Yesterdays Gone: SEASON TWO (THE POST-APOCALYPTIC SERIAL THRILLER) (Yesterday's Gone)

you went in there?”
    “No, they came out of the old Pizza Hut across the street. I didn’t even see them until I came out and they told me to stop. That’s when I took off running.”
    “What’s the medicine for?” Brent asked. “Is it important?”
    “Yeah, it’s his heart medicine. If he doesn’t get it, he could die.”
    “Shit,” exploded Brent. “Okay, you wait here. I’m gonna go get your medicine back.”
    “You sure you wanna do that, mister?”
    Ryan cocked a smile. “Not really, but that’s not gonna stop me.”
    “Thank you,” the boy said.  
    “My name is Ryan.” He jerked his thumb at the building behind him. “Why don’t you wait for me upstairs. I’m in apartment 720. Just lock the door. There’s a handgun on the kitchen table if you need it. You know how to use a gun?”
    “Um....no, not really,” the boy said, fumbling his eyes on his fingertips.
    “OK. Don’t sweat it. Just aim and fire, if you have to. The safety is already off, so don’t mess with it unless you need it. OK?”
    “Okay,” the kid promised. “My name is Carmine.”
    “I’ll be right back, Carmine.”

    Ryan raced down the street, slowing only when he reached the alley that had swallowed the jacketed thugs. The men were standing in front of the Pizza Hut shooting the shit.  
    “Here we go,” Ryan said to himself, quickly closing the distance between them, rifle aimed at Red Jacket the entire time.
    “Hey!” he yelled, startling the men. “You took something from a friend of mine,” Ryan said.  
    Red Jacket reached into his pocket. Ryan shouted, “Don’t move or I’ll blow your fucking head off. I’m a Marine sniper, and I never miss!”
    Ryan wasn’t sure if his lie or tone of voice was convincing, but he gave his best don’t-fuck-with-me look.
    “What’s your problem, man?” Blue Jacket asked. Up close, Ryan saw that both men were clearly over 30. Red Jacket was pale with freckles and bright orange, curly hair that reminded Ryan of a giant pubic bush. Blue Jacket was a pudgy black guy who reminded Ryan of Ice Cube, if the rapper had a lazy eye, unibrow, and looked a bit slow.
    “My problem is that you took something from my friend. And I want it back. Now.”
    “It ain’t his,” Red Jacket whined. “He stole it from our store.”
    “Your store?” Ryan asked, glancing at the sign over the store which read, Billings Pharmacy. “Which one of you is Billings?”
    The two exchanged a glance, confused by the question.
    “It’s not your store,” Ryan said. “You’re just squatting until someone bigger and badder comes along to take it from you.”
    “Yeah?” Blue Jacket asked. “Is that you?”
    “I don’t give a shit about your drug store, asshole. Neither does my friend. He just needs some medicine for his grandpa.”
    “We ain’t in the business of giving shit away,” Red Jacket retorted.
    “Do you even know what kind of medicine it is?” Ryan asked.
    “Nah,” Red Jacket said with a shrug. “Don’t really care much, neither.”
    “It’s heart medicine, dipshit. Do either of you need heart medicine?”
    Ryan wasn’t sure if they felt stupid or were just playing tough, but both men stared blankly at him.
    “You going to give it to me or do I need to take it, and maybe the whole fucking store along with it?”
    “Nah, you ain’t got to do that,” Red Jacket said, reaching into his pocket.  
    Ryan adjusted his aim on the rifle as if to say don’t even try it.
    Red Jacket pulled out a shrink-wrapped pack of six vials.
    “Put it on top of the car,” Ryan instructed, pointing to the Blue Volvo next to them.  
    Red Jacket was a good boy; he did exactly as he was told.  
    “Now, I’m gonna leave you boys to go about your business. Next time you see my friend, I suggest you keep walkin’ because the thing about snipers is, we’re really good at not being seen. So, if I even see you lookin’ at my friend wrong, I might just add you to the notches on my rifle. Hoo-rah!”
    Ryan swiped the meds, slipped them into his sweatpants, and backed away in reverse, rifle aimed at the two ass clowns until he reached the alley corner and turned. He waited a moment to see if they’d give chase, but apparently these bullies were more bark than bite when facing anything bigger than a pup.
    Ryan headed toward a home that hadn't been home long enough. His intervention today meant he’d made enemies and he’d have to move again; just when he was starting to like