Anything for You

Anything for You

A Story by Brielle Cartny
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The fight for Cancer

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          Chapter 1



A tall man in his thirties stood in the hallway of a shabby hospital wing.  He was waiting for hope and good news, how he mourned for just a taste of it. Praying to God was the only solution he believed in at that moment.What a joy it would be to bring her home again, and to laugh with her. If only he could take her place.  

This man was waiting in the hallway for his only child, his daughter.  The Ten year old had a rare form of stomach cancer that had taken over her body.  It had taken her life away.  What once was an adorable blond selling lemonade to donate to kids in need, became a sorry figure too weak to laugh.  The cancer was caught too late.

Everyday the doctors examined her with X-rays and blood tests and uncountable rounds of chemotherapy.  They knew the girl couldn’t take much more of this.  The hospital staff had to be realistic with her father.

This man’s name was Dallas and the devastation he has had to go through was so unbearable.  His wife died four years ago when his poor daughter Elizabeth was very young.  He never expected Lizzy to get sick.  He should have focused more on her and used all the time he had with her wisely.  He should have stuck to having one job and a smaller social life when she was healthy, instead of putting her in daycare.  Now  He worked two lousy jobs to afford her Chemo.  He was the best father he could be.           

Lizzy was the only one left, She was the only one in his world.  Every sleepless night filled with tears and apathy reminded him of the first couple years without his wife.  Dallas’s only reminder of his wife Krista was his daughter.

Every procedure he was there for her and every surgery he was reminded of his lack of funds.  This forced him to borrow money from his friend Vince.  Soon,even that would need to end.  He stopped paying him back after a few months.  Dallas used many different methods to help to get money.  The new jobs he was employed at didn’t pay enough and his losses at the casino made it very clear he should never play poker again.   

At the corner of his eye he saw the old white surgical doors flip open revealing a tall Doctor.  She walked as stiff as a wood beam.  Dallas wished she would hurry; she seemed to walk in slow motion.  The steps echoed in and out through his ears while the familiar tears started to trickle down his rough face.  Dallas rubbed his eyes and ran his fingers through his brown hair.  Her quiet  nasally voice felt like a knife on a chalkboard. “Mr. Eve the recent Chemo we just performed wasn’t strong enough.  There are still traces of cancer present.  I’m so sorry but we must use a stronger treatment.  Your daughter is fading and it’s the last chance we have.”  The Doctor fought to hold back tears.  She had grown to love his daughter in the many months Elizabeth had been there.  

He knew that between the lines more money would be piling on to his bill.  “Just do what you feel is best Dr. Moore.”  The Doctor managed a little smile.  She brushed back her ebony hair from her face and began to discuss the plans of the next treatment.

“The treatment we did today was hard on her and you won’t be able to see her for a few hours.  You can home and come back in the morning.”

“No I promised Lizzy I would be here for her when it was all over, she doesn’t have much to look forward to anymore.”  The night was old, but the staff always allowed him to be with Lizzy after visiting hours.  

  The Doctor gave him a look of sympathy and walked down into the hall to tend to another patient.  Dallas grabbed the arm of a chair clenching it tightly and imagined it was his daughter’s soft hand instead of a cold chair he always slept in.  

   Possibilities of her getting her health back were only a dream that swam by every night.  He couldn’t take away Lizzy’s pain.  That was what killed him the most.   

Sleep soon came after he waited in that little red chair by the intensive care unit.  He sometimes awakened from horrible nightmares that have haunted him since his wife died.  


                          Chapter 2



He was awakened by a small doctor named Dr. Cory who tapped him on the shoulder,  “Hey Mr. Eve your daughter is stable.  You can see her now.”  No words came to Dallas’s mind so he hurried to the dark room lead by the doctor.  

It’s a sad thing when anyone is diagnosed with cancer, but it is much worse when a child has to witness it.  When you picture a child a lot of people set in their minds a little boy or girl running around on a playground or blowing bubbles on the sidewalk.  There was none of that nature in this room.  There was a little figure with chords running out of her body and bare skin where golden curls once hung on her head.  Her voice sounded as delicate as thin ice.

“Hi daddy” a little girl cried to her father.”

“Hey Lizzy, how are you doing?”

“Thank you for waiting for me Daddy.”

“Anything for you Lizzy. “      

            He held back his tears for the hundredth time and realized that she wasn’t going to even have a home to go back to if he did not try harder.  As these thoughts went through his head a sudden jolt of motivation gave him hope.  He believed he could get the money and he would get it no matter what.

              “You’re going to get better and you will rejoin the soccer team next fall I promise.  I’m working two side jobs and I can do more if you need.” No tears could come  down her cheeks.  Lizzy stopped being afraid a long time ago.  She knew the truth about the future ,but something kept her believing what her Dad said.  She pictured herself on that green field with parents cheering her name while she made another goal.  She wished she could have played this year with her friends.  They visited her sometimes, but her best friends then became books that breathed of life and hope.  

                Dallas looked at the half dead flowers and said,” Its late you have had a rough day.  Why don’t you close your eyes and sleep and I will see you tomorrow night. “  

                 Immediately Elizabeth listened to her father and turned over and fell asleep.  Dallas waited until she fell into a deep sleep and he peered outside the window.  The moon light was delicately reflecting little tendrils of light on his daughter’s face.  For just once he wished upon that moon.  He knew only stars were for wishing, but when you don’t have stars you go to the moon.  When you do not have hope you go to wishes.  That mission was to get that money for Lizzy even if it killed him.   Anything for Lizzy just anything!

 




                  Chapter 3


    While Elizabeth was recovering from her recent chemo, Dallas sat at home watching his TV while thinking intently about the money that was needed to be earned.  How could he earn so much?  He worked with numbers and charts for many hours with the hope of coming up with something miraculous.  

After contemplating for hours he came to the sad conclusion that working a third job was not plausible.   There was nothing more he could do.

            

            Suddenly while watching his favorite show the idea hit him of what he must do.  Anger swept through his mind and he yelled out loud “What am I doing I don’t need this TV, I could get so much money from this worthless thing!!!”  Pressing the power button Dallas quickly called the cable company telling them to shut the service off immediately.


          He went crazy and almost mental spending sleepless nights of scrounging around for possessions of any value and then selling it online or allowing Vince to deal with it.  Dallas sold the brown leather couch, TV, expensive colognes, radios, artwork, and even exchanging his car in for an older one.  Neighbors questioned his every move and visited him often seeing if he was sane.  The only things he left was of his wife’s and of course Lizzy’s things in which he could not part with.  

         

         While cleaning under the couch to sell it he saw something glisten and he quickly picked up the sacred object.  It was his wife’s wedding ring that she lost many years ago that they searched for hours for.  “If only she could wear this again” he thought.  Remembering those days of joy when he slipped that ring on her finger saying “Till death do us part.”  Thoughts of knowing that you never know what you have till its gone arrived so much since she left.  Krista was loved by everyone and her death was so quick he couldn’t grasp it.  The diamond ring was tucked away safely in his pocket.  


          Truth is nobody knew what happened to her, not even the doctors.  She just died while sleeping on a chilly night, the only explanation people could give was that sometimes the heart just stops.  Even the necropsy showed no results other than heart failure.  Krista was athletic like Lizzy.  There was no probable way that was the cause.    Dallas could never buy that and he cursed the people that believed it was heart failure.  “She was so healthy it’s impossible, why is she not here with me?” he said.  

          

         Clutching the ring in his trembling fingers he once again began seeking out more things to sell.  He sold almost everything of worth while not caring one bit.  “If I lose her I lose everything anyway.  There will not be a point in living”.  


         He fell asleep face down on the table.  He dreamed a beautiful dream that he wished wasn’t fiction.  Krista and Lizzy playing in the park together as if nothing ever changed.  Lizzy’s blond curls flowing in the wind while being pushed on a swing gracefully by Krista.  He awoke to the sound of laughter: Dallas looked around the empty room searching for the source, but nobody was there.

          Dallas wished that dream was always the reality, even when Krista was still alive.  Dallas’s past was not beautiful.  His childhood was full of wealth and prosperity.  Anyone viewing his life on the outside would most likely be jealous of his lifestyle.  On the inside however, the expectations were far too high for a young man to grow up in.  Constant arguments on dress, recreation, and companions were a constant happening in the Eve household.  Nothing was ever good enough in his Father’s eyes.  Dallas could never recall a day that his shoes weren’t too dirty or his schoolwork was far from superior.  Everyday he felt like he was being put down.  He would spend long days in his room reading books about adventures and schemes.  At nights he would sneak out and go to the inner city to be with “undesirable friends.”  At least friends who his father would never approve of.  His mother backed out on the family after she had an affair with another man.  Dallas was taught how to be a distinguished gentlemen, but a proper man was not who he wished to be.  

          It was not always so bad.  Dallas hid in his heart that his father actually did love him.  He knew it deep inside.  He just did not want to ever acknowledge it.  Any real kindness his father shared was never noted or remembered.  Such a strict home was poison to him. He could never forgive his father.  “I will never be like my father,” he stated so many times it was like a prayer.  No brothers and sisters ever lived with him.  They all moved across country to open businesses just like their Dad.  Dallas hated them as well because they would never give him the time of day.   

        He was pressured to go to college after graduating high school at the age of nineteen.  His father payed for everything, but Dallas was more geared towards the side of having a social life than a degree.  That was where he met her.  Krista. She seemed to outshine every girl he had ever associated himself with.  She was kind, beautiful, and smart.  She spelled perfection and fulfillment in his eyes.

        After many many attempts to charm her they finally started dating three months later.  After a year and a half Dallas proposed to his love.  He knew she would make him the happiest thing that ever walked upon the earth.  They would do everything for each other.  Things went very well.  Dallas actually became the gentleman that his father wanted because that was who Krista wanted as well.  Anyone could say she never knew who Dallas truly wanted to be.  He needed to be free and build his own structure, but Krista believed the muse he put on to impress her.  They married and began their new life together.  Nothing would stay the same for long because Dallas believed a fantasy about marriage.    

         Krista worked hard at an office building with her Bachelor degree in social science.  Dallas worked at a car dealership because he never had the urge to finish his Liberal Arts degree.  He loathed his job , but Krista received promotion after promotion.  She started making more money than him.  As a man, Dallas saw that as a threat.  One day she came home and greeted him normally,but he did not answer.  That same day she received a bonus for increased profits and Dallas had pretended to be happy for her.  He thought on it the whole afternoon after she called.  The thought of his wife always advancing made him jealous.  She begged him to talk and about ten minutes later he gave in.  

         “You are always showing me up.  Always outdoing me in your job and I am sick of it.”

         “ Oh, sweetie do not say that.  I work really hard in my job yes, but never to outdo you or shame you.  I thought you were proud of me”  

          “  You urge me to try to find a new job because I am not good enough right?  You want to show me off to your friends like I am some kind of show.  I know you do.  That is all your friends talk about when they come over.  Their damn husbands.”  

