The Emilots

The Emilot family has been of high status for many generations. They are known for having secrets that are tightly sealed in the family's history. When one of their secrets is overheard by 17-year-old Mark Stevenson, he had to investigate if it was true. Mark stood in the backyard of the Emilots upscale mansion, hidden from the view of security by the shade of the night. His arms burned and sweat-soaked his body as he heaved a shovel into the ground. Mark and his best friend Jenny had overheard a conversation from the Emilots sons, that there was a lump sum of cash buried behind the tallest bush in their back yard. It had been buried for over 50 years as an emergency fund for the family. Mark was fighting off guilty thoughts as he dug. He could not start to believe that the Emilots would ever need the extra money with how rich they are. Their snobby sons Evan and Esan were always looking down on poorer families like Marks. That is why Mark thought the money deserved to go to a family like his. His family are fishermen, but because of the mysterious sewage in the town's waterways, his family could not consistently make any money. Mark was pulled out of his thoughts when his shovel hit something with a soft thud. He reached down into the semi-deep hole and pulled out a black case. "Jackpot," he muttered with a smile. Mark undid the latch on the case and peeked into it. The overflow of green wads of cash made his stomach twist in delight. He had never seen so much money before. He went to close the case, but a small black notebook caught his attention. He placed the case on the ground and picked the notebook up out of the hole. He dusted it off on his pants, rubbing his hand across the nice leather. He flicked through the pages quickly checking if anything was written. Mark hummed as he realized that the notebook was empty; tossing it back in the hole, he made his way to the large fence that surrounded the Emilots grand palazzo.

Mark had swung a long rope over the fence to enter the estate, and he would use it to escape. Mark connected the case to his belt buckle and began to climb. He had almost made it to the top when the case began to slip. Mark felt the movement and reached one arm down to secure the case, but it was too late. The item crashed to the ground hitting the wall as it fell. A loud booming echo was heard throughout the vast backyard of the estate. It was not long until Mark heard dogs barking and saw the shine of flashlights. "Crap," Mark cursed under his breath. He began to pull himself up with panic deciding to leave the case behind. The sounds grew nearer, but just as Mark was about to slip over the fence, the pain from all the digging he had done set in, and his arms became weak. Marks body began to slide down as he desperately tried to regain his strength. Mark raked his nails into the rope to keep his hold on it, but the rope tore straight through his frail fingertips as he began to fall. Mark crashed to the ground forcing a blinding white pain to course through his body. He wanted to scream, but no words came out. He panted as his body felt etched to the ground. Mark reached out and grabbed the case for support as he tried to ease his pain. Although his body screamed for him to lay still, the panic of the house's security approaching caused him to move. He dragged his way into one of the bushes and held his breath to stay quiet. Three guards suddenly ran out from a path that was hidden away from Mark's sight. They had dogs attached to chains that barked loudly. They gazed upon the rope and one of the guards pulled out a walkie-talkie and quickly spoke into it. "There seems to be a break-in. The suspect escaped past wall C.” The guards then began to run in the opposite direction. Mark took a deep breath in and one of the dogs stopped and began to growl at the bush Mark was hidden inside. Mark clasped his hand over his mouth and closed his eyes in fear. The guard whistled, and the dog retreated to his side. Mark peeked his eyes open and began to hyperventilate. He was angry that he had got himself into this situation. He no longer had any strength to climb the fence again, and his shoulder appeared to be dislocated. He grunted in pain as he sat himself up and crawled with his one good hand still grasping the case. Mark peeked through the opposite end of the bush and saw that there was a window open on the house. He began to crawl toward the window, but the sound of footsteps near the bushes sent Mark back into an alarmed panic. Mark threw his body forward into the hole he had dug previously. Once the sound of footsteps retreated. He pulled himself and the case out the hole as his eyes landed on the little black book from before. He reached out and slid the notebook into his pocket before crawling through the window on the house. Mark grunted as he made impact with a floor. His body ached as he observed that he had landed in what looked like The Emilots basement. Mark used the wall to stand himself up as he limped painfully down the passageway. As Mark approached one of the many doors, a foul smell began to penetrate his senses. The smell burned his eyes and choked him as he tried to move away, but his body gave out, and he fell through one of the doors. The smell became so horrendous that Mark had to hold his breath. He glanced into the room to see a large containment facility filled with large clear tanks of sewage. The sight numbed the pain in Mark's body. The Emilot family may have been the ones dumping sewage into the water. Mark wanted to look deeper into the room, but the smell combined with the sound of footsteps made him drag his body out and shut the door. Mark knew he had to escape the house now. His whole family was suffering because of what the Emilots may have been doing. Mark stood up once more and pulled out his phone. He did not want anyone to know about him coming to the Emilots mansion, but he knew he could not get away on his own. Mark dialed Jenny's number and was greeted by her soft voice. Mark hurriedly explained the situation and begged for her help. By now, Jenny was fully awake. "Wait, so you got the money. How much" "I think it's about 20,000," Mark answered in reply to her. "I'm going to pull up outside; just make sure you're there," She said sternly—Mark gratefully replied before hanging up. He had always been able to count on Jenny no matter the situation causing them to have a strong friendship.

