Crouching down, I leveled the paintball gun, securing it against my shoulder, and gauged the distance to the SUV. Considering the well-lit parking lot, my shot was clear. I slid my finger onto the trigger, and squeezed.
'Yeah' I thought to myself. Seeing the three fluorescent orange splatters against the dark blue paintjob on the Yukon brought a smile to my face. A door slammed down below, and I dropped flat on the roof. The smell from the drycleaners emanated through the roof, and I wrinkled my nose as it started to burn.
Hearing footsteps on the sidewalk below, I pushed myself to my feet, and hurried across the roof, eager to leave my smelly hideout behind me. Reaching the fire escape, I took the steps two at a time. As I turned the corner, as shadowed passed in my peripheral vision, and I pressed my body into the wall closest to me. The footsteps drew closer and my breathing slowed.
Listening intently, I waited to see who was coming. The steps echoed against the cement, and then faded away. I crept along the wall and quickened my pace, wanting to get to my car that was still a few blocks away.
Glancing over my shoulder as I reached Portage Road, I took a deep breath, my pulse finally slowing down to normal.
Pausing to glance at a window displaying jewelry, I felt the adrenaline run through my body. I had helped get revenge on a friend's ex-boyfriend, and had fun doing it. Feeling excited, I continued on my way to my car. I was comfortable walking the downtown streets at night, even with no other people around. Having grown up in the area, I felt safe and had faith I could protect myself if the need arose.
Rounding a corner, I could see my car in a deserted parking lot in the distance, 'Only a hundred yards till a safe getaway' I thought to myself. With two store fronts and a dumpster before me, I continued on my way. I peered into an alley as I passed it, not stopping my pace. A flicker of silver caught my eye, and I back-tracked a couple of steps. The alley wasn't lit, but wasn't that deep. Ten steps in and I was stopped by a 20 foot brick wall. Looking around at the ground I couldn't see anything that might have glinted in the faint street lights and drawn my attention.
I turned on my heel and started the short walk back to the sidewalk. A few steps from it I felt a hand touch my arm.
"What the..." was all that escaped my mouth before a hand clamped over it. I was pushed against a store's brick wall, into the darkness, and a body pressed close to mine.
"Have a little fun tonight?" A voice questioned. I tried to move my body away from the wall and felt a knee nudge between my legs, securing me in place.
The voice was low and menacing, but faintly familiar. Thinking hard, I tried to place the voice to a face but came up blank. The body pressed against me more and I had difficulty drawing a breath in.
"Why are you always instigating shit?" the voice questioned me. I shook my head in denial. The body leaned closer to me, and the face attached to the voice came into view.
I immediately pushed against his chest. The hand covering my mouth fell away but the body stayed pressed against me.
"Nate, what the hell are you doing? You scared the shit outta me!" I hissed at him.
"You just paint balled my best friend's car and your asking me what I am doing?" he questioned me, his face impassive.
