“Gage, this isn’t a good idea, I don’t want to do this man. We don’t know what we are getting into. Are you actually considering this? You really think this is going to work out for us... in any way?!” Exclaimed Celo.
“Guys listen, I know this is insane, but you both know I need this money, I’m doing this for her, so weather you guys are coming or not, I’m going to get the job done, with or without you idiots.¨...

It was a dreary September afternoon in the heart of Chicago, the dark clouds reigned over the windy city as the three college jocks sat at the bus stop on the way home. Gage Carson, Celo Brim, and Sean Smith were three lifelong friends who all attend DePaul University, located in Chicago, Illinois.

  The three men lived together in a rather inundated little apartment. It sure was packed in there. When the three arrived at their humbling place, Celo noticed an alluring letter at their doorstep, which was odd, because they had only received so many letters in the mail since they had moved there, in March. Celo picked the letter up, and read what was legible on the front of the envelope,

   To, Gage Carson
    From, EGEQLE

Celo stopped there,

“Well who’s it from?” asked Sean.

“I can’t tell, I can’t read it,” Celo stated with an addled look on his face. Celo then handed the note to Gage, being it has his name on the front. Gage shook with trepidation as he flipped the note in his hands to open it from the backside, with no knowledge of what he held in front of him.

It was an invitation. With a benefit for the three. Inside the note it read…

Gage Carson,

I’ve heard a few things here and there about you and your driving skills. I know you used to race at the track, and I had my eye on you, knowing that this day would come. If you want to know why I sent you this letter meet me behind the central plaza downtown tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. sharp. You won’t regret it.

“Is this some kind of joke Celo, what the hell is this?!” exclaimed Gage as he contemplated how the next 24 hours wouldgo for him.

“Nah man, but for the sake of me not going insane thinking someone is watching us, I'm going to go ahead and tell myself this IS just a joke, because this is getting real creepy, real fast.”

“Well, do I go or not?” asked Gage.

“I’ll go with you, and we can see what all this ‘you won’t regret it’ stuff is about, together, and I don’t know about you, but I’m bringing some sort of weapon, because I’m not just going to meet some random stalker in a back alley without something to defend myself if things go south,” responded Sean.

The next day Celo woke up early only to find Sean and Gage already planning how they want this strange, ´meetup´ to go with this nobody who won’t even tell them his name. Sean and Gage had been planning now for 3 hours, stressing, and dreading what might happen when they get there, or who they might see, but they are trying to forget about all that and just focus on the plan.

It is 11;30 a.m. now, Sean and Gage are on their way to the plaza, planning to get there early, to scout out the area that they were supposed to meat this man. 11:59 a.m. now, and ten men turn the corner, nine with body armor and concealed handguns, and one, in front, with a white suit on, and nothing else. The man in the suit, and the two boys, shook each other’s hands and proceeded to talk. The man in the suit was an older white male, with bushy white eyebrows and long silky white hair. He began to speak,

“Good afternoon boys, Gage, Sean. How has your day been so far?” No response from Sean and Gage, who were still in shock by this whole situation. The man continued to talk, asking them how they’ve been multiple times, waiting for them to respond, and then again and again. Still no response. Finally he says a name, and the boys both immediately stare straight into his eyes, as if they were telling him to repeat what he had just said,  but they didn’t say a word.

“Charles, my name is Charles,” repeated the man. “I was the one who sent you the letter Gage.”

“What do you want from us?” said Gage with an unidentifiable emotion in his voice, as if he was scared, yet mad at the same time.

“I’ve brought you here today, to discuss a deal, an offer for you two to become as rich as you choose. There is a large casino in San Diego called, Casino Del Mar…”

“No,” said Gage interrupting Charles before he could finish,

“I don’t do that,” Gage said with a firm voice.

“Listen boys, I’m offering you each 30% of what you and the rest of the team get from this casino. It would be an easy job, in and out without being noticed. We have everything planned out already, we would just have to go over the plan all together, and execute.”

“Why us?” inquired Sean while a shiver went down his spine with the thought of being behind bars.

“You see, your pal Gage here used to race at the tracks back in Springfield. He had talent and I saw it early in him, so I started to talk with your mother and we became very close, she was telling me what it was like being a widow, and how your father's death affected you, Gage. I know you can drive, and that's why I chose you, we need a driver for this job, and you’re capable. Remember boys, 30%, each, straight into your pockets.”
“Screw it, I’m in.” Says Sean with a doubtful voice thats makes Gage question what they are getting into.
“Woah woah woah now, hold your horses, step back and talk together about this for a few minutes, and then make your decision.” Charles said, almost laughing at how fast Sean responded to such an immense question. The two stepped back, they conversed, and they came back to Charles.

