Detroit, Michigan 1992
Time stands still as I look down the barrel of a gun, an angel hovers behind, a mix of doubt and confusion consume her face.
“Listen.”
I choke.
“This isn’t what it looks like.”
She lowers the gun.
“Where’s Mike?”
Tears form in her eyes, each one taking a decade to fall.
“What have you done to him?”
I’ve spent too long looking out for myself, forgotten what it’s like to really care about someone. She reminds me.
“If he’s dead I’ll... please... where is he?”
I slowly climb out of the car, a gun points towards my heart. I step towards the drivers door.
“Stop, don’t you dare...”
Her grip slips, hands shaking. I could snatch the gun away easy, wouldn’t break a sweat... but I don’t.
“Get in... I’ll take you to him.”
The weight of the gun becomes too much, she lowers it to the ground, barrel facing the floor.
“Please, just tell me he’s alright.”
Sometimes the unthinkable happens, you allow yourself to trust someone so completely without any real reason to do so.
She climbs into the car.
This is one of those times.
We approach riverside with a wave of nostalgia.
“... hate answering machines...”
Somewhere in this mass of abandoned warehouses and cracked walkways is a man... a kid.
“... something came up...”
He holds an angels heart in his hands.
“... Hinderman didn’t show...”
We bump around the road like a cheap dodgem car. Inside rattles, outside shakes.
“... car stolen...”
The angel hasn’t said a word since we arrived, her eyes dart from left to right.
“... no luck...”
Making a paper bag in the wind seem like the cure to cancer.
“... hitch a ride...”
A phone box in the distance.
“... be home soon...”
Inside lives a man, head in his hands.
“... don’t wait up for me...”
Using his last quarter to call heaven.
“... at Riverside...”
To get through to an angel.
“... love you...”
DEEP
The phone dies, and at that same time a man is renewed.
The angel leaps from the car, all anger and distrust pushed aside... and replaced with love.
They both let loose a sea of tears, and for one brief moment, I forget about the task ahead of me. About the injuries I’ve sustained, about the one person behind tonight’s unfolding event.
“Mike, I was so worried...”
They kiss and hug and hide from the rain in each others arms.
“... car crashed...”
She explains the situation, gets her emotions under control. Mike does the same.
“Disk gone...”
The disk, I’ll thank him for that later.
“... no money...”
Mike spots me in the drivers seat, an unwelcome spectator.
“You!”
My wit gets the better of me.
“Me!”
He shifts forward, placing his beloved behind him.
“You stole my car, stole the disk, left me here.”
All true.
“I sent someone to come look for you.”
Even though I knew he wouldn’t show.
“But I’m here now, here to set things right.”
They wait with arms folded, tough crowd.
“It was wrong of me to leave you here, you need to get away, get out of Detroit.”
The happy couple shuffles.
“Something’s coming, something big... and Detroit is ground zero.”
They believe me, maybe I should’ve been a politician. Maybe not... never was good at lying.
“Get in the car, both of you... I’ll drive us to the crash site, you can take it from there.”
Mike moves towards the car, the angel is frozen in place.
“Mike, wait... we can’t trust him.”
He turns and smiles.
“We don’t need to trust him, we have a gun.”
You can say a lot about the kid, but he’s right... the man with the gun is law, the rest tend to listen.
They both climb inside, gun trained at my head, he doesn’t say it, but I know one false move, and I’m dead.
We get to the crash site, the meters still running, I turn it off... good job this rides free.
We all climb outside, the gun is hip height, could still take it from them, but there’s little point now... this will be the last time I see either of them.
“Get in the car and drive away, don’t stop for anything.”
The angel pauses, her distrust of me is overtaken by her compassion towards others.
“Come with us, you said it yourself, Detroit is ground zero.”
Her voice brings hope to disaster.
“I can’t... this is my fight.”
I check my wounds.
“Probably my last.”
I turn to face the street ahead.
Behind me a yellow taxi turns around and tumbles down the street.
I block out the pain and face my future, don’t need a car, this was a one way trip.
The sun rises slowly behind the city skyline, my back is to the night.
In the distance I see something, a riot? No, something else... something the city streets are ill equipped for.
A battle, a vicious battle... it has started, not much time left... I need to get to my destination.
And if I’m right.
I only have minutes left...
