Fugitives
Chapter One:
Nineteen and Life:
My name is
Phillip Evans and I am going to prison.
I grew up in a
rough neighborhood. I don’t really remember my parents really being around in my
life. My mom died and my dad drank and lay in bed all day collecting welfare
checks. As a result, I ran away from home. That old drunk probably didn’t even
notice that I was gone.
I ended up
living in a run-down apartment with a bunch of other kids. The roof leaked when
it rained, the building was hot during the summer, and cold during the winter.
The dust and broken windows and locks didn’t help us much either. Still, we all
made that old apartment our home. A few of the other guys and I acted like big
brothers to the little kids that end up getting dumped on us. In fact, we lived
by a system that kept us all together as a family. Nobody over twenty-one could
live with us. The older guys had to take care of the children. Plus, no babies
cold stay with us either. We all struggled to get by. Most of the girls worked
odd jobs to help buy food. When they didn’t make enough, the other of us… well…
turned to crime as a means to survive. Some of us stole what we needed while
others got too greedy. I was the former and that’s probably why I ended up going
to prison. That night ended up like this:
One of the
little kids got sick and we couldn’t afford medicine. I know this story is
clichéd, but this is how it happened. I went with four other guys to break into
one of the nicer drugstores outside of the city to steal medicine. At first, I
wasn’t too keen on the idea.
“We’ve never
been outside of this neighborhood before,” I told my friend, Charlie.
“We don’t have
choice,” he said. “Will’s fever is getting worse. We can’t afford to take him to
a doctor and the clinic around here is useless.” I looked back at that red-faced
curly-haired boy panting in on the couch under thin blankets. Two of the girls
did their best to change the rags on his forehead.
“We’ll be in and
out for this job, right?” I asked.
“Of course!”
Charlie said. “Come on! We have to get going!” I dropped my shoulders and
followed Charlie and three other boys out of the apartment. We were supposed to
break through the back, grab the medicine we needed, and hurry back before
sunrise. I wanted to take the bus to the drug store, but they thought it would
be too risky.
“How many years
have you done this?” Ralph whispered in front of me. “We’ll attract too much
attention if we took the bus.”
“But Ann Arbor
is a long way away,” I said.
“This was the
best that we could do. Now don’t ask any more questions!”
I lowered my
head, clinching my fists. “Alright.” The cold October night air didn’t settle my
nerves. I tried to think about little Will back on the couch. We were doing this
for him. We’re just going to get the medication and leave. No one’s going to
hurt, right? I held my breath until we made it Ann Arbor. By then, my feet began
to ache. That night was quiet with virtually no people in sight. I still looked
left and right until we made it to the Drug Co. Store. Ralph picked up a crowbar
and pried open the lock and chain on the back doors. Charlie would keep look at
in the back alley as Ralph, Jay, Pete, and I crept inside. This heist was
supposed to be short and easy.
“What do we
grab?” Jay asked as we walked up and down the aisles.
“Just grab it
all,” Ralph whispered. “We don’t have much time.” We loaded black garbage bags
with pills, chest pads, Robitussin, cough drops, and bottle of other medicine.
As we loaded up on almost all of the medicine on the shelves, I began to feel
better. Maybe this won’t be so bad. What
was I so worried about? However, my worried were reconfirmed when we heard
the toilet flashing and a door opening. An elderly clerk turned his head and
noticed us. Ralph whipped out a water gun that he had painted black.
“Don’t say a
word, old man!” he shouted. “Don’t move!” The old man tilted his head as he
reached into his pocket. We panicked, thinking that he was pulling out a real
gun or a phone. I rushed forward and tackled. I don’t finally remember the next
thirty seconds. I give I don’t know my own strength. When I got up, the old man
wasn’t moving.
“Let’s go!”
Ralph shouted. I pressed my fingers into the old man’s neck.
“No,” I said,
shaking my head. “He’s… He’s dead.”
“What did you
say?” Ralph said.
“I killed him!
He’s dead!” I said in a high-pitched voice. Jay had to drag me away as we ran
away from the drug store. The whole time, I was in a daze. That old man was
dead. How could I have killed him? I maybe a thief, but I didn’t plan on killing
anyone. How could I have done it? Jay
smacked me on the arm.
“Hey!” he
snapped. “Snap out of it! Keep it together, man!” I could barely say a word. The
old man’s blank eyes in my head made me shiver. My hands shook as my sides.
How could I? How could I? The guilt
wouldn’t let up even after we made it back to the apartment. Once Will got his
medicine and everyone went to sleep, I slipped away and turned myself into the
police. I only told on myself, keeping the others out it. They arrested me and
charged me with murder. I plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter. They slapped
five to ten years on for a sentence.
So, here I am now in the back of a van on my way to prison. I was ready to accept my fate and do the time. However, my plans changed as soon as I head a faint whisper in my head on that rainy night in February.