Ch.1
Ben was 11 years old, walking in the hot sun after playing a game of basketball with his friends. Street ball is what they called it. He was reigning champ and made everyone bow down at his feet begging for mercy when a game was over. Right now, he could hear the chicken and macaroni and cheese calling his name. His mom was a wonderful cook and he loved her for that. Not to mention, she had the most enthusiastic personality. Ben was all she had after his dad left and his mom was all Ben had…other than basketball.
“Next time…Imma just start dunkin’ on everybody.” Ben said, moving back and forth, dribbling the ball, in circles around his friend, Jason.
“Mannn...you’re allllll talk.” Jason said laughing at his friend and at the same time becoming dizzy as he watched his friend go around in circles.
“No, you’re all talk.” Ben said, coming back to himself, and walking properly again.
“You both are talk.” Susie said.
“Ughhh…Susie. Why are you followin’ us?” Jason said rolling his eyes.
“I’m not. I was invited to Ben’s for dinner.”
“By who? Not me.” Ben said.
“Well…your mom invited my mom…who this morning told me that after I was done playin’ ball to come home with you…so I could meet her at your house for dinner.”
“Huh?” Jason said.
“I’M COMING WITH YA’LL.”
“You are so country.” Ben said.
“Well…I am from Texas. Besides, the only reason I’m walking with ya’ll is because I’m scared of being kidnapped or somethin’.”
“Pleaseeee…I have lived in Detroit all my life and not once have I seen someone get shot, kidnapped, robbed, or beaten.” Jason said.
“Yeah. That’s all in the movies.” Ben twirled his basketball on his fingertip.
“Well…the movies are inspired from somethin’.”
“So, you’re saying…aliens are real?” Jason said.
“Maybe so. I’m looking’ at a bunch of alien heads right now.”
Ben and Jason looked at each other and burst out laughing.
“Takes one to know one.” Jason said, still laughing.
Susie ignored them and continued walking, looking around for any suspicion.
“Girl…nothing is going to happen.” Ben said, jumping in front of her. He put his hand on her shoulders. “Trust me.”
Susie smiled and nodded her head.
The three musketeers continued walking and playing around with each other as 11 year olds in Detroit do. But, little did they know that someone was watching them.


Ch.2
“MOMMA…I’M HOME! Ben shouted as he entered the bathroom.
“Oooohhh weeeee!” Jason said, shaking his hands together.
The house smelled wonderful. It smelled as good as fried chicken and mac n’ cheese could get. Today was July 4h and all of Ben’s mom’s friends were invited to dinner. Ben was able to invite friends too, but he didn’t have many. He had Jason, but that was good enough. Jason was always there for him. Even after…the incident.
Ben put his basketball in the corner and slipped his shoes next to it. Jason slipped his shoes off next to his. Susie ignored what they were doing and continued walking into the kitchen.
“Take your shoes off, Susie.” Ben whispered.
“Dude, she can’t hear you.” Jason said.
“I know.” Ben chuckled, “3…2…1…”
“GIRL! YOU BETTER GET OUT MY KITCHEN WITH THOSE SHOES!” Ben’s mom exclaimed.
Susie ran out the kitchen, scared out of her mind. She slipped her shoes off and put her hands up as if to surrender. Ben and Jason burst out laughing. Susie looked at them and rolled her eyes.
“Sorry…” Susie said, rubbing her wrist.
“Baby, it’s fine! Just…no shoes in the kitchen. It’s unsanitary.” His mom said as Ben mocked her to Jason. Jason laughed and covered his mouth so he wouldn’t be heard. “Your mom is in the bathroom. But, dinner is ready. Come on.”
With that, Susie slowly walked into the kitchen. Ben and Jason skipped together to the kitchen.
“Mommaaaaa.” Ben said, turning the corner.
Ben and his mom hugged then did their personal handshake.
“BAM!” they said.
“Hi…Miss Hannah.” Jason said, smiling.
“Hey, Jason. Your dad isn’t here yet. But, he should be here soon.”