          “  No Dallas it is only because our finances are a little behind this year.  My friends are just proud of their husbands, that is all.”  She spoke so kindly and listened so deeply and tried to understand where he was coming from.  

             He could never believe anything she said.  Dallas would always have her grovelling at the end of their arguments.  He was slick with words and knew how to make her feel bad.  Things would go really well with Krista and Dallas until Krista would say something he found offensive.  He would claim she always tried to outdo him in everything, stressed too much, did not care about him, and was too naive to understand him.

              Krista tried everyday to not set him off,but it kept getting worse.  Soon Krista was cut off from friends as “punishment” and she lost sleep due to their arguments.  Krista became quiet,irritable, and scared.  He would scream at her when she came home late from work.  She was told that she did not spend enough time with him.  She was demoralized.  This was not the man she married.  She no longer felt beautiful like he once made her feel.  Only guilty.  She was called terrible things that she started to believe were true.  Soon she would give up all of her hobbies that she once loved.    

             Years went by and the fighting got worse.  Krista could never be good enough.  It did not matter how many sleepless nights she spent with him nor did it matter how many gifts she bought him or even the time they spent together.  He always threatened to leave.  She was so scared.  One day she hid in her room dreading ...waiting for him to come home from work.  He was so angry at his job and entire life, she hated it when he came home.  He always made her listen to all of his frustrations like she could do something about it.  She couldn’t do anymore than to help him apply for jobs.  She worked 55 hours a week because he would go through jobs as quickly as two weeks.

            He slammed the wooden front door. Her heart skipped a beat.  She knew he had a bad day at work.  That only meant he would find something he did not like and scream and break things.  For the first time she ran to her bedroom door and locked it.  She turned off the lights so he would think she was sleeping.  She could not run away from the house.  He would divorce her for sure.  She believed all of this was her fault.  She loved him too much to realize what he was doing.  

           He pounded on the door and demanded she open it.  She ignored it for ten minutes, but the screaming got louder.  She opened the door because she feared Dallas was about to tear through it.  “What did I F*****g tell you?”

           “ I’m sorry I was sleeping.  I’m so sorry.  I-.”  He interrupted her.

          “  No you shut up Woman.  You are lying to me again.  I bet you were out with Randy while I was gone weren't you?”  

          “  No never Dallas.  I didn’t do anything with her today.  I cooked supper for you.  You can check.”  

           She watched the anger build up in his eyes.  That was when he did it.  For the first time he swung as hard as he could and hit her in the head.  She bled from her nose and mouth.  She coughed up blood and a few teeth.  “  I prayed to God for a miracle Dallas.  That I could please you, that this fighting could stop.  Just please stop.  I beg you.  I was on my hands and knees today.  I never try to hurt you.”  Her words were slurred because her mouth hurt terribly.  

                             *

           Dallas had that dream at least once a week.  That was the dream he wished was fiction.  Two weeks after Krista said those words, Dallas remembered finding her trembling in the bathroom with a pregnancy test in her hand.  She didn’t want a baby born into that household.  She didn’t want a baby from that man.  

            If only he could go back and tell her how much he loved her.  Instead of being so selfish.  For a while, he hardly knew what he was even doing.  At the time he believed his life to be out of control, but right then he realized those were the only times he could have had a peaceful life.  He blew his only shot.

            Krista’s sudden death was very closely preceded by his Father’s passing.  His Father was found in his house on a Saturday night.  He died with a bottle in his hand and a sink full of beer cans.  Dallas never knew he even drank, but sure enough the tests revealed there to be extreme level of alcohol in his body.  When he died the guilt never stopped for Dallas.  The man he hated all of his life suddenly didn’t seem so bad.  He was a heartbroken old man who simply had a nose for business.   Dallas just never saw or paid attention to his pain, he was far too obsessed with disobeying and dishonoring his wishes.  He would never know the man he lost that day.      

                   




                Chapter 4



             


 The doorbell woke him up and rang a second time.  He quickly got dressed and answered the door.  He realized he had fallen asleep with the ring in his hand so he quickly slipped it back in his pocket.   

 

        It was the man who requested for the couch online.  The man was short and had a nervous look on his face as if  Dallas was a criminal.  The man handed him the hundred dollars with a tremor, then Dallas assisted him to carrying the couch out and into the man’s truck.  Being so lonely he attempted to make conversation with the man asking him how he was and commenting on the weather.  No words left the man’s mouth as if he was mute and he turned around and drove off.  Rejection was strange to Dallas “What’s wrong with me?”  He screamed at the truck while it rushed off into the streets.

       It was easy to shake off that weird incident because Dallas had more important things in mind.  Today was Saturday.  He was determined to use this weekend as a time to support his beloved daughter.  

       It seemed like every few minutes someone came to the door handing wads of bills in exchange for furniture and expensive valuables.  Constant trips were made to the hospital to pay off the bill day by day, and day by day he watched Lizzy recover from various treatments.  He was never home for more than a few hours at a time and sometimes he never came home.  It was just an empty space that was once a place for friends and family to visit and laugh together.  He missed those evenings with all he had, but that didn’t make a difference because he was still all alone.  A dusty magazine sat on the counter and it was about to face its doom in the trash when Dallas glanced at the cover.  “How to get Rich” it read,  with a happy family playing in the front yard of a wealthy home.   It was big enough to house five families comfortably.  Anger raged through him and he tore up the pathetic magazine in millions of pieces wishing he could just have his family back.  “Money helps no one, all they want is more and they are never satisfied.  All I want is the healthy family on the cover and not everything behind it.”  For the rest of the night he laid on his bed thinking about what he needed to do.

     No new ideas came up,but the sting of the past returned.  Every night after work he would think about the first time he hit Krista.  It was not the last time either.  Even during the pregnancy he hit her.  He made her tell her work that she had fell when she came in with bruises.  All he ever did was made her lie for him.  She constantly screamed for her God to help her, but Dallas always told her he would never come.  He told her he would never forgive her for all the abuse she put him though.  “Where is your God now,”he would scream.  Krista had no freedom to speak about his past mistakes nor disagree on subjects such as politics or even popular culture.  Cheating was never ever on her mind, but Dallas would always ask about the men at her job and friends.  She once mentioned a man named Ben who she liked having around.  He made her job simpler and she loved to just talk to him and make the day go faster, but Dallas accused her of cheating.  Krista never did anything with that man, but something inside her forced her to believe that maybe she did cheat.  Dallas believed in pure devotion and if she was seen with another man it would be considered cheating if even the slightest thought came up.  What hurt her the most was that he would get together with an old high school friend and somehow it was not wrong.  All she ever felt was guilty and confused.   

      The peaceful times came along after she had the child.  Dallas could not afford to stay home with Krista and the baby so Krista’s sister came in to assist.  Krista never told anyone how her husband was,but when her sister was living with them he calmed way down and always let Krista off “easy”.  Elizabeth was secretly Krista’s escape.  She always played with her and gave her all the time in the world.  One day she spent the whole day with Lizzy instead of going to work.  This would have angered her husband, but she needed that day for her and her angel.

       He dreamed about Krista and Lizzy on the swing again.  This time they disappeared from view.            

      


                 Chapter 5

       


         Working at the factory always dragged on worse than his second job.  His job was to fix the machines and ensure productivity on the line.  Their primary job was making car parts such as axles and frames.  The work space was very large.  There were stacks of metal left and right and shelves full of finished products all around the perimeter.  It was a dangerous job.  Welders to the right of the shop spat sparks that sometimes snuck their way to other work stations.  

         Dallas had many people who he talked to during the work day or night (whatever shift he was lucky to get).  A lot of the men were younger and they worked hard to support their new families.  Most of them left in about a year or so when better employment was found.  This was not an ideal job, but rather an emergency for decent money.  An older man actually quit last month because he lost two fingers on the electronic saw.  He claimed they had not trained him well enough, but really he was always careless and other coworkers knew he came into work high on illegal substances.

         Dallas was mostly quiet as of late because he was always focusing on something other than his work.  He listened to many conversations that went on during the day.  A lot of the conversations were never terribly pleasant.  The only time to talk was when the loud machines finally rested for a few brief moments or during a break.  

         “ Hey Carl I heard you got a raise last week,” said a coworker whose name was unknown.

         “  No not here.”  A man named Carl looked around the room and only saw Dillon (Dallas, many people often forgot his name) eating in the corner.  

         “  What do you mean?”  The man looked confused.

         “  I got more money, but not a raise.  I broke into a shop with some buddies.  Sold a few things here and there.”

        “  You serious?  What if anyone else finds out?”  He eyed Dallas suspiciously.

        “Look I work a few jobs here and there.  I am out of money completely.  My roommates stopped paying rent.  You think I can afford that house all by myself?  I needed a few new things anyway.  You know how long it has been since I got a new pair of shoes or a decent phone?”  The two men finished their breaks and walked back into their stations.  

        A thousand things went through Dallas’s mind.  “Am I in the same position”, he thought?  “ No I am in a worse position.  I have worked, sold everything, and even sacrificed my health.  I am at the last straw.  He threw away his leftover food and thought of what he needed to do.  

       Dallas looked for an opportunity to talk to Carl during work, but he was always surrounded by other coworkers.

      Carl was a shorter man with dark hair and green eyes.  Dallas recalled that he had a divorce and his two kids ended up with his wife.  Carl was a huge talker.  He was always gabbing about some new aspect in his life.  Most things were not terribly positive, but he had recollected that Carl quit his excessive drinking.  A rumor that he was dating again may have had something to do with that.   

      After work Dallas kept his distance until Carl split ways with a friend in the parking lot.  Dallas caught him right as he entered his Blue Toyota truck.  He knocked on his passenger door.  Carl rolled down his window and nervously said, “ Hey what is going on?”

       “ I have a favor to ask.”  Dallas gave him a serious look.

      “ Oh?”  

      “  I heard you talking about the break in.”  Carl bit his lower lip being afraid Dallas was going to report him or something.  “ I came to ask you for help .  You know how sick my daughter is and I need money.  You have experience with breaking in places.”

      Carl really didn’t want to do any more break ins back to back.  Especially since he  felt guilty for the previous one.  He saw how broken Dallas was and he could not reject someone who was trying to save his daughter.  “  I know just the place.”       

         

   



       Chapter 6



         Carl made appropriate arrangements to meet at Dallas’s place with necessary supplies.  They were to use his truck as a meeting point after the break in.  It depended on the amount of valuable items each house had was how many homes they would actually break into that night.

       

         Shame, guilt, and just plain fear should have been pulsating through his veins, but no appropriate emotions seemed to present themselves at this time to Dallas.  Carl pulled out a pair of gloves, a crowbar, all black clothing, and an empty plastic bag from his backpack.  Carl was the only one feeling a sense of dread.  They ran into the night and headed toward the richest housing development in the state, Arch-gate Housing.  


