Lets take a walk

Emery stood on the sidewalk looking up the street eager to see the all too familiar red volkswagen. He had a long day of work and his vacation had officially started. He shifted his weight from foot to foot in anticipation nearly hopping as he saw the vehicle around the corner. Instead of stopping quickly it turned the corner. Recognizing the plate he  followed it to find it parked.

Alex, his childhood friend, got out of the driver's seat and met him at the door.

“I thought we were leaving tonight.”

“We are but let's take a walk first.”

The door slid open with a few of their friends inside.”

Emery tossed hsi things in, undoing the sweater from around his waist pulling it on. They headed across the street to the park which was vacant this time of night.

“We are gonna get mugged, why the hell are we walking at night. If this is about your controller in fifth grade I did not take it plus you can't kill me for that.”

“Well I don't believe you, it's not about my controller. It's  about the other week.”

Emery felt butterflies in his stomach recalling the incident at the party one he regretted regretting and thought if brought up would shatter friendship.

“It was an accident Lex, i was drunk you were high, that was some strong weed that night.You know accidents happen right?”

Emery looked away knowing that making eye contact would reveal the bold faced lie he was holding onto.

We have been friends forever Em, this ain't the first time this has happened.”

“Of course it is.”

“That camping trip senior year,”

“Uh well-”

“Beach trip in florida when we were thirteen”

“That was-”

“I like you Em, i think you like me too but we have just both been too scared to say it.”

They had both stopped walking, Emery still too scared to look at Alex wondering if this was a dream, a practical joke, a hallucination even. Whatever it was he didnt feel ready.

He felt a hand flick his ear instinctively sleeping it away.

“I thought you forgot about those times.”

‘How could i? You don't forget your first kiss.”

Emery laughed remembering how mortified he was, wondering if Alex would tell his parents that they kissed,what his parents would do to him.

‘I was mortified.”

“Not when you kissed me you weren't.”

‘Not of what I did but that would happen after.’

‘Are you scared of what will happen  now?”

‘Of course,what are we going to tell our friends, our parents.Hey mom, dad, im gay and guess what im gay with Alex the person i had countless sleepovers with no worries there was no fucking included. So how was your day?”

“You know you wouldn't say that to your parents.”

“Duh, I would break down crying begging them not to disown me.”

“That sounds more like you.”

Emery shoved Alex who did the same back.

‘So do you want to give us a try? We don't have to say anything to anybody.”

‘“Okay,let go back before they think we got murdered”

They headed back Alex's arm finding its way around Emery’s shoulders who then had his arm around Alex’s waist. They separated as they got back to the Volkswagen Emery hopping in the back and Alex in the front. 

“Why are you guys so quiet?”

Elizabeth or lizzy as she insists being called leaned in batting her mascara coated eyelashes.

“Did you fuck?’

“Lizzy!'' June scolded while swatting her unapologetic friend with a purse.

“If you guys already knew why the hell didn't you say something?” Alex inquired glancing at the rearview mirror.

The atmosphere erupted with desperate attempts to explain why each member kept their mouths shut. The awkward conversation was replaced with petty arguments about what song should be played.

“Ok ok all of you shut it the driver chooses.”

“Shit let me drive. I hate your music taste.” Lizzy explained sitting up from Emery’s lap.

“Do not let that crazy bitch drive, I will not let this trip go like Reno again.” Felix cried having flashbacks of the police sirens and the drug and alcohol tests.

“Reno was a simple misunderstanding” lizzy chipred in her defense.

‘Hun you hit three fucking cars an d ader tehn backedinto teh cop car who stoped us trying toegt away. You're not driving.” June said in an authoritative tone the only tone Lizzy seems to process well.

Lizzy pouted like the immature teenager she seems to embody, she returned her head to Emry’s lap,swinging her legs on Felix's.

“How long are you going to hold a grudge for?” 

“Until poor Felix isn't traumatized from being slapped against the hood of  a car and handcuffed.” Alex said from the front.”

“So never?”

