Anything for a Buck...

Anything for a buck…

By: Roger Alderman

Dan nervously placed the thick black hood over his head with his blood-stained hands, as instructed by the man with the revolver. His thoughts filled with worry that this would be his last moments on Earth. He lowered his head and exhaled deeply he felt the hard-round barrel press firm against his left temple.

Dan closed his eyes and recalled the week before, as he sat at his kitchen table with his lap top searching for a means to get an unsecured loan to get him out of debt. He raised the pile of overdue bills and threw them across the kitchen table. He noticed the “Dear John” letter his wife left him that morning, before leaving with the kids.

Tears welled up in his eyes, as he realized just how badly she had screwed him. She emptied their bank account and had been lying for months about the payment of the mortgage and utilities. He knew he had mere hours before everything he had worked his whole life for was lost including his parents’ home in which he and his family lived.

Dan lowered his head and fell asleep, as the feelings of hopelessness took hold of his very soul. Sometime later he was awoken by the sounds of “You Have Mail.” Half asleep he raised his eyes to see what was going on. He immediately spotted the new e-mail entitled “What would you do for $$.” He smiled and opened the e-mail “Why not?” he figured.

Dan read through the e-mail pausing only to rub his eyes and yawn. It promised up to one hundred thousand dollars in exchange for a promise to perform an unknown favor at a future date. Knowing he would need money to save his parents’ house and to fight his wife in court for his children. He replied and acceptance to the request, as long as it is real. 

The money arrived twenty-four hours later in his account. He was not sure who they were or what they were going to want, but his attention shifted to his children. He returned to work in the restaurant kitchen the next day.

Dan was a very focused cook for many years whom the other employees knew did not like to be disturbed at work. It was a busy Friday night and Dan was in full ahead mode when Sherry, the shift supervisor, would pull him off the cook line. “You have a phone call?” Sherry stated clearly showing her disapproval of the phone being used for personal calls. “I’m sorry,” Dan mouthed the words to Sherry, as he turned his attention to the phone, “Hello?”

The voice of a man stated simply, “tomorrow night. 8 pm.” Dan looked confused and asked, “who is this?” The man on the other end hung up. Sherry looked concerned seeing Dan’s bewilderment, “Okay?” Dan nodded holding a deep look of confusion, “Yeah…. I think?” He walked past Sherry and returned to work.

The next day Dan could not rest. He nervously cleaned his parent’s house and talked with several attorneys about his wife. At 8 pm he waited next to the telephone in his front room, as he looked through photos of his wife and children. The phone rang and he jumped. It rang again and he stared at it. It rang a third time and he reached out answering the phone’s call.

“Outside,” the man on the phone said and hung up. Dan looked outside and saw a shiny new black four door sedan waiting. A tough looking bald man dressed in a black suit and long coat standing next to the open rear passenger door. Dan locked his front door behind him and approached the car cautiously.

  

The man motioned to Dan to get in the car. Dan entered the car and was followed by the man in the dark suit. “What is this all about?” Dan asked. The only response was the man handed him a thick black hood. Worry crossed Dan’s face, “you want me to…” The man nodded his head and Dan did as he was instructed.

Dan was not sure how long they drove, but the car finally stopped and Dan slowly removed the hood. The man nearly pulled him out of the car and shoved a large manila envelope into his hands. He examined the package and found on the front the words “Open inside room three.” He looked to the man for more answers the man pulled a revolver and pointed for Dan to follow the instructions.

The building was an abandoned motel in the middle of nowhere. He walked across the overgrown parking lot to room three. The man escorted Dan to room three and opened the door. Dan followed him inside. The smell of mold from the rotting drywall assaulted his nose, as the flickering light from the bath room caught his attention. The man closed the door and motioned to the package. Dan opened the package.

Inside the package Dan found a box cutter, rubber gloves, and a gallon sized zip lock bag. Dan looked to the man at the door, “what am I supposed to do with this?” The man raised his eye brows and motioned to the open package. Dan looked inside and found a single piece of folded notebook paper. He unfolded it and discovered a single word written on it “Kidney.” Dan looked to the man in fear that it was asking him to remove his own kidney. The man shook his head and pointed to the bathroom door.

Dan turned and opened the bath room door. What he found inside was a bound homeless man lying face down in a tub of ice with his shirt removed and an “X” drawn on his lower back. Dan turned to face the man, “you’re kidding, right?” The man pulled his revolver and shook his head. “Okay, Okay” Dan raised his hands, “just don’t kill me.” The man motioned to the bathroom with the pistol and Dan obeyed. 

Dan knelt down next to the man in the tub. The man was wide awake and begging through his gag for Dan, “Don’t do it.” He pleaded over and over. Dan took a deep breath and began to stand. His movements were interrupted by the feeling of the pistol pressing against his head. Dan lowered his head. The homeless man cried out, as the man with the pistol smiled.

Moments later the deed was done and Dan was shaken by what he had been forced to do. His mind was reeling from his experience and his body shook, as he looked to his hands covered in the homeless man’s blood. The man with the pistol smacked him across the face jarring him out of his shock. Dan glared at the man, who motioned to Dan to put the hood back on.

Dan nervously placed the thick black hood over his head with his blood-stained hands, as instructed by the man with the revolver. His thoughts filled with worry that this would be his last moments on Earth. He lowered his head and exhaled deeply he felt the hard-round barrel press firm against his left temple.