by Nathan Jay
On their final home robbery, the two broke into a house and started rummaging through the valuables of an elderly couple. When the two men walked into the bedroom, the woman screamed. Norman didn't hesitate – he shot the woman twice in the face. Before her body had fallen, Ben ran out of the house and down the street. Minutes later, Norman came running down the road with a bag of valuables.
"Man! Why did you have to shoot her?"
"I had to. No witnesses. You know the rules."
"Fuck that, dude. I didn't sign up for murder."
"Just chill out. We have no witnesses, and we left no fingerprints. We don't have anything to worry about."
"Look. This robbery was my last. I've got a baby on the way. You're by yourself from now on."
"But there are so many other houses we haven't hit. Let's just…"
"Fuck that! I'm out! What you do on your time is your business. But I'm not going with you on any more rounds."
After that incident, Ben went home and didn't come out for a week. Although Norman had come knocking on his door, Ben told Vanessa not to answer it and avoid going out. For a while, it worked. Ben didn't see Norman anywhere. But just as he got comfortable enough to start his old routine of job searching, Norman had stopped him on his way to the unemployment office.
"That piece of shit. All of this started happening as soon as that idiot showed up." Ben whispered. He blew a final puff of smoke into the air and put out the cigarette between his fingers. He knew what he had to do. Ben raised himself from the sofa and prepared to rejoin Vanessa in bed. He had to get things ready for his family. That meant Ben had to find a job. And Ben had to get rid of Norman. He opened the front door and tossed the cigarette butt out into the rain. After taking a deep breath of the fresh morning air, he shut the door and went back to bed.
Chapter 14: The Soul of Benjamin Pt.4
The next day, Ben woke up two hours earlier than usual. He had a lot of "man" stuff he wanted to do. The first thing on his list was stopping by the unemployment office. It was time to get serious about his job search. The baby would be here soon, and he couldn't delay his job search any further. Second on his list was the police. Ben felt like putting this task off, but he knew he couldn't. Norman was a loose cannon just waiting to explode. It was only a matter of time before Norman decided Ben would rat him out and take the necessary steps to remedy the situation. As Ben got dressed, he thought of what he might say to the cops. They'd want to know of his involvement in everything. Ben wasn't sure of how to get past that obstacle.
After kissing Vanessa goodbye, Ben started his walk to the unemployment office. Although he was walking, his mind was only on one thing – the police. The issue was racking his brain. He couldn't see a way for him to turn Norman in without damaging himself. Just as he was turning the corner on his way to the unemployment office, Ben bumped into Norman.
"Shit! Where you been, Dude?" Norman asked.
"I've been around," responded Ben. "You know, just trying to find a job."
Norman looked at him suspiciously.
"I thought you ran out of town or something. Is everything cool?"
"Yeah. Everything's cool. The baby situation is making me nervous, but other than that, I'm good. What about you?"
Norman continued to look at Ben with a suspicious look on his face. Suddenly, he spoke.
"Hey, what do you say we grab a few brews and catch up. I have some awesome news for you."
Ben grew nervous.
"Hey, I'd like to, but I have to make it home so I can shower for this job interview."
"You got a job interview?"
"Yeah. Doing what I did before. But it's a different company, though."
Ben could tell Norman was sizing him up to see if he was lying. Finally, Norman spoke.
"Okay. Let's stop at the store. I need to get a pack of smokes. Then I can walk with you for a few blocks and fill you in," said Norman. Ben sighed in frustration. He'd tried to avoid Norman, but he was like a gnat in the summer; he always knew where Ben was and when he'd be leaving the house. As Ben followed Norman into the convenience store, he became nervous. Norman was like the hair-trigger on a gun. He didn't know what the guy would do.
"The idiot might try to rob the place," Ben mumbled as he walked into the convenience store behind him.
"I'm getting a brew from the back. You want one?"
"Nah. I'm okay."
As Norman walked to the back of the store, Ben walked up to the counter.
"Let me get a pack of Marlboros and a lighter."
As the elderly clerk retrieved the cigarettes, Ben remembered something.
"You guys sell lottery tickets here, right?"
"Yes, sir."
Ben dug into his jeans and pulled out his wrinkled lottery ticket. It had been almost two weeks since he found the purse in the middle of the street. After Vanessa nearly destroyed the lottery ticket, Ben stuffed it into his wallet.
"Here, I have a lottery ticket I need to check the status of," Ben said as he handed the cashier the wrinkled ticket. The man took the lottery ticket and turned around to put it into the lottery machine. Suddenly the bells on the computer started ringing.
"Wow," the gray-haired man exclaimed as he doubled checked the numbers on the ticket. Soon a teenager came from out of the stock room. After looking at the lottery ticket and comparing the numbers, both the men turned around to face Ben.
"Holy shit!" the boy exclaimed. "Dude! You won!"
Ben's heart was pounding.
"I won? How much?"
The older man and the boy huddled over the ticket and checked the numbers.
"Dude. You won the $2 Million cash prize."
His face was flush from the excitement. Ben leaned over the counter and looked at the machine.