         Empty houses were frequent around summertime which made it way easier to acquire a target.  There were many signs for knowing if the owners were on vacation.  The first sign was of course that the newspapers have piled up on the sidewalk.  The second was seeing the lawn being a little on the shaggy side ( This neighborhood had strict policies for yard work).  Carl shared all of these facts as if he had been in the business for years.   While Carl quietly checked the windows for anybody in the dark house he slipped to the back of the house to check the back door.  Dallas followed.  Of course it was locked, but “everyone knows so many foolish people keep keys under items like mats or flowerpots”, stated Carl.  He made Dallas search everywhere (not wanting to make him use his crowbar) around the door until he found it on top of the trim by sliding his fingers around the frame.  Dallas jumped up and grabbed the key ,but he slipped on the cement ledge and knocked over a little glass bird.  He shattered it to pieces.

        “Quiet,” Carl irritably whispered.  Quickly Carl kicked the pieces into the bushes and unlocked the door.


     It was so peaceful in the house, not a single sound seemed to emanate from any rooms. This made it almost certain no one was home, but to be positive Carl slowly opened the door revealing the empty garage.  Emotions started to kick in making Dallas ask questions to himself.  “Do they have a dog?”  “Will they be back soon?”  You would be foolish to think they would not continue because at this point nothing could stop Dallas from helping his daughter.  He needed money for his little girl.  For once in his life he was going to fight for her.  He crept upstairs looking for the master bedroom that would most likely possess all the valuables.  He crawled and hesitantly opened the door being awed by the absolute beauty of the room. The main goal was to leave this house without it being obvious it was broken into.  They desperately did not want to cause an outrage in the neighborhood.

           The house had a very luxurious appeal!  Leather couches surrounded a flat screen TV in the living room and the kitchen had marble counters and a stainless steel sink.  Two dishwashers lined the large walls under the counter tops and a silver fridge took over a large portion of the south wall.  Carl directed attention more towards the bedrooms.     

Differentiating between valuable and invaluable objects was a much harder task then what any average person would think.  How could one know if a clock was more valuable than an autographed photo of The Rolling Stones?  Every car going across the street made him nervous so instead of evaluating an object they just took it.  Every item Dallas would take would be replaced with another in order to be discrete.  

    There were two teenage boy’s bedrooms full of electronics that could easily be sold.  His strategy could not be compromised because if items such as whole game systems were taken he knew they would be missed.  Carl instead just dropped a few games into the bag and went through Nike and Adidas shoes.    Carl went through the parent’s room just taking a couple of items while Dallas pursued the living rooms. The  item from the parent’s rooms were extravagant pieces of jewelry.  Every jewelry case was opened and checked for its’ value.  Nothing was too expensive and only contained some gold and a little bracelet with real rubies.  

    As Dallas was making his way down the stairs he heard a dog barking from another house.  This sound frightened him to all extremes. This sent him on a long fall down the stairs.  Dallas fell face first on a stair and then he flew over the white railing and plummeted down four feet or so.   Blood pulsated through his ears as he tried to recover.  He swore under his breath.  Carl watched this from the top of the stairs and steam seemed to pour out of his ears.  Carl was not in the mood to be arrested tonight.  He was okay when he got up, but he checked the bathroom mirror to make sure no blood was present.  

    It is one thing to get hurt and another when the injury looks exceptionally stupid.  Rug burns were located all over his face.  He stomped away and headed out the back door.  Who was he kidding?  Obviously Dallas was no expert in burglaries like Carl, he had stolen a few things when he was a kid, but never by breaking an entering.    

    Apologizing wasn’t ever going to be enough, but he still brushed the door handle with his palm and thought, “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to do this, but I did.  He slipped the key back onto the door frame and marched on with Carl.     

   

    In Florida it always rains.  It never seems to stop. Humidity mixed in with a cold night did not feel too great at all.  Normally a guy like Dallas would just be inside watching the rain instead of walking home with a bag of valuables.  Home seemed a lot farther away when you can’t go out in the open.  It was not fun walking around in the forest with the mud and the branches everywhere.  

    Branches tore the garbage bag while they made their way towards the Truck that was located on the side of the street of a pub.  Dallas just stuffed his shirt with the fallen items and just kept trudging through the small grove.  After a mile the truck was in sight and he had to constantly check if anyone was outside viewing the two men with garbage bags.  The rain stopped and the quiet became a beautiful thing.  It was dawn when Carl dropped Dallas off at his house with most of the stolen items .

           “ Thank you so much for your help.  This will put a huge dent in the hospital bill.  “

          “  We really didn’t get much.  Carl was starting to become more lustful for money after he saw that house on the inside.  “Why don’t we come back another time.  There is a festival that a lot of people go on vacation for.  Why don’t we see if we can find more empty houses during that.”  Carl was even tempted to come back by himself to see if he could get even more before the festival started.  Carl was impressed that security in that neighborhood was pretty loose.           




                    Chapter 7



    “Hey Vince I have been cleaning out my house and I was wondering if you could sell some more stuff for me?”

    “Dallas, I am never too busy for you my friend. I am glad you found more junk to sell instead of living off of my paycheck.”

    “Can you just sell the stuff?  You know I hate borrowing money.”

    “I’m just giving you a hard time man, chill out.  Auctioneers don’t make all that much money you know.”  

    “Well I got to go to work.  You know my garage password.  Please sell everything as fast as you can.  Lizzy can’t hold off forever.”

    “Will do!  Tell Liz I said hi okay?”

    “Sure.”

    Vince is a guy he met after he had married Krista.  Vince was someone Krista loved because when he came over Dallas was happy.  When Dallas was content, so was she.  He was a stereotypical surfer dude and Dallas had no idea how this man became an auctioneer.  He was always hanging out on the beach with his family.  His wife was crazy too, she had won a few surfing competitions, but they met when he won a competition against her.  Of course they were only eighteen when they met so they were both very competitive surfers.  His Wife was very upset that day when she lost that very competition.  He comforted her and she thought he was very sweet.  You can guess what happened from there. Vince was a great friend to Dallas as well, but he could put him in jail for the stuff he is making him sell.  Ignorantly Vince did it..  Dallas couldn’t have cared less.  Vince was very apathetic when it came to serious business matters.  He just didn’t pay attention.  He was concerned with having more fun than anything.

                   *

   

    Being a phone salesmen was the second job he claimed. After calling Lizzy he made his way to the office.   

    It is a slow day for sure.  Selling phones is hard when everyone already has one.  The customers treat everyone so bad.  He understands why they are mad, but he gets money every minute he is on the phone.  His job was basically calling clients and offering them new deals with their phones. Before, whenever a telemarketer called him Dallas was usually pretty rude like the people were to him.  He found it ironic that after years of being cruel this was the only decently payed job he could land.  

    “No miss we don’t give away free phones with a purchase of the family plan, but if you buy the LG slide it does come with a one month free plan.”

    “Can’t you just make one exception?”

    “I’m sorry I can not make that decision.”

    “I just can’t afford this anymore.  I am taking my money elsewhere.  Bye.”

    “Have a wonderful day.”

    That is how a lot of conversations went.  Except most of the time it ends with a few different choice words coming from the customer.  “She must have had anger counseling before she took that call’,he thought sarcastically. He honestly wished most people did.    

    Between calls a lot of work colleagues talked to Dallas about Elizabeth and what they could do to help.  That day he had a hard time focusing on what they said.  Two hours of sleep doesn’t help anyone.  Talynn was one of the sweetest girls in the office so he focused on what she had to say. He didn’t like to admit it, but he has had some feelings for her in the past month.  She innocently just wants to check up on him.   

    “Dallas you look really tired.”

    “Guilty! I was up all night working on some paperwork for the factory.   I have been putting it off way too long.”  Dallas thought how big of a lie that was.  He thought about all of those items he stole with Carl.  

    “I’ve been thinking about your daughter lately.  Your boss told me what has been going on.”

    Dallas snapped back.  “Yeah, I’ve been doing everything I can.  This job doesn’t pay too well so I have been applying for a new one.”

    “Well if you need anything just give me a call.  I’m bringing you over a meal again tonight okay?”  He quickly gave her a smile.  She had done that a few times the past few months.  

    “Thanks Tally.  I appreciate it.  My wife Krista always did the cooking and she never really taught me the art”

    “No problem.  I better get back to my office.  Have a good rest of the day.”

    His day always seemed better when someone took the time to talk to him.  Anger would subside for a while whenever someone came over or when his daughter was showing signs of recovery.  Besides his daughter, he could only think of Talynn coming over.  On his way home from work he stopped by the hospital to see how Lizzy was doing.  The Fluid pump beeped rhythmically, but she was asleep.  He slipped out quietly from her dark room.  


                         *

    His house was dark, terribly empty too.  A lonely couch and a small table was all that Vince nor the Internet sold.    Suddenly guilt rushed through his mind.  Breaking into that house seemed only a dream.  Talynn would be shattered if she knew the truth about him being a thief. He even checked the garage for the stuff he sold.  Gone.  He remembered Vince picked the stuff up and he gave a big sigh.   It was three in the afternoon after all and he wondered if Vince was able to sell anything.  He gave him a call.

   

    “Hey buddy any luck?”

    “Oh yeah that Rolling stones poster got sold for $ 250.00.  There was a guy who was crazy about that thing.  We got lucky.”

    “Anything else?”

    “Yeah that ruby necklace got sold for $ 20.00?”

    “How only twenty bucks?!!”  

    “How much did you originally buy it for?”

    “A lot more than that,” Dallas lied.    

    “You got cheated then because it wasn’t real.  I’m sorry.  I did the best I could.  I’ve got another Auction next week so I will see what I can get for the gold necklace and some of the games.  I didn’t know you had an xbox man.”

    “Alright thanks!  Yeah it was just a phase for me.  I got to go bye.”

    The doorbell rang and a glimmer of hope flashed across Dallas’s face.  He hoped it was Talynn, but he knew it was too early for that.  Nonetheless he still opened the door with excitement.  He rushed and pulled open the door.  At first he saw nobody, but then he looked down.  

    “Hi!!!  My name is Dot.  I am in the girl scouts and I think you should buy some cookies.  I have thin mints!!”

    “No thank you.  Maybe you could try my neighbor.  He has three little girls at home.   I’m su-“

    “Sir everyone buys them from me.  Why won’t you?”  The girls parents stood at the street corner.  

    “I just don’t have want to spend any money right now.”

    The girl just stood there looking at Dallas straight in the eyes.  She ponders for a little bit and then she looks all around his yard.  “Sir I think you can buy some.  How can you live in a house without any money?  I have to sell more than Abby or else she wins the right to vote for which fundraiser she wants to donate to.”  Dallas smiled at her.  

             He was once in boy scouts.  He remembers being told by his dad to not take no as an answer.  Although ,Dallas thought “I would have gotten in trouble if my father found me talking to adults like she was.” However , he liked this girl because she reminded him of Liz.  She had red curly hair and a bright white smile.  

    “Okay Dot best of luck to you, but I can only help by recommending other neighbors.  I’ve got a daughter that is very sick so I am unable to spend extra money right now.”  

    “Do you think she wants some thin mints?”  Dallas did everything in his power to not laugh at her foolishness, but he silently closed the door on her with a quiet goodbye on his lips and he wished her luck.  Dot just walked away with sad eyes.  Children always want to help, but they never know exactly how he thought.  

