Dark and misty night over the suburban city. The streets held no citizens. The quietness was almost frightening. Only cats and stray dogs were to be found, their howls echoing through the dark alleys. On such a cold and lonely night, everyone was already at home sharing meals with their loved ones. The streets were deserted, the traffic lights became meaningless with no one to follow their guide.
The only soul to be spotted was a short man leaning on his back. His casual demeanor and clothing made it almost impossible to suspect he had a violent mind. On a closer look, the only thing giving away his cruel plans were the small droplets of blood over his black coat. In a while, the man’s expression changed, his eyebrows raised. His once black eyes now seemed like a flame. A flame, just like a hunter’s before catching his prey. The bloodthirsty eyes were focused on Zayden, a young man ready to make a name for himself and his work. Zayden got into his shiny Bavarian limousine and started the engine. His arms had grown tired, so he opened his trunk, leaving a small pine green fancy suitcase filled to the brim with documents. The young man’s sight faded to blurriness once the silence of the night was disturbed. A deafening sound of bones cracking was heard. The Hunter had caught his prey. Zeyden laid there on the ground as the short man in black went through the accountant’s briefcase, snatching a document and running, leaving the young man to bleed out, not caring what would happen to him. His grin revealed yellow stained teeth.
“Rich, spoiled phony,” murmured the devil under his breath.
The young accountant was lying on the floor wondering if this was the end of it all when he noticed the lights of a vehicle growing brighter and brighter, mistaking them for the afterlife, welcoming him, ready to take his pain and suffering away.
In what he taught were his final moments, he spent some time looking back on his rather short life. He remembered his mother, her warm embrace making him feel safer no matter the age, his father, his stern expression hiding the softness of the man’s heart. He remembered his innocent childhood. He thought of his best friend, a young boy with skillful hands pickpocketing everyone he could afford to. Zayden spent some time cherishing these precious moments of his life.
He could still remember the face of his best friend. Jake was his name and his pale face always frightened Zayden in a particular way. He had dark, sunken eyes. Pale blue and purple shades covering the skin under the eye. Even if they were kids, Jake was already looking as if he were tired of life. The youngster looked like he had faced the challenges adults go through daily. He was short and skinny. Most of the clothes he wore were dark and sharply contrasted his skin but complemented his dark bushy hair and his dark eyes. Such emptiness held the color of his iris. Zayden used to compare them to the abyss of the unknown depths of the ocean, hosting mysterious creatures, to the darkest of the midnight skies. Jake’s hair was always unkept, dark grey and blackish like coal. But even when young, through the darkness of his hair could be spotted a few white and silver hairs. Jake looked like he was an image of a black and white TV screen. His white skin, contrasting with the darkness of his hair, his eyes, his outfits. The clothing he wore was always black, grey or Navy blue. He looked like ash, the only thing reminiscent of the fire burning in his eyes, whenever he would pickpocket. His look made him almost invisible in the darkest night. Zayden used to be an adventurous child. Jake and he would sneak out of their houses and go about every night looking for a strike. Even if Zayden was never good at pickpocketing and stealing, Jake had an incredible talent for that criminal art. Whenever the young daredevil would commit crimes such as these, his dark and soulless empty eyes became forgotten. In their place wildfires were burning, hellish flames filled with excitement and adrenaline. Jake was born a criminal.
When the young accountant’s world started fading to black, he spent his final moments remembering what ended his childhood friendship. Jake had grown restless. The young boy would go out at night and his crimes grew more vail and gruesome with time. From pickpocketing he went to full on burglary. In his early teenage years, he was even blamed for being involved with drug dealers. At the age of 17 he was arrested. And it wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for Zayden. It was hard for him to tell on his best friend, but he had to. Jake was no more the once innocent boy who would commit small crimes for the thrill of it. His friend had become a heartless criminal ready to kill for amusement.
“We’ll meet again my friend. Remember my words.” The last thing Zayden heard before his once best friend got taken away.
The whispering of hospital staff and beeping of machinery around him woke up the survivor. He had been in a coma for the past two weeks and a half, trapped in his own mind. Once his head was clear, Zayden realized something. Jake was right. They did meet again. That cold and empty city night, the night of the accident denied Zayden almost lost his life they met again. In the face of his attacker, the young accountant now recognized his once best friend. The one he shared so many childhood days with. The one he betrayed. The one and only. Jake. The one who proved him that people change. The one who proved that nothing is true and everything is permitted.