At Last

As Lukas walked back uptown with Mike, he swore to himself that he'd master driving.

Anyway, If somebody found a suitable bike, the new plan was that Wu Shen would head to the location as fast as he could and drive it back home.

There was no other choice.

Night was fast approaching and just as their efforts seemed fruitless, Lukas received an excited call from one of Wu Shen's boys. Its contents were basically;

'We found it boss! We found it! It's on ***** street! Come quickly! The owner went to buy a drink! He'll be out soon! Quick!'

End of call.

That high-pitched voice still rang in his ears as Mike and himself sprinted over to the location. Luckily for them, it wasn't very far from the main street. They were there in 15 minutes. Waiting for them was an anxious group of boys. There faces lit up as they saw Mike and Lukas fast approaching.

"Where-" Lukas coughed and tried to catch his breath. "Where's Wu Shen?"

The boys' faces scrunched up as if they were about to cry. Looking at them closer, they seemed younger than himself. Perhaps 14?...

"He's not here yet! Chen Li went in to distract him!"

'What a noble sacrifice.'

Mike gasped. Through the glass shop window, he could see a young boy and an adult man get into a fight. The man punched the boy in the face and headed for the exit.

Lukas followed Mike's eyes and saw the same scene. Turning to the others, he pointed and asked,

"Is that the driver?"

The following noises resembled a pig being slaughtered. The boys ran around unsure of what to do.

Lukas could understand their panic. They were standing right next to the motorbike and the driver would be able to immediately link Chen Li to the group around his bike.

"Sh*t. Where the hell is that spiky b*st*rd?!"

Mike paced up and down but stopped when he heard the crunching of gravel and pants of a tired, sweaty boy.

Speak of the devil.

Face as red as a tomato, Wu Shen, came limping round the corner and collapsed in a sweaty mess at their feet.

The boys burst out in tears, "Leader! We're so glad you're here! Quickly! Get on it and go!"

Wu Shen was still gasping for air when he heard their cries. He wanted to cry too. His sided burned and his thighs ached. He needed to breathe. At least, he thought he needed to breathe.

"Get. On. And. Go."

The four words from the devil beside him made him jump up with energy fueled by fear.

"Yes, boss."

He quickly mounted the bike and without any warning, he started the engine and sped away.

The driver had long exited the shop and was just in time to witness this daylight robbery by high-school students. He wordlessly took out his phone and called the police.

One of the boys spotted this.

"Boss!"

Lukas looked over, his eyes widening in alarm. "Sh*t"

He turned to Mike, "Grab the kid inside and run."

"What about the motorcyclist?"

"I'll knock him out and throw him in an alley or something."

"Got it."

"What about us?"

"Get as far away from here as you can. Then make sure that you look like a bunch of kids hanging out together. If a policeman approaches you, stay calm. Otherwise, spread out and run."

"Yessir!"

The boys followed Lukas's orders and ran without any hesitation.

"How innocent." Mike looked at their miniscule figures in the distance and sighed. He remembered those days. He would run out of the house as soon as his mother ordered him to do something. He was like a dog and she was the...Hmm? This sounded familiar?

"Isn't it more like heartless?" Lukas's voice brought him out of his stupor and he nodded in agreement. "By the way," Lukas turned and pointed at the shop. "Aren't you going to get that kid out of there?"

"Oh!" Mike pushed past the motorcyclist and hurried to get Chen Li. He emerged not soon after and, with some difficulty, bolted away from the area.

The motorcyclist had just stood there all this time. At times like these, what exactly were you supposed to do? He'd already called the police, but at this rate, there'd be nobody left behind to arrest. He reached a conclusion. He was going to stop this young lad in front of him from escaping.

The man launched himself at Lukas.