   


   


                           Chapter 8



    Hours passed before Talynn showed up at his house. It seemed much longer.  As soon as he heard the knock he silently ran down the stairs to the entryway.  She was dressed in a long blue coat which complemented her black hair and her makeup was natural.  She held two opaque food containers.  It was raining of course.  He quickly invited her in and she silently looked all around his house in an inconspicuous way, but he still knew what she was thinking.  She walked to the kitchen and put one of the containers in the oven.  He knew she was going to say something about the condition of the house.  

    “Dallas are you alright.  No offense, but your house is kinda empty.  Where is all your stuff?”

    “It’s been hard.  I am sure our boss told you that she is getting even worse.”  She said nothing and continued cooking in the kitchen. She began stirring something in a bowl and peered around for ingredients to put in it.  She found the mayonnaise in the fridge and added a decent amount to the mixture.  She kept looking over at Dallas to see what he was doing.  His handsome features were all hidden by tired lines all over his face.  His brown hair was a little greasy from not taking the best care of himself.   

    “I want to help you I really do.  I could maybe visit Liz in the hospital so you can get some sleep. I’m sure any company will do even if she doesn’t know me too well.  You need sleep and you need some company yourself.”

    “Nothing is easy right now.  Would you really go?  Her room is 1134.  There isn’t any hospital entertainment on the weekends for the kids.  I just can’t be there all the time so I need someone to be more than I can.”

    “Of course I can.  Dallas… what happened to her?”  I always knew Talynn would ask eventually.  She always eyed the picture of Krista that I had on the wall.  She had asked before,but this time he intended to give her the whole truth.   

    “Krista just never woke up.  They say her heart stopped.  I won’t believe it.  Something happened that I don’t know about.  I hate those who believe she just died without a reason.  She was mine and she was special, but I messed up with her.  Far too much.”  Talynn’s eyes looked at him apologetically and she continued to cook.  She took out the chicken from the oven and put the finished bowl of pasta salad on the table. Then she got out a glass, a plate, and a fork.  His eyes watered when she told him to eat.  She wasn’t intending to stay because she was actually planning on visiting Liz in the hospital.  Dallas wished she would have asked more about Krista, but she didn’t.      

    She told him she had to go so she walked over, grabbed his hand, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.  “Please eat,” she said.  Then she walked out.  After that he couldn’t stop thinking about Talynn.  If he actually deserved someone like her after what he did.  

Dallas stared at his hands and thought of all the damage he had done.  Just for once he thought about praying to God for forgiveness.  “What would that have done anyway,” he thought.              

                          *

   

    An hour later Vince stopped by to hand him the money he earned at the auction.  Turns out Vince stopped by to see Lizzy too.  He thanked him and apologized for not having much time to talk.  A couple hundred of bucks wasn’t going to put a dent in the hospital bill.  He had to perform another break in.  Carl seemed really up for it anyway.  He would give him a call later.  It was going to kill his conscience but he wasn’t about to tell anyone about it. He hated himself so bad for being an idiot and refusing medical insurance like he was urged to.  Krista was right.  He wasn’t going to drag anyone down with him anymore.

    It was a nice night for all the bugs and geckos to be out.  They didn’t shy away from crawling over everything this time of year.  The first house the two men checked was on the corner and it had no cars or any signs of life until they hopped over the fence and found an old man asleep on the porch swing in the back.  The person scared Dallas half to death.  He jumped back and hit the fence.  The noise didn’t stir the man but that didn’t stop Dallas from backing up carefully and Carl rolled his eyes and pointed at another dark house a little further down.    He believed his heart would never slow down after that, as for Carl he regretted letting Dallas come along again.    

    The next houses were simple to get into.  Most people in Arch-gate did in fact keep a key under the mat or a flowerpot and the ones that didn’t were left alone.  In some way they let those people receive a gift.  “If they are stupid enough to give me access then they deserve to be robbed,” he thought.  The items he got were pretty valuable.  Jewelry, apparel, Tablets, and movies were messily arranged in his backpack.  Dallas and Carl snuck towards the truck as always; through the grove that resembled a small forest.

    Dallas peered through the trees and had his eyes on the vast dark street.  Police cars were on nearly every corner it seemed.  The windows were tinted so he couldn’t see inside, but something frightened him about all these cars.  Belief that these patrol vehicles were on duty for him could not register.  Being caught was not possible to him.  Nobody from the other robberies could of possibly noticed that fast, but after what they had stolen tonight, it would draw some serious attention.

          Carl was on a completely different level.  He crawled on his hands and knees through the bushes so he would not be spotted.  This was not the night for him to be caught.  In fear Carl started thinking of a plan to ditch Dallas in case anything ever went wrong.   

           Arch-gate housing really was an enormously wealthy community.  “Why did they need all of their riches,”Dallas thought as they snuck back to the truck.  That question charged an enormous flashback from his wealthy childhood.  He always had the latest gadgets and really anything a boy could ask for.  Dallas barely even noticed that connection, but rather focused on Krista.  After thinking about Talynn so many things came up.  “If Krista wouldn’t have died would I have ever changed like I have?”  This questions was two sided.  He was thinking about the same man who took up robbing rich people for an occupation.  He felt like he really hadn’t changed for the better after all.  

             He was never mean to Lizzy because in his eyes she was perfect.  Dallas never yelled at Krista when Lizzy wasn’t at daycare or asleep.  Dallas was excellent at putting on a facade for other people.  Even his own daughter never who he used to be, but who was he even now?    

         Dallas remembered how faithful Krista was throughout the abuse.  She never fought back.  She never told anyone.  It took a while, but Dallas finally realized what he had once she passed.  He destroyed a beautiful thing.  The most beautiful.  “How can I live with myself everyday?  Was I the cause of her death?  Did I stress her out too much or was it just a natural death like they claim?  He would never know.  That night  in the grove Dallas prayed to God.  It was a short prayer, but for those few moments he actually believed what he said.

         Carl gave him a ride home again.  “  Do you mind if I come in?”  Dallas nodded his head.  Carl grabbed one bag of the stolen items and followed his accomplice to the house.  Dallas noticed Carl barely gave him half of the items this time.  

         “  Next time we go out man I lead okay?  No more startling yourself and waking up the neighborhood.  Obviously we have caused a scare because the cops are everywhere.  You seemed to barely even notice.  I think we should hit one more house and retire from our little side job.”

        “  I agree.  I am tired of worrying all of the time.  Have you seen anything on the news?”  

        “  Not yet, but I have been watching every night.  Its late.  I am going to get out of here,but please remember.  This is the last time we will work together like this.  After this it is back to the factory.  Nobody hears about this okay?  Keep it quiet.  I will talk to you later.”  Carl left in a fast manner.  A few seconds later Dallas heard a crack and an obnoxious scraping noise coming from outside.  It followed with the roar of the truck engine and the noise faded away.  

           He went outside to see what happened.  His mailbox lay on the ground with the base unearthed.  The gravel was spat everywhere. “Yeah thanks man….just do that and leave.  Great.  Awesome.  Fantastic.”  The base was buried back into the ground after a half hour of fiddling with it.  It took a while to fix in the dark.     The next step was going to bed and forgetting about every detail of the day.    

              





                    Chapter 9


   


    Nick hated his job.  No, he despised it.  Being a detective wasn’t all that he dreamed of.  The childish imagination he had since he was six was completely obliterated by the time he finished training.  The most he had done all year was bust an eighteen year old boy for some pitch weed.  How he managed to get even that was beyond him.  It was all because he was in close proximity and Danny (The boss) was on vacation.  The rest of his job consisted of filling out reports for Danny who did all the real jobs.  The week had been so slow that only five people were in the office.  Last week was the huge week for pretty much everything.  Several shootings and robberies happened, but it isn’t hard to guess where Nick was during the action.  Secretarial work wasn’t what he signed up for.  

    “Nick I’m going to need you to file these reports for me.  Someone has apparently been breaking into a rich housing complex.  Uhhhh Arch-gate housing...I think...yes.    Here is the list of all the missing items.  I am going to go watch that neighborhood tonight to see what is going on.  I really think it’s just some kids or something because not much was taken.”  

    “Yes Sir I will be on it.  Can I come along this time?  I’ve got pretty much everything done.”  

    “Nah Nick it is okay.  I don’t need any help, but I do need you to answer phones here.  I think you will get an investigation soon so don’t worry about staying in the office all summer.  I got to go so just keep filing the reports.”

    He was once again stuck in the office.  Nick was tired of smelling the aroma of coffee and hearing the computers turn on and off again all day.  The reports only lasted a couple of minutes.  There wasn’t much to put down about the break-ins.  No reports of the destruction of property.  They seemed to have had the possession of a key.  Weird.  “Just a bunch of stupid kids breaking into relatives houses,” he thought.  

    Amy the annoying office flirt then snuck into his office and sat on a chair while resting her feet on his desk.  “Look Amy I am busy.”

    “Wow can we just talk for a little bit.  We had some good times together don’t you think?”  She put her feet back on the floor.

    “Amy we had one blind date.  Joe knows I do not go for girls like you.  It was a joke!”  

    Amy laughs, “What do you mean, girls like me?”

    “I like the ones I can go on adventures with.  Not just shopping and going out to extravagant restaurants and having sushi.”

    “You’re so cute when you pretend you aren’t interested in me.  Joe said you thought I was charming.”

    “Joe is a funny guy like that.”

    “I still think we could work out.  One more date is all that I want.”

    “Later Amy I have got work to do.”

    She smiled and exited the room in a graceful fashion.  Nick closed his door all the way and stared at the ceiling yelling “Oh Joe why would you do this to me?!!  I am never going on another freakin’ blind date again.  I can be happy by myself for sure.”    

    Work reports were finished and Nick thought of a way to get back at Joe in a somewhat peaceful way.  He unlocked his top desk drawer and took out a bag of water balloons.  He slipped away to the bathroom and carefully stretched the balloons over the sink faucet and filled them.  He placed them carefully in his empty laptop case and walked out with a smirk..  He sat down in his moonlit office and waited for Joe to leave his cubicle.  Joe took forever so he passed a note to Korby in an adjacent office.  It read “Hey get Joe out of his station.”  Korby knew they had a large amount of pranks so she gave him a wink and mouthed “you’re crazy” and fished for a paper in her desk.  She made her way towards Joe.  The office in the evening was the breeding ground for stupid pranks.  Especially after the boss left.

    Joe was one of the smartest people you would ever meet.  He excelled in everything that was handed to him.  He was in charge of records and he was always doing what Nick dreamed of.  Joe nabbed over a dozen people for drug abuse and just recently he had caught a man posing as a cop.  Nick would have hated him if it wasn’t for Joe’s personality.  Joe was a young Arabic guy who was born in America, and although he was a genius he always had time for fun.  He didn’t brag about his achievements at all.  He even refused to acknowledge the fact that he has been all over the news in the past few months.  He caught quite a few people.  In the office he was treated like everyone else because that’s what he wanted.  Nick knew Korby was Joe’s only weakness.  Korby was the only way that Nick could win against this genius.    