Jason nodded his head, disappointedly. He knew that was going to be the case. His dad was never anywhere on time. He was constantly out in the city, fighting crime, as most police officers did. Jason wondered why he was stuck with the work addict dad and why he couldn’t simply be one of those donut-eating kind. He looked up to him for being a face of protection, but at the same time, he wanted a real dad.
Maybe that’s why Ben and Jason were such great friends. They, both, shared the same heartache and pain in their household, living in one parent households. Ben had his mom and though they were close, not a day went by when Ben didn’t wish for a dad. Then, Jason, never knew his mom. She died while giving birth to him. He never even got to see her.
“Come on, man.” Ben said, touching Jason’s shoulder.
“So…Nathan…tell us…how is it being a big crime dog?” Susie’s mom asked, bashing her eyelashes in his face.
Jason stuffed himself with cornbread as he prepared himself for his dad’s response. His dad’s jaw tightened as he smiled. He was tall and strong, muscles cutting from his arms and showing through his uniform shirt. His voice was booming as he began to answer the question.
“Well…first thing first…you have to always keep your eyes open for crime. Something is going on at every corner. You have to have a keen eye.”
“Jason and Ben said there is no crime in Detroit.” Susie said, getting scared all over again.
Ben began coughing over his soda. “No, no, no. We never said that. We said we had never seen crime.”
“Big difference.” Jason said calmly stuffing himself with more cornbread.
“Exactly. Big difference. Detroit is a very dangerous place.”
“So, what do you suggest for people like me, never steppin’ foot in a dangerous place in their life? How do we keep safe?” Rosie’s mom, continued to flirt as Rosie slid down in her chair embarrassed.
“It’s simple. The buddy system. Always have someone with you.” With that, Nathan got up. “Hannah, delicious. I’ll be going now.”
“I haven’t even gotten the ice cream yet.” Ben’s mom said, touching his hand. Nathan flinched and looked back at her. Then, she moved her hand and looked away.
“Another time. I have work.” He said, coughing, pushing his chair in.
“Wait,” Jason climbed out of his seat, “Dad, we’re still going to the fireworks show, right?”
Nathan stopped in his tracks and looked at Jason, confused.
“You promised you wouldn’t sign up for any shifts for this holiday so we could spend some time together.”
“I forgot.”
“How could you forget? It’s the 4th of July. All people do is watch fireworks and eat.” Jason raised his voice.
“Watch your tone.” Nathan said, staring his son down.
The room got quiet. Everyone: Ben, Rosie, Rosie’s mom, and Ben’s mom, Hannah, all exchanged looks at across the table.
“I’m just proving a point.” Jason stood his ground.
“Point proven.”
“But…” Jason began to cry out.
“I
have a city to protect. Are you coming home with me or not?”
Jason and Nathan looked at each other. Jason’s could feel his face burning with heat and his palms were heavy with sweat.
“He can come with us.” Hannah stood up. Ben smiled at his mom, saving the night.
Nathan quickly took his glance off of Jason and looked at Hannah. He took in her blue sundress she was wearing and how her hair was in a high ponytail, her hazel eyes filled with concern. She was a beauty and strong.
“I…I…umm…there’s no need for him to miss out on anything. It is July 4th. He deserves to see fireworks. Ben and I are going. He can come with us.” She continued.
Nathan looked at Hannah one last time before returning his eyes back to Jason.
The room was quieted again as Hannah continued to stand up and Ben crossed his fingers hoping Nathan would say yes.
“Fine.” Jason said, storming off. He ran into Ben’s room. Ben and Susie got up from the table and ran behind him.
Ben’s door room slammed and the adults were left in the room together. Hannah closed her eyes and Rosie’s mom, Kim, tapped her finger on the table. Nathan stood by the door, ashamed, and put his hand over his face. He began to rub his face.
“Uhh…I’ll pick him up in the morning.” He opened the door and closed it behind him.
Once he was gone, Hannah sat back down and sighed.
“That’s so sad.” Kim said.
Hannah shook her head, “Yeah. It is.”


Ch.3
The three kids said nothing. They just sat on Ben’s bed and sighed. Nathan was one hard-core dad. He was a great person who loved everyone, but he was tough on the ones he loved the most.
