Nowhere Worth Mentioning - Tyler (Part 1)

Please be home.

Please. Be. Home.

Tyler pedaled down the empty street, breathing in icicles and breathing out steam. Not paying attention to the people who looked at him as he raced passed them at top speed. He could hear the sound of police sirens, so far away but he knew they would catch up soon enough. He swerved around parked cars, not stopping and not showing any signs of slowing down. Two more blocks and he’ll be in the comfort of his own home.

Please be home mom, please he thought to himself. I need help. Please!

The images of his classroom entered his mind as he passed Brandon’s house on the corner. Tyler presenting his paper about how many schools he had attended before this one. A school for every grade; first, second, third, and fourth. Now in the fifth grade, he hoped to make a new life for himself, like his mother was trying to do. Tyler had only been at the school for 3 months, and he was already having issues with students, including Brandon. Brandon started the trend of calling Tyler odd, strange, and a dork. All true, except the dork part, and all Tyler accepted and didn’t let bother him. He believed he was cursed to never fit in, whether people knew the truth or not. And he was okay with that… Until today.

“Mom!” Tyler called, as he ran into the house, leaving his bike in the front yard and dropping his backpack next to the door mat.

Screaming for his mother, he ran into the kitchen, trying to catch his breath as the sound of sirens came closer. He looked at the digital numbers on the stove that read 1:48. Mom wouldn’t be home for another hour, but the men in blue suits would be there in a matter of minutes.

No, seconds when he heard the sirens right outside, doors opening and closing rapidly.

Tyler regretted trying to make peace with Brandon. If his mother didn’t tell him to try and make friends, he wouldn’t have had to deal with Brandon. If his mother never told him to try to be Brandon’s friend, he wouldn’t have had to confront him. If Brandon wasn’t such a jerk, he wouldn’t be running for his life. If Brandon was nice to him, he would be in music class right now. If Brandon didn’t try to hit Tyler, he wouldn’t be a concrete pancake and the playground would be in one piece. There wouldn’t be people screaming, people running away, people staring in shock, and the blue suits wouldn’t be at the door, demanding it to be opened. But feeling regretful wasn’t going to help Tyler now. Thinking of the past wasn’t going to make the blue suits go away. What’s done is done and he had to worry about the now.

Tyler ran to the kitchen door that led to the back yard, but nearly fell when his mitten-covered hand slipped on the locked door knob. He took the glove off and tried to turn it, but it wouldn’t budge. As the blue suits busted down the door, Tyler realized the key was on the fridge on the other side of the kitchen. Slipping the other glove off his hand, he reached toward the key, beckoning it to come into his palm. He opened the door as the feet and yells came closer to the kitchen. He ran at top speed, through the yard, over the sprinkler, and climbed quickly over the fence, pushing the lawn furniture behind him like footprints to slow the blue suits down. When back on his feet, Tyler dashed into the forest that stretched behind his home, not stopping to look back at what could be following him.

A few hours went by and Tyler was slowly walking through the tree trunks and bushes. The sun was setting and it started to get dark, which spelled trouble for him. Tyler didn’t do well in darkness, but it would make it harder for the blue suits to find him. So he went on, ignoring the sounds of the forest around him. He’d have to reach the town line eventually, and the town line meant a road, which meant light. At least that's what he hoped for. But he wouldn’t make it to the town line. Before he knew it, white round lights shined behind him and to his left and right. The sound of dogs barking, made Tyler start to run forward.

The blue suits found him.

Tyler ran and ran, but the barking got closer and closer, until he realized that he was running toward it. A bright light shined on his face, disorienting him, causing Tyler to fall on his back. His wool hat fell off his head as he sat up but he crawled back immediately as a dog on a leash nearly bites his face. The german shepherd sprays his face with slobber as it barked at him. Tyler’s heart was racing and felt like it would burst as the blue suits surrounded him with big guns, body armor, and angry dogs, hoping to get a taste of Tyler’s flesh if he even thought about trying to run.

“Please…” Tyler pleaded with soaked cheeks. “I didn’t mean to… I swear…”

But his whispers couldn’t be heard over the yelling, barking, and radio calls confirming his location.

An armored blue suit ordered Tyler to stand slowing, using his gun as a physical director. Tyler’s sobs became more apparent as he slowly brought his knees to his chest. Though not a sudden movement, the blue suits ordered him to stop moving and comply. Tyler continued to bring his knees closer, hiding his face in them and hugging himself. He squeezed his eyes shut, drowning out the sounds of the dogs and blue suits surrounding him. For a few moments, it was silent in his head. He could sense the things around him feeling as free as him, not letting gravity keep them down to earth.

He could hear the gasps and screams of shock from the blue suits around him, but he merely ignored them and went back to his state of peace and quiet. However, that silence was broken by the booming sound of a bullet leaving it’s barrel, but Tyler wasn’t worried. The bullet would never reach him, nothing could hurt him. Especially now.

Tyler looked up, cheeks drenched with tears, his face of anger and fear all in one. He was met with a small bullet floating a few inches away from his face, leaves and twigs slowly circling around him. He looked at the bullet, then the gun it came from, then the blue suit that held it. The look of sheer terror on his face behind the mask brought a small sense of satisfaction to Tyler. He fought the smile that wanted to stretch across his face. Instead, Tyler screamed at the top of his lungs, forcing him to blackout while chaos of his own making occurred around him.

Many months later, in a small town several states away, a teacher prepared to introduce a new student to the class. He came into the class, head down and hands crossed in front of himself. The teacher asked him to state his name and where he was from. Tyler took a deep breath, scratching his newly dyed black hair, and then opened his now green eyes with a small fake smile.

“My name is Blake Anderson and I’m from nowhere worth mentioning.”