My First Reddit Writing Prompt Submittal
[WP] 10 hours ago you were just a normal person trying to buy a cup of coffee. Now you are the most wanted man/woman of your country.
That first cappuccino in the morning is the best part of my work day. Being out of the office, across the street, free of mindless morning conversation about everyone's weekend.
Maybe i'll grab a pain au chocolate and eat it slowly while gazing through the coffee shop window daydreaming about the productive things I will assuredly do after work. By 3 o'clock i'll have changed my mind and be thinking about my bed and what sci-fi movie to fall asleep to. How did I fucking get here? I find myself asking that question every single goddamn day but choose to stay in the confines of my office in a safe job contributing to my strategic 401k so that my non-existent kids can attend state colleges and my thought of a wife who doesn't have to keep a full-time job.
I look down and I haven't touched my pastry. I've literally been staring through the window at the brick wall across the street for the past 5 minutes. I'm not doing this today. I'm going to do something. I'm not going in there.
I stepped out of the shop and turned left, away from work and just started walking. My mind wasn't racing like I thought it would. I just felt a huge weight off of my shoulders. Pure freedom and sense of adventure. The type of feeling you have between the ages of 18 and 25, when you somehow are certain that you have the power to do anything in the world and get away with it.
My first thought was to go straight home and laze around the rest of the day and email my resignation letter to my shit head boss. But that was taking the easy way out. I wanted to fucking live! I needed to feel more power. Guns! I needed to go to the gun range. I had never shot a gun before and have always wanted to. What better way to start this adventure than by exercising my god given right as an American...
I searched google and found a range about 10 miles away and hopped in a cab. I didn't want to speak to the cab driver at all. I just wanted to stare out the window and look deep into my own head for the next 15 minutes before I unloaded on a thin silhouette of what i'd like to think of as a disgustingly evil person.
I was overly surprised at how easy it was to be issued a gun and bullets and fire willingly in the back of what felt like some guy's garage. The feeling of the recoil was pretty much exactly as I expected; which was empowering. I fired round after round with a few guns I knew nothing about before retiring to the gun shop to admire all the detailed workmanship of the firearms. The only thought in my head was "what next?"
I hailed another cab. This time to my house to grab a few outfits, some cash, and a bottle of sunscreen. The only logical thought that came across my mind on that cab ride was to book a flight somewhere warm and wild. I always wanted to go to Tijuana and experience this Mexican playground for Americans. Booze and drugs just sounded so good at that moment.
A flight purchase on my phone, a cab ride, and an airport beer later I was on a Southwest flight to Tijuana. I had no regrets at that moment. I literally did no have a care in the world of who and what I was leaving behind. I let my mind wander again with the help of a few more plane beers and the white noise coming from the in-cabin air conditioning nozzles over head. I slowly drifted off to a deep stress-free sleep.
I was awoken by a very attractive stewardess asking me to put my chair upright and fasten my seatbelt because we were about to land. I complied and complemented her with a sleepy smile, excited to get off of the aircraft into the tropical weather. A smooth landing and an unorganized exit later I was in the airport searching for a cab driver that wouldn't screw me over.
My new friend Pedro was driving me to a Hyatt I found on Orbitz so I could relax, order room service and drink until I couldn't talk anymore. Pedro offered me some weed which I graciously accepted. He then willingly accepted my American money and pointed me to the best strip club in town should I wish to partake. My only plan for the night was to veg out so I could pick up the party tomorrow. After all, I should take my new found freedom and relish in it.
I checked in and did exactly as I planned as well as smoked a few bowls out of one of the room service apples. I was right where I wanted to be without a worry in the world and no thought about the days to come. I drifted off into a deep dream-filled sleep.
I awoke around 10am and immediately walked down to the beach to jump into the ocean. It was amazing to think that only about 24 hours earlier I was as depressed and unfulfilled as I was. Now I was calm and free, letting my mind finally decide what it is I was going to do in order to be happy. And the next thing I wanted to do was eat tacos for breakfast. I strolled up to a small restaurant facing the beach and decided to connect to the wifi to write my boss that resignation letter I'd been putting off.
As soon as I connected my phone was barraged with all types of notifications. My missed calls and text messages were in the double digits and my email inbox was well over 100. The first line that caught my eye was "Work shooting...gunman at large" What the fuck had happened since I had been gone. I opened up the first email to see my name strewn across the news claimed to be the gunman at large. The day i'd left, someone walked into my office building, opened fire killing 7 of my former co-workers. Since I had been uncalled for for a day and a half and was last seen at a gun range I was the most likely suspect.
I was now one of America's most wanted men.