M.K. Wilke

Graphic Distress

 

Josh looked over at the graphic display of blood and gore that lay scattered across his drawing table. His half-finished graphic novel seemed to be following the same patterns as the world: death, loss and abandonment. His novels never used to be full of half-dismembered bodies, blood that ran off the page, torture and murder. But that seemed like decades ago instead of months; however, his novels did seem to be selling like hot cakes. I understood why too.  This was the stuff people could relate to; everyone had lost a loved one, some abandoned and there are more than a few tortured souls out there... A soft snore from a clothing heap of dirty laundry near his bed let him know that Bordeaux was still breathing. Always a positive sign I thought.  Better get up and go let Bordeaux do his business.  I grabbed the leash, my coat, my keys and headed for the elevator

 

I stood outside waiting while Bordeaux did his thing, the bitter chill wind snapping at the collar of his coat.

 

“Come on, Bordy, I don’t got all day. We’re going to see May.”

 

I looked up at the clouds grimly, and with a mental check, decided to make it a short walk to the store and back.  Turning right, I plodded down the snow-covered path towards the store. May worked at about five blocks away from the apartment. I had lived here three full years now and knew the surrounding area like the back of my own novels. A lot had changed in the last few years, minor businesses had sold out and commercial chain buildings had taken their place; now they surrounded my apartment building. But one place was still open; three years ago, I had been lost and wandered in there to warm up from the cold. The place had quickly grown on me and now it was to the point where they knew me by name and cared for me like a son.  Of course, the fact that I was dating their daughter certainly helped matters.   I liked May since the moment I met her, but at the time I had been dating my pea brain of an ex Paige.

 

I stopped my walk down memory lane as I realized I was at the store.  I shook out my shoulders and tied Bordeaux outside to a pole.  I opened the door of the store, the doorbell chiming softly as I crossed the threshold into the comfortable warmth.

 

I saw to my dismay that May Li was busy at the front counter; she had looked up and given me a wave when I walked in but was otherwise ignoring me for the moment. I shrugged and walked indifferently down the aisles.  Her parents, Ma and Ch’in, were in the back of the store doing stock and her brother Huang came out of the back and passed me to head out on his lunch break.  Huang gave me a grin and a wave then pushed open the door and was gone. Someone came through the door right after and pushed into and almost knocked me over where I stood; it took everything I had not to go deck the person for being rude. Instead, I swallowed my pride and headed to the section I normally got stuff from. The frozen section, of course, but if May came over the selection was very different.

 

I immersed myself in the task of finding dinner and wondered if I should ask May over tonight...  May’s frantic slightly raised voice pulled me from my thoughts and back to the place I was standing. I did not have much of a view and really could not see anything.   But I knew if I leaned out a little bit that there was a round mirror in just the right place in the next aisle.  I had used it at least a thousand times to check May out while she was working.

 

I looked into it and saw that the person was wearing a mask and talking to May angrily.  God, May!  I have to go help her I thought. But my body told me instinctively what my head was refusing to admit.  If I didn’t find a place to hide, both of us would be dead real quick.  I ducked down to the ground and looked down to the end of the store to see if anyone else had noticed what was wrong.

 

 May was shaking and I could tell she was going to try something.  Oh, May, please don’t try anything stupid! I sent up the silent plea in hopes that she would just give the guy the money and he could go. Apparently, it was a slow day for god since May’s hand slowly inched towards the police help button they had installed two years ago. Well, that’s genius, I thought if she can manage to press it without the guy noticing they would all be home free and all they would have to do is stall. Obviously, it wasn’t the guy’s first robbery; he was paranoid and had an odd twitch.

 

 The robber was looking down at May’s hands as she stuffed the bag he had passed her full of the day’s bills. I looked up at May and realized she was chanting, or it looked like chanting.  Now is an odd time to be praying but hey whatever rocks your boat, I thought. That’s when I realized after a second of watching her mouth move that she was saying call for help repeatedly. I looked at May surprised at first then gave her a small wink and moved slowly backwards a few inches to where I would be completely covered by the end of aisle six. I could feel my adrenaline pumping and ears ringing and I was sweating lightly under my jacket.  I worked at shoving my fingers into my pocket at such a weird angle, getting my phone out of my jean pockets was proving difficult while bent over. A siren flared off in the distance and I heard the robber swear.

 

“You called the cops? How’d you call the cops? I can’t go down for this!” The robber screeched nervously.

 

“Please just calm down, sir, it was not me. They patrol this area every half hour.” May said.

 

I knew that wasn’t true but sent my heart out to her for being so brave. The robber was vibrating on the spot; I had a feeling that was not a good sign.

 

“What are you doing? What are you doing?” The robber yelled furiously.

 

“Sir! I’m just trying to get another bag we keep them under the counter the one you brought is too small…” Another siren going off even closer to the outside of the store interrupted May.

 

I could barely see May in the mirror but saw in the mirror’s reflection that she was reaching down under the counter for something. All of a sudden, I felt a little disoriented and my ears started to ring, May was not standing behind the counter anymore. All I could see was a delicate little foot sticking out in an awkward position where she had fallen to the floor, I sat there shocked, speechless; it was nothing like my books! I listened as her parents cried and knew I couldn’t sit by idly any longer. I looked out into the aisle slowly just in time to see the robber run my way.  I had to distract him while someone went to check on May.  From the slight whimpering in the corner, I could tell she wasn’t dead.  I blocked all my thoughts to go and run to May immediately; I knew she would be fine for a few minutes and my whole world zoned in on catching the bastard who had hurt May.  I crouched back and placed my body right where the guy wouldn’t see me until it was too late.

 

Two sirens became excruciatingly loud and the robber tried to grab a few of the more valuable things before he had to bolt.  The sirens came to a halt outside the store and I heard car doors slam.  The robber couldn’t go out the front so he had to pelt out the back.  Good I thought he will come right at me and sure enough the robber rounded the aisle corner at high speed and ran straight into me.  I threw out his arms and grabbed the thief by the ankles causing him to fall to the floor and drop the gun.  May’s mother came charging to the rescue with a broom in hand and yelling something in Japanese.  Seeing me struggle to hold the rather large man down on the floor and away from his gun, she came up to the robber and calmly beat him over the head with the broom.  That’s how the police found things when they came inside the store.

 

I left the thief who had ruined my day in the hands of the cops and May’s brother.  Huang had just gotten back from his break and was glaring at the robber. It was apparent he wanted to slaughter the thief for what he had done to his sister.  I walked slowly over to May who laid on the stretcher with her eyes open and talking in Japanese with her parents.  They both flanked the stretcher on either side.  Her mom held her hand lovingly and for a moment, I thought better on interrupting what was going on.  May saw me and smiled eagerly as both her parents looked up and waved me happily over simultaneously well if that wasn’t an invitation.  I trotted over to my new family happily and realized that despite all the loss I had endured over the past year I did not have to be alone anymore.