Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2012 22:24:45 -0700 From: califox08@hotmail.com Subject: Trust Me Part 1 My goal with this story is to actually be a story... There is tons of material on here to get you off in a hurry if that is your goal. If you'd like a with a bit of character development then please stick around and drop some feedback if you'd like. All the usual disclaimers apply. If your local laws prohibit you from reading this then please leave now. This is a work of pure fiction. Any resemblance to actual people or events is purely coincidence. A QUICK FAVOR: I NEED someone reliable to edit my work before I submit it. I understand this is a large task but if you are great at proofreading and wouldn't mind being my partner in crime then please email me. Also, all feedback is welcome. CaliFox08@hotmail.com Trust me Part 1 It was nearly 3am when my phone began to vibrate and sound with a lovely pre-programmed alarm that everybody loves to wake up to. I'm a very light sleeper so the fact that it started me wasn't anything new. Even waking up to the damn thing at 8 still jostled me a bit. I reached over and silenced it before throwing it in the floor by accident. I threw on my clothes from yesterday and briefly went into the bathroom to splash some water on my face. I'm the last thing from a morning person so getting up is sort of a process for me. I'd kill for another 5 minutes of sleep but I don't trust myself enough to lie down again. I'd be out in seconds... My mother used to always wake me up back when I was in middle school. "Come on David, get your lazy ass up" she'd say in a teasing manner. I'd always ask her for five more minutes and somehow managed to drift back to sleep. That was some years ago with me being 25 now. Needless to say I was annoyed when I discovered my phone alerting me to a possible break-in because, unlike my mother, I can't ask the potential robber for 5 more minutes. I built a storage unit facility around 2 years ago. It's roughly a 25 minute drive away from my house. I've always wanted to own a business and enjoy the finer things in life, however, that drive was always limited by my laziness if I'm being completely honest with myself. I was in the process of working at a job I hated and saving money to start my own venture when my uncle unexpectedly passed away. He left me a moderately sized home and a few bank accounts. It was nothing special by any means, but after selling the house, I finally had enough money to attempt to make something for myself. Well, after a few years of research in many different businesses, I'd finally found a winning idea and that idea was storage units. I'd started with around 50 small units for rent but when each of those 50 units brings in $100.00 a month it doesn't take long to accumulate and expand. I'm not rich yet... But I'm certainly on my way. I headed down the stairs with my hands gliding over the walls as I made my decent. I could have turned on the lights, but my eyes hadn't adjusted yet and I thought I'd enjoy my last few seconds of darkness. I felt my way to the fridge and willingly blinded myself as I opened it for a quick drink of orange juice. Chibi was also unhappy with the unexpected light flooding the room. Chibi is my pet Hedgehog. I've had him for around 9 months. They are nocturnal and enjoy the occasional run on the exercise wheel at 2 in the morning. "Watch the house while I'm gone Chibs" I walked over to his cage, orange juice carton still at my lips, and stuck my finger in to brush his quills. He greeted me with a sharp puff from his little nose and buried his head in the corner of the cage. Hedgehogs aren't exactly the most sociable creatures. They keep to themselves and find almost everything as a threat. I handled him every day for the first 6 months when I got him. He'd walk around on my stomach and chest just fine but if I attempted to touch him with your hands he'd instantly ball up on me. After a while I just accepted that I have a very antisocial hedgehog. He probably hates me but I get a small amount of comfort thinking he loves me in his own little grumpy way. I blinded my little pet one last time as I put the orange juice away and I was headed out to the garage. As I was raising the garage door I noticed it was raining... hard actually. Proves my point of just how much of a daze I am in when I first wake up. I decided to grab a few towels from my workbench as I would more than likely be running around in this mess because of a false break- in. Having the gate jar open in a storm is pretty normal so I honestly wasn't expecting much. Still, I keep a small .22 pistol in my glove box at all times. I've never had to use it and I hope I never do but it never hurts to be prepared. The car honked at me as I unlocked it with the key remote. It echoes like a bitch in the garage and I always forget to disable it. I have an Infiniti G-35 coupe and I love it. I had a very hard time deciding between the Infiniti and the Nissan 370Z but I would up going for the G. The G just seems so much more sophisticated. I feel like a respectable businessman in the G where as I felt like a kid still in college when I tested out the Z. I threw the towels in the back seat and cried a little on the inside when I heard the first raindrop hit my perfectly washed car. I'd like to say that I normally love the rain, especially the sound of rain on my hood as I drive... Just not when I washed my car the following day is all. The drive from my house to "cubes", as my business is called, is very scenic and beautiful. I have no neighbors as my house sits at the top of a secluded hill with a lining of trees blocking all views. I, like the hedgehog, prefer to be alone most of the time. I sometimes see the glow of creature's eyes as they watch me drive by in the night. The house Is fairly large with 5 bedrooms and I'll be the first to admit, it is definitely extravagant for one man and his hedgehog but like I said, I want the finer things in life. I usually have fun speeding around the corners in the G, but I wasn't in the mood to drive fast that night and the rain wouldn't have helped anyways. I pulled up to the gate and grabbed a towel from the backseat. I draped it over myself as I stepped out into the storm to undo the padlock to let myself in. I made a mental note to get an electric gate opener to prevent nights like these in the future. As I reached for the lock I noticed the metal was heavily chipped away on all sides. I had just checked in a week ago so I knew the "damage" was new. I undid the lock and proceeded to run back to my car so I could pull in and investigate further. I put my hand back on the wheel and discovered tiny shards of metal glistening from the gauge lights on my fingertips. "Maybe this is newer than I thought" I told myself. As I drove around the outer rim of the facility I then noticed a thick rug lain overtop the barbed wire wall. The rug looked completely shredded where it made contact with the wire. The rain more than likely contributed to its disintegration. "Huh.... Maybe there was something to this