In an Instant

**Flashback**

"Keep a look out for the cops man!" My buddy Isacc tells me as we all take turns smoking out of the bong he was passing around. I nod and head out to the back of the room and out the door. This was my life, meeting up my friends and finding sketchy old abandoned buildings to get high in.

I peer around the corner and focus my eyes in the dark, the building only illuminated with the low light of our cellphones. It was a dark and cold winter night, and we where spending it getting high. I mean, I that's what I was always doing but that was beside the point.

I heard my friends laughing as the drug began to catch up with them and Isacc comes up with the bright idea that we should go for a walk to the store. We all agreed and began getting ourselves prepared for the cold evening.

"After this we should hit up that party, I hear someone is bringing loads of booze." My buddy Ryan tells me and that fills me up with excitement, I was definitely feeling the party vibe that evening.

"And girls." Issac says, punching me in the shoulder playfully.

"As long as Lidia isn't there." I mutter kicking the snow with my feet. Lidia was my ex, I dated her for quite awhile and she only ever used me for sex and drugs, and even though I was the one who actually fell for her she decided I wasn't good enough and moved on to the next guy who would be happy to supply her dirty habits.

"Can't tell you that much man, but maybe you'll find another hottie to hook up with." I sigh as he says that as I feel rather disinterested in meeting another girl anytime soon. I glance up into the sky as I realize the moon keeps fading in and out of focus. The evening's activities of drugs and alcohol was starting to take hold of me, and I jumped into the snowbank out of no where which made my friends laugh.

"You okay there buddy?" Ryan asks me poking my shoulder.

"Yeah man, just having a nap."

"Get up I'm hungry." Issac says and I sigh getting to my feet and brushing the snow off of my jacket. I pull out a cigarette from my pocket and place my hands over it as I light it up and take a drag from it. I blow the smoke out into the sky as we begin to near the store.

We head in and split up and start wandering around looking for munchies to fill our needs that evening, I scanned the chocolate isle and slid my favorite chocolate bar into my pocket. I know, stealing is bad, but it's something me and the guys have always done. We've only ever been caught once or twice and the punishments where never truly severe. To not seem entirely suspicious I payed for another pack of cigarettes at the counter and headed back outside to join my friends who where taking sips out of a vodka bottle discreetly behind a dumpster.

Issac hands me the bottle and I take a long chug, feeling the burning sensation as the alcohol hits my throat. The woozy feeling hits me almost instantly and we all laugh and head out into the street again. Ryan really wanted to go to that party so I went along with it, even though the thought of seeing Lidia again burned my throat worse than the alcohol just had.

Lost in my own thoughts, for a moment I thought I heard someone screaming. A girl. I glance up and I witness about four or five guys getting out of a sketchy looking van and chasing a young girl down the street. She looked to be about my age and she had tears streaming down her face, she seemed so frightened. The men then caught up to her and began kicking her to the ground like she was nothing.

I begin running towards the girl, the effects of the alcohol and drugs slowing me down, but I wasn't about to let these sick disgusting perverts get away with whatever they had planned to get away with. Yeah I was a shithead sometimes, and I did drugs and stole chocolate bars but I wasn't about to sit back and let an innocent girl get beaten up.

"Whoa man what are you doing!" Issac attempts to hold me back and I pull myself away from his grasp as I get closer to the girl, the men haven't seen me yet as I am still hidden away in the sidelines.

I ignore Issac and catch up to the men, pulling them away from her and kicking and punching them as hard as I could.

I grab one of the bald, more muscle men by the shirt and get up close to his face.

"If I ever see you or any of these fucking cowards again, you're going to wish you never even considered doing what I caught you doing." He looked at me in almost fear and I pushed him away kicking him in the gut once more. Satisfied that I got my point across. The men got up to their feet and got back into the van speeding away into the night.

I ran over to the girl who was on her back in the snow, sobbing and her face was covered in bruises.

"You're going to be okay." I reassure her picking her up in my arms and carrying her towards the nearest hospital. She glances up at me and whispers 'thank you.' before passing out into my chest.

**PRESENT DAY**

Travis and I sit on the floor of the hospital later on, discussing the events that just occurred with us. We still feel frightened just thinking about the fact that we had been followed from the hospital and to Travis's old house.

Travis gets up and starts pacing back and forth, his face buried in his hands. I can tell he's still afraid about everything going on but is trying to keep his true feelings hidden.

"Are you okay?" I ask him.

"Yeah, I'll be fine... I just want you to be safe."

"There has to be something we can do, to contact the other side and let them know about everything my father has done." I say out loud. "I don't want to leave this world until some sort of justice has been served."

Death shows up in front of us just then, he's looking rather distraught but smiles at us anyway.

"Where have you guys been?" He asks and I stand up facing him. Travis was still pacing around in circles which was beginning to make me dizzy. "Your father and his friend have escaped from the cellar I was keeping them in, I can't find them anywhere."

"That's because they found us." Travis says, and he tells Death everything including our little adventure we went on and visiting his old house. Then my father showing up and us escaping out the window.

"We lost them after that so they could be back here, or they could still be out there." He finishes the story and slumps back to the floor.

"We have to find them, and fast. Another one of your fathers men from the drug corporation has entered the brink and I have been interrogating him and gathering as much information as I can, I'm afraid it doesn't look so good for the two of you."