Free The Trial (The Tree House) by Shay Lynam

of the fire escape.
    Right when my brother ran out of roof, he pushed off, clearing the eight foot gap and landing on the adjacent roof below. I didn't have time to even think about what I was doing before I was pushing off and flying through the air after him and David. I landed hard and fell forward onto my knees but managed to scramble back up as we raced toward the next building. We made it onto the next roof just as the bullets started to fly.
    What was I doing? A week ago I was getting up around this time to get ready for work, go for a run or veg on the couch all day. But now I was running across rooftops and getting shot at like Neo in the Matrix.
    “This way!” Ben called and veered hard to the left, heading straight for a ladder leading down into the alley.
    We hit the ground running and shot out onto a main street. The traffic was heavy and the rain was still coming down in sheets so the cars were going pretty slowly. It was easy for us to slip between them and make our way down the sidewalk on the other side. Ben had slowed to a fast walk and I was finally able to catch up to him. The gun in my front pocket bounced against my stomach with every step making me feel even sicker than I already was. This whole situation – the panic, the hangover, everything – was making it hard to keep from vomiting right there on the curb.
    David turned to me. “So , you must be Jack then,” he said breathing hard.
    I could only nod for fear of losing my lunch if I opened my mouth. Breathe through your nose, I told myself. No matter how much I tried to flare my nostrils, I felt like I couldn't breathe in enough air. Finally I felt I could open my mouth with out throwing up. “Now what?” I asked my brother.
    “I haven't figured that out yet,” he replied. The rain had plastered his hair to his head and now it was dripping down his face and rolling off his nose. I'm sure all three of us looked ridiculous walking in this downpour.
    “I know where we can go,” David said causing both Ben and I to stop. “Actually, it's pretty lucky I ran into you guys.”
    “Why?” Ben asked , his mouth set in a solemn straight line.
    “We've actually been looking for you.”
    My brother narrowed his eyes as more rainwater dripped down his face. “Who's we?”
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter SIX
     
     
    The three of us were able to get a taxi and we ended up at a diner across town. David had told us there was someone he wanted us to meet. The only thing I wanted was to know why we were being hunted. When David told us we'd get answers, I started wondering how big this whole mess really was. How did these people, who we'd never met, know about our situation?
    The place wasn't very busy or well lit. David took us back past the counter, past the first room of tables and to the back of the second room. In the farthest corner booth, a man sat with his palms pushed against his eyes, an almost empty cup of coffee sitting in front of him.
    I thought for a moment that he was asleep until the sound of our approaching footsteps caused him to look up. The guy looked to be the same age as David, maybe early forties. His tired eyes met mine for a second before I looked away.
    “This is Sy,” David said to us as we stood there awkwardly , then he turned to the man. “This is Ben and Jack Morgan.”
    Sy's mouth dropped open for just a second before he closed it again and straightened up. “Well, that was easy,” he said in a tired, gravelly voice.
    “What was easy?” Ben asked sitting down across from him. I slid in next to my brother and David took the seat across from me.
    Sy clapped his hands together in front of his face and stared at both of us for a moment. “Do you boys want anything to eat first?” he asked cheerily.
    Ben shook his head. “No thanks.”
    “I'll take a cheeseburger and coke if you're offering,” I said. I saw my brother's jaw clench out of the corner