    “Joey do you mind making ten copies of this file for me please?  I’m sorry I am just having a busy night.”  Korby cutely smiled at him and pointed at the paper.  

    Joe smiled and gazed at her with his shining dark eyes.  His dark skin tinted a light pink while he spoke.  “Yeah I can do that for you.”  He shakily took the office file from her hand and walked to the other room.  Korby put her thumbs up gesturing to Nick and she walked back to her desk trying not to be real loud.

    “Thanks Nick I needed those files copied anyway,” she said on the way back.  Nick smiled and he made his way to Joe’s desk.  He quickly and quietly opened up the laptop case and set the balloons on the chair and slid it under the desk.   He hoped Joe wouldn’t look down before he sat.  

    Nick decided to keep recording some information on his computer in the meantime.  A few minutes later he heard Joe yell something unintelligible.  Joe had ran over to Nick’s desk while grasping a water balloon (that outlived the rest of them) and in wet pants for that matter.  He knew he couldn’t get the laptop wet so he swiftly grabbed Nick’s collar and pulled him away from any electronics.  He slapped the water balloon so hard in his face that Nick fell over.  Joe ran away pretty quickly after that.  Nick decided he had his fun so he collected his things.  While passing by Joe’s desk to leave he decided to say “Oh dude that is gross the bathroom is in there,” he gestured to his waterlogged  pants  

    “You need to know that I will get you back better.”

    Nick ignored this comment and walked out to his car to enjoy the peaceful world that he had created for himself.  

               


                  Chapter 10



   

    Dallas was more than just sick.  He was not taking care of himself anymore.  When he went to visit Lizzy in the hospital last, a doctor noticed many different signs of depression.  It wasn’t a surprise when the hospital called him up and insisted he see a specialist.  The services were free of charge.  Doctor Moore made him agree to it right away.  

           Scheduling the appointment was the hardest part of being helped.  The office gave him a very odd appointment time of 6:00 on a Friday night.  A doctor volunteered to stay past regular hours.

           A nurse came in before the Doctor and took his vitals.  “You have a slight fever and some hypertension, but that can be due to stress.  I will let the doctor know and he should be in soon.”    

          Dr.  James began his normal protocol of collecting a medical history.  He was a short man with grey hair, and he looked to be around sixty-four.  The wrinkles on his face gave him that classic Doctor look.

          They discussed the psychological affects of not having time to eat a balanced diet and sleep on a regular basis.  He discussed going to a counselor, but of course Dallas stated there was really no time for a counseling program.  Lizzy was far more important than his well being at that time.  Dr James was a very understanding and practical man. “With every situation it is different, but I have an idea of how you feel.  I lost my brother to a car accident and I didn’t take care of myself at all.  I Hope you fare well better than I did.  Now do you have any other concerns before I let you go?”   

    “ My eyes feel swollen and dry.”

    “ I bet some standard eye drops would fix that.” He shot a quick look at his eyes.  “They don’t look very red.  They are probably just a little irritated.  I would suggest going to the store and purchasing artificial tears.  It will be cheaper if we do not prescribe anything.  Before I let you go I would suggest purchasing some protein shakes as well.   It is to make up for your missed meals.  Please give us a call if you need anything or if you have a concern.  This whole hospital is rooting for your daughter’s recovery.  You are in our thoughts and prayers.”  The doctor walked out and a kind larger nurse came in to escort Dallas to the main entrance.   

           He went to the store on the way home and purchased the cheapest eye drops and protein shakes he could.  He finally made it home and he dozed off on the couch.     

   

After he woke up he mixed up a protein shake in a glass.  He took a big gulp and quickly spit it out all over the kitchen floor.  “That was not what I was expecting.  Tastes like something died in there,” he thought.  He wiped up what he spit out and forced himself to chug the rest of the shake down.

Vince walked into his house after many rings of the doorbell. Vince had a very close relationship with Dallas so he just walked in his house.   He found Dallas half asleep on the couch.  “Hey dude come on we are going to go have some fun at the beach.  You need to get some sun.  You work too hard.  You worry me, I don’t want you to mope around all day.”    

“Oh come on Vince you know I don’t like the beach.”

“ Come on.”

Dallas did actually end up enjoying himself.  His crazy friend made him watch him hit the waves.  Vince was very good, but seeing a professional fall off his board a dozen times was a funny thing to watch.  Dallas attempted to surf, but it only lasted for about two seconds.  He took frequent naps up on the shore because the waves were a bit too much for a relaxing swim.  In the end they had to end their epic adventure because Vince’s phone rang with an angry wife on the other end.  Turns out His little girl got some gum in her hair and he tried to get it out with scissors.  Her beautiful hair turned into a butcher job was what his wife made it sound like.    

“Yeah Gabrielle I will call him in from surfing.  I’m sure Vince tried his best to do a good job.  We will head back.”

“Tell him he better hurry up his butt or he is going to be paying for a plane ticket to New Jersey.  I can’t stand him right now.  He just broke the window last week with his board and now this.”  

    Dallas waved him down and Vince slowly swam to shore.  He knew what was going on since he saw that Dallas had his phone in his hand.  He looked down and shook his head.  Vince also wasn’t the smartest that there ever was.  

    On the ride home Vince laughed and said “Yeah I messed up pretty good again.  You see um Mindy wanted gum and I figured she would be okay with it, but she blew a bubble and it popped on the side of her face.  I tried to pull it out, but the gum grabbed more locks of hair and before I knew it a clump was wrapped around in gum.  I didn’t know what else to do so I just cut it and hoped it wasn’t too noticeable.  Did I mention that was part of the reason I took you on the beach trip.  I didn’t want to be home when the wife did.  

    Dallas tried not to laugh so hard.  He failed.  “She mentioned the window too man.”  

    Vince sighed, “Oh geez.”  The rest of the trip was silent.  He dropped him back off at his house and spun out of the driveway.  Dallas crashed on the couch from the long day.  He had some factory work to do in the morning.

Talynn came back and forth every other day, but he was still feeling quite depressed.  He wanted to get out of it so badly.  The only problem was he didn’t have time for himself.  He was either at work or at the hospital.  That trip with Vince was actually a pretty special occasion.

               

          *


He needed a good old cup of coffee to wake himself up after that.  It was getting to be around 4;30 in the afternoon and he was surprised he had not even had a cup yet.  There was only decaf in the cabinet.  What was a couple of dollars at a restaurant going to do?After freshening up he hopped in his little car and made his way towards a popular coffee shop a few miles away from his home.  

It was a tiny shop with tile floors and fancy little green booths for customers to use as a quiet sanctuary to study.  Many young adults stared at their laptop screens with headphones in their ears.  The front counter had a nice display of pastries and bagels with the aroma of coffee entertaining his nose.

“ What can I get ya,” asked a plump teenage girl with a big smile.  

“ Just regular black coffee please.  Can I get a few creamers with that?”  

“ Alright that will be one dollar and five cents please.”  Dallas handed her the money and made his way to a comfy booth that faced towards the TV.  Of course the news was on.  Some big football team in the Midwest just fired their coach and there was some big news piece on it.  It showed the coach saying his last goodbyes to the team without a lot of important dialogue.  Dallas really had no idea who this team was.  Soccer was the only sport he really valued anyway.  

 The coffee was kind of gross.  It tasted like it had been sitting out since that morning.  In a frustrated motion he was about to make his way to the counter to request a new coffee ,but suddenly the news directed his attention.  

 A brunette anchor lady appeared on screen with a new story that was sweeping Barts county.  “A couple of vacationers came home from their trip of a lifetime to find that their homes had been tragically broken into.  Arch-gate housing is a nice little neighborhood that was known for its safe environment.  Tonight there is a different story.  We are here with one of those families now.”

“We do not know why someone would steal from us.  We do not even know how either.  We had a silent alarm system that should have alerted the police right away.  We do not know if they somehow disabled it, but this is just a warning to all who rely on these systems for protection  My family is devastated.  We have had our kids belongings taken right out of their rooms and my Wife’s jewelry from her wedding is gone.  Please do not take from us anymore.   What we have is not worth enough to take.  I expect Arch-gate housing will be doing something about this promptly.”  The man speaking on the interview was obviously British and spoke firmly and seriously.   

Dallas did not remember disabling any silent alarm systems, or of course even seeing the device.  The cops must have been delayed that night.  “Carl and I are lucky,” he thought.  

“Carl….wait.  They are looking for someone to arrest for this crime,” he thought.  He recollected the fact that Carl hit his mailbox and barely gave him half of the items they had stolen together.  Carl was not playing right so neither would he.  

“ I know now how to really play the game.”  




        Chapter 11




 That same night Dallas gave his accomplice a call.  He requested he come over and meet him at the house because he found a new neighborhood to hit, since Arch-gate was such a mess.  Carl was happy that Dallas found a new plan and said he would head over from the Casino in about a half an hour.

             This would give him time to think.  He was about to do something so unnerving.  He could not be caught for all of these robberies.  He could not have it on his record or have the chance of being caught before Lizzy received treatment.  To land Carl in jail was dangerous because he would report him as well, but Dallas heard all of the stories at work.  Nobody would believe a man with a criminal record like Carl’s even if they could catch him.   They had to have still been looking for someone who broke into the store Carl broke into.  He even foolishly discussed it at work.  

            Dallas checked his phone nervously, he was waiting for Carl to say that he was on his way or something, but no calls or messages yet..  It had been about an hour and all Dallas really accomplished besides the tools for the plan was pacing back and forth just checking his phone or front yard for a blue truck.  It was getting really dark.  It was now around 11:30 at night.  How the days flew during those weeks.

           Talynn left a text message.  Dallas viewed it like it was words from God himself.  She just told him a few words like she hoped that everything was going great and to call her later if he needed anything.  “If only she knew,” he thought.  He knew that he could never deserve a girl like her.  He tried to shut down his feelings for her.  It was not worth the pain.  

            Today it was not about the money.  It was now about the security.

          The truck’s loud engine roared in the driveway.  Carl was about to get out of the truck when Dallas arrived with his backpack and gloves.  “No man I can show you the place.  Let’s just go.”               

“Fine let’s get this done.  After this we are done you hear?  I’m sorry, I can’t play hero anymore.  Your daughter is your business.  I have my own problems.”  

“No, I understand.  I have other ways of getting money after this.  I found a really nice job.  Just need one more load until next paycheck.”

           Carl gave him a nod and said “okay man then you lead the way.  This better be good.  If I am not impressed by the scenery we are out and sticking to my original last idea.”  

           Honestly, Dallas had no idea where he would take him when he entered that truck.  He had him make a few rights and some lefts on and off the highway.  They were getting somewhere, but Carl became a little suspicious.  “What is the housing complex called anyway?” Carl sighed.  