alarm..." I retrieved my gun from the glove box and continued to creep with my lights off. The entire lot was dimly lit by streetlamps at the end of every row of units. I only needed to glance down each aisle in order to see if one of the unit doors was open. Fuckin thief was probably behind on payments and stole his belongings back. If a renter is more than a month late on payment then you have the right to change the locks on that particular unit. If rent is still unpaid 90 days after the initial payment date then you now legally own everything inside the unit and can even auction it off. I have only done this a handful of times as people in my area are fairly well off and don't fall behind on such miniscule payments. People are only willing to bid on a unit if it is unopened and un- tampered with. My curiosity got the better of me the first few times and I couldn't help but claim my new "treasures". To my disappointment it was usually junk. The only worthwhile thing I had ever gotten out of claiming a unit was a large metal giraffe which stands around 7 feet tall in my entry way. Still, opening a unit and seeing what it holds makes me feel like a kid at Christmas time all over again. Too bad the items inside are about as interesting as the bag of socks you got as a kid. It was the last row and I was beginning to think this thief may have actually gotten away. I'd probably have somebody complain there things were missing in the coming weeks and have to file a claim with my insurance. Then I saw something. A unit was slightly open with metal door only a few feet off of the pavement. The light spilled out of the opening and casted a shadow which stretched all the way to the adjacent units (about 15 feet away). I slowly got out of my car, gun in hand, and approached cautiously as the light showed silhouettes of feet walking around from within the small structure. I had a spare lock in my pocket and planned on trapping them inside and calling the police. My heart was beating a million miles an hour and just as I was reaching my hand out for the pull cord attached to the door, it flung open in an instant. There standing before me was a boy, no older than 15, in tattered clothes and a facial expression that looked like his heart had stopped. I then understood why, I instinctively had my gun pointed directly in his face. After the second of shock wore off he bolted and was all out sprinting for the tattered rug still hanging off the barbed wire. I took off after him and was gaining fast. He then took his leap of faith and clung to fabric only for it to tear and have him fall back violently against the wet cement. When I saw this happen, I slowed my pace down from a sprint to a jog knowing he wasn't going anywhere after a fall like that. Even if he did get up, I locked the front gate on my way in so there was nowhere for him to go. With his rug now torn, he was trapped like a rat unless he felt like shredding his hands on the wire. I was now standing over him. His hands clung to the back of his head as he winced from the pain. He wasn't bleeding so that was a good sign. I kneeled so we could be on somewhat equal level when I spoke. "What are you doing here?..." I demanded. His eyes were still closed. I couldn't tell if he was crying or not with the rain water completely soaking us both. I waited for a few more seconds and asked again. "What are you doing here?" Again, no response. He took one hand off of his head and just laid flat on the ground. He looked as though he wanted to fall off the earth and simply die... Or at least that's what I'd be doing in his shoes so that's what I assumed. After a good 30 seconds of silence he finally opened his eyes. He looked directly at me and never blinked except for the occasional raindrop hitting him in the face. He was obviously an attractive kid. He was probably around 5'4 and 120lbs. He had sandy blonde hair that more than likely looked very nice when dry, but was currently drenched and clinging to his forehead. Not long enough to cover his eyes, but more than covered his ears. He had light freckles scattered across his nose and under his eyes. His eyes... the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen. I actually have somewhat blue eyes, but the blue is so pale that most people call them grey. His were vivid and even in the low light, made me look twice. After probably a few too many seconds of admiring his features I thought I should come back to reality and deal with the situation at hand. As I began to stand upright again I grabbed him by the wrist and hoisted him up to his feet. Once there he began to tug and attempt to break free of my grip. I got slightly annoyed with his silence to begin with so this petty attempt at an escape was just rubbing me the wrong way. I pulled him by the wrist hard. So much so that he collided into my side. "The front gate is locked... you're not going anywhere." The news seemed to hit home with him and his arm went limp. I started pulling him back to the unit where I originally found him. He was sort of cooperating and was walking with me, but always kept tension between us and gave off the impression that he'd run if I let go. Where he'd run to, I'm not sure. "What do you want with me!" I was a little shocked that he finally spoke. "Well I guess that depends on what you've stolen, how about we take a look" I lead the way and dragged him like a puppy on a leash. I didn't bother to look back at him. I was now anxious to see what this novice thief had his eye on. The unit he chose was in the very back of the lot. If he wanted a quick score then it would have made more sense to steal from one of the units closest to the front wall. As we got closer he began to fuss again and throw his weight in random directions trying to break free. "Let go of me!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. "HELP! THIS MAN IS KIDNAPPING ME" I knew there was no one around to hear his pleas but I got annoyed by his antics anyways. I stopped pulling him momentarily and spun around to face him. "Shut your fuckin mouth kid.... You're done. You've been caught in the act. We'll look and see what you've stolen and then I'll call the police and have you sent off to your parents, or maybe even juvi for the night. It is pretty late after all." He began to beg and became dead weight as he dropped to his knees. "Please don't!.. You can't call the cops." "Quit being a pain in the ass and lead the way" I exclaimed. I let go of his hand knowing he could only run in circles until the cops came if he really wanted it to play that way. He must have accepted the situation as well as he got back up and began to walk to the open door. He walked inside before I did and sat on a mattress that was lying on the ground. The small room had the mattress, a few boxes with clothes in them and enough junk food wrappers to fill an entire trash barrel... he wasn't stealing at all. This was what he called home. He sat on the edge of the bed with his feet on the wet ground. His arms were folded and resting on his knees hiding his face as he looked at the ground completely defeated.