Dare and Run

"This is your fault!" Manuel yelled at his old friend, Rodrigo, who both were trying to run for their lives from a rampaging bull.

"My fault! It was your idea!" Rodrigo replied, keeping his breath in check. His pulse was alarming, and sweating buckets for fifteen minutes straight. "None of this would be happening if we kept doing our jobs, but nooooooo... You wanted to make this dumb dare as if we didn't have enough problems for today!"

"You were supposed to touch the sleeping bull for two seconds! No tickling it!"

"You said that I would get double if I wake up the bull and leave it alone before it could notice us!" Rodrigo kept his eyes on the road. He could see the people moving out harm's way and hiding inside buildings as soon as the bull approached within the small town of Chinchón, Spain; those two had the task of cleaning the area for the incoming event in the Plaza Mayor. They ran through the streets and turned at every corner whenever they had the opportunity, but that relentless beast would not stop once it had them in its sight. The logical solution would be to hide and leave the area, but the loose bull would attract the local authorities. It was easy to pinpoint them as the culprits of the incident, hence getting arrested for damaging property. Manuel and Rodrigo had to put that creature back where it belongs before causing a bigger mess.

Down the street, they encountered a fork ahead of them. The left side could lead to the neighborhood while the right uphill towards the church. Going through the first option was risky due to the people getting on their way, but that could help bring the bull to an open field. "Hey, you go to the left, I take the right and you distract the bull!" Manuel instructed.

"Why I have to distract it!?" Rodrigo complained.

"I need to call Herman about this! He might help us to solve it quickly!"

"You know I can call him as well! Why I don't do it!?"

"We don't have time to argue! I will do it, period!" The conversation ended up short by the end of the fork. Both men split up and went in opposite directions, but little they knew that all plans could go sideways. Manuel looked at his shoulder, and the bull was still chasing him at full force, much to his horror. "What?"

"Don't worry! I will call Herman. Just hang in there!" Rodrigo shouted as he said with relief after finally stop running. He wanted to laugh, but he felt a little bad for his coworker's distress. Rodrigo took a deep breath and let it go before pulling his phone and start calling. He waited patiently for the other person to pick it up, but that didn't last long as the signal was low. "Oh come on!" He complained. There was much to do but to move and find somewhere with better reception—just his luck.

Manuel could only curse every minute or so as he tried to outrun that beast as long as possible. He should have known better about accepting the job alongside Rodrigo of cleaning the bull's wastes. Both could apply for a weekend job since extra money was tempting, and Chinchón didn't have many jobs opportunities outside of special events. Tourists from all around the world that came to visit Madrid would also explore other cities and towns nearby the country's capital. It's been a long time since the small town got visitors, so it was important for the whole community to prepare for the most extraordinary event ever.

Naturally, their option narrowed down to cleaning. It was good money but wasn't worth the smell, the boresome, and the humiliation as both men knew they would clean up the whole area after the festival. Not the most pleasant job in the world and things could lead some people to make mistakes. It was regrettable. Manuel had to use a little of his instinct where to go in the meanwhile. He could not go to the church as there was no chance to get the bull out of town. He had to think quickly and only looked for alleys that mattered.

However, that was what he hoped, but Manuel didn't think through as he began to see people coming out of the church. Was the Mass over already? Just what he needed. He had to stop running for a moment. He let the bull try to ram on him and being patient. Manuel muttered, almost as he was praying.

His phone buzzed. There was a new message in the middle of the chaos. Manuel checked it and hoped for good news. But, alas, he got a silver lining:

"Go south, we got the cage ready!" Rodrigo's text was enough to have a clear idea of what to do.

The bull was getting closer, and Manuel had both feet on the ground, ready to make an evasive maneuver. Patient and focused, he started taking a deep breath and never let his eyes away from the beast. He never thought he would be confronting a bull in his whole life, but at least Manuel had a story to tell if he survives, of course.