Rosie sat on the edge of the bed, twirling her hair. Ben read basketball magazines. Jason just sat and day dreamed. It was absolutely silent, except for the quick turning of magazine pages, considering Ben was only looking at the pictures.
“You ain’t even readin’ nothin’.” Susie whispered, loud enough for Ben to hear.
“Sorry…I don’t understand country.” Ben said, turning a page.
Once again, it was back to silence.
Susie tried to break it once again, “When are the fireworks?”
“At 9:30. Shhhh.” Ben replied back.
“I wasn’t askin’ you.” Susie said, standing up.
Susie walked over to the window and began to stare out. She looked out and saw kids running around on the concrete. She saw people laughing and shouting. She saw couples holding hands. She saw happiness.
“You know. Back at home…in Texas…my grandma used to tell me stories. Scary stories about her youth and how she constantly believed a ghost was following her. She thought she was haunted, which explained why she was an orphan. However, she told me, when she got older, she realized how it was only a guardian angel.”
“What is the point of this story?” Ben said, closing his magazine and looking at Rosie.
Rosie turned around and looked at Jason who continued to say nothing and just stared out.
“I’m tryin’ to explain that there are people in this world who do and say certain things we don’t like.” She then directed her eyes to Ben. “However,” she went back to looking at Jason, “The things we don’t like are very few compared to the things we love about them. We all have a guardian angel of some type that’s there to catch us when we’re feeling low.”
“Sorry, but I don’t ever feel haunted.” Ben said, opening the magazine again.
“My grandma wasn’t literally haunted. She just felt always protected. My grandpa was her guardian angel. Always had her back.”
Susie walked back to the bed and sat down next to Jason. “Jason…”
Suddenly, Susie was interrupted by the opening of the door. All the kids turned to see Hannah standing at the door.
“You guys ready?” She asked, trying to give a warm smile.
“I’m always ready.” Ben jumped up and walked out.
Susie patted Jason’s back and stood up. Jason followed.
“Try to have some fun.” Hannah said to Jason as he walked out the room.
Jason just silently nodded his head.
Before, Hannah was about to turn the light off in her son’s room, she looked out and was astonished at what she saw. It was a pig sty. Socks and underwear strolled all across the floor, magazines laid out, his hamster’s pen filled with stink. Hannah held her stomach wanting to throw up.
“Benjamin…” she whispered. “I’ll get him when we get back.”


Ch.4
“I love me some fireworks.” Ben said. He looked at his mom, who said nothing. She had a mean look on her face. Ben knew he had done something wrong.
“I want you all to be back by 10. No later.” Hannah said, staring at the kids.
They looked at her with serious faces.
“Hannah…I don’t think this is a good idea.” Kim said, standing behind her.
“Kim, nothing is going to happen. You heard what Officer Nathan said. Buddy System. It works.”
“Yeah…but…not when it comes to kids. At nighttime. On a holiday. I’m from a small town in Texas and I even know the danger in that.” Kim pleaded with her country accent.
““You guys heard me?” Hannah continued.
Ben, Jason, and Susie looked at her and nodded their heads quickly.
“Take pictures.”
Susie put the camera in the air.
“Everyone has cell phones?” Hannah continued her check.
“Yes, mom. We need to go the show is going to start any minute.”
“Fine. Go on.” She shooed them off.
The kids took off running. Ben in front with Jason and Susie following behind.
“Slow down! Imma have a dang heart attack.” Susie shouted, stopping, her heart beating fast and out of breathe
“Go ahead. Have one.” Jason said, stopping. But, obviously out of breathe as well.
“Glad to have you back.” Ben said, putting his arm around his best friend.
“But, Ben. I love em’ too. All the colors in the sky. Pop…pop…pop.” Susie said, throwing he hands in the air and looking out into the distance, her hands on her head.
“Pop…pop!” Jason and Ben mocked her.
“Ugh…I liked the depressed you better.” Susie said, hastily walking off.
“You better stay with us.” Ben said jokingly. “Wouldn’t want you to be kidnapped.” He teased.
“Whatever.” She continued to walk off.
“I hope something takes her.” Ben whispered.
Suddenly, a noise was heard in an alley and all 3 of them stopped. Susie started screaming and ran back to the boys.
