Julie and Benjamin sprinted away, shackled together by a chain-linked set of handcuffs. The police officer chased after them.
“I knew something like this would happen!” Said Benjamin.
“Well it’s hard to go unnoticed when you’re wearing handcuffs, Benjamin.”
The couple turned the corner and ran through a bush hedge into a backyard. The backyard was littered with bullet-holed beer cans and empty shell casings, along with a single rocking chair and a flaky wooden shed.
“In here!” said Julie.
“Are you crazy?” said Benjamin, as he tugged back his handcuffs and kept her from entering.
The sounds of approaching sirens were accompanied by the shouts of, “Police, police!”
“Fine,” said Benjamin, practically dragging his wife behind as he kicked open the door. They slammed the door behind and found themselves engulfed in darkness. The cruisers could still be heard outside.
“This is all your fault,” hissed Julie.
“My fault?” said Benjamin. “It was you who talked me into your stupid plan!”
“Shut up.” Said Julie. “Just shut up. I hate you. I hate that I’m here with you. I hate that I ever married you.”
“Oh,” said Benjamin. “That hurts. That really hurts, Julie.”
“You’re not a strong man. You’re a coward.”
“Well you’re fat.”
“I am not fat!”
“Shhh, keep quiet.” Said Benjamin.
The two kept silent for a bit, as the sound of footsteps trudging through soggy grass could be heard just outside.
“Nobody here,” a voice finally said. The officers could be heard stomping away.
Julie issued a sigh of relief. “If only you didn’t get so nervous, we would have gotten away.”
“Oh please,” said Benjamin. “We got caught because you didn’t keep the officers distracted long enough.”
Julie scoffed. “It was a fool-proof plan, Benjamin. I was sobbing like a baby, and all the policemen were trying to calm me down. All you had to do was go through their lockers, toss all their uniforms in the sack, then walk. But no, you had to trip on the way out and spill everything.”
“Well it was a stupid theft in the first place. The more I think about your reason for wanting the uniforms, the more I question your sanity. By the way, thanks for taking the initiative to bolt after we were cuffed together!”
“I can’t believe I married such a… bore.”
“I can’t believe I married an insane woman.”
A light turned on. Julie and Benjamin turned to see a man sitting in the shed, a rifle in his lap and a cigarette in his mouth.
“You two done woke me up.” He puffed out smoke. “Ain’t nobody supposed to be on my premises, this here’s private property. You know what that means, don’t ya?”
“What?” said Julie.
The man stood up. A twisted grin overtook his face, and he held the rifle at his hip, barrel pointed in their direction.
Part 3, Coming Soon!
– Thomas M. Watt
Thomas M. Watt 