[ WP ] You have an ATM that gives you the exact amount of money you need to survive for the day , how you spend it is your choice . Today you are given $ 70,000,000 .

# Title: Just Enough 
 
 I hid the receipt in my pocket the moment I read it. 
 
 “ You finished? ” said the impatient girl waiting behind me. 
 
 I flinched then nodded my head ‘ yeah. ’ She smiled like I was being kind of awkward as she swiped her card. 
 
 “ Fuck me what now, ” I whispered under my breath. I covered the receipt with my hand and read it again. “ Why the hell would I need *seventy million dollars*. ” 
 The ATM never failed. Most days were normal. Simple expenditures, simple days. Gas, toll, parking, lunch, dinner, the occasional speeding ticket. Rarely close to a hundred. The ATM gave me all I needed for that day. No more, no less. 
 
 But some days, I wondered what kind of curse I was under. 
 
 “ Don ’ t do anything stupid Elliot, ” they whispered. With their Guy Fawkes masks. From the shadows of alleys, from closets, from anywhere. They were watching. Appearing and disappearing. Always with a cryptic message. “ Pull your money. Survive. Don ’ t get caught. We ’ ll need you here before the end. ” 
 
 I wanted to believe they weren ’ t real. I wanted to believe I was crazy. 
 
 I got breakfast at a food cart, jaywalked past the traffic, headed back to my apartment. I tried to be happy. Maybe nothing bad would happen. Maybe this was some final gift, and it would end right here. Instant millions. No way in hell was I going to work today. 
 
 Then I heard the violent explosion. Screams abounded. 
 
 “ SHIT, ” I shouted. I couldn ’ t believe my eyes. My sofa was flying across the sky, along with all the rest of my everything. I put my hands in my hair. 
 
 Everybody ran to the building to see. You know how people are drawn to chaos. There was flaming debris all around. I shut my eyes. I didn ’ t want to see those masks again. Not again. 
 
 Then I heard a *psssssssssst* 
 
 “ Don ’ t, ” I whispered to myself. I shook my head. “ Don ’ t open your eyes. ” 
 
 *pssssssssssssst* 
 
 “ Oh God, ” I whispered. I shed bitter tears. “ Oh God. ” 
 
 I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. I flailed as I turned around. Nobody beside me. But there they were. 
 
 Masks in the alley. 
 
 All of them were rubbing pieces of paper in their hands, and giving me a thumbs up. And pointing at my hands, like I should do the same. I looked down at my shaking hand, and the receipt within it. I rubbed at the paper. 
 
 A secret message appeared. 
 
 “ You ’ re going to feel a slight prick. ” 
 
 And I suddenly felt a needle enter my skin. 
 
 ________________________________________________________________________________________ 
 
 I woke up hard of breath and in a panic in a dimly lit basement. 
 
 “ Hey, hey, ” said a middle aged man beside me. He was wearing a lab coat, and a mask. “ Sit still, sit steady. ” 
 
 “ Fuck they almost got him today, ” said another masked man. 
 
 “ Wha-, ” I dry heaved beside me. 
 
 “ Allergy to the anesthetic, ” said the masked scientist. He shook his head. “ He ’ ll be fine, he ’ ll live. Fuck me they really almost got him today. ” 
 
 “ What i- ” I weazed then dry heaved again. “ What is this. ” 
 
 A masked girl beside me shoved a piece of paper into my hand and made me clench my fist around it. 
 
 “ When you come to we ’ ll be long gone, ” she whispered. She had a sweet voice. “ You ’ re a long way from home, you ’ re in Detroit now. Go to this address. Give the man you meet there this faded coin, and tell him you need to disappear. Tell him no more. His price is kind of hefty, and you ’ re going to be on the run for a very long time. ” The scientist injected me once more. I fought the loss of consciousness. She gripped my hand harder. “ You have to trust us. You have to *live*. ” 
 
 They wiped the room of their prints and panicked around me. I faded out as I heard them speak. 
 
 “ We need to get his blood to them. If he dies it ’ ll be a true pandemic… ” 
 
 Edit: Whoa I just woke up and I can ’ t begin to describe how thankful I am people are enjoying this. I ’ m currently in the process of querying agents for a book and it ’ s been a patience-trying process waiting for responses from people reading fulls so to have any positive feedback on my writing is very much appreciated. I ’ ve always loved this writing community it ’ s what drew me to Reddit in the first place. I blog at oscarrelentos.com if you ’ re interested, thanks for the support you guys
