The End - Scene One

The End

Scene One
         Although Matthew Yule was 73 years old, he was proud of his ability to still walk to the local park. All those years in the service took their toll on his body, but he kept moving. He used a cane to compensate for the damage from a grenade exploding too close to his left leg, which also took out his right eye. The big guns he helped to load took a toll on his ears.
         As Matthew took each step, he mused about his latest neurologist doctor visit. There was cancerous fist-size growth in his brain. The doctor felt it could safely be operated on, and with chemo and drugs, he had an excellent chance of living more years. He could not decide if he would tell Misty about the problem.
         A smile spread across his face. Today was his granddaughter's birthday.
         "A penny for your thoughts, Matt." his friend Joe stated, startling Matthew.
         Joe Earnest and Matthew had been in the military service and have been friends since. They met every Tuesday and Thursday to play chess in the park. However, this week was different. Today, Joe had errands to run, and he accidentally met Matthew.
         Joe Earnest was two years younger than Matt, but you could not tell. During the war, he got shot several times. With each bullet, a major organ was hit. Joe believes he should have died each time but is convinced he was meant for better things. Even when he was close to a land mine as someone triggered it. Joe, however, had only his left leg severely damaged. It was injured in such a way that the doctors could not repair all the damage, so it had to be amputated. Even after this, Joe was optimistic.
         "Why don't you get one of these?" Joe referred to his wheelchair scooter. "You wouldn't have to walk everywhere, and it could greatly enhance what you can do."
         "Nay, I am fine walking. You know I do not like just sitting. I must be moving all the time. Plus, my condo is on the second floor."
         "Matt, we have had this argument too many times already. You live where there is an elevator, and you can still be moving, just easier," Joe said, trying to convince Matthew of the advantages of the wheelchair scooter. "Besides, these are fun to use and save you all the pain you're in by walking."
         "Fine. If you get off my back, I will investigate it," Matthew conceded. "If I get one, I better not have to re-arrange my place. You know I do not like change. I like my living room the way it is. Change is something I have had too much of.".
         Matthew did not like to bother his friend, or family, about what was happening with his medical problems. He had decided he would let them know right before the procedures. Besides change, Matthew did not like to worry about the people he cared about.
         "So, where are you going, Joe?" Matthew asked.
          "Oh, I needed to pick up supplies for a few days' worth of food. Later, I will have Physical Therapy."
         "I have time before the party. Need any help bringing your stuff home?" Matthew asked.
         "No, I have everything delivered, so I don't have to carry anything," Joe replied. "Besides, You need to use your cane, and the groceries would be too heavy."
         The two of them proceeded to go to the store together. Joe knew Matt would still offer help. Joe sensed something was going on with Matthew. He usually talks about his family and what they are doing. Today, Matt was much quieter and did not start any conversations.
         The two men began their journey to the store. Joe had to slow down because Matthew could not walk as fast as Joe went as the Scooter traveled. Joe began to talk about his family: Matthew was not listening because he was thinking about his tumor and the possibility of an operation. He also thought of his family, how they would respond to his situation, and that he did not tell them until the chemotherapy began.
         As they walked, several people passed them. It surprised them when two strangers stopped in front of them. The tallest one had his hand in his coat pocket, and the more muscular man had his hand underneath his coat.
         "You two need to follow me, and nobody gets hurt." said the tall man. Both mysterious men showed Matthew and Joe that their guns pointed directly at them.
         "He will lead," pointing to the tall man, "and I will follow. I will keep both of you in sight and will shoot without any second chances or hesitation." the muscular man said ominously.
         Matthew was about to scream for help but could only start the word before the tall man punched him in the stomach. Matthew went down hard to his knees, barely able to breathe. The tall man picked him up and threatened to kill him the next time he tried anything. While Joe was complying with the shooters, the muscular man hit Joe on the back of his head. This caused Joe to lose consciousness and slump over his Scooter.
         "Wakey wakey, old man," the muscular man said as he slapped Joe's face to rouse him. It took a couple of slaps before Joe responded. The muscular man commented, "You do anything like your friend; I will shoot you in the eye so you can see the bullet coming."
         "Leave him alone," Matthew began, "He didn't do anything. I will be quiet if you promise not to shoot us."
         The muscular man advised Joe and Matthew. "Yeah, sure. We will not kill you. It depends on both of you following directions and keeping quiet."
