Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2012 22:24:45 -0700
From: califox08@hotmail.com
Subject: Trust Me Part 1
My goal with this story is to actually be a story... There
is tons of material on here to get you off in a hurry if
that is your goal. If you'd like a with a bit of character
development then please stick around and drop some
feedback if you'd like.
All the usual disclaimers apply. If your local laws
prohibit you from reading this then please leave now.
This is a work of pure fiction. Any resemblance to actual
people or events is purely coincidence.
A QUICK FAVOR: I NEED someone reliable to edit my
work before I submit it. I understand this is a large task
but if you are great at proofreading and wouldn't mind
being my partner in crime then please email me. Also,
all feedback is welcome.
CaliFox08@hotmail.com
Trust me Part 1
It was nearly 3am when my phone began to vibrate and
sound with a lovely pre-programmed alarm that
everybody loves to wake up to. I'm a very light sleeper
so the fact that it started me wasn't anything new. Even
waking up to the damn thing at 8 still jostled me a bit. I
reached over and silenced it before throwing it in the
floor by accident. I threw on my clothes from yesterday
and briefly went into the bathroom to splash some
water on my face. I'm the last thing from a morning
person so getting up is sort of a process for me. I'd kill
for another 5 minutes of sleep but I don't trust myself
enough to lie down again. I'd be out in seconds...
My mother used to always wake me up back when I was
in middle school. "Come on David, get your lazy ass up"
she'd say in a teasing manner. I'd always ask her for five
more minutes and somehow managed to drift back to sleep.
That was some years ago with me being 25 now.
Needless to say I was annoyed when I discovered my
phone alerting me to a possible break-in because, unlike
my mother, I can't ask the potential robber for 5 more
minutes. I built a storage unit facility around 2 years
ago. It's roughly a 25 minute drive away from my house.
I've always wanted to own a business and enjoy the
finer things in life, however, that drive was always
limited by my laziness if I'm being completely honest
with myself. I was in the process of working at a job I
hated and saving money to start my own venture when
my uncle unexpectedly passed away. He left me a
moderately sized home and a few bank accounts. It was
nothing special by any means, but after selling the
house, I finally had enough money to attempt to make
something for myself. Well, after a few years of
research in many different businesses, I'd finally found a
winning idea and that idea was storage units. I'd started
with around 50 small units for rent but when each of
those 50 units brings in $100.00 a month it doesn't take
long to accumulate and expand. I'm not rich yet... But
I'm certainly on my way.
I headed down the stairs with my hands gliding over the
walls as I made my decent. I could have turned on the
lights, but my eyes hadn't adjusted yet and I thought I'd
enjoy my last few seconds of darkness. I felt my way to
the fridge and willingly blinded myself as I opened it for
a quick drink of orange juice. Chibi was also unhappy
with the unexpected light flooding the room. Chibi is my
pet Hedgehog. I've had him for around 9 months. They
are nocturnal and enjoy the occasional run on the
exercise wheel at 2 in the morning.
"Watch the house while I'm gone Chibs"
I walked over to his cage, orange juice carton still at my
lips, and stuck my finger in to brush his quills. He
greeted me with a sharp puff from his little nose and
buried his head in the corner of the cage. Hedgehogs
aren't exactly the most sociable creatures. They keep to
themselves and find almost everything as a threat. I
handled him every day for the first 6 months when I got
him. He'd walk around on my stomach and chest just
fine but if I attempted to touch him with your hands
he'd instantly ball up on me. After a while I just
accepted that I have a very antisocial hedgehog. He
probably hates me but I get a small amount of comfort
thinking he loves me in his own little grumpy way.
I blinded my little pet one last time as I put the orange
juice away and I was headed out to the garage. As I was
raising the garage door I noticed it was raining... hard
actually. Proves my point of just how much of a daze I
am in when I first wake up. I decided to grab a few
towels from my workbench as I would more than likely
be running around in this mess because of a false break-
in. Having the gate jar open in a storm is pretty normal
so I honestly wasn't expecting much. Still, I keep a small
.22 pistol in my glove box at all times. I've never had to
use it and I hope I never do but it never hurts to be
prepared.