“What in Sam heck was that noise?” she asked.
The boys didn’t reply. Jason looked around quickly while Ben looked straight ahead.
“Come on.” He said, beginning to walk again.
Jason followed him as Susie grabbed onto his shirt. She shut her eyes and breathed heavily.
“Ya’ll see somethin’?” she said still holding on.
“Quiet.” Ben said, continuing to look.
They stopped again, but this time at the alley where the noise came from.
“Ben.” Jason quickly said.
Ben waved his hand in the air as a signal for him to be quiet. Jason quickly did as was told and looked down at Susie who was still glued to him. He smiled and liked the fact of having a pretty girl like Susie hold onto him for safety. Then, he shook his head and tried to erase the fact of thinking Susie was actually pretty. There was no way he was going to like a country bumpkin who he hated.
But, his thoughts were interrupted as he saw Ben walking into the alley.
“Ben! Are you crazy?” He shouted.
As soon as he shouted the crashing noise came again. It was louder than ever and the three kids took off running. Susie screamed loudly as she ran, which made Ben and Jason even more horrified. Jason ran faster than Susie and passed her up, leaving her behind. She continued to scream. Ben closed his eyes as he ran for his life.
They continued to run until they reached a corner where they turned. They then stopped running as soon as they saw a huge crowd of people all lining up to get into the park where the show was going to be. They were all out of breath, huffing and puffing. They put their hands on their knees and continued to gasp for air.
“What was that?!” Jason exclaimed, finally having enough breath to talk.
“I don’t know.” Ben said, lifting himself up and walking on.
The kids finally reached the line where they were happier than ever to be around other people.
“That was horrible.” Susie said, still looking around her. She shivered, not from the weather but from fright.
“That happens all the time.” Ben said trying to play it off.
“Man, I’m all about trying to scare Susie…but…no that doesn’t happen all the time. I have never experienced that before. Someone was out there.”
“Yeah. Probably some cat.” Ben said, trying to ignore facts.
“No, Ben. I saw a shadow of a human being when the last crash came. They were leaping for you. I saw with my own eyes.”
“Man, you’re overexaggerating.”
“No, I am not.”
“I don’t want to hear anymore.” Ben said.
The two began to fight as Susie looked back and forth between both of them. “STOP!” she shouted.
The two looked at each other and then looked at her.
“This isn’t a time to be fighting.” She said.
“Exactly. It’s a time to be smart.” Jason said.
“Well, how exactly are we supposed to be smart in a situation like this?” Ben said, looking at Jason.
Jason looked down, defeated.
“Isn’t there another way to go back home? I mean back in Texas there’s 15 different ways to get home.”
“This isn’t Texas, Susie!” Ben exclaimed.
Susie looked at him and felt tears come to the corner of her eyes. Reality just struck her. She wasn’t in Texas anymore. She was in Detroit, where hole in the wall places was all they had and snow came every month.
“Let’s just enjoy the fireworks please. We’ll worry when we hear the sound again.” Ben made his point and turned around.
Jason shook his head and looked at Susie who was looking at him, scared out of her mind.
“By then…it’ll be too late.”


Ch.5
Susie heard exactly what she had acted out. POP! POP! POP! Every second, the sound came and everyone got their camera out ready for the next firework. Red, blue, yellow, pink, green, every color you could think of lit the sky. Children oohhed and awed and Ben, Jason, and Susie took in every moment of it. Everyone sat on the grass of the park and laid down, taking in the spectacular event.
“This is wonderful.” Susie said.
Jason looked over at her and smiled. Susie didn’t notice and continued to look up at the sky and take pictures.
Quickly, one after another, the fireworks came closer together and everyone cheered and clapped. The show was ending and for the grand finale, multiple fireworks were fired in the air at once, giving an eclectic array of color.
“Yay!” Susie shouted acting like a 5- year-old. Jason loved hearing it. He then realized…was it possible…? Was he actually starting to like Susie?
The final firework went off in the air and people whistled and loudly cheered. Then, the rush came. Everyone stood up and quickly walked out of the park, wanting to avoid traffic, however, only making it. The three shuffled back and forth between other people, but constantly made sure they were still close to each other.
