At first Big thought the angry yelling was in a dream. But when he opened his eyes, it didn't stop.

"What's that going on over there?" Big asked as he lifted off the cardboard sheet.

Little yawned and scratched his head. "Dunno."

"Something's going down." Big moved to the other side of the alley, where he could get a better look.

Little followed and stationed himself so he could see over Big.

"Lo-looks like an argument," he whispered.

"More like a rip-off," Big replied.

Gun shots tore through the night. Big and Little scrambled deeper into the alley, hoping to hide in the shadows. They decided on an inset doorway. Sounds of yelling and someone running immediately invaded their hiding place.

Big glimpsed a dark figure that appeared in the opening of the alley and nudged Little. "Look there."

More shots cracked, and the figure fell to the pavement. Then a heavy silence descended, interrupted only the rhythmic, heavy breathing of Big and Little.

After a few moments, they crept to the front of the alley. Big knelt and checked the neck of the body lying at their feet. He stroked his goatee, then looked up at Little and shook his head.

Big stood up, and they slowly peeked around the corner. All they could see at first were the two cars still parked a short distance down the street.

"Hey, ain-ain't them shoes stickin' out there?" Little asked, pointing toward the space where the front of the first car met the open trunk of the second one.

"I do believe they are. Let's go take a look." Big looked up and down the street, then dashed across. Little followed, muttering to himself.

"Whoa, here's another one," Big said. A body lay in a pool of blood on the sidewalk next to the car. "He must've been the one who popped the guy across the street. There's his gun."

"He dead too?"

"Yes, I'd say he is."

They hunched down and moved to the front of the car.

"The-these two cars sure are fancy, huh? A-all black and shiny."

"Yeah, this one's a Lexus and the other's a Continental."

"Wo-wow. I-I ain't never been so close to-"

Big elbowed Little. "Oh shit, look at that."

Little gaped at the two bodies. "The-they look kinda dead, too."

"And will you look at what's in that suitcase?" Big was staring at the bundles of five hundred-dollar bills spilling out onto the street. He squatted and started replacing the money.

"Yo-you think that's a good idea," Little asked as he ran his fingers through the mop of his tangled blond hair.

Big shook his head and sighed. "Good idea? They're dead. They won't need it anymore."

Little looked down and kicked at the street. "I-I don't know. I-I-"

"Shut up and keep your eyes open." Big closed the small suitcase and stood up. "Okay, let's . . . hello, what's this?" he asked, looking in the open trunk of the Continental.

"Lo-looks like, what'd'ya call 'em . . . duffel bags."

"Here, hold this." Big handed Little the suitcase. Then he unzipped one of the bags. "I can't fucking believe this." He took out a parcel wrapped in brown paper, then tore off a corner, revealing clear plastic underneath.

"Wha-what's that?"

"It's not baking soda, I bet. We'll test it later." Big replaced the parcel and zipped up the bag. "I wonder if we should take a couple of these guns? Nah. Let's go." He took the suitcase from Little. "Get the bags."

"Ma-man, I gotta bad feelin' 'bout this," Little whined.

Big glared at his friend. "Look, buddy, aren't you tired of being poor, having to scrape for every dime? One night we're in a flop house, the next night, we're on the streets. Cops hassling us; bums trying to rip us off. People always insulting us. Eating out of garbage cans." Big softly poked Little's stomach with his finger. "You like this life?"

Little hung his head. "No . . . Bu-but I'd like bein' dead even less."

"Oh, man, come on." Big reached up and shook his friend's shoulder. "It'll be all right. You'll see. Hey, we can get you that Nintendo you've always been wanting."

The sound of distant sirens quickly resolved the impasse. Little picked up the two duffel bags, and he and Big took off across the street. But after a short distance, Big stopped. "Wait a minute. Why are we still afoot?"

Little wrinkled his brow. "Oh-oh no, Big. Ple-please, lessgo!"

"You can walk if you want, but I'm riding."

The sirens got louder.

Big ran back and searched the pocket of the body lying close to the Lexus. "Got them," he said, holding up and jingling a set of car keys.

Little pursed his lips and shook his head.

"Come on, man."

Little stood his ground.

Big opened the driver's door. "All right. I'm out of here. You stick around and explain it to the cops."

"Aww, man." Little ran to the car, opened the back passenger door, tossed in the bags, and got in the front.

As soon as he closed the door, Little turned to Big, who'd just started the car. "Hey, you-you ain't got a driver's license."

"Fuck, man," Big chuckled to himself, shaking his head. Then he pulled a U-turn and sped off in the opposite direction to the sirens.