"Are you fucking serious?" he asked the young clerk.
"No joke, Dude. Take a look for yourself."
Ben walked around the counter and looked at the ticket in the machine.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" he whispered. Ben turned to the clerk. "What do I have to do next?"
"Oh, we don't have that kind of cash here. You have to contact the official lottery office on the back of the ticket."
Ben slowly removed the ticket from the machine and shoved it into his pocket. He had to get out of the building before Norman knew what had happened. Both the older man and the boy were sure to say something when Norman came to the counter.
"Thanks, guys!" Ben said as he inched towards the door.
The older man extended his hand to Ben.
"Congratulations, son. Use that money wisely," he said. Ben shook the older man's hand but didn't say anything else. He could see through the security mirror that Norman was making his way to the counter. Ben immediately took off towards the door. Just as he was about to exit, Norman came walking up.
"Hey, Ben! Wait up!" he said before Ben exited. "Were you trying to leave?"
Ben needed to think fast. He remembered the cigarettes he'd just purchased.
"Oh. Nah, I wasn't leaving. I came outside to light a smoke. You know how bitchy the stores are about people smoking inside."
Norman shook his head in agreement.
"They don't have nothing but dog piss back there. I'll stop at the other store up the street to get the brew."
As the two men opened the door to leave, the older man and the boy waved at Ben with huge smiles on their faces.
"Thank you, sir! Congratulations! Have a good day and come back to see us again soon!" exclaimed the old man. Puzzled, Norman looked back at the smiling men before finally walking out of the store.
As Ben and Norman turned to walk up the sidewalk, Norman was still confused. He looked back at the store again.
"A couple of happy dudes, huh? What did you do, give them a tip?" asked Norman.
"Nah. Those people are just some nice folks."
Suddenly Norman froze.
"You know what? It might be a while before we hit another store. Wait for me while I run
back in to get that brew."
As soon as Norman went into the store, Ben took off running. By the time Norman returned to the sidewalk, he was gone.
Chapter 15: The Soul of Benjamin Pt. 5
"We have maybe 10 minutes. Pack as many things as you can," directed Ben as he dumped his entire underwear drawer into the large suitcase. Vanessa stood in the doorway, staring at him.
"What's going on, Ben? Tell me."
"Look, Vanessa! We don't have time! Grab as many things as you can. We're leaving here in 6 minutes. Exactly 6 minutes!"
"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is going on!"
"Where are the toothbrushes? Don't forget your deodorant. Do we have your meds for the baby?"
Vanessa grabbed Ben by both arms.
"Stop! Tell me what's going on!"
Ben continued to hurl himself throughout the room, collecting shoes and photos – whatever would fit into the luggage.
"What's going on is we're rich! I mean legit rich!"
Vanessa looked confused.
"How?"
"I hit the lottery. Big time. And…"
Ben paused and looked at his pregnant girlfriend.
"And what?"
"Norman was there."
Vanessa's eyes widened. Suddenly she understood. She began grabbing things from the bathroom and shoving them into old plastic grocery bags.
"He'll come for us for sure. We have to leave. Now, Vanessa."
"I just need to grab the…"
"Now!"
Ben grabbed the large suitcase and as many of the small plastic bags as he could carry. Ben ran out on the lawn and dumped the baggage at the end of the walkway. He looked across the street to see if his neighbor was home. He saw an old blue pickup truck parked in the driveway.
"Great! Mr. Williams is home," he said as he ran to retrieve a few more bags from the house. Seconds later, he ran up to the neighbor's door and knocked frantically. Two minutes later, Vanessa and Ben were in the pickup truck driving away from their house. As they turned the corner on Logan Avenue, Vanessa let out a small scream.
"Shit!" cursed Ben. Walking up the road heading to Ben's home was Norman. Both Ben and Vanessa ducked down in the truck as they drove past him. As soon as the vehicle turned onto the main road, they both breathed a sigh of relief.
"What's going on, Ben?" asked Mr. Williams. The older man looked in his rearview mirror at the man walking away from them.
"I'll fill you in once we reach our destination."
"Where are you all headed?"
Ben knew just where they could hideout.
"Take us over to those trailer park homes on the edge of that park. What's the name? Jupiter Point. That's it. Take us there."
Chapter 16: The Soul of Benjamin Pt.6
"This place looks like shit."
Ben dumped the luggage on the floor of the trailer and looked around. Vanessa was right. The place did look like shit. Sitting in the living room was an old beat-up couch that looked like it would break if two people sat on it at once. There was a wooden table sitting in front of the sofa with so many scratches and nicks that Ben couldn't tell if it was garbage. On the floor was an old stained light brown carpet with suspicious red stains on it. The red marks led from the couch and went out the front door. Ben shook his head. Either someone had dripped red candle wax on the carpet, or someone had taken something out of the trailer dripping of blood.
"Where's the guy from the rental office? They should be responsible for cleaning this mess," complained Vanessa.
"He just gave me the keys and took off," said Ben as he dodged a long, hanging spiderweb in his path. He had chosen the trailer for its location. The little shack was far away from the trailer park entrance, and there were no cars that could enter without being spotted. The trailer's back was only accessible by walking through overgrown bushes and trees on the edge of Jupiter Park.