The car honked at me as I unlocked it with the key
remote. It echoes like a bitch in the garage and I always
forget to disable it. I have an Infiniti G-35 coupe and I
love it. I had a very hard time deciding between the
Infiniti and the Nissan 370Z but I would up going for the
G. The G just seems so much more sophisticated. I feel
like a respectable businessman in the G where as I felt
like a kid still in college when I tested out the Z.
I threw the towels in the back seat and cried a little on
the inside when I heard the first raindrop hit my
perfectly washed car. I'd like to say that I normally love
the rain, especially the sound of rain on my hood as I
drive... Just not when I washed my car the following day
is all. The drive from my house to "cubes", as my
business is called, is very scenic and beautiful. I have no
neighbors as my house sits at the top of a secluded hill
with a lining of trees blocking all views. I, like the
hedgehog, prefer to be alone most of the time. I
sometimes see the glow of creature's eyes as they
watch me drive by in the night. The house Is fairly large
with 5 bedrooms and I'll be the first to admit, it is
definitely extravagant for one man and his hedgehog
but like I said, I want the finer things in life. I usually
have fun speeding around the corners in the G, but I
wasn't in the mood to drive fast that night and the rain
wouldn't have helped anyways.
I pulled up to the gate and grabbed a towel from the
backseat. I draped it over myself as I stepped out into
the storm to undo the padlock to let myself in. I made a
mental note to get an electric gate opener to prevent
nights like these in the future. As I reached for the lock I
noticed the metal was heavily chipped away on all sides.
I had just checked in a week ago so I knew the
"damage" was new. I undid the lock and proceeded to
run back to my car so I could pull in and investigate
further. I put my hand back on the wheel and
discovered tiny shards of metal glistening from the
gauge lights on my fingertips. "Maybe this is newer than
I thought" I told myself. As I drove around the outer rim
of the facility I then noticed a thick rug lain overtop the
barbed wire wall. The rug looked completely shredded
where it made contact with the wire. The rain more
than likely contributed to its disintegration.
"Huh.... Maybe there was something to this alarm..."
I retrieved my gun from the glove box and continued to
creep with my lights off.
The entire lot was dimly lit by streetlamps at the end of
every row of units. I only needed to glance down each
aisle in order to see if one of the unit doors was open.
Fuckin thief was probably behind on payments and
stole his belongings back. If a renter is more than a
month late on payment then you have the right to
change the locks on that particular unit. If rent is still
unpaid 90 days after the initial payment date then you
now legally own everything inside the unit and can even
auction it off. I have only done this a handful of times as
people in my area are fairly well off and don't fall
behind on such miniscule payments. People are only
willing to bid on a unit if it is unopened and un-
tampered with. My curiosity got the better of me the
first few times and I couldn't help but claim my new
"treasures". To my disappointment it was usually junk.
The only worthwhile thing I had ever gotten out of
claiming a unit was a large metal giraffe which stands
around 7 feet tall in my entry way. Still, opening a unit
and seeing what it holds makes me feel like a kid at
Christmas time all over again. Too bad the items inside
are about as interesting as the bag of socks you got as a
kid.
It was the last row and I was beginning to think this
thief may have actually gotten away. I'd probably have
somebody complain there things were missing in the
coming weeks and have to file a claim with my
insurance. Then I saw something. A unit was slightly
open with metal door only a few feet off of the
pavement. The light spilled out of the opening and
casted a shadow which stretched all the way to the
adjacent units (about 15 feet away). I slowly got out of
my car, gun in hand, and approached cautiously as the
light showed silhouettes of feet walking around from
within the small structure. I had a spare lock in my
pocket and planned on trapping them inside and calling
the police. My heart was beating a million miles an hour
and just as I was reaching my hand out for the pull cord
attached to the door, it flung open in an instant. There
standing before me was a boy, no older than 15, in
tattered clothes and a facial expression that looked like
his heart had stopped. I then understood why, I
instinctively had my gun pointed directly in his face.
