On The Run With Mike And Gunn

Ch. 1: A Man Needs to Get Out

Present day, outside of some warehouse in Richmond...

"This is the life we chose," said Johnny Gunn, looking up at the big head blocking his view of the sky beside the side door opening into the warehouse building that served as their boss' base of operations. "You have no reason to break from it now. If you do break you may find yourself being broken. You know that better than anyone Michael Liebowitz."

The big head squinted its eyes as it looked down at Johnny. The head's owner would never let anyone other than Johnny call him by his full given name; everybody else knows him as simply Big Mike. At 6' 10'' and a skeleton of the densest bone known to man carrying over 300 pounds of mountainous muscle, to call Mike Liebowitz big was something of an understatement. He tried to take in his close friend's words, though given the years of blunt trauma to the head brought with it a comprehension rate that was rather inhibited as well as a lowered ability to appreciate the gravity of the situation he was putting himself into with retiring from the life. Everything else about the man was still fully capable.

"Are you even listening to me you lout?" Johnny shouted, tapping into Big Mike's shoulder with the business end of his fist. His friend being so much taller than him, he had to rise up on the balls of his feet in order to reach his shoulder. "I see the wheels turning in your head through your glassy eyeballs. Seriously man, when's the last time you got your head examined?" The tone in Johnny's voice was a perfectly blended mix of frustration and concern, with one emotion promptly feeding into the other and vice versa.

Mike shook himself out of his daze and looked down at Johnny, as though really seeing him for the first time. "I'm sorry man. I must've let my mind wander around somewhere." Johnny gave him the same old familiar look he had always given him, suggesting without words that his gargantuan-sized friend might be losing it. "Look," Mike added, "I know it sounds bad to wanna get out now. I'm in my thirties and I'm still young enough to get out and enjoy my life without much of a problem hanging over my head."

"Well that's ok I guess," Johnny interjected, tapping his friend again in the shoulder. "At least you're thinking semi-straight. Now forget this crap for now and let's get inside and report to the boss. It's getting cold out here, and I left my good jacket at home." And with that Johnny opened the side door and walked inside, not even giving Mike a chance to explain himself any further.

Mike paused at the door, allowing for it to slam back into his face. To go in and act like nothing was going on wasn't in the cards for him; but on the other hand the thought of leaving Johnny behind and risking the chance that the boss wouldn't care for his terms of resignation weighed just as heavily on his mind. He couldn't help but to take a few moments to consider the issue at hand, and the issue at hand was beginning to talk back at him with harsh words.

The truth was, Big Mike had been strongly considering quitting his current vocation as enforcer for a good 10 months now. Ever since the last major job went a little off, making it difficult for the boss to bring in that foreign car shipment from Europe and hop and chop them for illegal street racing, Mike started to allow certain doubts to creep in, doubts concerning his line of work. The way he blew up on the guys who were bringing the cargo ship through the port didn't exactly help to fix the problem when it came time to negotiate things further, and ever since then he had felt a lingering hindrance to his relationship with his boss, a man by the name of Robert Christopher. That kind of emotional strife doesn't exactly breed inner confidence, and Mike knew well enough to want to break away while he still felt like he had the chance.

Without very much wanting to, Big Mike groaned once as he opened the door, and then groaned a second time as he tried to squeeze himself through the doorway. I should've gotten a contractor to put in a bigger one when I had the chance to offer my opinion, Mike thought to himself. But if I do end up walking away the added expense would have all been for nothing. And then there the company will be, stuck with another useless expense that did nothing for long term growth.