• A.N- Watch the language. It's awful.

    My rear came in contact with the abrasive interior again as the junker hurled down the seemingly endless stretch of dirt road. It was dark, pitch black in fact and the only light we had to go by was that of the single headlight which bounced around just as much as the car did so really it was of no value.

    To be perfectly truthful I had absolutely no idea why I was even here. I was dizzy, light headed, freezing, and I could feel a monster migraine coming on as I clutched onto the thin sheet of fabric covering the otherwise bare metal of the seat.

    Kurt sat behind the wheel, laughing manically and allowing it to jerk this way and that. Sometimes it even slipped out of his grip, but he captured it again before his younger brother could take notice.

    “This is insane!” I shouted from the back, “What the hell are we running from?”

    No one answered me. To say that I was the tag along in this situation would be an understatement, but I had a feeling that this could probably lead to something pretty sinister in nature.

    I felt fingers curl around my arm and Shauna clung to me as we bounced around helplessly. Her eyes were closed, not that she was facing me. And it seemed that she only held onto me to try to steady her breathing as it had become quite raged.

    “Kurt!” She growled with what breath she had, “Stop the damn car I’m getting out.”

    “Aw comeon don’t be such a girl. And besides you can’t back down now, the deeds already been done. You’re already guilty, hell we’re all guilty…”

    “What are you talking about? What deed? Who’s guilty?” I asked, completely out of the loop.

    “Don’t listen to him,” Shauna insisted before Kurt could respond.

    It was then that she seemed to realize who she was clinging to and sneered, letting go and pushing me away.

    “Antwan?” I addressed Kurt’s younger brother hoping he would give me a straight answer.

    But after a few minutes it was clear he had nothing to say.

    Kurt jerked hard to the left and after what seemed like several complaints and chastisements the car stopped. The silence was eerie as Kurt killed the engine and the lights. We all sat there, catching our breaths and trying to keep our stomachs from flipping.

    “What now, genius?” Shauna asked finally, shattering the silence.

    “Now we let Clueless back there in on the secret,” Kurt flashed his white teeth and caressed his red buzz cut with a tan hand.

    Shauna turned her black eyes on me, her hair invisible in dark interior of the car.

    “We did it.” She said simply.

    And immediately I knew what they were referring to, “…you didn’t…oh god please tell me you didn’t!”

    Antwan turned then and flicked open his switch blade knife stained with blood. The message was clear.

    “Oh god…Oh god…!” I moaned as the realization hit me.

    “I told you the p***y wouldn’t be able to hand it!” Shauna hissed and turned to face the others. Despite being the only chick present she was probably one of the biggest men I had ever come to know.

    “Why the hell did you pull me into all this bullshit?!” I exclaimed, “I had nothing to do with it!”

    “Danny,” Kurt spoke softly and after a moment’s pause he climbed into the back seat with us. The guy was huge – six feet and a few inches – but was built like his brother and was stick thin. He squeezed his way between Shauna and I and got up real close to me, “No one’s gonna miss him, not old Robinson. And besides did you hear what he did to Antwan?”

    I shook my head, too shocked to speak.

    “Touched him here,” Kurt grabbed my groin and scooted closer, “He did some dirty things to my little bro and so we had to do him in. No man touches another man like that. And no f*****t is gonna lay a finger on my little brother. People like them don’t deserve to live, shouldn’t even be born! They’re a waste Danny – a waste of human flesh; and I have no problem taking out the garbage every once in a while.”

    I stared back at him blankly as his hand slid away from the center of my jeans.

    “Are – you – ******** – insane?! Have you completely lost that warped brain of yours? You killed a man for making sexual advances on…”

    “Hey!” Kurt snapped, “Are you sticking up for that sick pervert?”

    The look in his eyes scared me. Kurt was a little off his rocker and well I wasn’t exactly in any position to question his authority.

    “That’s right,” He smirked, “We’re all in the same boat Danny boy…”

    “Take me home.” I said softly, casting my gaze down to the floor of the car, “I have no part in this…”

    Kurt didn’t answer, but instead climbed back into the front seat and started the car again. There was no more talking, no more arguing, and no more explaining. He was right; we were in the same boat now – each and every one of us. We were all branded as murders, criminals…felons.

    Shauna sighed and leaned back against the harsh backseat. Her black spiky hair still blended with the darkness, but her bronze skin was visible by the moonlight. She was one tough cookie, an army brat and had done plenty of moving around. I suppose her dad was to blame for that, her mom didn’t like to be without her husband for long and so they moved about quite a lot to follow him.

    Kurt and Antwan had a similar background. Their dad was involved in something having to do with the military, but they never really went into detail. It was odd how they related with one another; Antwan was the smart one and Kurt was good with his hands, not so good with his brain. They were about as close as two polar opposites could get.

    And then there’s me – Danny. I’m running, running from the past I guess. My dad and I moved here not too long ago with nothing but what could carry in our hands. Since then we’ve frozen out asses off here in what seems to be the closest thing to civilization in the arctic. If a polar bear were to cross the road in front of us it really wouldn’t surprise me.

    “Where the hell do we go from here?” Shauna asked finally while lifting her head to peer into the front seat.

    Kurt shrugged, “Antwan?”

    The smaller out of the two brothers slid the blade of his switch-blade back into place as he thought and propped his feet up on the dusty dash. We all waited impatiently for his response, and just as it seemed we wouldn’t get one he sighed.

    “I guess we spend the night here and tomorrow we move on.”

    “On to where?” I asked, dreading the answer.

    Everyone smiled. Everyone but me…

    “The Daemon Mob.”

    A legendary crime organization, famous for its world renowned thieves and tricksters. Is that where we belonged now? Among them? Rouges and Murders were not exactly my forte, but we were no longer accepted citizens of normal society either. It seemed to be my only option, our only option, the only place we could really call home now. Maybe it would provide minimal safety, safety that now – we were without.

    But even more legendary than the organization it was the leader. This shadowy figure had been intergraded into children’s scary stories for as long as I can possibly remember. We used to argue if he was a thief, or a cold-blooded serial killer, or both! Whatever he was, it was said that he would whisper to confused souls and force them to do his bidding.

    Scary thing is that I’m wondering if he’s speaking to mine now.

    No one else really seemed bothered by the idea as they snuggled up in blankets and began to fall asleep. Shauna shoved one against my chest before unfolding her own in the backseat and gazing up at the moon as she tried to fall asleep.

    I felt that way too. With so much on my mind now how in the world was I supposed to sleep?