After the second of shock wore off he bolted and was all
out sprinting for the tattered rug still hanging off the
barbed wire. I took off after him and was gaining fast.
He then took his leap of faith and clung to fabric only
for it to tear and have him fall back violently against the
wet cement.
When I saw this happen, I slowed my pace down from a
sprint to a jog knowing he wasn't going anywhere after
a fall like that. Even if he did get up, I locked the front
gate on my way in so there was nowhere for him to go.
With his rug now torn, he was trapped like a rat unless
he felt like shredding his hands on the wire. I was now
standing over him. His hands clung to the back of his
head as he winced from the pain. He wasn't bleeding so
that was a good sign. I kneeled so we could be on
somewhat equal level when I spoke.
"What are you doing here?..." I demanded.
His eyes were still closed. I couldn't tell if he was crying
or not with the rain water completely soaking us both. I
waited for a few more seconds and asked again.
"What are you doing here?"
Again, no response. He took one hand off of his head
and just laid flat on the ground. He looked as though he
wanted to fall off the earth and simply die... Or at least
that's what I'd be doing in his shoes so that's what I
assumed. After a good 30 seconds of silence he finally
opened his eyes. He looked directly at me and never
blinked except for the occasional raindrop hitting him in
the face.
He was obviously an attractive kid. He was probably
around 5'4 and 120lbs. He had sandy blonde hair that
more than likely looked very nice when dry, but was
currently drenched and clinging to his forehead. Not
long enough to cover his eyes, but more than covered
his ears. He had light freckles scattered across his nose
and under his eyes. His eyes... the most beautiful blue
eyes I had ever seen. I actually have somewhat blue
eyes, but the blue is so pale that most people call them
grey. His were vivid and even in the low light, made me
look twice.
After probably a few too many seconds of admiring his
features I thought I should come back to reality and
deal with the situation at hand. As I began to stand
upright again I grabbed him by the wrist and hoisted
him up to his feet. Once there he began to tug and
attempt to break free of my grip. I got slightly annoyed
with his silence to begin with so this petty attempt at an
escape was just rubbing me the wrong way. I pulled him
by the wrist hard. So much so that he collided into my
side.
"The front gate is locked... you're not going anywhere."
The news seemed to hit home with him and his arm
went limp. I started pulling him back to the unit where I
originally found him. He was sort of cooperating and
was walking with me, but always kept tension between
us and gave off the impression that he'd run if I let go.
Where he'd run to, I'm not sure.
"What do you want with me!"
I was a little shocked that he finally spoke.
"Well I guess that depends on what you've stolen, how
about we take a look"
I lead the way and dragged him like a puppy on a leash.
I didn't bother to look back at him. I was now anxious to
see what this novice thief had his eye on. The unit he
chose was in the very back of the lot. If he wanted a
quick score then it would have made more sense to
steal from one of the units closest to the front wall. As
we got closer he began to fuss again and throw his
weight in random directions trying to break free.
"Let go of me!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.
"HELP! THIS MAN IS KIDNAPPING ME"
I knew there was no one around to hear his pleas but I
got annoyed by his antics anyways. I stopped pulling
him momentarily and spun around to face him.
"Shut your fuckin mouth kid.... You're done. You've
been caught in the act. We'll look and see what you've
stolen and then I'll call the police and have you sent off
to your parents, or maybe even juvi for the night. It is
pretty late after all."
He began to beg and became dead weight as he
dropped to his knees.
"Please don't!.. You can't call the cops."
"Quit being a pain in the ass and lead the way" I
exclaimed.
I let go of his hand knowing he could only run in circles
until the cops came if he really wanted it to play that
way. He must have accepted the situation as well as he
got back up and began to walk to the open door. He
walked inside before I did and sat on a mattress that
was lying on the ground. The small room had the
mattress, a few boxes with clothes in them and enough
junk food wrappers to fill an entire trash barrel... he
wasn't stealing at all. This was what he called home.
He sat on the edge of the bed with his feet on the wet
ground. His arms were folded and resting on his knees
hiding his face as he looked at the ground completely
defeated.