Finally, they were out of the park and Jason smiled at what he saw. His dad was standing in the corner next to the entrance watching out for crime. He could walk them across the alley.
“Dad!” he shouted.
“Jason.” Susie shouted after him as he ran.
“Guys, I have an idea.”
Susie and Ben looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders, and ran behind him.
“Dad!” Jason continued to shout.
He ran up to him and began pulling on his shirt.
“Enjoy the show?” Nathan said, not smiling and looking out into the crowd.
“Sure. Umm…we were wondering if you could takes us home.” Jason hesistated.
“We?” Nathan asked, then looked behind Jason where he saw Susie and Ben. “Why?”
“There were some noises…” Susie said.
“Well..what do you expect total quiet?” Nathan said.
Susie put her head down. She thought Nathan was mean and she didn’t like him at all.
“Dad…these weren’t normal noises. Then, we saw a human shadow. It was trying to attack Ben.” Jason continued trying to explain.
Nathan wasn’t budging.
“Mr. Nathan…we’re serious. We’re scared.” Ben stepped in.
“I am on duty. I can’t leave. Go on. Everything will be fine. See you tomorrow.”
Jason looked at him with eyes of fury. Then, he became furious and began to beat him stomach with his hands. “I hate you!” he repeated over and over.
People looked at them as they left the park. Nathan did nothing and stood, hard as stone.
“Jason!” Susie shouted, trying to pull him back.
“Come on.” Jason said, finally stopping, tears filling his eyes. “I will never forgive you.” With that, Jason walked away with Ben and Susie following.
Susie looked back at Nathan to see if he showed any emotions, but he didn’t. He just looked out into the horizon. But then, just for a moment, Susie thought she saw tears piling up in his eyes.


Ch.5
They were back in the alley as soon as they turned the corner. The three of them close together, with Susie in the middle. Jason stood next to the alley opening this time. They all assumed the person wouldn’t jump out if they didn’t see Ben, since they were obviously after him.
“You hear anythin’ yet?” Susie whispered.
“Not yet. But, who knows, something may have happened while you talked. Be quiet!” Ben replied back.
Susie closed her eyes and caught onto their hands. Jason felt his stomach drop and looked over to her. Ben caught onto his facial expressions. Ben waved his loose hand to get his attention.
“You’re blushing.” He mouthed so Susie couldn’t hear and rubbed his cheeks.
Jason, quickly took his eyes away from Ben and concentrated back on the path.
CRASH! The sound came again and all three of them jumped. Susie screamed.
Suddenly, voices were heard. People were laughing.
Susie kept her eyes closed. As much as Jason and Ben wanted to do the same, they kept their eyes open and looked around themselves.
It was pitch dark. Nothing was seen, except for a few lights back from the park’s area. Jason stopped walking, abruptly stopping them.
“What are you doing?” Ben exclaimed.
“I hear something.”
“I know. Let’s go. This is creeping me out, man!” Ben replied.
They began walking again.
It was silent. Nothing heard. Susie, thinking it was safe, slowly opened her eyes, and looked back. She screamed as soon as she saw.
“They’re following us!” she exclaimed.
Ben and Jason turned around to see shadows. Black shadows following them in the dark.
“RUN!” Ben shouted.
They didn’t take one step before they all fell on the ground.
“We’re getting good at this.” A voice said.
Susie lifted herself to see a speed bump placed on the concrete sidewalk. She realized it wasn’t there before and screamed all over again.
“Don’t you hate the screamers?” Another voice said.
Susie began to breathe heavily and Jason put his hand over her mouth.
“Who are you?” he asked, moving his eyes back and forth, not really seeing anything.
The shadows had disappeared and the light that was once guiding them home was turned off. He could barely even see Ben or Susie and by luck was able to find Susie’s mouth to quiet her.
“Why are you following us?” Ben said. Jason let out a sigh, relieved his friend was still there.
Whistling was then heard and suddenly 3 different flash lights were turned on.
“I was dreamin’?” Susie said, turning around. “I see light.” She opened her eyes only to see 3 people with black masks standing before her. But, she was done screaming and instead just stared, speechless, scared out of her mind.
