The Wall

15

The garbage can reeked of rotten fruit and decay. That wasn’t the only reason he was thinking about a cigarette. He actually only smoked in the evenings these days, and only when he had a beer in front of him. But a smoke would have been just the thing right now. Moses held his nose and watched the street. The referee was alone when he rounded the corner. They had separated after all. Slow strides. Looking all around. This was Moses’ first chance to study him more carefully. He was closer to his late fifties than his early ones. He was wearing a light blue polo shirt over shorts similar to the ones Moses had worn for gym class years ago. His hairy legs were stuck in white socks with a red band at the top, and he was wearing blue and yellow New Balance sneakers.

The referee waved at someone. A car from the security company drove up and came to a stop beside him. Was it the same one he had just run away from? A man in uniform got out, tall and very broad. His smooth, bald head glittered, and in his reflective sunglasses, he looked like a frog. Like a black frog. The two men were less than thirty meters away from him. They were both talking, and the referee was gesturing, as well. Moses could only make out fragments.

“…like a… all of a sudden… young and fast…” The referee.

“…surely soon not far… backup…” The frog nodded.

The referee shook his head emphatically, pointing at his taser. Maybe he was explaining that he hadn’t seen a weapon. Or that he’d almost taken him out.

The frog shrugged. The fact that the referee hadn’t seen a weapon didn’t mean that Moses wasn’t armed. Super. The army would show up any minute.

The referee gestured vaguely at the area and walked on. The frog pulled a phone out of his pocket and speed-dialed someone. He leaned against the hood of his car, and started talking into his phone. Moses glanced around. What street would take him closer to the exit?