Chapter Four of A Reporters Nightmare

     Aragon felt himself being dumped onto the floorboards and wished that he had spent longer cleaning his pickup out. He landed on his metal Yeti cup and it dug into his side.

     The men threw their wet coats over him and the man in the back propped his feet up in a casual manner on Aragon’s back.

     Smoky stopped the pickup. Aragon could only hear what was going on. The police officer came forward and Smoky rolled his window down.

    “Mr. Gates I hate to te-.” The officer broke off. “Who are you?”

     “I’m Gates friend, Smoky Wilson.” Smoky said. “My pickup is being fixed and he said I could use it.”

     “I don’t remember Gates having any friends, with his job as a reporter he hardly ever hangs out with anybody.” The officer said. Aragon could imagine him scratching his head. “Anyway, I’ll just let you off with a warning; this pickup has been caught speeding at least a dozen times a day, sometimes we just ignore it but we’ve been told to lay down the law a bit harder. You might want to tell your friend that he needs to be a bit more careful.”

     “I will officer.” Smoky said charmingly.

     The sound of ripping paper was muffled by the coats around Aragon’s head but he heard it anyway. After a moment the sirens were silenced and the pickup started forward again, although slower.

     “Find his wallet.” Smoky said angrily. “And make sure he’s still asleep.”

     The men ripped the coats off and searched everywhere for Aragon’s wallet. He felt a bit of satisfaction at the fact that he had left his wallet at his house. “We can’t find it.”

     Smoky growled. “Wake him up then, and load the gun with blanks. I don’t want to accidentally shoot him.”

     The men jostled Aragon to no avail; finally they tossed some ice cold water in his face. Aragon found it rather hard to ignore that.

     Once he was awake and sitting up, Aragon looked out the window. They were in the boonies and it was getting dark. Smoky slammed on the brakes and turned to glare at Aragon. “Alright Gates, who are you really.”

     Aragon hung his head weakly and squeezed tears into his eyes, trying to make himself look pitiful. “I’m a nobody.” He said and sniffed. “I lied about working at the pet shop. I can’t hold down a job anywhere, I’ve worked as a cashier and a clerk, I’ve been a screen starer and a cab driver, not to mention other things but I just can’t seem to hold a job.” By the end of his speech Aragon had managed to have tears streaming down his cheeks.

     “Please don’t kill me, I’ve got a dog that I gave away and two fish that died last week but I haven’t found the time to throw them out and I’ve got parents that are in the grave that I’m sure will miss me plus a girl friend that doesn’t exist.”

     The men stared at Aragon in wonder at how he managed to fit all those words skillfully together and still be wailing.

     Finally Smoky rubbed an ear. “Stop your caterwaulin’.” He said and reached for the gun that now held blanks. “Tell me everything about you and quick and stop lying.”

     Aragon sniffed dramatically and then hiccupped, much to his annoyance. “I’ve told you everything that isn’t true about myself.” He said and slurred the words together somewhat.

     Smoky cocked the gun, his finger twitched on the trigger and the gun went off, blasting a hole in the window behind Aragon. “I thought this gun was full of blanks!” he bellowed.

     The man next to him cringed. “Sorry.”

     Aragon stared at the gun and hiccupped again, and then he let his eyes roll up in his head and he fell forward