One Chance Charlie

8 nice to meet you

"Come on Charlie" Miles shouted from the stands. I grinned walking away from the track. Miles ran down and greeted me with a huge hug. "I'm so proud bro, you're like a fucking cheetah man" he laughed. "My dad here?" I asked looking out for him but Miles shook his head "sorry man". I shook my head still sweating in the heat. "Hey" I turned around to a man with a clip board "I'd really like to talk to you about a scholarship to Harvard. With a closer look it may be that we could offer you a full ride. How's that sound?" He asked and I grinned, Miles cheered and climbed onto one of the bars and done a back flip.  "That sounds amazing" I grinned from ear to ear. "Alright, I'll talk to you after you shower and change. I'll be out here" he said shaking my hand. "Right I'm going to change you behave" I told Miles and he grinned "when do I not behave?" I rolled my eyes and headed in. I went to the showers and washed all the grime off. I thought I heard something but I looked and there was nothing. I scrubbed my hair and dried off. I grabbed some tracksuits bottoms and pulled them on lazily. I went to my locker to fish out my shirt but suddenly hands grabbed me and threw me to the floor. "Who the hell?" I said as the pinned me down zip tieing my arms. I grimaced at the pain. Not again. As soon as they stood me up i kicked the guy behind me and shouldered the one on my right. Unfortunately the guy to my left was a lot stronger and just slammed me into the lockers. They shook before falling over. He landed on top of me and I grunted. "Shit" one of them growled. I looked up to see Miles in the doorway. "What the hell are you doing?" He asked angrily. "We can't hurt him just grab him" a gruff voice said and two of the guys ran to grab him. They didn't zip tie his hands though. The big one dragged me out and I could see Miles in front of me struggling. I could see they knew who he was because of the way they were being extra careful with him where as my guy was just dragging me along even though I didn't have any shoes on. I was shoved into the van after Miles and we were both hooded.

After a ten minuet ride we were both dragged out again. Only this time the floor my feet touches was mostly sand with sharp rock scattered about. I cried out in pain as I stood on one. The man dragging me didn't seem to care. Suddenly me feet met concrete with small stones and dust on. I tried to fight him again, worried of being taken inside and getting locked up. He threw me down and I grunted in agony. He whipped the hood off and I squinted at the light. After a few blinks I looked up to see Romero looking a little more scruffy than usual. "Ah Charlie my boy. Great to see you. Come come, untie him. He's on our side" he said and the big bloke cut the zip tie with a knife. "And don't treat Miles like that. Let him go" he said gesturing to a struggling Miles. He was gently set down and he huffed in annoyance. "Miles, I'm sorry you got mixed up in this. But I suppose you might learn from witnessing Charlie's first initiation session" he said warmly.

"Now Charlie you see this man here" he said gesturing to a man tied to a chair a meter in front of me. Then it struck me. His first killing. In an abandoned warehouse with a man tied to the chair. I stood back immediately but Romero instantly held me still with strength I didnt know he had. He pulled a gun out of his waistband and forced it into my hand. I tried to recoil away but he held me tight. He held me against him so that his hand was holding mine and his arm was running along mine. "Please don't make me do this" I begged him and he laughed. One of the guys walked over and whipped the hood off my father. I tried to move back again but I was forced to look at my father dazed and confused tied to a chair. "Marshall?" He asked his voice slightly broken. "Yes Marshall, go on Marshall" Romero grinned bringing the gun up to my father's head. I looked over to Miles he was being restrained again. "No Charlie" he shouted. "Shut him up" Romero ordered and it was instantly carried out. "Marshall what are you doing?" He asked and I looked away "Please dad dont" I begged and he started to try and struggle.

"So Charlie what's it going to be? Your father or you?" He asked and I immediately turned the gun to my own head and pulled the trigger.