Free Zero II by Jonathan Yanez Page B

the two men as they started to follow.
    “Stop walking!”
    The footsteps behind him quickened,
turning into a run. Alan felt panic seize his heart yet again. Before any
thought could be put behind his action, he too began to run. As if fueled by
some primitive instinct his legs shot into action underneath him. An image of an
antelope being chased by lions flittered though his thoughts.
    Even as he ran he knew he couldn’t outpace
his pursuers. Not only was he wearing rented tuxedo shoes, Alan was anything
but athletic. His body was built for events more along the lines of spelling
bees and chess tournaments, not sprints.
    Alan gritted his teeth. The cold wind
blew across his face. The sound of pursuit was growing and he only had seconds
before they were on top of him.
    Just get to the next block. You can
duck inside that motel. Don’t stop, run!
    Alan didn’t make it: the motel was
within shouting distance now but even as he filled his lungs to yell for help,
he felt a firm hand grab his left shoulder.
    Then it happened again. Fear, panic,
adrenaline, and the will to live surged from someplace deep within—someplace
only recently discovered. Alan felt warm as he ran forward trying his best to
shrug off his pursuer and make it to the next block.
    Alan ran as though the very dogs of
hell were behind him. In what seemed a second, the grip on his shoulder
released, the pounding sounds of pursuit faded and the scenery around him
blurred for the briefest second. He stopped, forgetting about his pursuers and
wondering why his vision had been distorted. Alan found himself well passed the
motel that had just before only been a single block ahead of him.
    Alan shook, his chest heaving as he
sucked in cold air that stung on the way down to quivering lungs. He turned in
a circle. The motel he was desperately trying to reach was now a block behind
him. He had to squint to see the men chasing him. They stood barely visible in
the dark, two blocks down.
    Alan couldn’t see their facial
expressions but the men weren’t moving. They looked like they were talking to
each other, just as confused as he was. Alan was shaking, not from the cold,
but from what had just occurred.
    He looked down at his hands that
vibrated with the fear of what was happening. His heart was still racing, the
answers he so desperately needed still not coming.
    Breathe, relax, you’re safe. You’ll
figure this out. Can you really move that fast?
    Alan took a deep breath. There was
another motel on this block. Apparently he passed it while he ran. Alan took a
step toward it now, a step toward the two men that had chased him.
    They watched him approach. From two
blocks away Alan could hear them scream as they turned and ran.

4
Four Years Ago
    A bell attached to the shabby motel
clanked as Alan entered. The entire waiting room stank of stale food and sweat.
A bulletproof glass booth to his left half obscured a pale elderly woman who
looked him up and down without hesitation.
    Alan swallowed hard as he made his
best attempt at a smile. “Hi, I uh—I need a room for the night.”
    The woman, clearly judging Alan, put
down her gossip tabloid. The magazine she placed on the counter showed a blurry
picture of a fight scene, taking place on a crowded street in upstate New
York.  The woman squinted through her thick glasses. “Only one night? Need
a deposit homeboy.”
    “Oh well, you see I’m kinda short on
money right now bu—“
    “No money, no stay at momma’s palace
homeboy.”
    “Wait, what? Did you just call this place
a palace?”
    The woman raised an eyebrow.
    “I mean of course it is. It’s an
amazing palace. Listen, I don’t want a handout, I’ll work or…” Alan groped
through his jacket and pant pockets searching for anything that would allow him
to convince the woman to let him stay. His right hand felt the form of his
empty wallet, his left hand closed on the hard steel keys of the stolen car and
his cell phone. “Look! Look, I have this