S2W15: “Backwards Alley”

© 2021 Phylicia Joannis

“Hey, Coke, check this out.”

Marcos and Coke turned as another Shigna member pointed towards the street. There were five of them in front of the store now, and they all watched as a black car pulled into one of the alleys. Backwards.

It was too dark to see anything, but judging by the way the driver kept his face hidden, he was throwing out more than garbage.

“Fifty bucks says it’s a body dump,” Coke challenged.

“Nah, that car’s too fancy.” Another member shook his head.

“Fancy cars like that don’t come down here to throw away leftover caviar, son. I’m telling you it’s a dump. Right Marcos?”

Marcos shrugged. “I dunno, Coke, it’s hard to say.”

“Go check it out.” Coke pushed Marcos forward. “And make sure you get the plate on that car, just in case.”

Marcos grimaced. “But what if it is a body?”

Coke waved him forward. “Hurry up, he’s leaving.”

Marcos rolled his eyes and made his way towards the car, passing by casually before the driver could pull out of the alley. He only got a quick glance, but the driver was definitely white. He slowed his pace and walked into a nearby store, waiting for the driver to pull away so he could snap a photo of the license plate.

As the driver passed by the store, he took a few photos. Marcos was about to leave, but he caught a whiff of the deli and it pulled him back. Coke’s sandwich had been pretty good. He ordered another one, with extra meat, then headed back outside.

Coke and his friends stared at him, chuckling. “You got a tape worm or something, da Vinci?” Coke hollered.

“Real funny.” Marcos bit into his sandwich. “Round two is way better, anyway.”

“You get the plate?” Coke asked.

“Yea I got it.” Marcos handed him his cell phone and Coke looked through the pictures.

Coke whistled and shook his head. “If there’s anything in that alley, it’s payday for us. Hey now, what’s this?” Coke turned the phone around and showed Marcos the picture of Miracle.

“Nothing.” Marcos grabbed his phone and finished his sandwich.

“Who’s the girl?” Coke teased.

“Nobody.” Marcos shrugged. Coke was always fishing for something, but Marcos wouldn’t bite. He didn’t want Miracle anywhere near Coke.

“Doesn’t look like nobody to me.” Coke shrugged and moved on. “Go look in the alley, Marcos.”

Marcos frowned. Dead bodies made him sick, and Coke knew it. “It’s probably nothing, Coke.” Marcos stared at his feet. “Probably just garbage.”

“These pictures don’t pay unless we find something in that alley, Marcos.” Coke’s tone lost its friendly lilt. “Go check.”

Marcos ambled towards the alley, freaked out by the possibility of a slimy, dead body.

“Boy, we ain’t got all day!” Coke hollered.

Marcos grunted and quickened his pace, turning into the alley. Out of sight from Coke and his buddies, he slowed down, looking up and down the sides of the alley until he spotted the giant dumpster on the end. If anything got dropped off, it would be in there. Marcos slowly walked towards the dumpster and peeked inside. Sure enough, a body shaped bag lay inside. Marcos took a picture and ran back to Coke.

“Here.” Marcos showed him the picture and Coke smiled.

“That’s good, but we need a picture of the body, too Marcos.”

Marcos greened. “Coke, I can’t, man.”

Two Shigna members drove up, calling out to Coke, “Hey Coke! Boss Man says the warehouse needs stock.”

Coke nodded and handed him back his phone. “I’m counting on you, Marcos. Get those photos.” He slapped Marcos on the back and got in the car with the other two Shigna members.

Marcos’s sandwich roiled in his belly. The dead body could wait. He didn’t have the nerve right now, not if he wanted to keep that sandwich down. “The warehouse” was code for a drop off, so Coke wouldn’t be back for a few hours. He could snap a photo later.

Marcos walked back towards Penny’s car, smacking his hand on the steering wheel in frustration. His phone buzzed before he could get the keys in the ignition, and a part of him hoped it was Miracle. It was a text from Coke.

“Send me those pics in 5.”

One of the guys must have snitched. He scowled at them from the car, but they only laughed and gave him the finger. Marcos replied in kind as he left the car and headed back to the alley.

He jumped into the dumpster and placed one arm over his nose as he studied the bag. It was too thick to open without a knife, but he kept one on him.

He cut a line through the plastic, careful not to touch the body itself. The dumpster reeked, but it was a blessing in disguise. Rotting dead body was a hundred times worse. It’d take a miracle for him not to gag as soon as he opened the plastic.

Marcos put his knife away and pulled back the plastic flaps near the corpse’s head. His eyes landed on a face, and he sucked in a sharp breath. He pulled back more of the plastic, fingers trembling, heart pounding. But there was no mistaking those curls. That face.

No.