The Men With The Red Patch

Out Of Mind...

Pete seems to be lost outside somewhere, just staring blankly out the window, while King sleeps in the back seat. "Hey, let's get gas," says Pete. I look down at the dashboard. "It's between full and half a tank, do we need it?" I ask. He nods. I find the closest gas station and pull over by the pump. King perks his ears up as I climb out of the car. I go to the pump and start pumping. Finally, the tank is full, I pay with my card and I climb back into the car. "Do we need anything from inside? Something to snack on maybe?" Pete continues to stare out the window. "Honey?" He jumps and looks at me.

"Pete, you've been acting weird all day, what's going on?" He rubs his face and sighs. "Yes baby I'm fine, I think the weathers messing with me. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Do we need snacks?" He smiles, then nods. "Yes, please. Park over there by the back door." I do as he says and we leave the car, leaving King in the backseat with the windows cracked. As we get inside there are about seven other people in the store. Pete heads towards the dog food, and I head to the drinks. I grab myself a tea and Pete a bottle of milk, then water for King. I head over to Pete as he grabs a bag of dog food.

"Can't we get that at the store?"

"It's cheaper here." He says.

I look at the price. $7.95. Alright. I nod and walk towards the snack aisle. I hear what sounds like someone bumping into something a couple aisles down. I jump up to see over the shelf in front of me, Pete looks at me apologetic like, then mouths "Sorry". I chuckle and continue looking and the candies.

Suddenly the sound of gunshots shouts from outside. I freeze, my heart drops. King! I move slowly to the end of the aisle and look for Pete. He comes into my sight and mouths something to me, but I don't catch what he's trying to say, my mind is racing. He looks around the room, then walks towards me.

"Angel, I need you to breathe. Look at me. It's going to be okay. Look at me!" He grabs my hand and puts his other hand on my cheek. I can feel my heart pounding harder than ever. Another gunshot shoots through the air outside. He pulls me towards the end of the shelf. He grabs a bag off the shelf, it reads the stores logo. "Chris, I need you to fill this with as many water bottles as you can, okay? And if you can find some matches, grab those too. Move quickly, we need to go." He whispers to me. I nod and cautiously walk to the coolers. I fill the bag and head for the counter. More gunshots ring in the distance. I grab 5 books of matches and slowly crawl away from the counter. I feel a tear trickle down my cheek.

I look forward and See Pete stuffing a bag with Beef jerky, then handing it to a teenage girl and a little boy. The boy looks no older than six and more frightened than ever. The girl can't be over eighteen. Pete hugs the child, then points the girl to the coolers, I assume to get water, then he nods to the back exit. The kids crawl to the coolers and Pete's eyes meet mine. He motions for me to come to him. As a take a small step a bullet cuts through the air, and into the wall right of me. I almost scream but cover my mouth just in time. He motions for me to run. I look towards the door and see a man in all black, with a big gun. There's something on his vest. It looks like a red patch. I look back at Pete, then to the man again. The man looks away from the building, and I make a run for it.