literature

The Innocent's Guilt -story

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    The large city of London, England was as busy and populated as ever. Across the town, men and women hurried about their business in the cool evening. Many walked through the large lanes filled with vendors and stands. Along the road was the River Thames, slowly flowing in a hypnotic current that held a few young vacationers in her trance. The water moved melodically in a silent rush through a city that screamed with noise and activity.

     Aden gave the newspaper a disgusted look and threw it back onto the counter of the news stand. Across the front of the paper, the words “LONDON: EUROPE’S DIRTIEST CITY” were smeared in ink. “Bastard tourists are never content, hey Luke?” He sneered while pushing back his shoulder-length hair and giving the paper another glare. He then moved his eyes to the man behind the counter who had short walnut-coloured hair. The man’s stomach was slightly rounded, with his face thinner than some might believe it should in comparison to his body. His height just towered over Aden, who was five foot eight.

     The Newfy gave a courteous grin to the leaving customers and returned his gaze to his friend. Meeting Aden two years ago in a small pub, Luke quickly became friends with him and his only support. Aden, who was twenty-one at the time, had just lost everything. He had moved over from Michigan in 2001 after leaving an orphanage he had been in since birth. He began a great semester at the city university but had lost his part-time job and soon sunk into a sea of rent, tuition fees and food costs. Then one night, after months of living on the street, a figure in a lounge sat next to him and started up a conversation. Little did they know, the two would become the best of friends.

     “Nah, course not. Dere’s always somethin’ wrong when it comes to dem.” He replied, with a bored expression on his face. “But ‘ey, tha city is what dey come ‘ere for. The least tha town could do is clean ‘er up a bit. Even in Newfoundland we had ‘er spic ‘n span.”

     Aden gave the man a strange look. Over the past two years, Aden had come to regard Luke more than a friend and more as family. Moving from Newfoundland in ’99 at the age of twenty-four, Luke had worked in his news stand since he lived in London and enjoyed the company of new faces. He had few close friends, the only one before meeting Aden being Rachel; a woman who owned a nearby diner. In his life of solitude, Luke typically didn’t welcome the presence of others for too long. However, he felt that Aden was someone different, a pure and friendly person with the misfortune of a ship-wrecked sailor.

     “Y’ know, I never get tired of trying to figure out what you’re saying.” Aden commented while opening the pack of cigarettes. “You Newfoundlanders have the strangest accent out of all Canadians. But yeah, it certainly shows how organized the city is, eh? Voted dirtiest city twice in a row and its still getting worse. This place is truly the pits.” Glancing around, he took a cigarette up to his mouth, but decided not to light it and shoved it back into his pack. “Thank God, we’re leaving.” He stared ahead at the slowly revolving London Eye. The soft glow of amber reflected in his eyes from the hundreds of lights on the wheel.

     Closing the stand with a steel rack, Luke popped out of the tiny door on the side and swung his arms into his coat, and locked the door behind him. He gave a chuckle, but fell silent at Aden’s sore expression. “I was thinkin’ ‘bout dat night in tha bar and how ya told me ‘bout yer life? I thought ya were tha most unluckiest guy I ‘ad ever met. Still do. But I jus’ ‘ope dat our luck ‘ill change tonight.”

     Aden walked closely beside Luke, “Yeah, well all I can say is, thanks a lot man. For helping me live for the past two years and letting me work at your stand.” Letting out a sigh, Aden closed his eyes and felt the last warmth from the sun on his face before turning into Rachel’s small diner where they ate every evening. Tonight was the night their lives changed, and it was all a matter of luck.

     Time passed and the night was its blackest with clocks just turning to one o’clock. Silence filled the dark alleys of London, with only the slight rumble of a few cars passing in the quietness. The sky held an orange tint from the countless lights that filled the city as if those who inhabited it never enjoyed being in the black of night.

     A shadowed figure stood on the corner of the street. In his hand was the last red glow of a cigarette. Dropping it, he blew out a long stream smoke and watched as it slowly ascended into the sky above him, dissolving into a breath of nothingness.

     The man peered hesitantly along the street, and then assured himself that the area was clear. Stepping across the road, he stared into the dark glass of a building. Inside, darkness filled the room except for a small flashing green light. Security system, the figure thought. Taking a few moments to gain his nerves, the man brought up his elbow and smashed the glass. Instantly, the wailing noise of the alarm burned into his ears, but he merely walked through the smashed glass and continued into the dark.

