A ten year old boy, whose world changed forever one afternoon.

The sky is dreary, it looked like one of those washed up days in which the colours were muted, the blue bleached out to lime green and rays of the sun a tinted grey as if just being up and about seemed a chore. An unremarkable day, utterly indistinct from any other except for one crucial factor; a silent house.

There it sat untouched by an incoming storm, surrounded by its meadows, low white courtyard and the Greco roman façade, it was the boy’s earliest memory. The last of their home, him, his little sister May and their dog Rocco had played in it all throughout the summer. That all, came to an abrupt end. Clyde looked on.

The sight of the house receding in the rear-view mirror remains poignant, for it signifies the end and beginning, the end of what was not known and the beginning of what was the end. He had loved the house, that much he was sure of. Unforgettable memories of horse back riding with his  father, being his favorite. It confused him. Why were they leaving their home? He wondered.

Turning to his father who was driving, he remembered their pet dog and asked.

“Where is Rocco, dad?”

His father kept his sights on the road ahead. The answer never came.

Unknown to Clyde, they were now running away from something, something that posed a great danger, his father being a mobster and his mother a gentle soul who had been married for her pretty face. They had been evading their pursuers for about three months, of days spent on the road driving and cheap hotels reeking of cheap beer, cigarettes and riddled with rats. His dad and mom would sleep on whatever threadbare bed the room offered and he and his sister had to make do with whatever piece of furniture was left in the room, most often than not, they slept on the floor.

His father was on constant lookout for their pursuers, at the mere mention that certain individuals had newly entered any town they were in, they were off like a flash, he became very familiar with the backroads, forgotten farm roads and horse passes that they navigated in their bid to reach perceived safety, the term itself was relative.

With every town they passed, the noose drew tighter and tighter until it was only a matter of time before it snapped shut, their pursuers had been carefully herding them unbeknownst to his father, he was merely concerned with staying ahead of danger and completely lost sight of the big picture.

The plan came to fruition on the outskirts of a little town called Gablelee, it was very little and it's horrible showings for motels had even his father wincing at how bad they were, they were seated at a restaurant waiting while his dad decided on the next course of action when a stir passed through the crowds outside.

Being very sensitive to nuances such as this as they dictated when danger was close, his dad traipsed outside to see what he could find out and in a few moments, hurried back with panic evident all over his face.

“They are here!”, he urgently told them as he hustled them down to their woebegone car and they roared off down the street, towards a backroad his father had already surveyed as soon they had arrived in the town.

Within a few moments, a car peeled out from a side street and sped up towards their rear in chase, it was at that moment; realization set in and with a upset voice, his father whispered, “It’s a trap”.

Clyde’s mother glanced back at in the backseat and said in urgent tones.

“Cly, I need you to be strong for your sister and I, hold her hands in yours and crouch down low behind the seats, no matter what you hear, you must not make a sound or move, okay, do you understand? Mommy loves you! ” She told them, repeating the ending.

Glancing to the dusty back window, Clyde’s father added something in too. “ I know you may forget this but I’ll tell you .. Live your life to the fullest, don’t murder others because they have different views, we’re all the same ..  this world is greedy, don’t let it ruin you .. not everybody tries in this world, do your best … don’t be a coward but don’t be too heroic either, Seek the answers but don’t seek them from others, find them yourself … you’ll find everything out . . .  Eventually. Survive for the time being. I believe you’re the answer...“ All was happening to fast for little CLyde. His father gave Clyde’s mother a glance, she stared at him concerned whether he’d actually tell the boy. “  to my exp- “ Before he could continue, the car was hit from behind again, forcing his father to cut it short there. His father remained composed, all the while calm, cool and collected even after being hit from the side again. Clyde couldn’t hear the rest but gave a nod, he did. He allowed himself to be pushed down between the seats without questioning and kept his sister from asking questions as they laid face down on the car floor curled in a fetal position. 

 Flashes spread over head. Loud pops came soon after and they were followed by the sound of breaking glass and groaning metal. The car tyres screeched as it swerved haphazardly, then steadied, the engines shuddered violently and then the car lurched forward in a sudden burst of speed.

Then came the terrible jolt and crash as the car was hit by something on the right and the door compresses against the side of Clyde’s foot with the impact, he clenches his teeth against the pain and tears rolled down his cheeks, another hit came from the left a few seconds later and this time, the glass windows shatter and flew with tinkles across the road, the car lurched first to the left and then to the right as the left tyres deflate and the rim wobbled. 

With a shudder, the rim uncoupled totally from the wheelbase. They flew off of the road, crashing seconds later as only two wobbly wheels remained, still in rotation. Thankfully, the car wasn't on fire. From his crouched and now pinned position, Clyde heard his father talking loudly over men and his mom’s painful whimpers, those were the last sounds he heard before the car suddenly lurched violently, then tipped and began to roll further down the lip of the mountain road and into the valley below, all went dark.

Hours passed until he finally came to groggily with metal creaking all around him. His joints, knees and elbows ache terribly and his head felt like it had been bashed repeatedly with hard pillows, that was the only comparison his young mind came up with at that moment. Rays of sunlight stabbed at his eye and he wondered idly how that came to be, until he came to fully and he realized the door was completely gone along with the front of the car, the seats had compressed and leaned forward drunkenly forming a hollow over the space in which they had crouched.

As he was no longer pinned by the now absent door, jerking and twisting slowly, Clyde was able to extricate himself from the wreck, as soon as he was free, he turned to help his sister out, she seemed shocked, her face covered with tears. There were no words to accurately describe the sense of hopelessness that overcame Clyde at the sight of his sister trembling from head to toe. He had to coax and cajole her before she agreed to help him in his efforts to get her out.

He directed her on how to turn and navigate the contours that bulged prominently in the wreck when they both heard voices raised excitedly.

“We found the Wreck boss, there's no way those kids survived!”

“Well, make sure they are dead”, a gruff voice replied and multiple shots rang out in response. “Bodies! Find the bodies” The men did as they were told, but found no bodies in the car wreck. 

From behind some tree's Clyde's sister moaned in fear and the voices immediately fell silent.

“What was that, I heard a sound”. One of the men signaled the other men, setting his attention in the path Clyde and his sister hid in.

“Spread out and search, they had two kids with them, we need them if they aren’t dead”, the gruff voice ordered again and the bushes began to rustle.

Clyde's stomach queased, the ruffling of the bushes growing louder.