Mark surveyed the room and entered a small dumbwaiter at the opposite end of the hall. He closed it and used his good arm to pull the rope that would bring him to the next floor. Mark approached an opening and climbed out of the dumbwaiter. The hall was dark; Mark held the money close to his chest as he approached the edge of the hall. He peeked around the corner to see security standing near the main doors. Mark ducked under the stairway. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Mark took a deep breath and chucked his phone down the hallway opposite the guards. The sound of something hitting the wall alarmed the guards, and they rushed in that direction. As soon as the guards ran past the stairwell, Mark jetted for the door. His legs were weak, and his ankle may have been sprained, but his adrenaline masked the pain. Mark quietly made his way out the door. He saw a dark blue Honda tucked lightly in the distance and realized it was Jenny. Mark limped as he ran, glancing back at the house only to make eye contact with Evan through the window, Esan stood behind him yelling something. Mark quickly understood that he was yelling for security to pursue him, but Mark had already thrown himself into the back of Jenny's car, and they sped away within seconds.

Mark sighed in relief as he managed to make it out with his life. He relaxed and began to let his exhaustion take control. Jenny drove in silence, but Mark did not mind. He was snapped out of his sleepy trance when Jenny pulled over. "I want to check your injuries under the lamppost," she said, unbuckling her seat belt and exiting the car. Mark was worried about security guards catching up to them, but he still listened. He entered the quiet street. Jenny began to assess his body as he used the lamp post for support. "Do I need to go to the hospital?" Mark asked worriedly. "No, I don't think so," Jenny replied. Mark sighed in relief as he made his way back to the car, tugging the handle Mark realized the car was locked. "The money is in the car right," Jenny said inquisitively from behind him. "Yeah," Mark said tiredly. No reply came from Jenny, but just as Mark turned to look at her, a gunshot rang through the air. Mark snapped his neck in the direction of the Emilot mansion, but there were no guards.

Mark turned around only to realize Jenny had the gun and the bullet had gone through him. Mark was in shock as he fell to his knees. "Jenny, why" Marks voice cracked. Blood painfully gushed from his stomach. "I'm sorry, Mark, but your family aren’t the only ones struggling." Mark fell to the ground and watched as Jenny drove off. Tears of anger and betrayal rushed down his cheeks. He had never thought money would come between their 10-year friendship. He reminisced sadly about how he had just lost his best friend and failed to help his family. Mark rolled onto his side and remembered that he had something in his pocket.

Jenny later came with the cops. She told them her friend had called, asking her to be his getaway driver. The cops headed to the mansion, but they came across Mark's body first. Jenny got out one of the squad cars and began to weep. "Oh no, don't tell me he's gone," she wept; she had practiced what to say. One of the officers crouched and checked Mark's pulse. "Dead," he said while still crouched. Jenny began to cry harder. The officer turned around and looked at her. "What was your name again," he said blatantly. "Jenny," she said through tears. The officer made a hand signal and one of the other officers put Jenny in cuffs. "What are you doing!" Jenny exclaimed. "My friend was killed, and you're arresting me!" Jenny yelled loudly and demanded an explanation. The cop stood and grabbed something off the ground. The officer held a black notebook that had shaky words in it. "Jenny shot me" and "Check the Emilots basement" Were written in blood on the fine white pages. Jenny began to scream as the officers forced her into their squad car.

The police investigated and found that the Emilots had been illegally poisoning the town's water. The story spread through town like wildfire. Marks' family mourned his death but were able to start fishing again. After the older members of the Emilot family were arrested, the younger members used the 20,000 dollars to flee town after they faced bankruptcy.