Chapter 2

Cops and Robbers

Melissa walked herself home at the end of the day. This was the usual for her. Occasionally, she kept herself company on the fifteen minute walk with a phone call to her closest, and rather only, friend, Eliza. She enjoyed hiding a phone to her ear behind her sheath of almond hair as it gave her a feeling of importance during her journey, but today, this was not the case.

Melissa curiously wandered about. Her stride suggested that she had nowhere to be, but in a way that framed her with purpose.

She was tired from a full day of work – opening shift to closing shift, but she never let it show.

Instead of speaking with her friend today, she thought of her life goals; Mel wanted to work her way up in the small hierarchy that the shop owner had. Her managerial status was the highest one could get at The Neighborhood. There were normal workers and four managers. There always had to be a manger on shift while the shop was open. The owner, Ed, was a nice and genuine elderly man. He wanted to be around more but his health conditions kept him from traveling down to the shop frequently. Over the years he slowly stopped working and just visited and now he barely comes in. Mel particularly liked Ed, so she missed seeing him.

Mel continued walking through her city. After she walked the main drag where the shop was, she entered the quiet, small streets – the real neighborhoods of the area. This is the feeling Ed tried to mimic when he originally envisioned his shop. The togetherness and homogeneity of these local streets. The Neighborhood was a place the symbolized a family, a place that stayed constant throughout life for everyone.

Ed kept his hierarchy simple because he only promoted the people who worked hard and needed the full-time jobs. He promoted those who deserved it and those who actually worked for it, rather than those who did not go above and beyond. Although Mel wasn't technically the "top manager" or the "manager in charge," she viewed herself as that.

It was late and Mel had stayed even later than normal after cleaning and cashing out all the drawers by herself, as a few workers had bailed early on her. The darkness was impending – it was 9 o'clock.

Ed's health was failing. It was a fact that all the employees knew of. And they knew that he had no relatives that he kept in touch with. Between the four managers, they were all vying for Ed to leave The Neighborhood to them in his will. The only thing he had ever mentioned about it was how he wanted the family feeling to be preserved with whoever the next owners were.

As Mel continued walking, she suddenly gained a feeling of unease, something she never normally felt coming through this area.

She entered high alert, although she knew nothing could be wrong here.

Scanning the area, the quickened her leisurely pace, not understand the feeling and trying to talk herself out of being so silly.

"Melissa, you're being ridiculous," she whispered to herself, only half believing it, but not comprehending why.

She wanted to keep thinking about work, but couldn't, as what seemed to be a dark figure passed behind her. Knowing this was a residential place, it was probably just another person taking a walk, but the feeling within her chest quickened and deepened. Her pace heightened.

A dark, suave vehicle came around the corner. Something in her told her to run from it, but she knew that there was no real reason to.

As she noticed that the speed of the car, a Volvo-like dark mass that crawled towards her, Mel finally decided to trust her instincts and bolt. A moment like this made Mel happy that she worked a job that required the wearing of her dusty old sneakers rather than a sharp pair of red heels.

She wasn't really excited about her choice of footwear, but preferred to think about that than what was actually occurring.

Her apartment was in view, but not for the sleek speed of the Volvo that was creeping towards her.

Mel started panting as she ran quickly, looking as though she were terrified, which she was.

The Volvo stopped just ahead of her. Mel did not want to run off the road where people could potentially see her situation and help, but she also did not want to stay on the road where the stopped car was.

With no time to think and not even time for an instinct to kick in, a giant suited arm reached out and pulled her into the back, as though she were a toddler.

This was fear.

Roughly pushed into the other seat, Mel realized that the feeling Ed had envisioned for The Neighborhood was no longer existent. Things were changing.