Hot Pursuit

I can’t believe I’ve done it, no, not me – just an innocent street kid in my seventeenth year of life and I’m already facing death.

    They had my back up against the wall and now it’s worse. The Malaysian cops are after me and I’m at the point where I’ll get hanged if I’m caught! I’m now hiding in a jungle in Malaysia. I’ve just run away from two custom officers that had seen the deadly death threat. Oh, man! When I saw the two officers come up to me with that “you’re in for it” expression on their faces I just knew that the brown paper bag had something to do with it.

    I’m now up in a thick tree praying for some mercy, I mean it really isn’t my fault! I mean I didn’t know what was in the bag! I’ll never trust my gang mates again! (That’s if I ever see them again!)

    Oh, no! Guess what I see now? A tiger! Now that’s all I need! The expression on its face says “lunch!” Its stripes move up and down as it walks up to the tree I’m in. Its mouth opens wide as it growls and I can imagine myself in it!

    Hey, remember in those movies how the bloke says to the lion, “nice pussy?” Well, I am not trying that! I’m just going to run for it! But unfortunately the tiger seems to like the look of my long legs and runs after me!

    Damn! I’m now caught in these vines and the tiger is right on my tail! I feel like Tarzan’s Jane and Romeo’s Juliet: trapped and upset! The tiger takes a bite and tears at my left leg. Fortunately, he only bit some of the fabric from my jeans and some skin – that’s all. Bye, bye to my Levi’s that I shoplifted. I don’t know whether this is bad luck or bad karma calling!

    My shirt is stained with sweat that has come from all the pressure and running. My heart is racing and I bet at this stage of excitement it’s bigger than the racehorse Phar Lap! I wince as I push my way through the vines and feel the pain of the tiger.

    I finally get through and kick at the hungry tiger. My sneakers are busted but I find I can still run. I run tripping over thick tree roots as I sprint. The trees seem to close in on me as if trying to stop me from getting away and escaping from the crime!

    I never knew what was in the bag but my guess is getting more correct by the minute. The tiger is still after me. Then, I see it! The “light!” I’m out of the thick jungle and into a tribal village! I see curious, little faces looking at me. Then I see them! The police!

    My stomach gets that sting-pang pain that you get when you know you are in trouble. Anyway, I turn to run as they had their backs to me but they hear me and see that it’s me – the one they have been looking for.

    But nothing’s stopping me. I run as fast as my non-running legs will carry me! They’re on my tail. I can feel their hot, panting breath on me and I can smell my own sweat from my soaked filled clothing. I can hear the voices of the little village children around me and I hear my own huffing and puffing. How far can I run? One kilometer? Two?

It doesn’t matter. I’m tired and I just can’t run any longer. I’m within their reach but I won’t stop! We’re in this jungle and I hear one of them trip but I don’t look back. Instead I focus on the never ending image of trees ahead of me.

    I hear the two police officers talking as one of them is down then the other starts to run after me again.

    But I’ve got another head start!

    But not for long! I hear a chopper in the sky and I look up as I run and trip, I hear a gun shot.

    I’m about to get up but the police officer is on me. I couldn’t struggle if I tried! If only I knew the penalty was death before I got myself into this mess!

* * *

    I feel a terrible pain in the pit of my stomach and I feel as if my soul has already left me. Well, if you really want to die early then start trafficking drugs! But really, it wasn’t my fault! I didn’t know what was in the bag! But try telling that to the authorities!

    See, the gang needed the money to bail out the dumb leader out of prison because of a robbery he committed! (And that’s not the only thing he has done! There are plenty of things that the cops don’t know about that he has also done!) They sent me because despite being a street kid I was the weakest and the most naïve.

    No, don’t bother crying for me! I already am!

    Well, I guess everyone has to die sooner or later, huh?

    Not everyone gets hanged though!

    As I am lead to the gallows with my head covered I ponder over my life and how one stupid mistake lead to this. I left a violent home, escaped to the streets, joined a gang and then started a life of crime. The leader and the gang became my new family and the spoils of our criminal activities a new source of currency. I thought that I had it all until my so called new “foster father” needed bailing out and I was the patsy who was sent to another land in order to collect the cash. Now, as I shuffle my bare feet along the cold, hard floor in an effort not to let them get the better of me by dancing instead of walking I know that I should have known better.

    It is now over. So long my friends. Goodbye.