You hear people shouting as the guy who took the cash from the register runs down the street, but it’s all happening behind you. Not my policy, not my problem is the easy excuse you give yourself until you hear the gunshot, and then your attention snaps back. Someone could be hurt.

Someone is hurt, there’s a body lying on the sidewalk, and you walk carefully across the street, not noticing the traffic or the fact that it still kind of feels like it might start raining at any moment, because there’s a body on the sidewalk, and you don’t want it to be familiar, try to convince yourself it’s just because it’s dark, it’s just because you’re still thinking about the fight you had, the fight that made you slam the door and run away that’s making you think the guy lying there on the sidewalk, black-red blood staining his chest and stomach is your uncle. It can’t be him, and you’re afraid to get closer but you can’t just walk away either, it’s like you’re sleep walking, and you’re not really sure if you’re kneeling down next to him – it’s him, it’s him – because your knees are giving out and you’re shaking too badly to stand, or if because you just need to help. Need to do something other than stand there.

“Oh God, oh God –” Your hands shake as they hover uncertainly over the wound, because you want to put pressure on it, want to do something, but –

“Uncle Ben, Uncle Ben –”

He doesn’t respond at all. You don’t think he’s breathing.

Actually, you’re pretty sure he hasn’t been breathing since you got here.

You jerk around, screaming “Call an ambulance, SOMEBODY CALL AN AMBULANCE!”, but no one’s around, even though there had been people on the street before, there’s no one to help, and again you go back to hovering and shaking and you can’t even hear yourself talking. You don’t know what to do, you don’t know if there’s anything you can do, and this is your fault, you’re the only reason he was out here tonight, he was looking for you and that’s finally when your hand drops over the bloody spot on the shirt. You hunch over his body, and you’re not sure if you’re crying or about to scream or just can’t breathe–