Free Stealing Second (The Amendments Book One 1) by Nicholas Antinozzi

sky. Overhead, a small aircraft began to bank in our direction. I had never seen a plane that size and shape. It almost appeared to be alien.
    “That’s a drone!” shouted Cathy. “We’ve got to get out of here!”
    I shook my fist in the air. “Those dirty bastards!”
    Cathy was already running back inside the diner. I followed her in and was heartened to see Kim on her feet. She had a few minor cuts, but seemed otherwise to be okay. She was sobbing, hysterically. Frank stood at her side and stared out at the flames that licked up at the blue sky.
    “There’s a drone up there,” Cathy screamed, pointing a finger in the air. “You’ve got to get out of here!”
    Frank looked at her with wild eyes, but both he and Kim stood where they were. I strapped on my pack as Cathy hustled Violet to the door. I grabbed the duffel bags and followed them out. Cathy pointed up to the sky. The drone had passed over its target and seemed to be slowly flying away from the devastation it had caused.
    With Kim sobbing behind us and the crackl e of burning wood across the street, we hurried down the cement sidewalk. Thistle’s main drag was eerily deserted, and I imagined that the entire town, save for Kim and Frank, had been killed in the explosion. A single white tennis shoe lay in the middle of the street. Violet stared curiously at what was left of the burning building as we passed. Cathy took her by the hand and hustled her away from the scene. I followed along, unable to think of anything except that we needed to put as much space between ourselves and Thistle as possible; an unbearable stench hung thick in the air.
    Up ahead, a little sign announced Mark’s Bike Shop. Cathy turned to me with a hopeful expression. I nodded my head and we jogged up to the front door of the neatly kept rambler. Like a chrome-plated Christmas wreath, a bicycle wheel hung next to the door. I took a deep breath and rang the bell. I waited and a moment and then started knocking. I hadn’t really expected anyone to answer, but I wanted to go through the motions. I turned to Cathy and shrugged. I then walked down the steps and around the side of the house to the garage. Flowers lined the narrow sidewalk that led to the two-stall garage.
    We walked up to the service door and I tapped on the glass. I waited a few seconds and tried again. I tried the doorknob and wasn’t surprised to find it unlocked. I turned the knob and pulled open the door. “Hello, Mark?” I called. There was no response , and in the dim light I could see a disappointingly small assortment of bicycles, each in various states of repair. A long work bench was covered in tools and wheels and chains and sprockets. The walls were decorated in similar fashion. I waved Cathy and Violet inside. “Come on,” I said. “Let’s see if we can find something to ride.”
    “I don’t know,” said Cathy. “I don’t feel right about this.”
    “We’re not going to steal anything. I’m going to pay for what we take. I’m sure the guy would understand.”
    “This goes against everything I believe in.”
    I spotted a small bicycle helmet and stepped inside to retrieve it. Cathy and Violet followed me inside. I turned and handed the blue helmet to Cathy. She held it in her hands and stared at it. I could tell she was having second thoughts, but she shrugged her shoulders and set the helmet on top of Violet’s head. The helmet seemed to fit and she nodded her head. We began checking out the bikes, but I could soon see that the few adult-sized bikes in the shop were going to need work. The only bicycles we found in working order were a pair of short BMX bikes and a girl’s bike from another era. The light blue girl’s bike had a banana seat and tall handlebars.
    I spotted a colorful assortment of bungee cords and grabbed a handful. After a brief inspection, we wheeled the bikes out the door and peeled five hundred dollars out of my bankroll and scribbled a quick note. I left the cash on