• I hunched my shoulders and hugged my knees in a pitiful attempt to keep the biting cold from nipping at my bare flesh. I sat curled up on the rotting floor of a run-down apartment on 34th Street. Ice covered the walls and the floor was soggy from snow but none of these things could keep a large, warm grin from warming my frigid cheeks. Recently I had escaped from the only thing that could keep my wild spirit contained, prison. My mind swirled with the memory and a glorious haze filled my fragile mind. I didn't notice my eyes begin to slide shut.

    A warm and gentle wave over came me. It carried me endlessly through a sea of dreams. The sensation was incredible and it felt like soft velvet enveloped my skin, relaxing my tense muscles and soothing my edgy mind. I was filled with happiness and for the first time I felt contented, grateful to be away from cold and fear. I prepared myself to be indulged in another swell of illusions but all I could feel now was a cold hand, grabbing my arm harshly and shaking it violently.

    "You piece of filth! How did a scoundrel like you ever escape from prison?"

    I knew that voice. Take years of Hell slathered over an abusive childhood and that was the tone you got. Even standing in a burning hearth this cold sound could freeze even the warmest of hearts. I opened my eyes to confirm my theory.

    Green eyes met grey and I knew that I was not mistaken. This was the Snake I knew. For several tense minutes we both looked at each other with blank, emotionless faces. Then Snake reached down and grabbed my arm to swing me so I was standing upright. He then embraced me in a huge bear hug.

    "I knew I'd see you again kid."

    This was a man I had known for years. My partner in crime. My accomplice. And most importantly my friend.

    For long moments he squeezed me hard. He then sat me back down on the floor, positioning himself adjacent to me. At first we didn't speak. We had both been through similar experiences and together we were like father and son. I opened my mouth to speak then snapped it shut again, not wanting to break the silence. I tried again and succeeded, beginning to whisper quietly about my unbelievable escape then slipping easily into other topics. For hours the only thing that could be heard in the small and ratty room was the scuttling of tiny paws in the walls and our hushed chattering. Finally Snake raise a hand withered with age and hard work and spoke.

    "We've talked enough for now. Go and sleep."

    I nodded my head in tired agreement and crawled, for fear of the floor breaking, to a grimy blanket I had found in a dropping filled closet in the back of the apartment. As soon as I reached the filthy cloth my tall frame collapsed and soon I was left in blackness to rest my exhausted mind.

    "Kid! Kid, wake up!"

    To me the words were distorted but as more sense started to fill my mind and the cold and worried sound pierced the hazy blanket shielding me from reality I understood and my eyes shot open with a frightened glance. I started to ask what was wrong when I heard the sirens. Loud droning was coming from the east of the building and blue and read lights filled the cracks. Panic began to ache through my body as I imagined all the cop cars. I began to hyperventilate but Snake had a better plan. He pointed a slim finger towards a shattered window on the west wall. Together we crept forward on silent feet, not daring to breathe. As we neared the window, without hesitation Snake swung his muscled figure through the frame, only to land on a dark drainage pipe a few feet down. I copied his fluid movements and we encroached down the narrow pipe to a slanting roof that led to the ground.


    As I slid noiselessly to the ground my racing heart slowed a little as I thought we had just escaped death. Simultaneously Snake and I snuck into the street that intersected the alley. That was when the sound of gunfire pierced my ears.

    Before I knew what was occurring Snake lifted me effortlessly off the ground and slung me across his robust shoulder. I figured this was not the time to struggle and let myself go limp. Snake muscled his way down the street and began to sprint swiftly away from the approaching cops. The police fired a heavy rain of bullets while keeping at a steady pace with his speeding form. I felt my weight shift as Snake rounded a sharp corner and for a minute the cops were lost from view. In those few precious moments Snake thought quickly. He threw me head first into a nearby dumpster. For a second I lay dazed, my vision clouded and head throbbing. I pulled myself from a heap of junk and peered out the metal side of the bin. A cop had reappeared and was now yelling at Snake, who was ascending a treacherous, slanted rooftop. Strewn in his arm was the trash bag, shielded cleverly from the man so it appeared to be me. I wanted to yell to Snake to make a run for it but I couldn't. I felt helpless in my situation and for once I understood the phrase "Cat got your tongue?” Snake struggled up the roof then turned to face the authority. He cast a glance in my direction, staring deep into my lush eyes, and made a deadly decision.

    He got that mischievous twinkle in his eye as he turned his gaze. Snake screamed his final battle cry and jumped viciously from the building. I still couldn't yell out as I watched the surprised cop draw his weapon, a long deathly rifle that cast a menacing shadow and whispered death as the cop raise its point so it was aimed directly at Snakes unprotected stomach. A rolling tear painted a shallow trickle down my flushed cheek.

    I heard the gunshot. It was a roaring lion lashing out in the bitter cold night. Smoke filled the ally and stung my watery eyes. I glanced anxiously into the smog, hoping somehow the shot had missed. As the haze cleared I witnessed the cop shake his pale, bald head in dismay then trot back down the ally for reinforcements. When the fog lifted completely I saw what I had dreaded most. On the hard pavement of the New York street lay my comrade, sprawled in a twisted heap.