“Yeah…we’re light alright.” One of the guys said.
All three were masked and standing in front of them. They wore black sweaters and black gloves along with fleece black hats. Their faces covered in black masks and nothing but their lips and eyes shown.
Ben looked into the eyes of one. It was a girl. She had glossy green eyes and as soon as she met his gaze she quickly took it away and looked on the ground.
“How are you all this fine summer night?” This guy seemed like the leader and stood in front of the other guy and girl.
“We could be better.” Jason replied.
“Awww…you want to go home?” he replied.
Jason said nothing, scared to answer.
“I asked a question.” The guy bent down in front of him. Susie flinched and closed her eyes, while Ben had his fist ready to go just in case.
The masked people were their age almost, maybe a few years old. They have to be at least 13. Ben thought.
“I….i… never said I…i….wanted to go home.” Jason said, stuttering.
The three masked people started laughing.
Then, Ben punched the leader in the face, during his laughter.
“Go, go, go!” Ben said, jumping up.
Jason and Susie jumped up and took off behind him. But, the masked people were right behind and closer than they thought. Footsteps were heard right behind them.
“I’m tired.” Susie shouted, beginning to slow down.
“Susie, come on!” Jason said, slowing down and pulling her arm.
The masked people, however, showed no sign of fatigue and continued to run and in fact were getting even faster.
Suddenly, Susie was pulled down by the girl. Susie let out a horrible cry for help, before hitting her head against the concrete.
“NO!” Jason shouted. As soon as he turned around, another guy punched him in the face. Jason fell down hard and rolled on the ground in excruciating pain.
Ben continued to run, not looking back. He was determined to get home. He was going to get home and tell him mom what happened and then she would come and get Jason and Ben. He ran as fast as he could. But, his plans were finished as soon as he was kicked in the back.
“Ahh!” he said, falling down.
He never made it home that night.

Ch.6
It was dirty and dark. It was nasty and stinky. It was horribly isolated and felt empty from head to toe. It was the place the three masked people had taken Ben, Susie, and Jason to.
The three were tied up on a hard, cold ground. Fatigued from running, they sat on the ground, silent and bruised. They were alone in a room and the only light they had was a flashlight in the far corner.
Ben sat, defeated and sighed ever so often. He thought about his mom. How he would probably never see her again. How he would never eat her macaroni and cheese and fried chicken again. How he would never hear her crack a joke or she would never tell him to clean his room. He had left his room such a mess before they left and he felt horrible. All she ever asked of him was to keep that room clean. Now as he sat in a cold room, he thought about how he took her for granted so many times. He thought about basketball. How he would never touch one again or even step foot on a court. He wanted to cry, but something kept him from doing so. He thought about how he had never cried a day in his life and if he was going to die tonight, he didn’t want his record to be broken.
Susie sat, scared. Part of her wanted to rub in the guy’s face how they were wrong about crime in Detroit. She wanted to tell them how wrong they were for treating her badly and swore that they have never witnessed a crime, but here they were in the middle of one and the victims. She wanted to rub her arm. It was super warm and burning with pain. She then felt her eye trickling with a liquid. She finally realized it was blood as it reached her lips. She swallowed the blood and cried quietly to herself. Where was her guardian angel?
Jason sat, angry. All he could think about was his dad. How he and his friends wouldn’t be going through this if he would have for once put his family before his job. He wanted to pound his fists on the ground and shout and scream. But, he knew Susie had done enough screaming for the night. More than anything, he wished for another chance. He wished to go back to the day he was born and not hurt his mom the way he did. He wished he wouldn’t have ever been born. Because of him, a great person was dead. He began to breathe heavily and quickly, holding back tears.
Suddenly, a door opened. The three masked people came in and walked over to the flashlight in the corner,
“Welcome to a great summer vacation.”
“Who are you?” Ben asked, looking deep into the eyes of the girl. She looked away from him again.
“Who are we? Well…we’re Mickey’s friends.” The leader said.
‘Who’s Mickey?” Susie asked.
“Your worst nightmare.” The three masked people said together.
****To be continued….

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 07.07.2010

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