Take Me Back to the Start: Conclusion

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Walking down the dirt road towards the marina, Charlie wasn’t speaking.
My heart raced, terrified for Richard, and for Charlie at the same time.

We walked around the corner, onto the pavement. Cars were parked everywhere and fishermen were getting their boats ready to head out onto the ocean. The sun reflected in the water as the waves became large and overwhelming for the boats already out there. The marina had just opened, and people were coming in to get some breakfast.

“Where is Richard?” I asked finally, looking around to see if I could spot Winston anywhere. He was no where in sight.

“I, uh, I don’t know,” Charlie said quietly, not looking at me.

“You said you did, Chuck. You said you knew where he was, now tell me. Don’t be playing fucking games with me, man,” I scolded.

“There is no Richard Evans!” he screamed at me.

“He isn’t here! I made it up. It’s me who is the one who is in deep shit. I am the one cops are after, Eric. I knew you wouldn’t help me if I told you over the phone. Fuck,” he said, grabbing his hair, crying.

I didn’t say anything. I just stared at him.

“I’m sorry, man. I just, I don’t know where else to go, you know? You’re all I got. And Winston is still after me and I owe other people money. I need help, I know that, but--”

I cut him off. “Shut the fuck up, Chuck. You got yourself in this mess, you can get yourself out. I can’t always do this for you, man. You dig yourself so fucking deep, it’s unbelievable. Now you got the cops after you. Go up to them your fucking self and tell them that Carl is the stupid shit head that got you into all this,” I yelled with my jaw clenched.

Just then, we saw a black Escalade driving towards us.

“It’s Winston!” Charlie yelled, running away. His fat legs weren’t taking him away that quickly.

Winston got out of the passengers seat before the Escalade came to a complete stop and toppled Charlie.

Another guy stepped out of the Escalade as well, and stood behind me, making sure I didn’t interfere.

“Get off of me!” Charlie yelled helplessly as Winston grabbed him by the hair, exposing his neck.

He reached in his back pocket, and took out his large switchblade, pointing the tip of it to Charlie’s Adam’s apple.

“Winston,” I said quickly, trying to convince him to stop.

“We can figure this out, man. Don’t do this. He’ll pay you back,” I told him.

“Bull shit, Eric. You fend for this pussy every time I come into view. Not this time. This is his last time. He’s dead,” Winston said, pointing the knife now at Charlie’s chest.

“You can’t do this here, man! We’re in public, Winston!” yelled one of his friends from the Escalade.

“We’ll just go some place a little more private, that’s all,” Winston said, picking Charlie up and forcing him to walk down the dirt road.

The farther we walked, the more quieter, and lonelier it had gotten. Kenny’s truck was around here somewhere, wasn’t it? We didn’t park too far, I was sure of it. But I couldn’t see it anywhere.

“There,” Winston said, “peace and quiet.”

Charlie struggled to get away.

“I’m sorry, man!” yelled Charlie. I didn’t know if he was talking to me or to Winston.

I wanted to do something, but the guy hovering over me was holding me back. I was terrified. I had nothing to defend myself with.

“Hey, Eric,” Winston said to me. Charlie quit struggling. He was exhausted.

“How about you do the honors, huh? I got some mad dough in the car,” he said.

Was he wanting me to kill Charlie for him. For money?

“Fuck no. Let him go, Winston, please,” I pleaded.

Instead of saying anything, he quickly grabbed my hand, put the knife in it and violently drove it into Charlie’s chest.

Charlie let out a gasp of air as he stared into my eyes, fear-stricken, not believing what had happened. The knife still in his chest, he fell to his knees and fell face first into a ditch with the colored, autumn leaves.

“If you fucking go to the cops about this, I’ll kill you. Do you understand me?” Winston threatened.

He and the guy behind me jumped into the Escalade and sped off down the dirt road.

I was numb. I just killed somebody. And there was no where to run.