Kai briefly glanced up at the night sky above as he walked down a dimly street. He raked his fingers through dark green locks that slightly spiked at the end to ease his nerves. He looked over to the left and right before running across the street.

Kai cautiously approached a fancy red car that screamed big bucks to him. This has to be the one they were talking about, he thought as he moved around it. He knelt down and started to pick the lock.

Click!

That was almost too easy. I kind of wish I had more of a challenge, Kai thought. He pulled open the door before jolting when a loud alarm screamed into the night air. "Crap! Crap!" Kai mumbled to himself as he jumped into the car, scrambling to turn it off.

Kai frantically felt around the car, hoping to find what he was looking for to prevent himself from getting caught.

Woof! Woof! Woof!

Kai's eyes widened in fear when dogs started barking from the building the car was parked in front of. He let out a sigh of relief when he finally found the switch turning off the annoying ass alarm. His breath got stuck in his throat when the lights suddenly turned on to his right. This isn't good; I'm going to get caught, he thought in a panic.

Kai reached forward, pulling out wires. His shaking hands, struggling to hold them completely still.

"Who the hell is out there!' a man angrily shouted out from the doorsteps with a gun in his right hand.

Kai bit into his lower lip. Hope sparkled in his eyes when he saw a tiny flicker of electricity when he put two wires together that caused the car's engine to roar to life.

Bang!

Kai flinched when he heard a metal pang ring through the air. He hit the gas and turned the wheel when he heard the man screaming angrily from outside and charging toward the car, getting ready to fire more bullets.

Kai squeezed the steering wheel. His breathing grew heavy with each passing second from the adrenaline pumping through his veins. After he was a good distance, he turned to the right and parked the car. "Shit, that was scary," he mumbled to himself as he placed his forehead against the wheel.

Kai swallowed hard and did his best to calm down his nerves to the best of his abilities. Once he felt alright enough, he left the parking space. He drove down the street and made a right turn into a dark alleyway. Where are you? he wandered, keeping his eyes peeled.

Kai's eyes darted over to a man leaning his back against a wall near a single street lamp. A puff of cigarette smoke exited his lips into the chilly night air.

Kai parked the car before stepping out. "I got the car you wanted," he stated, walking closer to the man.

The man blew one more puff of smoke before paying Kai any mind. "You know there's a gunshot scrap along the door, right? I can see it from here," he pointed out before dropping his cigarette and pressing his foot into it to put it out.

Kai held his breath when the man said those words. "It was a mistake, and it won't happen again. You know I don't make mistakes," he said nervously, worried that he would end up losing this job too.

The man glared at him before letting out a sigh. He reached into his pocket before placing an envelope with money in it into Kai's hand. "You're lucky I'm letting it slide today. It's only because I feel sorry for your sick mother, but screw up again, and I won't be as nice," the man threatened before walking toward the car with his hands in his pockets.

"Y-yes, boss, you can count on me," Kai stuttered due to his nerves blowing through the roof. He turned on his heels and walked away into the darkness. His heart fluttered around in his chest anxiously. I thought he was going to kill me there for a second. I'll have to be more careful next time not to upset him, he thought before looking up at the house he shared with his mother.

Kai walked up the steps. He quietly opened the door and closed it, careful not to wake his sick mother, who was sleeping. Surprise struck him when he heard water running from the kitchen. He wandered over to see that his mother was cooking dinner. "Don't worry about making dinner; I'll do it. Besides, you should be resting more after all," he stated.

"I know, but every time I end up eating, I never see you once eat a proper meal, so I thought I would make you something," his mother explained. She covered up her mouth when a harsh cough escaped her lips.

A frown formed on Kai's face. "I'm eating just fine. I would prefer it if you are only worried about your own meals. I don't want you stressing yourself out over it," he stated with a look of concern in his eyes when she coughed more. He turned on his heels to walk out before he stopped in his tracks when his mother spoke up.

"You dropped out of high school, and I know you're not going to college because you're worried about taking care of me. I know what you've been doing late at night," his mother brought up with guilt, lacing her tone as worry filled her eyes.

Kai turned around and placed his hand against his chest. "You're wrong; both of those things were my choices; you have nothing to feel sorry for," he explained since he didn't want his mother to blame herself.

Kai's heart sank the second those words left her lips. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said, playing the dumb card.

"You're doing shady dealings with numerous dangerous people in the middle of the night in order to get money. That's what those envelopes are, right?" she explained with tears welling up in her eyes.

"I need to make money somehow in order to pay for your medicine because you need it," Kai desperately explained. He chewed the inside of his cheek when his mother stared at the ground in silence.

Unable to hold them in any longer, tears streamed down her cheeks. "I don't want you putting yourself in harm's way because of me. One of these days, something bad might happen to you, and I'll never forgive myself if it does," she stated through her sobs.

Kai walked forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm fine, I swear. I'll only do it for a while longer, and then I won't do it anymore. So, quit worrying, okay?" he said softly.

His mother nodded her head but continued to cry for a while longer. After the both of them had dinner, his mother went off to bed.

Kai held his head in his hands. How damn horrible can I be? I lied straight to her face. What the hell is wrong with me? he thought, completely disappointed in himself for lying to the one person who meant the entire world to him.

Kai shook his head and headed outside. He carefully shut the door to make sure it didn't make a squeak as he headed out. He was waiting for someone to call him, except he didn't want his mother to hear what he would be talking about.

Buzz!

Kai jumped forward when the phone in his right pocket vibrated loudly. He quickly picked it up and held it to his ear. "Kai, speaking," he said, waiting to hear who was on the other side of the line.

"Good. I have two cars that I want you to steal for me this week, and I have good news. If you manage to not land a scratch on them, I'll pay you triple," the man spoke with a smile in his voice.

"Two this week? Normally, you usually only want one?" Kai mentioned, confused. He shivered when a chilly night breeze passed by him.

"I'm aware, but I figured you could handle it. Besides, you need the extra money, and this job shouldn't be difficult for someone of your skill level. You'll be able to find the cars on the east side of town," the man explained, not taking no for an answer.

"Alright, then, I won't disappoint you. I'll bring you both cars as soon as I can," Kai stated, clutching his phone tightly.

"That's the spirit. Then, I'll be seeing you later," the man said before hanging up.

"Two cars? But one car is already pretty troublesome to get. But triple the pay is too hard to turn down. Maybe it won't be so bad," Kai mumbled to himself as he shoved his hands back into his pockets. He headed back inside, hoping that the next day would bring him the peace of mind he wanted, but it only ended up being the exact opposite of what he desired.