            Dallas knew he had to say something fast.  This drive was to buy him more time.  To calculate how he was going to perform the task.  He did not want to stray too far away from Arch-Gate.  “Its Livingstone Bridge.  It is only a few miles from here.  Turn right on this road.”  He clutched his backpack and felt the one item it had in possessed.

           Carl seemed pleased.  “ I had an Ex that used to live there.”  Dallas was surprised a higher class lady would date someone as tattered looking as Carl.   Dallas’s heart thudded in his own ears as they made their way to the entrance of the complex.  The crickets chirped and the moon was bright.  He thought of Lizzy every time he saw that gorgeous moon.  Only a few lights were on in a couple of houses.  Carl looked pleased at all of the options that appeared before them.  Did he think about breaking in with people asleep in them?  Dallas could not quite read him.  

          They drove through the neighborhood looking at all of the options.  Carl drove past the complex and tried to spot a place where he could park his truck outside of the neighborhood.  There was no grove like Arch-Gate, but there was an abandoned parking lot next to a closed gas station.  Carl parked on the side of that.  This place was about a quarter mile away from all of the beautiful houses.  This is where Dallas knew he was either going to lose or win.  

                        *

          Dallas waited for Carl to exit the truck and go to the back to get items out of the trunk like usual.  Dallas opened his backpack and he walked quietly behind Carl.  “This is it.  I can’t go back anymore.  I’m sorry Carl,” he thought.  Dallas removed the wooden club he had in his backpack and hit Carl as hard as he could on the back of his skull.  

           Carl fell onto the back bumper.  He slid off suddenly and fell on the ground.  Dallas skimmed the area for witnesses,but there was none to be seen.  No cops were driving around.  The dirt road was completely empty at that time of night.  

          Dallas’s world seemed to spin around him.  What did he just do?  He hoisted him back up with all of his strength and he threw him in the backseat .  The man finally  rolled into the back with much strength.  He was short, but very dense.  Dallas packed away his club and hopped in the back seat.  Carl was still breathing, his fingers were twitching, and his eyes were closed very tight.  A bruise started at his skull and made it’s way down his neck.  Dallas grabbed Carl’s wallet and keys from his back pocket.   

          The wallet contained many lottery tickets and a lot of credit cards.  He sifted through everything and finally found his driver’s licence.  It was the next step to his plan.  Everything was going perfectly so far.  “I am going to save you Lizzy.”  

          Truthfully, Dallas did not need to be anywhere near Livingstone Bridge.  His plan was to actually make his way back to Arch- Gate.  He knew he did not have a lot of time till his buddy woke up.  However, he only drove the speed limit and a little over because he knew if he attracted attention he knew everything would come to a close.

          The truck was a really nice ride.  It drove very smoothly and it was very refreshing compared to the tiny car he had become accustomed to.  

         Arch-Gate was about ten minutes away and after about five minutes Carl was groaning subconsciously.  Dallas did not want Carl to be caught by the police at all.  That would only create more problems.  Dallas provided him with an escape route.  He parked him on an empty country road a few minutes away from Arch- Gate.  This road was under construction and nobody had really driven on it for years.  

        Carl’s wallet and keys were returned to his soon to be conscious body.  The only thing Dallas kept was of course his driver’s licence.  It was about 1;30 and it was still completely pitch black outside.  Dallas was to walk and return home that night after completing the last phase to the plan.  

       One house that the two had already broken into was still empty.  Anyone would have thought they would have heard the news about the break ins, and anyone would have believed they would have returned home right away. The newspapers were hectically thrown all over the driveway and the grass had clearly been neglected.  Dallas remembered this house very vividly.  

       Everything was very quiet.  He remembered it as the second house they had broken into.   Police did not search throughout that house.  It was very odd how nobody had even noticed this one yet.  Dallas silently walked around the house and towards the back door.    The key still lay flat on top of the door frame.  Delicately he turned the key and propped open the green door.  

       It had looked the exact same a week or so ago.  The house spoke of silence and stillness.  Items the two men had mixed and matched were still in the same places.  Dallas took a few more items and put them in his backpack.  He searched the house for clues of when this family would be returning.  The answering machine light flashed a green light.  He pressed the button with his index finger and carefully tried to understand what the people were saying.

      “10 new messages, all messages playback.  Message number one,” the answering machine cited.  

     “  Hi Its Alan please give me a call back.”

     “  Hey this is Carol from Skinner’s Automotive.  Please give us a call as soon as possible.  Your order has arri-.”  Dallas cut off a few.  He was looking for a clue.  The next message he scrolled though finally answered his question.

    “  Hey Benjamin it is Kelly.  I was wondering if you could pick up your forms on Sunday morning after you get back from your time off.  If you can’t that is fine, but they do need to be completed by Monday.  Please get back to me ASAP.  Thank you.”   

        Dallas knew this was perfect.  They would be back tomorrow and that would give Carl enough time to get away.  Dallas smuggled a few more items into his bag that he knew their absence would be noticed.  That was the point, the point was to cause a scare right away.  Dallas did not need much of a delay, but still enough so Carl could escape and make it on his own.  Just then he saw police lights momentarily dancing across the walls.  He felt his heart drop on the floor.  The nerves were really starting to get to him.  Carl’s driver’s license was planted face-down in the kitchen discretely.  The plan was going quite well.  After he planted the clue he grabbed one last item, placed the key back on the door frame, and snuck back safely to his house.                  

              

            

 

  




                 Chapter 12



    “Lizzy you are looking better this morning,” said Dallas to the girl who still barely resembled herself.

    “Daddy I don’t feel very good.”  She tried to shift in bed, but found it too difficult and gave up.  Dallas propped her up and shifted the IV stand so she could maneuver easier.  

    Tears came down his cheeks and he quickly wiped them away so she wouldn’t see. It was eleven P.M and everything was quiet.  Dallas and Elizabeth talked about all who visited her and how her nurses were treating her.  Every moment spent with her was so painful.  She didn’t have much energy anymore and her skin was without any color at all.  It started occurring to him that money wasn’t going to fix this, but he had to keep trying.  Vince sold almost all the stuff he gave him to sell and that helped immensely with the costs, but the Chemo didn’t seem to be helping her at all.  The doctors didn’t give him the information straight very often.  He was often confused and didn’t know if she was getting better or worse.  Their optimism was killing him because he didn’t know if he grasped any hope of keeping his precious daughter.  All he could do was get the money.  

    Dallas was changing as well.  His features were still hidden by tired lines.  His brown hair was longer than it should have been and he didn’t shave often.  His blue eyes looked better after the medication. Talynn came over often and helped with meals.  She started staying for those meals to make sure he was eating.


                      *

    That night he lay awake thinking of Lizzy until he fell asleep.  His dream was about Krista and Elizabeth again.  They were in the store shopping.  When Dallas took his eye off them they disappeared out of thin air.  So many dreams became like that.  The shopping cart suddenly went empty.  Then Talynn appeared next to him and grabbed his hand.  He felt calm when he saw the diamond on her finger.  For once there was actually a moment where the bitterness subsided.  Dallas jerked awake.  He looked around and nobody was there.  He felt a panic and searched for Talynn, thinking she was still his like in the dream.  Reality snapped back to him and he felt the normal dread again and fell back asleep.

    In the morning he woke up to the doorbell.  He fell out of bed and rushed to the door.  Behind the door was Talynn and when Dallas saw her, his eyes instantly lit up.  “Oh I’m sorry I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

    Dallas pressed down his newly washed hair and straightened out his slept in jeans.  “No it is fine please come in.  I uh yeah.  I don’t mind.”  Talynn smiled and quietly walked in.

    “I thought you might want to watch a movie on my laptop or something.  If I were you I would miss watching stuff.”  She eyed the place where the TV used to be.  

    “Oh you didn’t have to bring that over.  You have helped so much already.”  She walked over to his only couch and sat down and gestured for him to join.  He reluctantly sat down.  His heart seemed to beat so fast since she was only inches away from him.  She put in a movie, but he could not focus on anything but her.  Why was he acting this way?  Nights before he told himself to stop trying.  He did not deserve this girl and he knew it could never work.  He had dug his hole too deep and she could never dig him out of it.  Dallas kept shifting.  He felt silly for being nervous.  He was thirty-one after all and he should have been good at keeping his cool by then.  He kept staring blankly at the computer screen and messing with his hands.  Talynn saw this and ignored it for about ten minutes until she felt sorry for him.  She intertwined her fingers with his and Dallas turned red.  He started winding down, but with her other hand she paused the movie.

    She laughed, “You okay Dallas?”  

    “I’m sorry Tally, but I need to speak my mind.  You are beautiful and I couldn’t be more thankful for everything you have done, but you don’t know everything about me.  I wasn’t a prince when I was married to Krista.  I was abusive.  I made so many mistakes.  I do not deserve anther shot.  I have a lot of things to tell you.”

    “I know you do.”  He looked down at their intertwined fingers and he squeezed them.

          “My past is not beautiful either Dallas, but we all make mistakes and I believe you have probably dealt with them correct?”

    Dallas was speechless and was about to say something, but then the phone rang.  “I will get it.  Sorry”

    The voice on the other end of the line asked “Is this Dallas?”

           “Yes.”

            “Sir you need to get over here now.  Your daughter isn’t doing so well.  Her breathing has not improved after our treatment this morning.”  He quickly hung up the phone and Talynn knew instantly what was wrong.  

    “I will let you drive Dallas, just get in my car.”  Dallas ran out to her vehicle and hopped in the driver’s side.  Talynn followed behind him and got in the passengers side.  He drove recklessly and he drove as fast as could to that hospital.

           He grabbed Talynn’s hand and ran up to the hospital room as soon as they arrived.  Nurses and doctors surrounded Elizabeth.  One nurse was distributing medications and another nurse was comforting her.  They saw Dallas and moved to the side while still working on her emergency medications.  Lizzy was crying lightly, but she looked so terrible.  She was lifeless.  He viewed her EKG that was barely moving.  He picked her up in his arms and kissed her on the forehead.  He held her tight.  “No baby you need to go to soccer practice this fall.  You are the star.  Lizzy come on wake up.  Daddy needs you.”  Then her monitor went down all the way.  “Do something,” he demanded.  Dallas placed her back down the in the sturdy bed.  The doctors did everything they could to get that little girl’s heart pumping again.  They injected many medicines and performed CPR on her.   Dallas held his head with his hands.  “Please God no!!” He was on his knees.  He felt worthless.  “Please God no!! NO!!  Bring her back please!”  The tears rushed down his face and he felt paralyzed.  Talynn sat in the corner covering her face.  Lizzy let go.  She fought for so long, but her body told her it was time to rest.    Dallas wasn’t far from gone either.  

    Hours passed and he was still in the room with his little girl.  “I’ve got you baby; I am not going to forget about you.  I will see you again.”  He sat there staring at Lizzy’s lifeless face and holding Lizzy’s hand. Talynn stood behind Dallas with her hand on his back.  Used tissues were scattered all around the room.  Dallas held the lifeless vessel of his once most prized possession.  Her white hospital gown draped her Father’s knees as she was held.  Her face soon became as white as the moon that he once wished upon.  “My Elizabeth, I love you,” he whispered.  His sorrow extended to both Krista and Lizzy that night.  It was the deepest pain he had ever felt in his entire life.  Teardrops fell on his precious daughter all night and onto the next morning.  The hospital staff offered him food and anything they could have possibly done.       