         The tall man added, "There is no promise of not killing you. Like my friend told you, it depends on how well you listen and not talk."
         They were at the small grove of trees by the time he finished. Being there obscured the visibility of what was happening. "We want your billfolds, credit cards, and bank information. You are now our sponsors in our endeavors. Hand over everything quick like," the tall man instructed.
         Matthew and Joe knew the men were not joking about shooting them.
         Neither man hesitated to produce their wallets with the money they were carrying, credit cards, I.D.s, and family pictures. While the two men were going through Matthew's and Joe's billfolds, they began taking the photographs and dumping them on the ground. The tall man mumbled, "Not very much in this one. No cash, just three credit cards, an AARP membership card, and an expired driver's license."
         "This one has two credit cards, a driver's license, and $50.00 in cash. Not much else but pictures and junk," advised the muscular man stated about Matthews's billfold. He then dumped out all the contents and stepped on them, grinding his foot.
         Joe and Matthew were helpless to stop them. To make matters worse for Joe, they turned off his Scooter, stranding him there. Matthew did not care about the credit cards or the money. His eyes kept darting to the pictures in the dirt. He wanted to pick them up but thought drawing attention to himself would not be wise. He saw pictures of his family covered with mud. His wife's last photo was ripped and smeared with dirt. Matthew knew he had to do something. He remembered his combat training and how often he used it. He had a weapon, the cane, with him. He remembered what he could do with a Bo Staff while in the military. He just needed to get closer.
         "Can I sit down on the rock right behind you?" Matthew inquired.
         "No, you will sit until we figure out what to do with you two. I want to shoot you both so there are not any witnesses alive. My partner thinks we should clobber you into unconsciousness. I am not sure that would be a clever idea. However, that does sound like fun," said the tall one.
         It was now or never to act. Matthew knew he was not as young anymore. He did have the advantage of surprise. He needed to work as fast as he could and decided to start with the closest, the muscular one.
         As Matthew readied himself to attack, the tall one looked at Matthew and must have known his thoughts. He held up his gun and pointed it at Matthew. He then walked closer to him until the gun was on Matthew's forehead.
         "I strongly advise you not to move, or your friend will have the golden opportunity to see the bullet before he dies," the tall man growled at Matthew.
         "Just to make sure you don't move; I will borrow your cane." He grabbed the cane and jerked it away from Matthew. Suddenly, without support, Matthew fell to the ground in a heap. He struggled to sit up without the use of one leg. He eventually managed to sit up. His hands and good leg were scraped and bruised.          
         "Hey Matt, you all, right?" asked Joe. "You hit the ground hard. How is your leg?"
         "I'll survive. How is your head?' Matthew asked.
         The muscular one declared, "This ain't a social call, you two," the muscular one ordered, "No more talking. Hey, are we done here?" the muscular one asked the tall one.
         "Grab their cell phones so they can't call anyone." The muscular one walked over to Matthew, searched for his phone, and placed it on the ground a few feet away from Matthew.
         "Whatever," the muscular man said to Joe in response.
         When both phones were placed on the ground, the muscular man stomped on them, smashing and breaking them apart into pieces destroying any chance of further use. Before Joe or Matthew could speak, the tall and muscular robbers drew their weapons and pointed the gun barrels at Matthew and Joe. "You haven't listened to anything we told you not to do. Give us one reason not to kill you."
         "You disabled us from doing anything by breaking Joe's Scooter and taking my cane, stealing our money and cards, destroying our phones, and defiling our pictures. Neither one of us will be able to identify you because our vision is not clear, I only have one working eye, and our memories are not as accurate as they once were," claimed Matthew. He spoke before thinking, "I think you have had plenty of opportunities to kill us but haven't."
         "He's right," said the muscular one. "I say we just leave them and high tail out of here. Besides, neither one can contact the police nor call for help. Also, even though we have silencers, the gunfire could still be heard if anybody was close enough."
         "Good idea. Let us knock them out and take off," advised the tall man. Both men walked over to Matthew and Joe. The tall man stopped by Matthew, and the muscular one went to Joe.
         "The heck with this. Let us go now to get a distance from here," insisted the tall man. He looked at Mathew, then smiled, "Maybe next time I'll just shoot you." The two men left the little grove of trees. Matthew could not hear the two men when they left.