Ruthless, Part 5

Chapter 5 - Solitude

The colors across the horizon were magnificent, with brilliant hues of fall. From his vantage point, Sam looked down on the valley below, reminiscing about his childhood. A faint smile appeared on his face, remembering a time before money corrupted the heart of his family. How he hated their success and how it drove a wedge between them.

Once upon a time, his brother was his best friend. That fairytale ended when Martin realized Sam was the favored child in his father's eyes. His brother came to loathe him, driving a stake through his heart and destroying Sam's relationship with his father.

A slight pang of remorse tugged at his heartstrings, but he would be off to Kiel by the end of the month, and he would start again, hopefully out of his father's reach. His German was good enough to get by initially while he settled in.

Several months before, he had purchased a flat in the city, sight unseen. He didn't know if he'd need to renovate it, but he figured he could always sleep on an air mattress while he fixed it up. Deep down, the move was bittersweet because he loved his job, his city, and his friends. Perhaps not all were in that order, but he was sad to leave, even hoping that a fresh start would be brought.

Looking at his phone, he realized that he had been gone for a few hours and still had to hike back to the cabin, so he decided to start back. Before he left, he tossed his phone over the wall and said, "To a new start!"

Sam was thrilled with his latest move to break away, which was from his family. He would sleep like a baby tonight without interruptions from work, family, or friends. He descended the path and arrived at the cabin about an hour later, and he decided to head into town to buy food for the next few days.

Pulling into the parking lot at the local Super Mini, he instantly remembered coming with his mom as a child. When they would arrive for the summer, she would drag them grocery shopping, but she always bought them a fire-cherry lollipop. They would suck on it for an hour as they traversed the store with her, and their teeth would be red as blood when they got home. Martin would always pretend to be a vampire, and he would pretend to be the victim.

"Enough!" he muttered. "I'm not going back to my family, regardless of some vaguely fond memories. That's not who they are now. They're all a bunch of f'kn bastards and bitches now."

He slammed his car door, trying to push the sweet memories out of his head. They were no longer his family, and he was here to forget about them. End of story!

Looking around, he realized how run down the Super Mini looked and thought about talking to the owner. Perhaps he could invest in it and help out. While he pondered his offer, he aimlessly threw food into the cart and was amazed at the bill as he walked out of the store. How the hell did he buy so much? He'd never eat it all over the next few days.

All thoughts of wasted food and the high price of groceries went out the window when he heard the announcer over the radio say, "The police in Bedford Falls County are on high alert this afternoon. Anders Maiken escaped from the county jail at 5:20 this morning. He is considered to be extremely dangerous and could be armed. There is a high probability that he had outside help to facilitate his escape."

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Sam yelled as he pounded his good hand on the steering wheel. This bloody f'ing changes everything!"

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Be on the lookout for Part 6