Hiding in a dumpster, Alex tried to catch his breath. He had been running all night, and this was his first chance to rest. He thought winning the lottery would be the best thing that ever happened to him. He would be able to pay off any debts, and set his life in order. Then several men in suits showed up at his door, demanding that he give them the lottery ticket.

Pushing the lid up just enough to let in some air, Alex peeked outside. No one in sight. No matter how much he needed to rest, he wasn’t about to rest in the dumpster. He could barely breathe. Slowly, he climbed out. “There he is!” he heard someone yell. Panicking, Alex jumped out of the dumpster, almost falling on his face. Recovering, he took off, but he could hear the stomping of feet on pavement closing in on him. He made sharp turns and knocked over trashcans, trying anything to throw his pursuers off his trail. A bring wall loomed ahead. Alex was trapped. The group of men gathered around him. “What do you want?” Alex asked.

“Your lottery ticket,” a man in the center answered.

“But why? I didn’t do anything wrong! It’s not like I cheated or anything. I won that money on pure luck.” Alex pleaded with the men. He needed the money.

“You didn’t win anything.”

“But I did-” As soon as Alex pulled the winning ticket from his pocket, the men shot him. He crumpled to the concrete. The man in the middle held up his hand to the others. Walking over to Alex he picked up the ticket. While the rest were cleaning up, he pulled out a cell phone.

“Mr. Henderson? It’s Harris. We got the ticket.”