Trade

By the time Stuart gets home, after returning to the store and repurchasing the food he abandoned as well as medical supplies, the day has turned to night. His body feels stiff and his ribs are throbbing. But at least the edge has been taken off, he thinks as he opens his heavy metal door and steps inside. He drops the bags by the door and then flips the light switch. The sterile white strip lights spring to life illuminating his open plan clinic/home, but it isn’t empty. Stuart recoils as he finds himself face-to-face with two suited men. Both are larger than him and stand motionless.

Stuart presses his back against his door. He wonders whether he should try and run, but doubts he’d get far. Though, that doesn’t stop him from cursing himself for closing the door before turning on the lights.

“Good evening Mr Machado.” The guy on the right says.

Stuart has to admit these two look almost identical. In fact, the only differentiation is that the guy on the right has dark hair, while the one on the left is blonde. Though, both have identical buzz cuts.

“Good evening.” Stuart replies nervously as his eyes dart from one to the other. He wonders what they want and why they’re here. He knows they can’t be from Robby as he’d pay Stuart a visit himself.

“Why are you in my home?” Stuart asks concerned as to what the answer may be.

“We are here just to ask a few questions.” The other suited guy says without an expression on his face.

“What sort of questions?” Stuart asks worried.

“Who sent you?” He then adds before gulping.

The two men can tell Stuart is afraid. It’s clear enough that anyone would be able to see it just by looking at him, and that is if he wasn’t still continuing to press himself into the metal door at his back.

The pair of suited men having arrived a while ago snooped around the former doctors’ place before his arrival. They were given his address by a local, though they did have to extract the information regarding his whereabouts first. They want to speak to Stuart as he is somewhat of a celebrity in this part of the city and known for his mems extractions.

“We work for Carla Masters. Her son went missing recently. He wanted to know if you’ve seen him?” The first guy clarifies.

“I saw that on the news. Very sad. But no, I’ve haven’t seen him. Though please send my regards to his mother.” Stuart says lying. He thinks it’s pretty convincing, especially when he considers how terrified he feels.

He knew this Eric business would come back to bite him, but he thought he might have a little more time. He curses Robby for his arrogance. It was clear that Carla was never going to give in easily. She’s hired goons to seek her son out. It didn’t surprise Stuart. It’s what people with money always do, because they have the capital to be able to.

“Word on the street says you run a mems clinic out of this place.” The blonde guy adds.

“What has that got to do with Eric?” Stuart asks.

“Eric?” The blonde guy adds.

“How do you know his name, Mr Machado?” The dark haired suited man queries.

“It was on the news report.” Stuart bluffs hoping he hasn’t just been caught in a lie. How could he be so stupid as to say the name? He thinks cursing himself.

“That it was.” The blonde haired man then adds seemingly content with Stuart’s response. The pair had been hoping to catch the former doctor out, but it seems he’s smarter than they thought, or truly is innocent.

“It’s believed he owed money to someone in this neighbourhood. Big money.” The dark haired suit explains.

“And there’s no better way to get big money than mems.” The blonde suit adds.

“I assure you I have never met this poor young man.” Stuart says continuing his act with a sad shake of his head. He pretends to show real remorse. Inside he simply feels terror ripping through him with reckless abandon.

He knows he’ll have to skip town now. Screw his debt to Robby. He isn’t dying for the loan sharks greed. He knew when he’d arrived with Eric in tow that something wasn’t right. If only he’d done something then. But he knows that if he had he’d have been dead at the hands of that animal. Damn my own greed, Stuart thinks as he shifts his gaze from one suit to the other.

“Thank you for your time Mr Machado. Sorry to have bothered you.” The dark haired guy says as they call conclusion to their chat.

Stuart blinks rapidly several times at first. He expected this to last longer and for there to be more questions, even as they stand waiting patiently for him to move aside. Seeing as he is still blocking the door.

It dawns on Stuart suddenly that he is the obstacle and when it does he forces an awkward smile, pulls the door wide and bids the two suits farewell. He watches them leave, sure they will do something, but they don’t and with them out of his building he calmly and slowly closes and then bolts the door shut.

With the rest of the world now beyond these four walls, Stuart sinks to the floor, relieved but still panic stricken. What should he do? He asks himself. Should he run? Can he run? Where to? He doesn’t have an answer to any of the questions boiling to the surface. Maybe they won’t come back? Maybe he’s placated and tricked them? He hopes so because he doesn’t have the funds to cross the city let alone leave it. To do that he’d need to do more mems extractions. A couple days worth should be enough, he thinks. That is if he doesn’t prepare the funds to pay any of it to Robby of course.

He isn’t expecting the loan shark for another couple days, so that should give him more than enough time. He isn’t sure if it’s a plan, but he has to admit it’s all he’s got. It’s either: stay and wait for Carla Masters’ goons to get him, because he is sure they will discover his lie eventually, or run and risk Robby putting a price on his head. He prefers the latter. He can survive that, maybe, he thinks. At least if he gets far enough away from the city. But he knows he won’t survive Carla Masters. After all, he is the one who made her son brain dead. Robby might have brought him here and ordered him to do it, but the loan shark hadn’t done it himself. So that makes him just as guilty as Robby. He’s an accomplice in this and he knows it.

If only Robby had kept to the arrangement. It was even he who laid out the rules for Stuart to stick to. No one who had dependants or family. Every ‘client’ should be a nobody that wouldn’t be missed. But either his greed or his arrogance had got the better of him.