To be continued...
Time stands still as I look down the barrel of a gun, an angel hovers behind, a mix of doubt and confusion consume her face.
“Listen.”
I choke.
“This isn’t what it looks like.”
She lowers the gun.
“Where’s Mike?”
Tears form in her eyes, each one taking a decade to fall.
“What have you done to him?”
I’ve spent too long looking out for myself, forgotten what it’s like to really care about someone. She reminds me.
“If he’s dead I’ll... please... where is he?”
I slowly climb out of the car, a gun points towards my heart. I step towards the drivers door.
“Stop, don’t you dare...”
Her grip slips, hands shaking. I could snatch the gun away easy, wouldn’t break a sweat... but I don’t.
“Get in... I’ll take you to him.”
The weight of the gun becomes too much, she lowers it to the ground, barrel facing the floor.
“Please, just tell me he’s alright.”
Sometimes the unthinkable happens, you allow yourself to trust someone so completely without any real reason to do so.
She climbs into the car.
This is one of those times.
We approach riverside with a wave of nostalgia.
“... hate answering machines...”
Somewhere in this mass of abandoned warehouses and cracked walkways is a man... a kid.
“... something came up...”
He holds an angels heart in his hands.
“... Hinderman didn’t show...”
We bump around the road like a cheap dodgem car. Inside rattles, outside shakes.
“... car stolen...”
The angel hasn’t said a word since we arrived, her eyes dart from left to right.
“... no luck...”
Making a paper bag in the wind seem like the cure to cancer.
“... hitch a ride...”
A phone box in the distance.
“... be home soon...”
Inside lives a man, head in his hands.
“... don’t wait up for me...”
Using his last quarter to call heaven.
“... at Riverside...”
To get through to an angel.
“... love you...”
DEEP
The phone dies, and at that same time a man is renewed.
The angel leaps from the car, all anger and distrust pushed aside... and replaced with love.
They both let loose a sea of tears, and for one brief moment, I forget about the task ahead of me. About the injuries I’ve sustained, about the one person behind tonight’s unfolding event.
“Mike, I was so worried...”
They kiss and hug and hide from the rain in each others arms.
“... car crashed...”
She explains the situation, gets her emotions under control. Mike does the same.
“Disk gone...”
The disk, I’ll thank him for that later.
“... no money...”
Mike spots me in the drivers seat, an unwelcome spectator.
“You!”
My wit gets the better of me.
“Me!”
He shifts forward, placing his beloved behind him.
“You stole my car, stole the disk, left me here.”
All true.
“I sent someone to come look for you.”
Even though I knew he wouldn’t show.
“But I’m here now, here to set things right.”
They wait with arms folded, tough crowd.
“It was wrong of me to leave you here, you need to get away, get out of Detroit.”
The happy couple shuffles.
“Something’s coming, something big... and Detroit is ground zero.”
They believe me, maybe I should’ve been a politician. Maybe not... never was good at lying.
“Get in the car, both of you... I’ll drive us to the crash site, you can take it from there.”
Mike moves towards the car, the angel is frozen in place.
“Mike, wait... we can’t trust him.”
He turns and smiles.
“We don’t need to trust him, we have a gun.”
You can say a lot about the kid, but he’s right... the man with the gun is law, the rest tend to listen.
They both climb inside, gun trained at my head, he doesn’t say it, but I know one false move, and I’m dead.
We get to the crash site, the meters still running, I turn it off... good job this rides free.
We all climb outside, the gun is hip height, could still take it from them, but there’s little point now... this will be the last time I see either of them.
“Get in the car and drive away, don’t stop for anything.”
The angel pauses, her distrust of me is overtaken by her compassion towards others.
“Come with us, you said it yourself, Detroit is ground zero.”
Her voice brings hope to disaster.
“I can’t... this is my fight.”
I check my wounds.
“Probably my last.”
I turn to face the street ahead.
Behind me a yellow taxi turns around and tumbles down the street.
I block out the pain and face my future, don’t need a car, this was a one way trip.
The sun rises slowly behind the city skyline, my back is to the night.
In the distance I see something, a riot? No, something else... something the city streets are ill equipped for.
A battle, a vicious battle... it has started, not much time left... I need to get to my destination.
And if I’m right.
I only have minutes left...
To be continued...
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