Within

24 : On the road with a modest man

Again on the road, racing across a wide swathe of vineyard to our exterior. I'm still unsure of our destination. Neither of them spoke to us the moment we begin our journey. Chase still experiencing the traumatic event befallen him just before; his eyes cower to the rumbling of the car, losing any hint of the stubbornness in it. I return my eyes to the speeding world outside, fascinating the view I hardly ever enjoy.

We now lashing through another small town but with a definite over population crowd within. There's people everywhere, man, woman, children and elderlies. From the commotion I could see they were having some sort of celebration in this settlement. Children running with balloons following the shadow trailing behind them.

Everybody carving a smile into their face. They seem happy. I wish I could be there taking part as a member of the community, away from this life I had. I'm forcing myself to smile, looking away at the people leading their live freely as they will. I wish I had the lucky fate as them, but I can't. My life has been destine in this direction. An assassin, a fugitive; that's all I would ever be.

But a surge of guilt well through my heart. I glance over to Chase. I brought him over to this kind of life. A life of no returning. I wish I could tell him everything would be alright, but I can't. The comfort I pass down to mom I can't transfer it to him. I can't guarantee his safety. His involvement is way too deep. He's not a fighter, he's a commoner.

"You okay back there?" Armore finally speaks.

"Yeah" I reply.

He smiles to me. "Good."

"If you don't mind me asking." I said. "Where are we going?"

"Worried are you?" He peeks through the front mirror.

"No... it's just that I hate not knowing things. From past experience, I hardly ever trust a person... unfamiliar scares me.. its because of unknown I was pull into this life... if I had known.. one simple answer would release of this path... I would probably be an entire different entity than I am today." I sigh

"Who knows, I would have probably been a doctor or a lawyer, or making my ways through congress into becoming a state senate."

Armore barks a laugh.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Oh nothing my dear" he said. "But I couldn't but agree to your recount... I always wonder what I would be if I didn't take this path that led to where I am today."

I frown. "Why did you get into this business?"

"Why you ask?" His eyes bulges. "I guess it's started when I was a young man."

The car skirts left into an unfamiliar territory. I saw nothing but trees and branches reaching out into the streets looking as if hands squirming out.

"Me being born into a poor family is not something that would guarantee your future as a successful person... Ever since I was kid I had to take risks and squabble about stealing foods or scraps of metal that I could sell... Our family didn't have much.. each person would eat half a bread for an entire day.. its not a healthy diet a kid should be going through."

The driver gun down into the right this time. Armore is still reviewing his story life.

"It wasn't until I was fifteen that I was careless and got caught stealing from a local mobster.. You would assume I would be dead.. but instead of setting me straight.. the man handed me an entire plate of pasta and I grovel down the entire plate... That man took pity on me and gave me job so I could afford to bring food to my family.. life was good... until—" he stop, clench his chest and coughs.

He lashes open a bottle and took a sip, quenching his thirst. "Two years after... an officer of his family took a liberty and rounded a majority of men and created a coup de'tat against the man. He was force to flee and I hid him from his death... and.—" his cough getting worser.

"Senor" His driver scowls. "Take it easy"

He coughs again. "'I know... where was I... Oh! right!... fleeing...so the man came to me for sanctuary.. and I know it's only a matter of time before they found him.. and so.. I took a chance.. and help him escape along with my family... and since then I knew I had to be in this business.. helping people escape their problems.. so they would never be haunted by their nightmares.."

The driver round the car in a circle and continues pushing through the pedal.

I glare through the milieu of the darkness surrounding us, the stygian void, the unknown. "I guess.. we all have our reason to be where we are now.. whether it was our choice or force into our hands"

"Right you are my dear" he smiles again.

My apathy, that's what intrigues the organization to recruit me. The senseless lacking of people emotion or feelings. I wish I was a different person entirely. A hand gropes me from behind, it's Chase. He's comforting me, and for the first time I embrace another person empathy beside mom. It feels nice, warm and reassuring.

The car pulls to a stop in a middle of nowhere. I can't adjust my eyes to see what's on the outside. It's nothing but an opaque screen.

I turn my eyes towards Armore. "Why did we stop?"

He set down his bottle. "We have arrive"

"Arrive?" Chase ask. "We're in the middle of nowhere!"

He snorts. "You young people.. only look with your eyes... try look deeper and not just rely on your sight."

I'm confuse, the old man didn't make any sense. Is he derange or delusional. There's nothing to be seen out there. Only a speck of obscure nothingness. Just then my eyes caught a flicker of movement through the corner of my eyes. It was instant. In a flash, I could the same movement at the other side.

Then a knock tamper on my windowsill.

What the hell?