That night was the beginning of a fire that instantly welled up in Dallas.  He was no longer sane mentally.  If Talynn would have known how much damage was done that night.  She would have stayed with him.


      Chapter 13

 

    Talynn, Vince, and Korby showed up offering him help with meals.  Vince even brought him a medium sized TV to watch instead of just moping about.  Phone calls were constantly coming through on Dallas’s cell phone, but he didn’t answer them as often as he should have.  An interesting contact by the name of Carl appeared more than once, but as dangerous as that was Dallas ignored the calling.  Nobody could know for sure if that was another way of saying.”Come and get me.”      

    While watching M*A*S*H the doorbell rang and he slowly trudged to get to the door.  Dallas felt lost.  He was completely gone.  It didn’t matter if the person at the door was Talynn or Jesus himself.  Lizzy the love of his life was gone.  She was gone just like Krista.   He opened the door to see the Girl Scout in his doorway again.  

    “Sir I lost the competition” Dallas was expecting her to say more, but they stood in silence for a few brief seconds.  Tear stains were still present on his face.  “Yeah and Abby got to choose which organization it went to.  You know what she chose?!”  She started getting red in the face and Dallas just shook his head.  He had really no idea what she was going on about. “She chose to give the monies to some animal shelter.  I could have saved real people lives in Africas.”  

    Dallas was exhausted and was having issues paying attention to the girl.  “Yeah I am sorry…. maybe next time.”

    Dot frowned even more.”Yeah I lost by one sale.  You could have let me win, but you know what?  My Dad said it wasn’t really anybodies fault.  I kept the money from what I sold because I didn’t want it to go to dogs.  So I wanted to give the money to your daughter who is sick.”  Dot looked down at the ground and handed the envelope to Dallas in a fast motion.  

    His heart felt like it ripped in half the moment he heard those words.  “Bless you Dot, but Liz died last night.  She didn’t make it.”  Dot stood there stunned.  Sad eyes instantly appeared on her face, and she looked back and saw her Dad gesture for her to go.  

    “Buy her pretty flowers for me okay?  Tell her about me.”  She left and headed towards her Dad’s car.  He walked inside and watched Dot appearing to be explaining to her Dad what happened.  She pointed at the house and she seemed to be crying while her Dad carried her to the car in a sympathetic way.  The Father took one last glance at the house, sighed, and then turned away.

     

                       *

           The pain that he felt made him restless and apathetic.  He didn’t know what to do.  He didn’t care about anything.  His life on earth was obliterated the second he broke into those houses.  He felt in his heart that he would eventually be caught and brought to justice.  There was no second chance for him.  There was no apologizing and trying to fix what he did.  He knocked out a guy who was trying to help him,  He hurt the Woman he loved most, and lost the girl he gave everything for.  Talynn could have no future with Dallas.  Her dreams of him changing and desiring to be honest and fair were unrealistic.  He had gone too far.  What she knew was only a fraction of the pieces.  

          He couldn’t sleep.  Just reclined on the last chair he owned and watched the cars go by.  It had only been one day and it had seemed like the longest day there had ever been.  The phone vibrated and the contact read “Carl.”  He didn’t want to answer it, but hopefully he escaped and made it really far.  He knew Carl would not choose the nicest words to say.  He braced himself.

         “What,” Dallas said

         “  What?  What the hell?  What have you done to me man.  I have been on the road for days now.  The cops are after me.  Why did you do this?  How did you do this?  You are going to pay for what you have done.  Left me in my truck on some road with a concussion.  My roommate called me like eighty times while I was out.  He said there was police at my house looking for me.  I had to switch my ride and steal someone Else's car.  You are a criminal and I called the damn cops and told them about you.  They are going to be after you.”

        “  What does it matter?  My girl is dead.  They can take me.  I don’t even believe that you called them.  You don’t have the time or the guts.  I will wait around this house and wait for their sweet arrival.”  Dallas hung up and shut off his phone.  

   



    Days went by without him getting sleep after that.  After two days of not sleeping his body suddenly forced him to collapse on the couch and he woke up fourteen hours later confused.  He didn’t know where he was for a few moments.  He’d forgotten how empty his house was.  The walls had nothing on them.  He remember Carl and what he had said.  He pulled back the curtain and saw an empty street.  No cops have come.  Dallas was left alone which was a much bigger torture than being taken away.    

    He heard the mail truck go by and decided to take a trip to the semi- repaired postbox.  As he walked to the curb he noticed how dark the sky was.  The sky was as black as coal and the humidity was heavy.  Just walking to and from the house was a chore compared to the day before.  The weather was very different for Florida.  

    The mail was always filled with nothing.  Nobody ever sent him cards because he never really cared for them.  That day he received a thick magazine with another happy family on the cover.  “Improve your life and rent a house from Palm shores today,” it read.  He turned a bright red and burst into tears.  He tore away the mansion behind the family and began cutting out all four of the people.  He looked at the family and smiled.  It was so beautiful.  They were all together laughing and smiling.  Their expressions didn’t change even when their home was taken away.  Dallas taped them on his fridge.  The magazine lay shredded all over the floor.  

    The rain was picking up outside, but he didn’t care.  He remembered Lizzy moments before she passed.  How the cancer ate his love away.  Anger burst inside deeply as he thought of all the people he robbed.  They must have been so disappointed.  He was sure money was all that was holding all those families together.  He knew what he was going to do.  He wanted to see them suffer as he had.  He felt he needed to let them know there is more to life than just money.  While looking at the family on the fridge he grabbed his stuff and headed towards Arch-gate once more.  This time the only reason for intruding on these people’s houses was revenge.  The police cars were swarming around the entrance, but that was not going to scare him off.




                Chapter 14



    “Great. Just great,” said Nick.  The detective looked out of his stormy office window.  “The one chance I get to actually be on watch for a criminal is when a tornado watch decides to come instead.  When do tornadoes happen around here?”  

    “You know Danny said you are still required to keep watch during the storm right,” said Korby.  Joe was in the background gathering up his laptop and cleaning up his office for the night.  

    “That man is crazy, how is he my boss?  A tornado is going to kill Joe and I if we do set up another watch.”  Korby laughed and walked away.  The poor blond always had to deal with all the complaints.  Nick kept peering outside and viewing the storm as it got worse and worse.  

    “You ready to go Nick?”  Joe gestured to Nick from the other side of the room.  Nick just grabbed his laptop with the case and walked out to the car to begin his first real watch.  Outside the clouds seemed to keep getting darker and the thunder resembled gunshots.  It was so loud that Joe ran into the black Chevy instead of opening the door right away.  Joe was embarrassed so the ride down to Arch-gate Housing lacked conversation.  They knew who had been breaking in, but he was said to be on the run.  A Vehicle with the correct license plate was found in the parking lot of a supermarket.  Nick highly doubted finding anyone in the mess of the weather.     

    Arch-gate Housing was about a half hour away.  It would have been difficult to find if Joe wasn’t driving.  Joe had been to that housing complex many times. The drive however was insane.  The dark sky achieved even more darkness as they drove on.  The lightning and thunder was overwhelming.   Nick’s eyes would widen and he forced himself to bolt upright and be alert.  Joe was in constant need of guidance because he was afraid of hitting the car in front of him.  They arrived unscathed, but the weather’s ferocity continued to increase.  “I’ve never seen Florida’s weather so bad,” said Nick.  

    “I’m going to tune into the radio to see if they are expecting tornadoes right now.  I can’t see a thing.  I don’t think a robber would hit right now.  Even if he was even in the same area”

    “Yeah it is too dangerous to be on foot.”  The news turned on and announced there were over three tornadoes on ground and more could possibly be forming.  “Dang… we shouldn’t be out here.  The guy who robbed these houses is long gone anyway.  You saw it yourself.”

    “It is going to be okay man.  Those warnings are in Banks County.  They are thirty miles away from us.  Besides we do not know if the man had someone else working with him.  Keep in mind no one has really seen anything.”

                        *

    Meanwhile Dallas struggled to see just about everything.  The rain was up to his ankles and it poured down and got into his eyes.  No thought was put into anything he did.  All he wanted was revenge, but when he was outside he kept forgetting where he was going.  The lightning reminded him of his goal when it flashed upon a mansion of a house.   A few cop cars were located along the edges of the road, but none were occupied.  That brought him a sense of security.  No police were going to be out watching for a criminal on that kind of night.  Tornado sirens began going off, but he didn’t care.  He remembered houses he never broke into that appeared lifeless last time.  The first house was at the corner of the block and he ran into the back fence.  The wind instantly began picking up and it jolted him.  He jumped over the fence to get cover.  He went under a glass table for a few minutes to take a break.  Flowerpots and garbage cans were flying everywhere.  A kid’s plastic play set was seen in the middle of the street.  The violence satisfied Dallas.  He never wanted peace again.  

    Then a flowerpot fell of its hanger attached to the roof and smashed into the glass table.  A symphony of glass shattered and wind whistled above his ears.  The glass table broke on the end and hit him in the back with big chunks of sharp material.  He jolted up and peered in the windows.  No lights were seen so he grabbed the door handle, but it was locked.  The door mat had already blown away.  “Screw this!”  He grabbed the large broken piece of flowerpot and threw it into the glass storm door.  He kicked the rest of the glass away and entered through the door.  

    Inside the house was very cold.  The wind whistled through the broken door.  It sounded like screaming.  Dallas barely even noticed the storm as he tore through the house.  He began ripping the Television from the wall and threw it in a corner, starting a pile.  He didn’t care if someone noticed a robbery took place.  Could he even call this a robbery?  It was more vandalism.  He had more fun smashing TVs and flipping over cabinets.  Dallas had no mind to haul all of those items home.  All that mattered was rendering them useless.   He used no precautions when grabbing and throwing items in the corner and he even put a giant gaping hole in the wall when he threw a metal ornament in the pile.  He could just barely see what was going on around him.   

    The children’s rooms didn’t look like they were full of anything valuable.  He turned on the light.  Butterflies hung from the ceiling, gold colored crowns littered the pink dresser, and a bunk bed was decorated in white frilly lace.   At a second glance he saw two tiny tabby kittens with their mother.  The cat hunched up on the bed and hissed.  She was frightened from all the noise Dallas made when he was stealing appliances and figurines.  He simply ignored the mewing of the kittens and the hissing of the cat.  Something caught his eye and he looked behind the cats and saw a picture of a boy with a caption underneath it.  He ripped it off the wall and became absorbed with the tiny picture for minutes.  There was a pasty white sick looking boy who smiled a smile that looked like every muscle in his face caused him agony.  The caption said “In memory of Jase.  You have blessed us with ten years of life by showing us how to truly live.  We all love you!”  

