Punk Rock Hyenas

“Hey, you still want to be part of the movement?” Eric asked, shaking Joe awake as he did so.

“What?”

“You said you wanted to be in the group, right? Well, now’s your time to do it.”

Joe looked at Eric’s silhouette in his dark bedroom. “What time is it?”

“It’s time to prove you’re not a lightweight. Come on.” Eric flipped the lights to the room on.

Joe got out of bed and stepped into yesterday’s clothes, jeans, and a black and gray flannel shirt. He met Eric by the front door. “Is this some sort of hazing thing?”

“What?” Eric asked as he stepped out into the street, rain cascading against his shoulders.

“You know, find a guy who wants to join your club, get him wasted, and make him do stupid shit all night, hazing,” Joe said, following behind Eric.

“That’s not what we’re about. You can’t change the world through empty aluminum cans and toga parties, Joe.”

The two walked to the curb and stopped in front of a black car.

“You know what kind of car this is?” Eric asked.

“I’m not really a car guy, but I know my dad would call it ‘American muscle’.”

Eric opened the door to the back seat and handed Joe a rubber Halloween mask. “Put this on.”

“It’s a little early to be trick or treating, and President’s day already passed.”

“If you’d shut up this would all go by a lot quicker.”

Joe tugged the mask past his ears and waved a victory sign on either side of his face. “I am not a crook.”

Eric reached into the back seat once more and handed Joe a brown paper bag. “If you’re going to be an ass all night you might as well go back inside.”

“Alright then.” The bag was heavier than Joe expected it to be. Eric motioned him to open the bag. “What the hell is this?” Joe asked as he pulled a revolver about the size of his hand out of the bag.

“That’s to see how dedicated you really are to the mission.”

“The mission? I thought you guys just hung out after class, listened to punk, and talked about change. I didn’t know there’d be guns involved.”

Eric opened the trunk and the rain fell harder than before, speaking out against Eric and Joe’s actions. “What’s the point of that? Why sit and talk when you can go and do? Come here.”

Joe walked over to the trunk. Inside, a man was hogtied with a black sack thrown over his head. He was lying still, unconscious. “What the hell, Er—"

Eric grabbed Joe by the throat. “Don’t say any names right now dumbass, okay?”

Joe nodded, and Eric let go.

“Who’s that guy, what is going on?”

“That guy? He’s our district’s representative, and he wants to vote against bill FL H1013, the scumbag,” Eric said as he walked back over the rear door of the car.

“He’s a representative, that means he’s doing what the majority of people want right? We can’t kill a guy for that.”

“We’re going to use him to send a message.”

“Which is, you’re either with us or you’re dead?” Joe asked as he walked closer to face Eric.

“Exactly, now rip that sack off his face and get it done.”

Joe looked down at the minuscule weapon in his hand and the empty street around him. “I thought you just ran some sort of club for Poly-Sci students to make sure they were active in their local government, man.”

“What do you think this is?”

“Murder.” Joe took off his mask and dropped it to the ground. It stared up at him.

“I knew you weren’t cut out for this.”

“No, I’m not. Nobody should be. I wanted to join a group of fellow angst-ridden amateur politicians, not some sort of Wolverines gone wrong man.”

“Extreme actions bring immediate results.”

“Yeah, if you want to make a martyr.”

Eric stared at the street light a few feet away. Its light stopped just short of the back tire. If anyone were to be looking out of their window that night they’d be able to make out the shape of a car with an open trunk, but nothing else. “Go back inside, pack your shit, and leave.”

“So that you can just kill this guy? No.” Joe pushed his shoulders back, trying his best to look at least a little intimidating, but, even with a gun, everything about him said, “I’m fine, and you?”

Eric laughed and stepped toward Joe.

Joe raised his weapon.

The rain fell harder as the two stood motionless. It was all either of the men could fully see or hear.

“You won’t do anything,” Eric said, barely audible over the rain.

“If you move, we’ll find out.” Joe placed his finger on the trigger.

They stayed frozen on the sidewalk, unable to see or hear the world around them.

Because of this, neither of them heard their representative come to consciousness in the trunk, slip out of his bondage, tear off his hood, and sprint off into the night.

“Are we going to stand here all night?” Eric asked.

“At least until you can guarantee this guy’s safety.”

“If I do that, he’ll be able to vote against what we need.”

“Well, then I guess we’re going to stand here all night.”