At the last second, he rolled out of the way, and the bull missed its target. He quickly stood up and started running away. However, the bull didn't stop and continued chasing him once more.

What a madness he was dealing with at the moment as he could hear loud music and the crowds ramping up. Not sure if that was fitting, coincidental, or absurd as he jumped on the outside tables where people were taking their lunch. Pedestrians screamed and cowered the moment they saw the bull destroying the tables. "Man, I start to feel this wasn't the best idea," Manuel said regretfully.

He arrived at the Plaza Mayor with a massive crowd. He warned by shouting at everyone, clearing his path while running and panting. The hot summer day didn't help him as he had to jump on the fountain to refresh himself after sweating like a pig. It was cold and stinky but worth the trouble. Of course, the bull had part of the fun by jumping on the fountain too. Who knew? Too bad things didn't stop there. Manuel ran down to Calle del Convento as this was his only route out of the town where he only needed to go in a straight line. He wondered if he should try a marathon due to his recent experience.

Rodrigo was waiting next to the cage at Castillo de los Condes. Herman, the person in charge of animal control for the festival, was sitting in his truck while playing puzzles games on his phone. He seemed calm, and it was because Rodrigo paid him a lot for his help. Nevertheless, Rodrigo always saw him as an odd fellow. "Did Manny read the text you sent him?" Herman asked.

"Better be. I only hope he didn't kick the bucket, yet."

"I still don't get how you two ended up in this situation."

"You don't need the detail, but this is going to be on the news for the next day."

"And you are still getting paid?"

"Of course! That's why we needed your help with this. We can repay you as soon as we put that animal back," Rodrigo said confidently. He looked at the open field while waiting for Manuel to appear. Once one was away from civilization, it was a stark difference—a quiet valley with a rich history. It was easy to see how tourists would come and take pictures from their trips. Peace was, sadly, always short-lived.

Rodrigo looked at the road and began to see two tiny figures from a distance. He pulled the phone and used his camera to get a closer look and could only see Manuel covered in dirt while the bull was getting closer. Rodrigo rushed towards the point where Manuel could see him while Herman began preparing the cage.

Everyone was in position.

Manuel's eye made frenetic movements until he could see Rodrigo shouting at him on top of a hill. It was a race, Manuel was in his last leg, and the other two held the cage tightly. Minute after minute, they were approaching the area. "Here it comes, here it comes..." Rodrigo repeated the close his friend and the beast were at them. Finally, the moment was nigh, and right they passed the threshold; Manuel jumped sideways while the bull couldn't turn around due to the dirt, eventually hitting the cage and being captured.

It was over.

"Jesus! That was close!" Manuel said as he laid on the ground and extended his limbs out of relief. He could feel his back and legs numb and his head dizzy.

"I hope you learned your lesson," Rodrigo commented, prompting Manuel to glare at him.

"Oh shut up! I'm done with this!"

"Same."

Herman helped Manuel stand up and carry him to the truck before he and Rodrigo adjusted the cage's lock. Then, with everything cleared up, they hopped into the vehicle and drove back to town before dark. Manuel wanted to sleep, but he still needed to get the bull back to its place after reaching their destination.

"So, how much are you getting paid, by the way?" Herman asked.

"I cannot tell you, but you can get some of our cut after the festival," Rodrigo replied.

"At least the festival will go smooth. Don't you think so, Manny?"

Manuel didn't say a thing. He had his eyes closed, almost snoring. Unfortunately, the little nap got interrupted as his phone began to ring uncontrollably. He picked it up and answered without looking who the caller was. Rodrigo looked back and began hearing someone screaming through the phone. Manuel's face said it all through the call. It lasted 10 minutes before the conversation ended abruptly. Manuel looked at Rodrigo, grimaced, and fell asleep on the back seat.

Rodrigo looked worried, and Herman could do nothing but feel curious. "So, are we still getting paid?" He asked while he continued driving further to Chinchón.