“We will do it on one condition,” Gage said,

“We do this job, and this one only, and then we go our separate ways with what we each earned. Deal?”

“You boys just made the best decision of your lives, you’ve got yourself a deal.” Said Charles with a cheerful voice, ready to take care of this casino.

“Meet tomorrow, right here, packed and ready to be in San Diego for a while. 4:30 p.m. on the spot. Don’t be late, or you won’t want to know what will happen to you after the job.” Charles said following it up with a crude laugh as if he was picturing them being late in his head.

“Any questions boys?” The two stayed silent, in a mental state of acceptance and fear, not knowing what was ahead of them.

That night Gage and Sean told Celo everything, and he promised not to shout it, but he refused to do it with them. He was out. The two didn’t push him, because they knew how big this was. They both tried to get to sleep early, so they could get up before the sun, and get ready for the ride of a lifetime. The next morning they both got up at 4:30 a.m. to mentally prepare what was about to come their way. Although they were already so deep into this whole thing, the worst was still yet to come.

They arrived to the alley at 4:25, five minutes early, intimidated by Charles’ laugh yesterday. When Charles and his men arrived to the alley, Gage and Sean had already been there for 10 minutes. Charles was 5 minutes late.
“How are we going to get through security at the airport with all those guns?” inquired Celo as Charles opens the trunk of a benz truck full of lethal equipment.

“You see, when you have this much money, you have your own airport boys.” Said Charles with a slight grin of guilt on his face.

Gage, Charles, and Sean, all got into the benz truck, with the 10 other men that followed, getting into separate mercedes behind the boys. When they got to Charles’ airport, the vibes changed. Gage and Sean both felt something as soon as they walked through the doors, but they tried to forget it and focus on the real reason they were there. For the money. It was a quick transition from the car to the plans, being that there are no lines or security in his ‘airport’. In no time they were landing in San Diego, getting off the plane, and driving to a rundown warehouse, that looks like aftermath of World War 2. They all went inside to find multiple guards with assault rifles and body armor, and the two started to question what was up with this Charles dude.

“Gage, Sean, meet the two other members of your team, Spit, and Danny.” Said Charles pointing at two men on the other side of a table with blueprints and pictures all over it.

Gage and Sean looked the two men up and down, noting every little detail they could, and the other two did the same to them. They all met at the table and proceeded to go over the very detailed and dense plan to take down this casino. Gage was the driver, therefore he only had to pay attention to his part.

“Gage, you will drop the guys off at the front door, and immediately drive around the back, and wait for them to come out with the loot.” Charles told Gage with a firm voice. Minutes later they were done with the recap, and they were ready to go. Gage got into the driver seat of the getaway vehicle, which was… another benz truck, followed by the three others, Sean, Danny, and Spit, getting into the back and cocking their guns.

“Remember why you are doing this boys. Come right back here when you are done, and do this professionally.” Charles said as the boys were pulling away, headed towards the casino.

As they were approaching the front of the casino in the truck, they were all ready to get this done and put it behind them. The three jumped out and ran inside with their guns in hand. Gage didn’t think twice before getting to the back entrance and sitting for the boys as they were in there getting it done. He starts to feel weird, feeling like he had been waiting there for hours, days, when in reality it had only been a few minutes. He starts to question where they had gone, or what they were doing, and then he hears an alarm. Loud alarm. As if there was a drill seargent screaming in your ear as you get out of the military bus for the first time. Now he was worried, not about himself, or the money, but about Sean. If anything were to happen to Se**BANG** three gunshots spew from the casino, and within seconds Danny and Spit come running out the back door under heavy fire, with many close shots behind them. No Sean, no Sean.

“Where’s Sean?” Gage yells with confusion and fear in his voice.

“HE’S GONE KID, DRIVE!” Exclaimed Spit as he threw the duffle bags full of cash onto the seat next to him. Gage couldn’t believe it, it was all my fault, Sean wouldn’t be gone if I hadn’t let him do this with me. Gage was thinking to himself, as he was frozen still, not driving, not moving. The two in the back continue to yell at Gage to drive, but he didn’t even hear them, he heard nothing, and felt nothing but failure. He lost his best friend, and it was all his fault. After almost a minute of yelling and anger from the two in the back, Danny tries to grab the wheel, and pushes on Gage’s leg to hit the gas, but out of nowhere they get slammed by three cop cars at once, and that was it. The next thing Gage remembers is waking up in a confined cell with no one else in it, a small meal near the door, and nothing but darkness and concrete walls surrounding him now.

He should have never opened that note, he should have never said yes, he should have never gone through with it, he should be back in Chicago, in his English class, writing a paper.

He should have never lost Sean...