Ghost In Red

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A man’s cry echoed in the alley after I hit his gut hard thrice with my left knee while holding his head down, locked on my side, and I let him go. His face landed first on the dirty, cold ground, and I stepped back from him. He groaned and tried to stand up but failed, and he clutched his stomach. That must have been hurting like his broken nose, but I don’t feel sorry at all.    

He effing snatched my wallet! And what am I supposed to do? Pet him? Not even close! I have lots of valuable things in it. All my money, ATM cards, IDs, and much more stuff are there. Heck, even the key to the room we were staying in is there.    

And thinking about my wallet, I looked around to find it, but there seemed to be no signs of my precious wallet anywhere near us.    

I looked at the guy on the ground, who was lying in a fetal position, and he tried to avoid my sharp, furious gaze.    

"Where is it? Where's my wallet?" I asked him and bent to search for it in his pants' and jackets' pockets since he appeared to be in too much pain to speak or move.    

After searching for my wallet from him, I stood up straight, glaring at him, as I didn't find it.    

"Where the hell is my wallet, you f*cking bastard? You wouldn't want me to beat the hell out of you until you faint. Where is it?" I snarled, feeling angrier, and he just pointed somewhere to where we ran from to get here.    

I looked at where he pointed, and I saw there OJ stood while she looked at something on the ground.    

"Hey, Syd! Did you get him? Is this your wallet? Oh, this really is your wallet." She asked me, and I think this idiot dropped it when I had caught him and grabbed the hem of his hoodie jacket earlier.    

"Hi! Yeah, I guess that's mine." I answered and was about to go near the lovely ghost, but I was alarmed when someone picked it up, making OJ scream.    

"Hey, that's not yours! Syd! He took your wallet! Get him! Hurry!"    

I snapped my head to the beaten-up snatcher on the ground when he yelled, "Run, Jeffrey!"    

"Oh, sh*t!" I cursed as I had realized that they were comrades. Maybe that's why they wore the same black hoodie jacket and a black facemask. Seriously?    

Then I hastily ran after Jeffrey, same as OJ, but as soon as we got out of the dimly lit alley, I didn't see any signs of the guy. I think he blended in with the bunch of people walking down the sidewalk; plus, it's night as heck.    

"F*ck this! Arrgh! I'm going to kill him." I grumbled and looked at my girlfriend, and I saw her giving me an apologetic look on her face.    

"I'm so sorry, Syd." She mumbled, and I lightly nodded my head in reply.    

I looked back at the man I beat up in the dirty alley, and panic rushed through my system when I found him nowhere from where I left him.    

"This is ridiculous! Where is he? Where is the guy lying there? Oh, hell no!" I huffed and rubbed my nape out of frustration, and I ran back to where I had left the guy and looked around.    

"We are so broke." I sighed and looked at OJ when she came near where I was.    

"What happened? Did he escape? That is not good. Nowhere close to fine, also. Damn it!" She asked and went looking at the large garbage containers around us in the hopes of finding the bastard who snatched my wallet.    

I took a deep breath to keep my cool and tried to think of a better thing to do. I don't know how to find any of those two morons as I had not seen their entire faces, and I am far from being familiar with this place where we were. This is hell.    

"Oh, Sydney! I am so sorry. Your wallet… it's… sh*t. F*ck them! If I could just… Ugh! They are so evil!" OJ fussed after giving up, looking inside each garbage container in this alley, and I let out a deep sigh.    

"I guess we can do nothing about it now. They're gone. It's gone." I uttered and sat on the garbage can lid nearest to me, and I felt warmth when OJ rested her right hand on my left shoulder.    

"Hey, I know that you are not okay. But… I need to tell you this. It's going to be okay, Syd. Umm, uh… Are you hurt? I suppose you fought that man who snatched your wallet." She comforted me and asked, and I shook my head in reply.    

"I'm fine. And yeah, you're right, Oj. It's going to be okay. At least I still got our phones and my sling bag. We are not that broke." I answered, trying to think positive, and took out my phone from my jeans' left pocket.    

"I'm going to make a call," I uttered and stood up and began walking to where there was more light while I dialed Emma's number.    

There will be no one else I could call for quick help, and I guess she might have gotten home from school already or not yet. Damn, she might still be with Grace somewhere. No, I need my best friend for this matter. I also need to ask her about that girl she knows who lives a few miles away from here.    

I stopped in my tracks to look for Vidia's contact number, and I dialed it.    

I continued walking while OJ was on my right, looking so gloomy while she kept looking around us.    

I only hope that this incident won't hinder our mission from being accomplished soon. We only have less than a week, and we really need to find and talk to her mother as quickly as possible.    

"Hello! Syd? What's up? How are you doing?"    

I heard my best friend's cheerful voice on the other line, and I let out a sigh before I talked to her.    

