Horizon

I had left abruptly,I had to. Gina had said never to get involveed with "them greasy Mexicans" but I had no choice. I had burned all my bridges in that town and there was nothing left to do but make a break,a fresh start.Somewhere I could set myself up for a few months, take stock and rest.

It had been a long drive,three hundred miles in a little over two and a half hours takes it out of of a guy I can tell you. Especially after the two day coke/ketamine rush that still hadn't subsided,rushing through my brain,euphoric one minute,crazy images the next,muscles locking and total confusion causing me to by instinct to grab the wheel of the car like it was a bucking steer. I'm suprised I made it past the railroad tracks leading out of town. If that fucking greaseball hadn't reached into his jacket like that me and Gina would have been coasting back east, smoking a joint laughing at how we had rippied off her ex to the tune of nearly fifty grand, but he just had to reach in SO Fast! I had only taken the piece as a last resort, in case Miguel thought he could pull a fast one on me, just because he knew what I had to offload wasn't technically mine. They had agreed to meet up with us at the run down motel on the edge of town, had agreed the price and all was smooth till they told me that Gina was to stay with them while "Paco" rode with me to the drop point.Collateral they said.

From the get go, Paco made me uneasy and it wasn't just the drugs screwing my mind either.Big fucker,three parralel scars on his left cheek,mean looking tattoes everywher,the kinda dude you don't wanna meet in a dark....anywhere. From the moment we set out he had steadfastly refused to speak unless it was to give direction with a point of finger and slight grunt the only indication of what turn to next take.Any attempt to break up the boredom of the drive was rebuffed with a quick look and a slight contemptible laugh.I had given up all attempts at communication after the first fifty miles.He just sat in the passenger seat,smoking and staring through the windshield as if the car was on autopilot to it's preset destination which only he knew.

We had travelled about a hundred and ffifty miles when my travelling "companion" gestured for me to pull over. He got out of the car and punched in some numbers in his cell and began speaking rapidly in spainish, none which I could comprehend(Shit I have trouble reading the headlines on the daily's let alone understanding spainish) After a while he returned and we set off again. About five miles his cell rang and he anwsered,this I think I got the gist of it(I aint no linguist but I'm pretty sure i can tell when someone's pissed,in any language)He ended the call by slamming the phone shut.By this time as you'd imagine I was getting real antsy,the coke and the ketamine had combined in my bloodstream to set my brain into a whirlwind of suspicion and fear.Why had this guy been sent to accompany me?And why the fuck had they held Gina back,as collateral? I tried to ease myself back into a relaxed state but the feeling just wouldn't leave me this whole gig just felt wrong.

After another forty or so miles of complete silence with my edginess creeping up by the mile I asked him "where the fuck are we going,i mean,we just gonna keep driving all night?" to which he replied after another of his contemptible laughs "Pull over,I need to piss,an' don't ask no more questions if you know whats good for your chicka"The anger was rising as I slid the car off the highway,he got out and walked into the brush.I knew they had Gina back at the motel but she had nothing to do with this whole thing,why threaten an innocet girl?Unsettled,I got the pistol out from under the seat and cocked it. (thinking me to be the two bit player I really was they hadn't even searched me,even though i had over three keys of stolen coke strapped to the underside of the car)Paco returned and told me to drive.I refused. He looked at me real hard and again repeated "drive".I asked what would happen to Gina if I didn't.He replied 'dont you worry 'bout her,worry 'bout yourself' at that I levelled the pistol at his head. The fucker didn't even blink. 'You shoot me an' your pretty little bitch gonna wish she already dead,shit them boys fucked her brains out ten times over by now,you drive it might not happen to you aswell. So I shot him,square through the bridge of his nose,I knew he wasn't lying,something in the pit of my stomach told me it had been planned and there was nothing I could have done to save her from the wretchdness that had befallen her.And I'll live with that for the rest of my days.

I won't describe the mess that foul piece of shit left after his skull blew up in my car.I drove it into the brush and rolled his lifeless corpse out of the car and left him in the desert,animals like that don't deserve a burial,scavengers would take care of his mortal remains.Before I left,I undid the package from underneath the car and left it with Paco,shit he wanted it so much he could have it,for all the good it would do him now.I patted him down,no I.D., of course but he did have around four thousand in cash in his pocket.Thank God for small mercys.

I hit the highway,thinking about Gina.She was a sweet girl,messed up, involved with the wrong kind of people (me icluded) but there's nothing I can do for her now.No way back from what I have done.Gun the engine an head for the Horizon.

It's all I have left.