Shayan

Framed 

Aeron slammed the door on Benjamin while saying, “No, I won’t give you any more loans because you can’t do this forever, and you have to take care of your child.”

“You’re my brother. Who else am I supposed to get to, Aeron?” The door slammed shut, and Benjamin was left staring at the door. Benjamin had no money for a home or food, and his brother had recently stopped loaning him money after not being able to pay back.

Benjamin went outside on the streets of New York, leaning on a red empty hotdog stand. Benjamin lied down on the sidewalk, leaning down on the dirty, wet pavement while the Sunday evening shadows deepened into blue and purple. The wind howled in the night. He could already feel the sweat tickle down his back. Benjamin did not know what to do, not even his own brother would help him anymore. Benjamin could barely pay for his small apartment while taking care of his 5-year-old son. After his wife left him a few years ago, he had been struggling to pay for rent and food.

He went out to the streets of New York in the middle of the night. He could hear cars, taxis and people walking across the streets on the cold night. Suddenly, he saw a black crow sitting on the top of the traffic light, staring into his soul, and squawking vigorously. After a few seconds of squawking, the black crow flew across the road, and Benjamin being the person he was, followed along.

He followed along, until he reached the outside of a warehouse. He saw four people, all disguised with white masks, and wearing black suits. Benjamin started to feel nervous, sweat settled upon his skin.

One of the men came forward, and said, “Hello, Benjamin.” in a calming voice.

“How do you know my name?”, said Benjamin. 

“That does not matter, we are here to help you with your financial problem. I see you are also in many debts, what if someone were to help you get out of those, along with some money”, said one of the men.

“How?” said Benjamin.

“Well, do you see this person right here?” said the man while holding a framed picture of a 5-year-old boy.

“Yes, I do, who is it?” said Benjamin. Benjamin saw something that looked familiar in the eyes of the boy in the picture, the eyebrows, mouth, head shape. It all looked familiar; he just could not think of who it was.

“That doesn’t matter,” said the man. “We need you to kill him”.

“What! Are you crazy? No, no, no, no!” shouted Benjamin.

“Well, the offer we have to give is one million dollars, you can have a few minutes to think about it. We’ll stay right here if you change your mind”.

Benjamin stormed outside of the large warehouse, to the back door and sat down on a cramped, dirty staircase.

He thought to himself that he needs the money, he needs the money to afford food and be able to pay rent for him and his child. But, killing another 5-year-old boy, a boy just like his, how would the other family feel? How would he be able to live with the fact that he had killed a man, the fact that his child would know that? Unless, what if he would not know?

He was thinking, his body as still as a statue, he could hear the flow of his own blood going through his own body. It then struck him. Benjamin wants the money, he needs the money, for a better future for his child, for himself, to show his brother Aeron that he was wrong. He stands up from the dirty staircase he sat on and walked back into the warehouse, going to the exact same spot, and there they were.

The four men he had met before, right where they were before.

“I’ll do it”, said Benjamin.

Another man with a black suit with a white mask, walked towards him, and said “Perfect! We knew you would take the right decision. There is a parking lot a few meters from here, the 5-year-old boy will be sitting in the passenger seat, in a red Toyota, waiting for his dad. Take this gun and shoot the kid”. The man handed him the gun, a black pistol with a black silencer on top of it. Benjamin’s sweat fell upon the side of the gun, falling onto the ground, making a slight sound. Benjamin felt the grip on the firearm, the comfortable weight of wood, metal, and plastic on his fingers,

“Okay, sir. And the money? When will I get it?”, asked Benjamin.

“You’ll get it as soon as you get the job done”, the man stated firmly.

Benjamin put the gun into his pocket and slowly walked out of the warehouse. It was quite extraordinary now, the thought of having to kill someone cleared Benjamin’s mind. Suddenly, he began to run fast, and faster, until he finally reached the parking lot.

The parking lot was completely empty, except one car, a red Toyota in the middle of a parking lot. It was completely silent, not a single sound could be, except the sound of Benjamin’s sweat dripping down his body to the floor. He silently picked up his gun and walked towards the red Toyota, his whole body shaking. He gets a good and firm grip on the gun and presses his fingers onto the trigger guard. The bullet guard a bullet goes through the driver’s window, breaking the glass and shattering it all over the car’s seats. There was nothing there. There was not a 5-year-old boy, there was not anyone at all. Benjamin stands there for a few seconds, confused, thinking, and looking at the shattered glass. Suddenly, he heard sirens, sounds of police cars rushing through the parking lot, police officers’ shoes stepping on the concrete floor, dogs barking. He looked around him; he was surrounded.

“Drop the gun”, shouts one of the police officers, pointing a gun towards him.

“You have 5 seconds”, shouts another police officer, holding a long rifle, staring right at him.

“Five,” said the police officer. Benjamin looks around in confusion. “Four,” the officer continued. Benjamin’s hand was still holding onto the gun. “Three”. Benjamin raised the gun above his torso. “Two”. Benjamin put his hand close to the trigger guard. “one”, shouts the police officer. Benjamin was still holding the gun.

Benjamin sees a shadow-like figure on the walls of the parking lot. It seems to be the man in the black suit and white mask, holding something. He was holding the frame of the 5-year-old boy. Now, Benjamin finally notices. He finally figured out who the 5-year-old boy in the picture frame was. It was him.