"Ben, how long do we have to stay here? I mean, look at it! This place is disgusting," said Vanessa as she opened the refrigerator – a moldy, dank smell floated throughout the trailer.
"We'll be here long enough for me to get the check, and then we'll be gone. Maybe three days. No longer than that."
Vanessa dug through the plastic bags she'd packed until she found two yellow plastic gloves and cleaning detergent.
"Well, I can't take this shit. Get ready to clean, Ben," Vanessa barked. Ben removed his t-shirt and walked over to his girlfriend.
"I'll tackle the bathroom. You start in the kitchen. Meet you in the bedroom in 2 hours."
Chapter 17: The Soul of Benjamin Pt.7
The sun was setting by the time Ben and Vanessa finished cleaning the trailer. The two of them laid on the damp lumpy bed that they'd thoroughly bleached, soaped, and covered with two large sheets. Vanessa laid on her back, staring into the stained ceiling.
"How much money did you win, Ben? You never told me. A couple hundred thousand? How much?"
Ben kissed Vanessa's belly and smiled.
"Two Million."
Vanessa's mouth dropped open as she labored to sit up.
"Are you kidding me? Two million? Dollars?"
"Yep. We're rich, baby."
Vanessa started hyperventilating.
"But…Norman. He's going to come looking for us for sure."
"Calm down, baby. First thing tomorrow, I'm going to go over to the Lottery headquarters to collect the check. From that point, we'll get on the road. Norman will never find us."
"But…our neighbor…Mr. Williams. He knows where we are. What if he tells Norman?"
"Baby, please. You've got to relax. I've thought of everything, okay? I checked us in under a different name. Mr. Williams didn't know which trailer we rented. Now, breathe, baby. Breathe."
Vanessa took deep breaths until she relaxed.
"How were you able to check-in under a different name?"
"With the dodgy tenants in this joint? There's no way everyone's legit in a place like this. I slid the guy a hundred, and he didn't even ask for my ID. He just handed over the keys."
Ben pulled Vanessa closer.
"Can you believe it? Our lives are about to be changed forever. No more holding down two jobs to try to make ends meet. Now we can both live a comfortable life without worrying about rent or the electric bill."
Vanessa smiled and squeezed his hand.
"You can't mess this up, Ben. Don't underestimate Norman. Assume he is trying to get to us. That's the only way we're going to be able to get out of this mess."
"I know, baby. Relax. Why don't you go in and take a hot shower? The bathroom was in much better shape than the rest of the house. After I cleaned it from top to bottom, it looks so much better now."
"Okay. Help me up."
After Vanessa walked into the small bathroom and closed the door, the smile disappeared from Ben's face. He was distraught. He hadn't told Vanessa about the robberies he had done with Norman – or the murder. Norman would have more than money as an incentive to find them. After Ben and Vanessa's sudden disappearance, Norman would almost certainly be worried that Ben was going to rat him out to the cops.
"Hey, you did a good job on cleaning this bathroom," yelled Vanessa as she showered. But Ben didn't hear her. He was too busy looking out the trailer window for ways they could make their getaway. Norman was coming. And if Ben didn't do his best to outsmart him, Norman could end up taking everything from them – including their lives.
Chapter 18: The Soul of Benjamin Pt.8
It was one in the morning when Ben suddenly sat up in bed. The smell of soap and bleach quickly reminded him that he and Vanessa were in a small trailer on the edge of Jupiter Point Park. Ben swung his legs off the bed. Before he placed his bare feet on the old carpet, he quickly remembered how dirty the old rug was. Carefully, he slid his feet into his tennis shoes.
There was a small circular window on the rear wall of the bedroom. Ben saw it and began to chuckle.
"What the fuck is this sh
it supposed to be?" he whispered. He tried to look out of the window, but there was fog on it. Annoyed, he took the palm of his hand and ran it back and forth on the glass until he could see out of it.
As Ben stared out into the darkness behind the trailer, he felt the eeriness of the forest. Slowly, a few of the inhabitants within the forest revealed themselves to him. Fireflies randomly lit up as they darted amongst the tall trees. A soft silver fog settled at the edge of the forest as if it were a warning to all trespassers – enter at your own risk. A small brown fox walked through the grass along what appeared to be a worn pathway into the forest. Sensing Ben's gaze, the animal paused, looked left and right, and then turned to stare directly at the strange man peering out of the small window of the old trailer. After satisfying itself that Ben posed no threat, the fox continued its amble into the forest until it had melted entirely from sight.
"I wonder if any of those stories are true," Ben mumbled. He'd heard the stories about Jupiter Point from several coworkers at his previous job. There had been an unexplained fire there a few months earlier that killed two people. Although the fire investigation had determined the place went up in flames due to spontaneous combustion, there were still plenty of rumors abound. Rumors were floating around that someone had witnessed a strange man starting the blaze. But no one ever found a trace of him. Either the man never existed or mysteriously disappeared.