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ASIDE FROM THE DISTANT wail of an ambulance siren, things were quiet for a Saturday night downtown. Mitch and Cory were wasting some time wandering the partially lit streets. It was the first free evening they had managed to get for a few weeks, and they decided to wander around downtown, get a bite to eat and maybe catch a movie later on. There wasn't much else to do.
The heavy winter clothing in the store windows seemed out of place, considering how mild the weather was for the fall, and they laughed at some of the outrageously padded coats that no one would even consider buying. It didn't get that cold any more.
They were peering through the security bars of the display window of a shabby electronics store, then Mitch felt something jab him in the back.
"Hey, what the...?" He turned around to see a shorter man standing behind him and aiming a handgun at him. "Shit."
Cory turned to see what Mitch was talking about and froze. The person with the scarf tied across the lower half of his face looked young, no more than a teen, really. His wide, gray eyes were all that could be seen of his face, and they darted nervously from Mitch to Cory and back. Straggly dark blond hair stuck out from under a well-worn ball cap that was pulled down low on his face.
"Hand over any money you have," said a voice, the words muffled by their passage through a faded brown scarf.
Cory took a step forward, reached out a hand and yanked the scarf from the kid's face.
"Kenny?"
The boy's eyes got wider when they focused on Cory's face. "Oh, hey Cory." He took a step back and dropped his arm to his side, still holding the gun.
"What the hell are you doing, Kenny?"
"Oh, well," Kenny gestured vaguely with the pistol. "I um..."
"Put that thing away before you shoot your foot off, you fool," Cory snarled. He turned to Mitch, who was watching the whole exchange, completely bewildered. "You remember my younger cousin, Kenny. He's an idiot, obviously."
"Yeah, I know Kenny." Mitch addressed the younger boy. "You used to hang out at our house with Cory when we were kids, didn't you? Got yourself in over your head, did you, Kenny?"
"Hey, I know what I'm doing," Kenny griped.
"No, you don't," said Cory. "Your mom would kill you if she could see you. What are you up to?"
Kenny pocketed the gun, avoiding looking at either of them. "Trying to get some cash."
"Like this?"
Kenny shrugged. "Why not?"
"Because it's stupid, that's why. You want a criminal record or something?"
"Of course not, and I'm not stupid. The only stupid thing I did was pick the two of you to rob. Of all the people I could have picked, why'd it have to be you?" He kicked at a pebble on the ground in disgust.
"Yeah, THAT was the mistake." Cory sighed. "Look, why don't you get out of here before someone sees you. Get rid of that gun and go home. Smarten up and I won't tell your mom."
Kenny glanced at Cory apologetically. "Sorry. It's just..." he turned away, hunching his shoulders as he shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, concealing the gun. "It's just something I gotta do." With a last backward glance, he hurried away.
The two young men watched him go, and then glanced at each other.
"What was that all about?" asked Mitch.
Cory shook his head and they continued down the street. "I have no idea. The kid is the laziest thing I've ever known. I doubt he'll finish high school. But turning into a street thug? That's just crazy."
They turned and continued down the street.
"Dad says that street gangs seem to gaining numbers downtown," said Mitch. "The police have gotten more calls to break up fights or chase down vandals this year than they ever have in the past."
"I wonder why?"
"Same old story. Dad says it's because there's nothing to do here. No jobs, no opportunities. Kids want to belong to something. They want to feel important."
Cory turned and looked down the road where Kenny had run off. "I wonder if that's what that little turd is up to."
"If he is, he's in for a world of trouble."
"Shit. My Aunt Estelle is going to lose it if she finds out. What a rotten thing to do to her. What an idiot." He sighed and turned back to follow Mitch.
"That's why Kendra and I are getting out of here after graduation. There's nothing here for us, so we'll hit the road and see the world while we can."
"Look, man, I'm serious about you coming with me when we move east. My dad's already there, and has already lined up jobs for my mom and me. It's entry-level, but they'll train, and the pay is decent. There are lots of chances to move up in the company."
Mitch tilted his head back to look up at the tall buildings that reached up to the darkened sky. "It feels like selling out to corporate government control to me. I don't like that idea too much."
"But that's where the money is."
Mitch glanced at his friend. "What will you do be doing?"
Cory shrugged. "Warehouse at first. I know how to run any type of big farm equipment, so I can work my way up to equipment operator or even management. If they will train, I could even get into the corporate end of things. Then I'll be making big money."
The boys were silent for a few paces, each lost in their own thoughts.
"I wish you weren't going," said Mitch, finally.
"Come with me."
Mitch shook his head slowly. "I've got other plans, man. Plans that don't require me to be tied to a corporate government job."
"But listen, the government is working on plans to take care of everyone. That's why big corporations are working with the government. They are working on projects to control food production and distribution of goods, so that everyone has the same access to the things they need. That's why we have to go where the jobs are. If those government people hadn't made my family an offer, we wouldn't have lasted another year. They gave us the out we needed. In exchange, we can use our skills and experience to help them build a better system for everyone. This is the future, Mitch. Think about it! When all the resources are centralized, then they can be distributed fairly and everyone will be taken care of. It's the only way to handle this ongoing drought and the changes that are happening to all the crops. The government has huge plans, and everyone is going to benefit from it."
Mitch felt a nauseating clench in the pit of his stomach. He didn't like the sound of that at all.