Ok, so Jim did eventually get up and was able to avoid the shadowy figure. However, as he was running as fast as he could, Jim once again fell over and slid into a very large, burly man wearing a trenchcoat and smoking a cigar. The impact caused both Jim and the man to knock over the other four men in this apparent gang.
The burly man, shaking his head and dusting himself off, snarled, "Hey kid! Watch where ya going, ok? Sheesh, I swear you is about the clumsiest person I ever met!"
Jim was just too scared and nervous that he began to hyperventilate a little. "I'm sorry sir, I didn't mean..."
"Yo boss, you want me to waste this klutz for ya?" snorted another stodgily-built man with a very thick mustache.
The man in the trenchcoat pondered for a few minutes, and then with a big chuckle, smiled and slapped JIm on the back. "Nah, don't worry boys; this kid didn't mean no harm; no sense in wastin' him!"
He helped Jim up to his feet and said, "Hey kid, what are you doing in these here alleyways! Don't you know it's very dangerous being out here alone?"
Jim just smiled weakly and said, "Um, I was just trying to find my way around here.."
"Your way around here? With the way you walked and bumped into us, I don't think you could find your way outta a paper bag, ya bum!" growled a short, yet very feisty man with a full beard.
"Pipe down!" yelled the man in the trenchcoat. Taking Jim aside, the man said, "Look kid, I think you may be just the poifect guy we need to help us. I would explain, but since I got this thing with me, its not very safe. Let's go back to our hideout and I'll SHOW you what I mean, k kid?"
Jim just shrugged and closed his eyes in fear. Oh, boy..as if he already met one group of thugs, it was his luck to run into another! What's with this universe he's in; the author must really like having gangsters in his universe. Well, there were really only two options, and they were:
Fri Apr 28 01:08:30 2000