DECEPTION

The Beginning

Floyd jerked awake from his late dinner doze. Something exploded nearby shattering the quiet night and set off the neighborhood dogs in a barking frenzy. He gripped the arms of his porch recliner and lurched up from it. He looked out over his yard. "What's got those damn dogs all stirred up?"

He surveyed as much of the street as he could see from where he stood. The streetlights, across the road, barely illuminate anything outside the five feet circles they made. Floyd was unable to determine the source of the sound. He glanced towards the t' intersection then down the other direction. The old blue Chevy that belonged to Harrie Kallen's daughter was still in the driveway, but there was a black 80's muscle car he'd not seen before parked haphazardly on the sidewalk in front of the house. He frowned thoughtfully as he headed out into his yard to get a better view.

The cracking echo of a gunshot blasted from the opposite side of the street, reverberating in the warm air. Floyd froze as a cold shiver raced up his spine. The dogs baying and barking grew louder. He fumbled his cell phone out of his pants pocket and flipped it open.

The front screen door of Harrie's house slammed open. The sound of splintered glass cascaded over the dogs' clamor. It startled Floyd so much that he almost dropped the open phone. Two men dashed out into the yard heading for the front gate. The first man pushed it outward with such force that Floyd heard the metal crash into the brick pillar. He stood immobilized, the cell in his hand, the light glowing dimly in the darkness as he watched them head for the car on the sidewalk. They seemed familiar but at this distance, and barely any light in the area, he couldn't make out exact details. The taller one practically ripped the driver's door open and dove in as the other slid across the hood, like some old 70's cop show. He was clutching something tightly to his chest when he landed on his feet. The man stopped for a moment with his hand on the door grip and looked in Floyd's direction before getting in.

The car headlights flicked on for a brief moment then off, enough for Floyd to get a glimpse of the license plate before the car took off. The spinning tires left behind a haze of smoke as they screeched off the sidewalk. The car weaved slightly as it sped down the road and out of sight.

Floyd quickly made his way through his yard to the street, his fingers fumbling over the buttons

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