"Not good, Vid. I got snatched. I lost everything. Well, not really everything, but just quite a few bucks, my IDs, keys, and more. My wallet, in short."    

I distanced my phone from my left ear, and my right eye twitched when she yelled in response, "WHAT? What happened, b*tch? Are you okay? Where is the hooligan now? Did you kill him already? Or did he get away? Is he even a he? How… What… Where… Why are you? Are you alright? Where's OJ? Are you hurt?"    

Hmm, as expected.    

"I told you already, Vid. I'm nowhere near being fine, but I believe we will be okay. No one got hurt, except the hooligan. And OJ's here. We still have no good news about her mom, though." I replied and heard her taking deep breaths, and I waited for her answer.    

"Okay. Okay. It's going to be okay. At least you both are safe. Anyway, what's… how… wait, let me breathe." She said and continued breathing in and out. I know she's worried about us.    

"Alright. I'm good now. So… what… What is going to happen? What can I help you with? I'm here. Do you want me to go to you? Do you need me there? I can go there to you, Sydney. ASAP!" She rambled like my mom, making me softly chuckle, and I looked at the time on my wristwatch.    

"No. It's alright, but thank you. I called because I… uh… I need your help. Money. I need money. I know you don't have much in your wallet, Vid. So, I need you to… Please go to my house and into my room. I have pretty loads of cash there, and I was hoping you could send it to me through… a remittance center. Western Union, perhaps. Yep. That's the help I need from you. Go to my house. I know that Wendy is there, and just tell her that I told you to get into my room to find something crucial for my mission here. And… please, please, please, I beg you... don't ever mention to her or Adam that I am in sh*t right here. Please. And also, Vidia, I… yes, go to my room, and open my closet. You can find a piggy bank there—a ceramic one. Break it, and get the bills. Then, finally, send it to me." I instructed the girl and saw my girlfriend's face turned into worry, and I just smiled at her. We continued walking down the sidewalk, and I heard the girl on the other line speak.    

"Okay. How much money is in there? The… The amount I'm going to send you, how much will it be?" Vidia asked, and I thought for a while.    

"Umm, about… I don't really know how much exactly is in there. Maybe about 5K. But just send me… 3K. Understood?" I answered and heard my best friend gasp.    

"Oh, okay. Wow, that's a lot of cash, Syd!" She remarked and made noises on the other line like she was flushing the toilet or something I don't want to know. I only know that she brings her phone anywhere, even if she's taking a shower.    

"Yeah, I… it's actually my savings for my college education soon. But I'm broke right now, so I need it. Okay? Can you do it for me? Please? I'm giving you a hundred bucks or two, Vid. Just make sure you wouldn't spill details to my homies about my situation here. We all wouldn't want my nephew to come out from his mom's V out of time, right? Now, get going. Use your bicycle, or… call Kevin. No, don't call Kevin. He'll be asking for another cash as a ransom for not telling my brother. Just go there by yourself. Alright?" I explained and waited for her response, and I gestured OJ a thumb up and smiled in relief when I heard my best friend's reply.    

"Yeah. I copied that, Syd. And I will not ask you for cash for payment for what I'm going to do for you. I'll only help, alright?"    

"Really? Are you sure, Vidia Alexis Logan? I'm about to change my mind about it. Going once? Twice?" I asked her and counted, and it didn't take another second when she stopped me.    

"Fine! Alright! I need money. Two Benjamin Franklins. I am going to get it from your piggy. Damn, I really have no idea why you got that amount of money, dude. Drugs? Have you been selling your organs? Your body? Your soul? Your dignity? Are you getting jobs from a Mafia organization to get rid of people? Are you a hired killer? The hell would I know what you've been doing in your life lately? You are one hella mysterious cat, Sydney Roswell. But no matter who you are or what you do, b*tch, I still love you and trust you with all my heart."    

I laughed at her absurd assumptions while my girlfriend had been giving me weird looks as she could hear our conversation, and I coughed to stop myself from laughing my ass out.    

"Shut the hell up, Vid! Just do what I told you to do. The long storytelling will be when we get home soon, safe and sound, and both alive. Go now, and be careful on the road." I told her and was about to bid her goodbye and hang up the call, but she interrupted me.    

"Wait! Wait, wait, wait, Syd. Don't hang up yet. Wait a damn second."    

"Okay. What's up? I'm all ears." I replied and sat on the bench on the sidewalk, and I felt OJ sit close beside me on my left.    

"Uh-huh. Well, you did mention that your wallet got snatched. So, it's not there with you anymore right now. Then, tell me, how the heck will you get the money from the remittance center if you don't have an ID to present to the teller? How would you prove your identity, Syd? Or do you still have other IDs?" She asked, and she got a damn good point. I just realized it now.    

I am effed up.