The Forsaken Read Online Free PDF Page A

pizza restaurant to one side and a real estate firm to the other. And Jude stood like a gatekeeper at the only exit.
    “This is it, man,” Jude said, breathing like his lungs were ready to collapse. “No more running.”
    The runner paced now, hitting his temple with the butt of the gun. His curses echoed off the walls.
    Jude measured every move. “What’s it gonna be? Are you ready to put down the gun and talk?”
    “Shut up!” came a reply.
    There was a desire to shoot back. He’d been fired on twice in the last six minutes, and the human in him wanted payback. The badge in him, however, wanted resolve. But what if the latter was losing ground?
    “Let’s not use any more bullets,” Jude called out. “Give up while you can.”
    A medley of desperate words came from the opposite end of the alley. Jude couldn’t make it all out, but he could tell the kid was contemplating.
    Before the kid could calculate a strategy, an old cook stumbled out of the back door of the restaurant to throw out some trash. The beaten runner lunged at him and held him from behind by the neck, the six-shooter in his possession nudged against the cook’s jaw.
    Jude was ready for a bloody episode. A mixture of alarm and regret was already in the runner’s eyes. Jude didn’t bother reassuring the old man of his safety. That was not his focus. What was his focus was getting closer to the runner.
    “Let me outta here, or this sucker gets it good!” the runner yelled, his voice splintered by uncertainty.
    “I’ve never been good with ultimatums. Why don’t you lower the piece and we can talk about it. There’s no reason for anyone to die here tonight.”
    “Don’t you threaten me!”
    “It’s not a threat,” Jude said, taking a step. “It’s a warning. Put the gun down and I’ll take you back to the station. We can work it out there.”
    “I didn’t do nothing,” the runner argued, the pitch in his voice turning sharp. “You don’t know what you saw. Something real bad went down, man. Something’s coming for me. Something’s coming.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I got outta there before he came back.”
    “Who?”
    “I made a mistake, man. Just one mistake. Can’t trust nobody to save your skin. He’ll come for you.” “Listen, I’ll give you a chance to tell your sad little story. But for now, drop the gun, and let this poor guy go home.” Jude gained several more steps.
    “You drop it first. I ain’t no fool.”
    “Destruction of private property. Evading an officer then trying to shoot him. I could go on. Be careful. You keep making me feel uncomfortable and this can get real nasty, real quick. Do what I say, and maybe you’ll have a story to tell your homeboys.”
    “Screw you, man.” Defiantly, the runner tried to pull his trigger, but Jude fired first. He got off three shots before the kid dropped. The old cook retreated into the restaurant.
    “I already am screwed, like you,” Jude whispered, walking closer. The sound of the body thudding against the wet pavement carried across the walls. The kid shook once, twice. Jude reached for his cell to report the incident.
    While the kid struggled for his last breaths, Jude identified the three holes carved into his chest. He hadn’t fired his gun like this in weeks, and his hand still trembled from pulling the trigger. The craving he’d experienced at the beginning of this wild chase had vanished. What lingered now was a deep and piercing regret as the runner faded. Jude knew he’d gone too far.

5

    HE WAS THE RUNNER. Running, always running. Maybe it was the cold sending violent needles up his veins, or maybe it was something else, something nameless. To most people, eighteen was an end. The end of innocent loves. The end of high school torture. For Jude Foster, eighteen was the beginning.
    The blue and red lights flickered in the night. The sounds of the city were dead except for the tremors of police cruisers. And they were getting closer. If only