“Yes'' they all replied in unison. It was a long couple of hours until they got their rest stop.The interior of the vehicle was quickly and easily turned into a comfortable sleeping space. Alex pulled the curtains located around all the wodnews giving them privacy while all the seats were dropped and padding was tied down. They all took turns washing up in the bathroom that the rest stop provides. Alex stood guard at the door while Emery showered in the dark.

“Em”

“Yeah”

“Remember that one rest stop in Maine-”

“Do not bring that horrible place up.”

“What the hell were we thinking?”

‘I told you we should make friends with a black guy, that shit wouldn't have happened.”

“No but seriously do we lack common sense. We saw an empty abandoned rest stop and thought oh yeah that looks like a great place to set up camp. I had to square up with the raccoon.”

“Don't forget Felix fending off a family of possums naked in the dark.”

‘Poor Felix  we have put him through so much.”

“That man deserves a Nobel prize for dealing with our shit.”

 They both laughed reminiscing all the time things went horribly wrong on their trips across the country every year. After Emery was finished he relieved Alex of his post and kept watch holding the flashlight as Alex tooka shower of his own in yet another dark rest stop bathroom.

After everyone was washed up they got comfortable in their “sleep pile” as Felix regrettably calls it. Lizzy got comfortable insisting on using Felix's thigh as  a pillow wiggling her feet under June's body. June, who slept quite deeply, was already snoring and clutching the stuffie she swears she didn't buy for herself.

Alex locked all the doors, turning the rooflight off and sitting himself in the middle tossing a small airplane pillow off Lizzy's stomach while unfolding hsi heavy fleece ballet. Emery took his usual spot, his feet next to Alex’s head resting his head just behind the passenger seat.

As the sunlight peeked through the curtains a few members of the group began to wake,Felix and Alex being the first.

‘Shh don't wake them up, i'll start driving so we can go get breakfast.” Alex started crawling over warm bodies making his way to the driver's seat where he pulled at the curtains.

“No let me, you drove all day yesterday after a 10 hour shift.” Felix offered.

Alex shrugged, hopping over to the passenger side Felix getting in the driver's seat.

It was an hour into driving when lizzy woke, she took the liberty of waking the rest of the group in the most unpleasant way possible. She sucked on her thumb for a moment, then begah sticking it in her friend's ears. The vehicle soon filled with yelp’s and yelling. Of all the commotion Lizzy's unique crackle roared over all. She fell back, tears in her eyes as she began to take deep breaths. June and Emery cleaned out their ears, their faces contourted in disgust.

“How do you like the taste of your own medicine!?”

June yelled as she pounced onto Lizzy, pinning her while sticking her wet finger into Lizzy's ear. Emery scooted back away from both the girls as they tousled in the backseat.

As they pulled into a cracker barrel they all simmered down as Felix went in to get a table. After restoring the van back to its three rows of seats they all got out in their pajamas ignoring the stares from families annoyed at the childish sight for adults in pj in a public space.

They certainly were the rowdiest table in the restaurant as they ordered not only for the table but for the road, unable to decide on a single item. They eventually gathered tehri take out boxes and left two hours later.

“Only 50 more miles to the Mexican border, hell yeah” Lizzy yelled in the cracker barrel parking lot.

Her outburst reminded felix to check if she brought her passport for the fifth time.she was the type to leave her phone and purse on a shelf in walmart the last time they traveled she nearly left her passport in a convenience store in canada only remembering why she realized he iID was in it.

They all left after double checking their travel documents and arrived only a few miles from the border by night fall.They would check in with their tour group in the morning. It was a long night of packing and arguing about who should carry what and whose bag was heavier. Emery was awakened by warm fingers tugging his ear. Emery opened one eye to see Alex’s silhouette with orange sunlight behind his head.

“Come on”

After untangling himself from the pile of limbs they both went out, red dirt standing their feet as they walked out past the parking lot. They looked off into the sin, alex entwining their fingers.

‘The start of another day” he whispered.

“Why are we whispering?’

“Don't want to disturb the peace, listen.”

The wind began to pick up giving both young men teh pick me up they needed.

‘I'm ready for the trip to start.” Emery whispered.

“I'm ready for the start of a lot of new things.” Alex replied.

“Are you guys fucking or what?!!!!!” Lizzy yelled no doubt, waking up all the other rooms.’

