(no subject)
Johnny has his foot on the accelerator doing 90 down the freeway, Martirio’s in the backseat doing his best to keep conscious, and Mary’s looking like white canvas covered in crimson ink. They swerve passed a parked cop car on the side of the Interstate, but they’re going far too fast for him to catch up. He radios in a 505 on the Freeway to Dispatch, who sends out the signal of a reckless driver heading Westbound on Interstate-10. They’re almost at the Downtown Exit with Johnny’s engine roaring loud like a jet fighter. He pulls off the Interstate, slamming on his breaks the whole way. His car sounds like a banshee screaming its way out of hell. The car skids for about 35 feet between cars, before Johnny loses all control. His Nova spins a full circle and stops about a foot away from an El Paso Sun Metro. Martirio wakes up in the backseat, having passed out momentarily and Johnny lets loose a long sight of relief.
“What are you doing stopped here?” Martirio says. “Step on it, man!”
Coming back to his senses, Johnny exhales and steps back down on the gas pedal. They dart in between cars through the Downtown area with Martirio in the backseat begging Mary to wake up. The cops are nowhere to be found.
Finally reaching their destination, Johnny puts both feet on the break pedal and the car finally comes to a stop. Martirio kicks his door open and picks Mary up with both arms, holding her like a child. Johnny leads the way into the hospital, both of them scream out “Somebody help!”
“Oh shit,” a male nurse says running out to meet them.
“Somebody get a doctor down here, STAT!” He yells back at the other nurse staff.
Another nurse rushes forward with a gurney, it’s squeaky wheels roll forward with hurried pace.
Martirio lays Mary down on the gurney before him, and then takes a step back. Mary’s eyes open and he smiles at her again to reassure she’s going to be alright.
“Sir, what happened to this girl?” one of the nurses asks.
“She slit her wrists… she tried to kill herself,” Martirio says.
Johnny stands by idly; his hands hanging by his side while listening to his best friend speak.
“Are you ok, sir?” Another nurse asks.
“Sir, is that your blood on you?”
“Are you ok, sir?”
The nurses begin poking and prodding him with a million questions, and their words buzz like a beehive bumbling in his head. All the noise is driving him insane and he can’t take it.
He reaches for the handgun he tucked into the back of his pants. He brandishes his weapon and fires two shots into the air. All the nurses hit the deck, while Johnny stays completely still.
“Just fucking take care of the girl, don’t fucking worry about me,” he says, gritting his teeth on every word, and his eyes welling up with tears.
“You heard him, lets get moving,” a nurse shouts.
The last thing Mary sees before she disappears around a corner down the hall is Martirio’s smile still holding his gun in the air.
Security Guards begin to slowly step forward to Martirio and Johnny, their hands on their holsters.
“Get the fuck out of here, Johnny,” Martirio says.
“No…no way, man,” Johnny says.
“I’m ordering you…as your best friend to get the fuck out of here,” Martirio says, looking over at his best friend with eyes full of tears. “You were the best friend I could have ever asked for. I’m repaying you by sending you out of here before the cops can connect you to any of this bullshit. Now, go.”
Johnny looks to his feet, before taking a few steps backward.
The Security Guards look ready to pounce.
“If anybody follows him out that fucking door, I’m gonna start filling innocent people with lead,” Martirio says, his voice beginning to lose it’s strength.
Johnny’s footsteps tap all the way out the hospital. Now, it’s just Martirio and an ever-increasing swarm of Security Guards.
“I did everything I could,” he whispers to himself. “I got justice for Ricky’s death, and in turn got justice for his Uncle’s death.”
The Security Guards begin screaming orders at him, but its like somebody’s pushed the mute button on everything.
“Mary, I think she’ll be alright,” he says. The gun in his hand grows heavy, like if it’s tugging down at his arm and pulling him down to Earth. He’s never felt so cold in his life. His breathing begins to slow; his chest moves back and forth with each breath, his body sways like a tree in the wind.
His hand loses its strength and the gun in his hand falls to the ground. The Security Guards rush in to take him down, but Martirio’s legs give way under the weight of his body. He falls backward, as if someone’s pushed him over. His hands reach out as if to grasp at something, but there’s nothing there.
His head hits the ground so hard it cracks his skull splattering blood on the ground.
The Guards stand in a circle over his body.
Before Martirio’s eyes is the most beautiful display of color and light never known to man. The world shimmers and glistens as he lays motionless, smiling at the brilliant lights dancing above him. He let’s out a sigh before closing his eyes and the world above him slowly fades away.
THE END.