The Watch – Part 223:

(In Tom’s perspective)

‘How dare you come back here, expecting to get free stuff from us when you’ve already stolen from us?’ Sandy roared. I kept my head down. My heart was beating. I didn’t know if there were any people in this shop, but I can feel them looking in my direction, wondering what all the commotion is about.

‘I watched your every move on the video camera,’ she continued. ‘Trying to be so nonchalant you were. I only let you get away with it because I couldn’t come after you and calling the Police would be a waste of their time as you would have disappeared into thin air. Of course, I was ready for when you would come back, but how dare you come back?’

Tim was looking down at me. With my head down, this felt exactly like when I was being told off back at high school when the head teacher was having a go at me for something that I did, except way, way, way worse. All I want to do now is leave this shop, leave this world. I don’t want to be here anymore. I knew coming back in here was a bad idea. Why did I come in? Why didn’t I make up some excuse as to why I didn’t want to enter the shop? Anything, absolutely anything that would allow me to stay outside would be sufficient. Anything but this.

‘Don’t you expect to run away and hide, because you will be found, and when you are, you will be thrown in jail.’ Thrown in jail. That’s a bit much for one apple juice… Then again, I don’t know how this world works. Oh, heck, I don’t want to be thrown in jail. That’s the last place I want to go.

In a matter of seconds, the world around me came crashing down, and there wasn’t that much that had been built anyway. I’ve gone and failed at what I wanted to do, which is keep myself as anonymous as possible. I have to think of something. And fast. Right now. This very moment.

My mind’s blank. Of course it is. Although my instincts are shouting at me. They are telling me to run. Just run. And don’t look back. But even though they are my instincts and I should trust them, I’m hesitant. If I run, that means I’m going to get chased. And if I’m getting chased, that means there’s a good chance that I’ll get caught. And I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep running for; I don’t know how this world works. For all I know, they could unleash some sort of advanced technology on me… Now I’m letting my imagination run wild. I need to keep my head out of the clouds. My instincts are telling me to run, so I should run. What will I do when I’ve outrun whoever’s chasing me? I’ll have to make that up when I get there.

I should just turn around where I’m standing and walk out of here. How hard can that be? Should not have said that.

‘I’m calling the Police,’ Sandy shouted, reaching for her phone. ‘Tim, make sure he doesn’t leave. He’s going to pay for what he’s done.’ As she was dialling, she lowered her voice so that she was talking under her breath, but her anger allowed us to hear what she was saying. ‘How dare he steal from my shop? Who the hell does he think he is? Never in all my time at retail have I known such evil.’ I think she’s being a bit overdramatic, if I’m honest. I know that I shouldn’t have stolen the drink, but calling me evil because of it, that’s taking it to another level. I was about to defend myself, but she started talking to the person on the other end of the phone.

‘Yes, hello, I would like to report a theft, please,’ she said. ‘Yes, I’ll hold.’

‘Why did you do it?’ Tim asked.

‘I don’t know,’ I said. I know the reason why I did it, but I just couldn’t say the words to explain myself. They just wouldn’t come out. So instead I resorted to the clichéd of responses. That vagueness didn’t help my case at all.

‘I don’t know how your world works, and quite frankly I’m still trying to understand how it is quite possible that you are from another planet, but you are in this world, meaning you obey our rules.’

It was my time to keep quiet. The more that Tim talked, the more I wanted to leave, but I was still hesitant. Why was I so hesitant? I don’t understand. What am I afraid of? Actually, scratch that last question, I know exactly what I am afraid of, that’s why I am hesitant. Come on Sebastian, if you wouldn’t mind showing up here any second now that would be very helpful.

‘Let me guess. Because you were a nobody, you believed that you could get away with anything, and so you did so,’ he said, hitting the nail on the head.

‘How did you guess that?’ I asked, looking up, genuinely surprised that he got the answer so quickly.

‘Remember my story. I was once in your position. A nobody. I thought that because everyone around me didn’t even notice me, I was able to get away with whatever I wanted. I was caught, but I got my way out of it.’

‘How?’ I asked.

‘What makes you think I was able to strike both deals with this and that shop over there?’ he asked.

‘How did you manage to that?’ I asked.

‘Oh, you’re not going to take any tips from me. You’re on your own with this one, just like I was when I was in your position. Better think quickly,’ he said with no sympathy.

‘Thank you,’ Sandy said and slammed down the phone.

‘They’ll be right over,’ she said.

I am not going to get caught. What can I say to get out of this? I doubt there is anything that I can say. I need to think fast. Come on, brain, think of something. Anything. Anything at all. You think of an idea, and I’ll do it. Anything’s better than standing around waiting for the Police to come and get me.

‘Ma-am,’ an authoritative called from the doorway. ‘You reported a theft.’

‘Yes, he’s right over here,’ Sandy called back. A Police Officer stepped up to the counter.

Run.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)