The dumpster smelled like rotten eggs and sour milk, but there was no where else to hide. After running all night, Alex sat in the dumpster, trying to catch his breath. He always thought winning the lottery would be the best thing that ever happened to him, but instead it was a nightmare.

Pushing the dumpster lid up, Alex peeked outside. No one in sight. No matter how much he needed to sleep, he wasn’t about to stay in a dumpster. He could barely breathe. Slowly, he climbed out. “There he is!” he heard someone yell. Alex jumped out of the dumpster too fast and fell. Pain shot through his head as it slammed on the concrete, but he recovered quick and took off. He could hear the stomping of feet closing in on him. Knocking over trashcans and boxes, he tried anything to hinder his pursuers. A brick wall stood in front of him, as if it was built to stop him. 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. “If it’s money you want, I can give it to you. Just name your price!”

“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.”