Faulty Phalanges

“Hello. Who else is down here?”

Darrien stood there with his flashlight trying to pinpoint if there was anyone in the distance. He couldn't fathom how anyone could be so cruel. He knew the old man was here being held captive against his will. Wrong is wrong and Darrien was going to make this right.

Earlier that day….

“Step right up and get your cotton candy!”

Darrien had run out of gas and stopped at a local town that was having a street carnival. He had been to many places due to work but the workers here were strange. All the workers in the carnival all walked with a slight limp and seemed unenthused by the festivities. Even the one that shouted about the cotton candy. Not only that but the man who pumped his gas also walked with one. As strange as it was, he was there to get gas and get gone. It didn't seem worth inquiring, and he had a job he had been contracted to do with a huge payout.

“Stop! I didn't mean it. I just had an outburst. I promise it will not happen again. I am too old and frail for you to be treating me like this.”

Darrien turned around and saw an old white man getting hauled by men that looked like security guards. 

“Listen here. The law is the law. You are coming with us.”

“I did nothing wrong. I swear I didnt!”

“Save it! Soon you will learn to change your ways with or without your…”

“I refuse!”

The old man kicked one of the guards in his groin and proceeded to try and run away and ran right into the direction of Darrien.

“Listen, you have to help me! They are gonna hurt me. I did nothing wrong. I committed no crime.”

Darrien, in horror of what was going to happen to the old man decided he was going to help him. He had a soft spot for older people since he was the primary caretaker of his grandfather. Surely whatever he did was not worth what was about to happen. The old man looked terrified and Darrien felt the fear emanating from this man's eyes.

“Sorry about that sir. Enjoy the carnival”

The security guards grabbed the old man and drug him into a nearby building. 

“Lawd be with me. Hopefully I am doing the right thing.”

Darrien waited until nightfall and sneaked into the building. The front door had been left open. The building was strange and there were miniature guillotines everywhere. Not only that but there were blades of every size on the walls.

“This is wild son. What the hell is this place? Lord knows what they are doing to that poor old man.”

Darrien followed the tossed over papers and cabinets. It had to have come from the old man resisting the security guards. He found himself in the basement of the building and  felt a slight tug on his shirt. It was the old man. He looked like he had been beaten and had bruises all on his face.

“What happened?”

“They drug me down here and beat me. I think they are still down here. Please help me get out of here.”

“I’on care what you did. No one deserves this shit. Come on. Lets get tf out of here”

Darrien and the old man then heard a crash in the distance and both jumped.

“Hello. Who else is down here?”

Darrien stood there with his flashlight trying to pinpoint if there was anyone in the distance. He couldn't fathom how anyone could be so cruel. He knew the old man was here being held captive against his will. Wrong is wrong and Darrien was going to make this right. Darrien grabbed the old and began to run with him across his shoulders. It was time to get gone. As soon as they made it to the door, Darrien felt a sinister pain on his side and fell down with the old man. Darrien had been cut up his side by the old man.

“What fuck. I'm trying to help you!”

“Help me? Listen Nigga. You people are the bane of my existence. Thanks for the help. Now to get out of here.”

Before the old, white man could leave the building he was tackled again by the security guards.

“Can I get an ambulance? We have apprehended the suspect and we have a wounded samaritan.”

“What is going on? I thought..”

“This man is due to be punished for his crimes. Racism is illegal here and he is a prime offender. He masquerades as an innocent old man but really he is a killer. Sam Regan has just sliced his last victim. It's time to erase him from this town.”

“I had no idea. I thought he was just an old man being mistreated. That white devil cut me. Wait, erase?”

“Don't worry. We will take care of him. We will make sure he gets his.”

“His what and what did you mean by erase?”

“His punishment. The punishment for racism in this town is getting your big toes cut off. That and you must volunteer work at any place the judge chooses. Your identity also gets defined as erased. You no longer belong to any group or community. We do this because racism tries to erase the needs of other to benefit one group. This is how we level the playing field”

Darrien then thought back to how he saw all those workers in the town walk with a slight limp and how sad they looked. Not to mention all those blades and miniature guillotines in that building. It all made sense now. It was time for him to go.

“That's the last time I try to help somebody.”