Right Pocket

"Underestimate me, it'll be fun" 

"Mind if I make a quick call? My cellphone's dead"

I reach for the left pocket of my jacket and after half a second of unlocking the phone, hand it to the young man in need.

"Thanks a bunch!" he says it like he means it.

"The least I could do" I smile.

He makes his way to a corner of the park and I continue my early morning workout and smile subconsciously...

The young man looks at me from the corner of his eye every now and then as he talks intensely on the phone...

he probably thinks I haven't noticed.

Not after too long does he return.

"Here, thanks again" he says as he returns the phone.

As an instinct, I check the recent calls to know that he'd dialed 4355.

"Who's number was that?" I ask naturally.

"Hell's"

"Sorry?" I ask, puzzled.

"Check where the digits lie on the keypad" he doesn't say it like a joke but I treat it like one...besides I don't want to believe whatever he said had any sense.

"you are a funny guy" I say instead.

"well...if you insist, but you haven't witnessed my humor yet"

as a response, I laugh nervously.

He smiles for the first time too, but grimly.

"so, what had you called hell for?" quite obviously my question was rhetorical.

But he answers it anyway.

"For help"

I let out a humorous laugh. Does he think I'm buying it?

"You look too heavy for me to carry, I'll definitely need help" hostility in his voice was clear.

I try to make a narrow escape then, but he's too fast. He holds both my hands in one of his and locks them at my back. It is then that I realize all the early morning walkers had left. Besides, it isn't even early morning anymore. It feels like the darkest hour of my life. 

"Ca-carry where?" I was slurring my words like a drunk.

"You-young lady, look smart enough to guess it for yourself."

Yes, I am. Cold sweat is resting on my face. My heart feels like it's already out of my rib cage.

"or...I could grant you some discount" he didn't make an effort to hide the coldness in his voice. 

"yes...?" I didn't either. 

"Be the predator...a part of us. Tomorrow morning, you'll be the one asking strangers if you could make 'a call' from their cellphone 'cause yours is...dead."

The emphasis on his last word 'dead' still passes a shiver through my spine.

"such a long time to answer? maybe you just aren't worthy of the offer" 

I have no clue when he'd done it but both my hands and feet are tied! I feel like a bird with broken wings - helpless basically.

"You like quotes?" he sounds friendly for once, but I know his intentions are not gonna be any good.

"erm...yeah, sometimes..." I trail off.

" 'Kay...I don't know if you'll like this one or not but you'll remember it for sure"

I've no clue what to expect.

" 'If your death is my life, you better die' " he says aiming a pistol towards me.

"well quoted young man, but now you better drop the pistol" warns the cop, aiming his gun towards the guy. Ironical, isn't it? But not magical...

 "Mind if I make a quick call? My cellphone's dead"

I reach for the left pocket of my jacket and after half a second of unlocking the phone, hand it to the young man in need.

"Thanks a bunch!" he says it like he means it.

"The least I could do" I smile.

He makes his way to a corner of the park and I continue my early morning workout and smile subconsciously...realizing that the sim card in that phone wasn't recharged. 

When he'd reached out for me, he was hiding his right pocket which showed the outline of a gun.

It hadn't gone unnoticed.

I hid my own right pocket of the jacket too...