SEVENS

MUD RUN

I was good at running.
I knew the Wharf as well as the feeling of the ground beneath my feet. The flashing red and blue lights directed me away from the danger and I found my way off the lot through the south west corner. There wasn't any holes in the chain link but the barbed wire at the top had been cut and it wasn't hard to climb. As I neared the face, ready to climb, I heard footsteps behind me.

"Shit. He's fast." Mal panted.

I turned around as fast as a coin flip and flung my arm to point at Raf, admittedly a little dramatically. "No. Go away."

Thee three stopped when I did, Bleu bent down over his knees and put his hands on his hips and leaned back. Both were panting which confused me.

"We need to get to Jean." Raf explained like I knew what that was supposed to mean.

"I can't help you." I began to turn back to the fence but the approach of more flashing red and blue lights caught our attention.

I caught Raf's eyes. He looked so calm. His words sounded like fact. "We'll tell them your name. I'd rather not get caught but I can pay my way out in an hour. Can you say the same?"

I didn't have to think. If my name was given to the cops there would be no doubt they could trace me back to the appointment before I got back tonight. And once they caught me they'd take prints and find everything else too. No argument or broken nose was worth it. I pointed to the break in the barbed wire. "Mal first. Then Bleu. Raf you'll follow me last." He nodded and it was like a command to the other two.
The rattling of chain link echoed against the metal walls and I thought I heard the sirens rolling slowly closer. Mal reached the top of the fence and dropped to the ground on the other side. Bleu began to climb and this time when the fence rattled it did draw attention. I could hear shouting a few units over. I had no doubt there were at least a few patrol cars and probably more on the way. There was a large population of low rap criminals here and it was a constant fishing hole for big arrests. Anything to meet the quota.
Bleu was only halfway over the fence. I gripped the chainlink and glared at Mal on the other side. "If you don't want to get caught walk that way— " I pointed straight away from me. "There's a road, semi populated, walk along there and call your friend to pick you up. If the cops ask you were at the south creek park and are walking home. You were just enjoying the weather and walking down memory lane. Raf and I will take another way. Raf will call you when you can pick him up."
I pushed away from the fence and frowned as Bleu finally reached the top and began to climb down the other side. If Mal didn't follow my instructions chances were if any cop were to interrogate him his stupidity and Bleu's seeming innocence would be enough to kill any suspicion. Sadly enough for me both Raf and I fit more of a "criminal" description. It would be unlikely that we would be overlooked.
I began winding back into the Wharf's innards pulling Raf behind and barely missing the beam of a flashlight. Thankfully the containers were too heavy to move without a crane which meant everything was the same as I remembered. There were most likely a hundred different sneak holes in the fence surrounding the Wharf but some were more hidden than others. The only other one I knew of was opposite from where Mal and Bleu had just escaped from. Getting there without getting spotted wasn't terribly hard. We just had to be quieter than the other people hiding on the lot. When we reached the fence I had to pace back and forth a few yards to find where it had been cut.
The hole was maybe two by two feet and had weeds growing up to fill in the gap. I pulled at them until there was enough room to squeeze through. Raf peered over my shoulder and to the other side of the fence.
"There's nothing there."
I knew what he was referring to but I didn't acknowledge what he said. The entire east side of the Wharf was aligned with a steep sided ditch. At the bottom of eight feet of muddy walls was a little creak that filled up in the spring. I patted the ground for him to sit.
"Slide down feet first. It's best if you go on your heels and elbows, try and keep your head or tailbone from hitting any rocks. There is a stream at the bottom, it should only be up to your ankles this time of year."
He finally sat and stuck his legs out the hole and grabbed the wire to swing himself out. "It's like a water slide." He said.
"Sure." I agreed and then he was off.
I followed once I heard a splash in the creek below. The hill was mostly mud which was better than If it were solid dirt and rocks. The slide took less than five seconds and when I landed in the water I stumbled and almost fell. Raf caught me and pushed me back into the wall of mud. I sighed and took one breath before I looked back at him. He leaned against the hill next to me. Looking at him I realized he was wearing a white sweatshirt, the backside of which was now covered in mud. I would have apologized but then I remembered that he had blackmailed me into this. A flashlight shined further down the fence and I pressed further into the mud before it passed over us. Thankfully Raf was smart enough to have done the same. We waited for the light to completely disappear and then some before we moved The water, which was actually up to our knees not our ankles, and the mud were soaking me through and I began to shiver. I don't think Raf could see me shiver as he followed.
By the time we found somewhere where we could climb out most of the mud on my back had dried. Where we had climbed out was along the backside of an empty parking lot. There were some office buildings off to the right and a few street lamps lighting up the area. I turned to Raf who was sitting on the curb looking at his phone.
"Alright so we're still too close to the Wharf, there may still be cops patrolling the area and if they see us like this there's a slim chance we don't get arrested. I think we should make our way through the forest—"