They both ran back out of embarrassment as the shudders began to open. It was an hour of getting ready and occupying Lizzy's short attention span waiting for the bus to arrive. It was a colorful bus a little bigger than the van they arrived. A tour guide with a megaphone exited the bus with a large smile on her face. After their barcodes were scanned they were welcomed onto the bus. Lizzy of course insisted on torturing Felix who had her foot in his face all night. June swore to shave her head in her sleep if she sat next to her very much preferring a stranger. Alex and Emery sat all the way at the back with their cameras taking pictures as they got to the border and many selfies as this would be their first trip as a couple.

“Ok my traveling friends, let's get all of your travel documents in order for the border patrol.”

They all got theri documents sorted and passed through with a breeze, after buying a few souvenirs an hour into the trip the tour was heading to their first destination, or so they thought.

The bus pulled into a rest stop that looked like many the young group had seen before, abandoned and dangerous.

“Was this on the itinerary?”

Felix asked the guid looking at the paper that was handed out.”

“Just a quick change fo driver”

The guide replied pressing a blue button on the far wall. All the curtains dropped and the widows were smashed in from the outside. It was dark as the bus was invaded filling with smoke.

Emery opened his eyes to feel the sun beating down on his back, hot fine dirt under his face, coughed and looked up only to be blinded by the sun.

“Alex, Felix, Lizzy, june? What happened?”

The only response he received was painful groans and weeping, the cries of children and parents shushing them.Emery was grabbed by the back of his shirt and sat up against the side of a zink building. He began looking around to see Felix with blood going down his face  and onto his shirt.

“They took lizzy.’

Felix continued looking at the pool of blood in front of him as Alex was just waking up.

"Where is she?”

‘She is at- at disneyland.’

Felix started weeping uncontrollably, and June followed him.

“Disneyland? What are you talking about?’

Alex sat up taking in his surroundings letting the news sink in.

“Two years back, when we went to disneyland, she said that when she dies she was skipping heaven an going to disneyland”

He too started to sob while Emery sat filled with the reality of their situation. They were watched by armed men for hours with no food and water grateful for the nightfall. Those who weren't horribly sunburned were dehydrated. They all snapped awake as guns were pointed at them urging them to get up and start walking in the harsh terrain stripped of their valuables for some, including shoes. Emery felt grateful that they weren't interested in his beaten up white converse.

They walked for what felt like hours, too dehydrated and tired to cry, too exhausted and scared to fight, only bowing their heads as they walked through prickly bushes in the dead of night with only a few flashlights to house their way.

“IS thai how we die?” june asked her voice course.

'No talking.’ 

the butt of a gun was drawn across her face landing her on the ground.The small boy pulled away from his mother making a run for it. He was quickly executed, his parents screaming in horror, they were also shot moments later.Many began running  guns being fired in the comotion. Headlights came up in the distance and the gunmen seemed to duck down , Alex and Emery got a hold of a gunman’s knife and cut themselves and anyone they came in contact with free. They began running toward the vehicle in the distance, motivated by the gunshots echoing behind them. Felix screamed watching June go down a bullet in the back of her skull,  he began reaching for her but was pulled away by alex.

“We’ll come back from there but we have to live first.’

Felix wailed as he continued to run with unimaginable speed.

If he had stopped he would be running toward a different source of light.

Three shots flew over their head Felix catching a bullet in his back ale who was holding hi shand wouldn't look back knowing that if he did he would end up just like him, they began waving their hands attracting the attention of what they deemed as their only way out.

“US Border patrol hands where we can see them.’

The vehicles blinding them with headlights stopped both of them getting  on their knees. Alex hands noticed the wetness between his tightly woven fingers, he finally looked to see blood stain their entwined fingers.

‘Emery?!’

Emery had taken multiple shots to the torso, back and shoulder; he fell forward shortly after kneeling, Alex catching him, an armed patrol officer coming to his aid.

“Emery!”

“It's ok, it's just a walk , it's just a walk.”

Emery closed his eyes shortly, his chest falling for his last time his grip loosening. His last words forever ringing in Alex’s memory forever wondering if he was talking to himself or trying to comfort Alex in his last moments.

It's just a walk.