    Those words made his heart skip a beat.  “How could I inflict more pain on those who already know the full meaning of it,” he thought.  Sense instantly beat into his head and all his saneness returned.  “God I am sorry!!  I don’t know what I am doing.”  He hugged the photograph and cried.  The thunder crashed outside and instantly knocked out the power.  The darkness scared him.  He paid more attention to the sounds and light the storm produced now.  Tornado sirens began screaming louder and louder as soon as he exited the room.  He took out his high powered flashlight and got up to look for a safe place on the top floor to hide.  Dallas grabbed Krista’s wedding ring from his pocket and cowered in a corner.   

    “Listen to those sirens roar Nick!”  

“Knock it off Joe you are freaking me out.  I don’t feel so great about being in a car right now.  There shouldn’t be tornadoes around here anyways.  Aren’t they a long way away?”  As soon as he said that a tornado warning was said to be in effect for their County.  Banks County was said to be demolished on the north side.  The newscaster announced that everyone needs to be in a secure room.  “Come on Joe we got to try to make it home.”

“No use man.  If we drove out in the open the wind could probably tip us ove-.  Wait a minute.  Look at that tall house on the corner.  There is a light on that window.  Looks like there is a flashlight being used.”  

“So?! Nick said sarcastically.

“Umm think about it.  We are supposed to be on watch for a criminal, which means we need to watch all the houses.  If you were being observant you would have noticed no lights were on in that house before the power went out.  Now there is a flashlight shining on the window.  I think it would be wise to check it out.”

“We are so going to die.”

“Shut up.  At least if we die we won’t be dying in a van.”





    Chapter 15


The storm blew the two men everywhere.  They were pushing themselves against the strong wind and they were succeeding, but the water stung their eyes.  Joe lost his coat in the fight and it hit Nick and became forever lost on a tree branch.  Joe looked back and sighed.  

When they trudged their way to the house Joe pounded on the front door so if the owners were inside they could here him.  Dallas didn’t even get a hint there was someone pounding on the door.  He lay huddled up in the bathroom corner.  Joe gave up and made his way to the back where Nick was.  Nick had already noticed that the backdoor was shattered.  They cautiously walked over the glass and quietly whispered what they needed to do.  

“Alright well I am just going to see if anyone is here.  If he threatens us with any form of weapon I want you to watch my back because I have my gun.  I don’t know who we are dealing with.  Just remain calm okay?”  Joe said these words quickly as he became more and more worried about the tornadoes that were being issued.  

“Yeah I got it,” said Nick who started to sweat from fear of the storm and the possibility of dealing with a psycho.  

Joe first called from the basement and nobody seemed to be there.  He knew the sound wouldn’t travel upstairs.  They checked every corner and cabinet.  “ Someone is in here dude.  Look at all that stuff huddled in the corner.  Oh and right there you can see where the TV was.”

“I think that window was smashed on purpose.  He is smart if he is upstairs in the house.  No fool should be down here with all five of these windows.  Come on let’s head up stairs.  I don’t want glass to be permanently wedged in my skin.”

The house appeared to be shaking as they made their way up to the stairs.  “Hey is anyone in here?  Please come out!”  

            *

Dallas quickly turned off the flashlight when he heard them.  He sat on the bathroom floor contemplating on whether or not he should show himself.  His heart was beating so fast.  He could barely understand how they managed to find him.  There were so many houses they could have looked in.”

He slowly opened the bathroom door.  He saw two men.  One was dark haired and the other was blond.  One appeared to be very bold while the other looked like he was about to faint.  Dallas noticed the confident one had a gun.  He slowly stood up and backed himself in the corner.  “Don’t shoot!  I’m not going to try anything!  Don’t shoot!”  Joe put his gun back in his holster.

“What the hell are you doing here?  You have destroyed this house!  What is your name?”  

“It is Dallas Eve, please just let me talk.”  He told them about his wife first and then how sick his daughter once was.  He said it all so fast that nothing really made sense.  He told about his insanity the last few days.  While he was talking Nick noticed how bloodshot his eyes were and how pail his face was.  His whole body was convulsing with fear.  Nick contemplated on a way to get him in the car.  This guy was crazy for sure.  He was not going to be an easy case.  The sirens were still going off in the background.  

Joe paused to listen and then he spoke to Dallas once again.  “We are going to get you help,but we need you to be calm and come with us.  We need your full cooperation.  Can you start by slowly emptying out your pockets.”  Joe had his hand on his holster.  

    Then they suddenly heard it.  It sounded like a train.  Joe looked out the window and saw the menacing twister on the other side of the street.  It was one of the most frightening pictures he had ever seen in his entire life.  One glance spells death.  It was taking its toll on a smaller house.  The roof of the house was being torn completely off.  The sound of the cracking seemed to echo in and out of the men’s ear drums.  

    “GET IN THE BATHROOM NOW!”  Joe screamed at the top of his lungs and he grabbed Nick and Dallas while he practically lept in midair.  

    Nick began to sweat profusely and he was shaking like a leaf.  Dallas also showed signs of extreme stress and he turned a green-ish color.  Joe listened carefully to all the crunching and the tearing the tornado made.  “Why does It sound like a train Joe?”  

    “I don’t know Nick; I guess it is just from all the power they hold.”  Joe began to shake.  The single bathroom window instantly shattered and the pieces flew all over Dallas.  One shard hit him in the forehead and he swiftly pulled the glass from his temple.  Blood flowed out of his head while Nick and Joe sprang up just in time to see the ceiling start to crack.  They heard a shallow and they knew they had to get out of the house.  They grabbed Dallas’s hands, but he refused.

    “No, go.  I am done.  I’ve had my fair share of ruining lives haven’t I?  Run!”  Joe knew there was no time to talk so he reached for the stubborn man.  The tornado outside tore into the building and knocked down a wall on top of Dallas.  A scream was barely heard among the powerful force a few yards away from the unscathed men.  Joe tore Nick out of the bathroom and they headed outside and ran to the grove

of trees that surrounded the neighborhood.  They avoided the flying debris that was going everywhere.  Garbage cans were in the middle of the street, glass shards were everywhere, and trees were bent at ninety degree angles in many yards.   The wind was broken off by the greenery of the forest and both men yelled in fear.


                          *

             Dallas felt the strength of the wall on his body.  He could barely think.  It was no longer about survival. It all came back to who he used to be.  What he did.  The last few seconds he spent was realizing the miracle Krista once prayed for was the reason she no longer lived.  The miracle was being released from the torturous life that Dallas had given her.  Dallas breathed the word “Forgive” as the light came upon him.  


                          *   

    Nick was bleeding near his eyes and he was tearing up.  He kept seeing the wall fall back on Dallas as he remembered the scene.  It was a suicide.  It was by choice.  The storm was clearing up fast and the surrounding sky was turning green with dashes of bright orange from the sun trying to peek over the clouds.       

 Nick still stood there stunned for the next half hour.  The storm finally cleared up and the two men made their way to their car.  It had almost a whole tree on it, but no serious damage was done to the exterior.   The radio antenna was later found to be bent off.  They got in the car with solemn expressions and Joe called an ambulance to come and pick up the body.  He knew there was no possible way that man could have survived being crushed.   Frankly Nick never wanted to be on another mission again.  




                Chapter 16



The storm ended up killing seven people and injuring twenty.  The state had never seen such an intense storm before in all history.  Every single life lost was precious.  Nick and Joe had a lot of paperwork to deal with after that case.  The police squad in their office had to deal with getting Dallas’s body out of the wreckage of the house.  The damage to the housing in Banks County and in Barst County was pretty bad, but luckily it only took six months to clean up all the damage.  Some houses were still in shambles after that, but they were getting repaired little by little.


         *   

          The newspaper advertised the funeral in the newspaper and on many websites.   Elizabeth and Dallas had a joint service to honor both of their lives.  At the funeral many people came up and shared good memories they had with Dallas.  The people who knew Dallas were distraught beyond all measure.  Nick even stood up at the beginning and shared how Dallas had passed.  Sadly he had to tell the company that it was his own choice, but what was done could not be changed.  

Next Talynn came up and she made a short, but heart tugging comment about how she felt about Dallas.  “I got to know him for about three months and he was great.  I loved him so much.  He was a great guy…he really was.  He couldn’t care for his daughter any more than he already had.  He just made a few mistakes.  May Elizabeth and Dallas rest in piece”  Her lips began to quiver and she walked off back into the crowd.  

The next few were hospital personnel that spoke.  Everyone who talked was so full of life for Dallas and Elizabeth..  They knew how much he loved Lizzy.  They wish they could have done more to help.  Talynn cried and cried at that funeral.  She was going to miss him, but she found comfort in the fact that he was no longer suffering from the hardships of this world.  She brought the picture of Lizzy from his slightly damaged home and she put it on top of his casket.  Everyone at the funeral knew how much she meant to Dallas.  She was angry at him for giving up his life so easily.  She helped him so much.  Nick and a few others saw she was all alone and comforted her.  Vince brought his wife Gabrielle and his kids.  Vince was too sad to say anything about his best friend.  He had some good times with him and was ashamed to believe his friend was the one who was robbing homes.  He was so valuable.  He didn’t expect him to stoop down to that level.  Vince regretted giving him a hard time about borrowing money.   

A Dad and little girl showed up.  Nobody really knew who they were, but the little girl held a bouquet of lilies and handed them to her Daddy so he could give them to Dallas.  She wore her Girl Scout uniform.  She also gave respects to Lizzy who was buried right next to him.  She put a box of thin mints right next to her grave and cried.  Any death was too much to understand for such a little girl.  She just knew she was gone.


            *

Nick quit his job two weeks later.  He decided he wasn’t going to risk having

another scarring moment.  Joe and the boss Danny were sad to see him go because he had so much potential, but Danny recommended him to a big-shot company.  Nick was put in charge of that computer company after six months of being there.  He now valued every bit and piece of a boring office job.  Later he turned it into a job that people from around the world were competing just to interview there.  

Joe stayed with the agency and worked hard on finding Carl the accomplice, but to this day Carl has not been found.  He has disappeared and made a new name for himself.  The agency always has his name and information ready to use if they ever suspect his presence in a crime or place of residence.     

As for Talynn, she married three years later and had two beautiful children.  In honor of Dallas she named her beautiful dark haired daughter Lizzy Voldelaire.  Lizzy grew older and asked her Mom why she was named Lizzy.  Tally had the pleasure of telling her daughter the sad story of Dallas and how much he loved her.  He did everything for his daughter (She left out the part about him breaking into houses).  Dallas lived on in many families and he was never forgotten.  

                  


     

   

   

   

                               

      

 

        

     

 






   



      


 


   


             



               


  

         

         

 

              








   

  

© 2015 Brielle Cartny


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Added on April 30, 2015
Last Updated on April 30, 2015

Author

Brielle Cartny
Brielle Cartny

Liverpool, United Kingdom



About
I am heavily influenced by music all around me. There is hardly ever a piece I write that is not composed with a song that has been stuck in my head. Recently my favourites have been Haste the Day, .. more..

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A Poem by Brielle Cartny