Free Average Joe and the Extraordinaires by Belart Wright

what
was left.
    Blonsky:
“You really are dense, kid, to an unfair degree.  But you know what?  You’re a
godsend.  You popped up at just the right time, twice.”
    Joe
looked perplexed.
    Blonsky:
“Don’t think too hard, you’ll rupture something and your face’ll stay stuck all
dumb like that.  Okay, okay … to simplify this, there is a bounty on your head. 
Two very big ones.  The police department put out a decent sized one, but my
partner has one even bigger, about ten times what they promised to pay out.”
    Nobody
made a move.  All eyes were on Joe.  His eyes went from Blonsky to the man left
of Blonsky, then to the man right of Blonsky.  The men looked quite athletic.  Joe
knew that he wouldn’t make it far if he ran, but heck, he had nothing to lose.
    Blonsky:
“You’ll make me a richer man, cuz I’m already pretty stinkin’ rich.”
    Joe
didn’t know what Beauty had planned here at this restaurant, but he did know
that he couldn’t stay here any longer.  He bolted away awkwardly, stumbling
first over his feet and then over chairs, tables, and then a waitress. 
Throughout all of that, however, he created a nice amount of distance between
himself and Blonsky’s group.  There was another man in a black suit near the
front door now, so Joe instead opted to dash through the kitchen, hoping to
find a back door.
    The
kitchen felt like a little slice of hell, and Joe began sweating like crazy. 
Most of the cooks ignored him, as if a teenage boy running for his life through
their workspace was a normal everyday occurrence.  He dashed until he came to a
narrow part of the kitchen between a large metal table and a large grill.  The
path between the two was blocked by a cart covered with tomatoes.  Joe jumped
the cart and kicked his foot backwards.
    Tomatoes
flew everywhere, splattering all over the ground and angering many yelling
cooks.  The cart crashed loudly and tipped over, sending the remaining tomatoes
to the floor.  Joe ran through a door that led to a small room with cooking
utensils, then through another door which landed him outside.  He wasn’t alone
though.  Two men in black suits awaited him.
    “Wow,
nothing but fail here.”
    “Heh, he
really thought he could get away.”
    They came
at Joe and he had no choice but to accept defeat.  The closest one to him with
the blonde hair bent Joe’s right arm behind his back and twisted up on it.  Joe
yelled out in pain, but shut up when he was pushed, face first, into the brick
wall and pinned there.
    The other
men came out of the kitchen exit moments later, with Blonsky in their midst.
    Blonsky:
“Well, well, well…”
    Up walked
Blonsky with the top of his head shining red from the bright light bulb above
the door.  He smiled.
    Blonsky:
“No need to make a scene, Joe.  Your fate is sealed.  You see, you won’t be
making a fool of me again.”
    Joe
wondered what he meant by again, but didn’t linger on the thought.  Blonsky
made a wiping gesture with his right hand, and the next thing that Joe knew his
face was being rubbed against the brick wall.
    Joe:“Ahh
aaaahhh sss-s-stop!”
    Blonsky:
“Shut up!  Failures don’t deserve to speak.  Just be grateful that someone feels
you’re important enough to talk to, elsewise I’d have your head squeezed from
your neck tonight and call it a success.”
    Saliva
gleamed from the corners of Blonsky’s snarling mouth.  After that he took a
moment to regain his composure.
    Blonsky:
“I’m going to have fun making you pay later.  But for now bring ‘em in,
fellas.”
    A loud
pop echoed through the alleyway and ricocheted around.  It was loud enough to
be near, but distant enough for no one to see where it came from.  It
must’ve been a gunshot , thought Joe.  The curves, corners, edges, and
shadows of the alley helped mask the shooter.  Everyone near the restaurant
ducked, and Blonsky was escorted inside with the door closed behind him.  All
that remained in the alley