     Turning a flashlight on, the figure faced another person. Jumping, he started to turn before realizing that it was his reflection in a mirror hung on the wall; on his head was a comedic clown mask. The figure let out a sigh of anger as he lost some time. Rushing forward, he hurried to the back of the building to find what he what after: A small office. Inside, there was a mahogany desk and beside it, sat a small safe.

     The door smashed as his foot made contact. Only seconds had passed since he’d set off the alarm, but only had a few more. Bending down in front of the safe, he quickly looked over the box and proceeded to haul out several tools from the bag he had carried in. He began to work.

     Footsteps echoed as they hit the old cobblestone road in the tiniest of alleys. Aden was moving as fast as he could, panting hard as he pushed himself to keep going. The weight of his backpack dragged his speed down and his feet lifted off the ground with increasing effort each time. In the bag were several thousand pounds. Paper never felt so heavy until it had a value.  

     In the distance behind him, sirens mixed into the sound of his footsteps. “Shit,” he grunted. He continued to travel in the dark, passing a lighted alley filled with people who reeked of alcohol. Gripping the cold pistol in his hand, he wiped the sweat off his brow. On his other hand was a large gash that dripped blood as he ran. Thinking of the trail he might be making, he grabbed a rag on the ground and wrapped his hand with it. He gave a soft laugh as he thought back to the title he read hours before on the newspaper.

The shadows welcomed Aden into their protection as he listened beyond his footsteps to see where pursuers may follow from. However, the only sounds that existed were his lone steps and short, harsh rasps.

Noting that the sirens were becoming more distant as he ran, he smiled. He got away, just like they planned. He was a mere few blocks away from Luke’s house, where they would leave in the packed van to the coast and take a ferry to the mainland of Europe. Their escape was natural, and no evidence was left to convict them. They pulled it off.

     He felt the tape around his hair, it was heated in his run but it was the only way to be certain that his hair would not fall; leaving the one thing they’d need to find him. A small piece of evidence was all the police needed. Logically, they made sure not to leave any.

     Smacking into the back door with his speed, Aden turned the knob with a sweaty palm. Inside stood Luke who gave a sigh of relief. “Holy shit b’y. Ye’ nearly gave me a ‘art attack. What took ye so long?”

     Aden held up his hand to show that his breath hadn’t returned to his parched lungs. After a few long gulps for air, he spoke. “I really need to quit smoking.” He exhaled and held up the bag.

     “So it went well?” Luke asked while staring nervously at the gun, “didn’t have te use dat did ya?”

     “No…thankfully,” the younger answered, placing the gun on the counter. “I broke the window with my elbow, went in, found the safe and had it open in about thirty seconds. A year of research in libraries and computers and it was one of the first safes we tested out. Could have gotten the money from the bank a long time ago!”

     Looking down, Luke noticed Aden’s hand covered by a filthy piece of cloth that had blood soaking through it. “What ‘appened dere?”

     Lifting his hand to his face, he flexed his fingers and shrugged.. “Oh, I uh…smacked it off the corner of a dumpster while runnin’ away from the bank. And I forgot to ask, did you ever manage to sell your stand?”

     Grinning, Luke took the bag and walked towards the front door. “Yeah, sold it yesterday te some ol’ feller fer a grand. So are ya ready or wha? The van’s all packed up with our stuff.”

     Taking a few more breaths, Aden picked up the gun and placed it in his jacket pocket. He took his last look at his one and only home that he was leaving. The small kitchen’s maple cupboards glowed in the light, with the light brown walls blending into them. So natural, he thought. Turning to see Luke in the doorway, he nodded and walked out.

     Luke looked back at his old green house and asked, “Where are we planning te go, Aden?”

     With a grin, Aden opened the door on the passenger side, “Somewhere cleaner than this hell hole. Let’s find a true home.”
Here's a story I wrote for Creative Writing a few weeks ago. I just got it back and fixed it up a bit and now I think it's good! : D (Originally named: "Cleaner")

Oh, randomly made that photo the preview. haha

So, basically I wanted to create characters that the reader will like, but they know that they've done something against regular morals in society. But it's interesting. lol

So yeah, I just uploaded it quickly but I might go through and fix the way the paragraphs are or if I missed some italics.

Enjoy!
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Tworoads's avatar
Interesting, Ste. ;) As for critique, you wrote "gaving" in the second paragraph and just some other grammar oopsies, but meh. Did you get a mark back on this yet?


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