The 4:20 to County Jail

The 4:20 to County Jail by Raymundo AKA "Ray Ray" Reyes. This story contains themes of drug abuse and criminality. This story is meant to satisfy all 5 prompts for the week.

Robb Thomas awakes in the inner bowels of the Sequoia Train Station in Redwood City, CA. He checks his jailbroken iPod touch for the time; 6:19AM. Good, he thinks, he beat the typical sweep of the train station and it's sleeping spots by about half an hour. He wasn't terribly worried about this spot. He found a nice hiding hole by the backup generator that is stored in the underground parking lot. This is superior to the stairwell where most of the "Station heads" as they're called sleep. Robb knows better than to give up this spot, the only other soul that knows is Arnelle, Robb's occasional boy-toy. Soon this spot is going to be blown and will turn into another vagrant's nest, where trash and disease pool up until the city attacks it for being the nuisance that it is.

Robb stretches and gathers his bearings, by lighting a Marlboro NXT Menthol cigarette and shadow boxing the adversaries that eternally follow a man of Robb Thomas' constitution. He needs to be deliberate with his choices today, as the situation is as complicated as it's been. Robb Thomas currently sits in San Mateo County, he has a $1,500 warrant in San Francisco County to the north and a $5,000 warrant in Santa Clara County to the south. He fully knows that he is boxed in, but he also knows that it doesn't matter and his mission in San Mateo County is not over. He's been in this situation before, and it always ends the same, sentenced to a "County Year" in jail, where he serves about 100 days. 5 counties' gang and drug task forces have Robb Thomas' name and face on a bulletin board. The power apparatus of the State relishes their role in apprehending scumbags like Robb Thomas, while every crime they charge him with is the equivalent of a Boy Scout's merit badge to a man in his profession.

It's been 5 days already since Robb took up residence in the generator room, which means it's been time to go for a couple of days already. Due to his fugitive status, he travels light now. He started out by living from a suitcase, which has since reduced to a Jansport backpack. He has no change of clothes, and has been sporting a San Jose Sharks hoodie with black jeans and a snapback ever since he got to Redwood City. He takes stock of the backpack, to make sure Arnelle didn't run off with anything. He removes the contents to find $195, a charger for his iPod, a scarf, 1 dose of Narcan opiate antidote, a Cobra Arms .380 pistol with 4 rounds, 7 grams of weed and a bubbler to smoke from. His pockets contained the iPod, his cigarettes, a yellow Bic Mini lighter and 4 freshly stolen credit cards. Arnelle helped himself to $5, which Robb knew he would have to account for later. Robb learned long ago to not carry and form of ID or a cell phone. He packs the bubbler and smokes some weed to calm himself down from the thought of what that prissy little thief could have spent $5 on without asking.

Satisfied and ready to meet the ghetto for the day, Robb emerges from his private suite at 6:37AM with the scarf around his face. His mind is made up, he's finding Trey Dogg today. Robb has a robbery cased out and ready to go, he just needs to make sure Trey Dogg can buy up all the shit when he scores it. It's going to be a heavy score, $10,000 at least, which is far too much to hold. Robb only carries an amount of drugs that he is comfortable being arrested with, for he is no drug dealer, he is in the business of robbing drug dealers. Trey Dogg is the most reliable drug dealer of the Station Heads, nobody ever sees him sell a bag, but he's certainly always buying. Robb wishes he could rob Trey Dogg, but he needs the train station so he begrudgingly does business with him. Before he searches in earnest for his buyer, he walks down the train tracks a way so he can relieve himself away from the station.

It doesn't take long for Trey Dogg to materialize at Sequoia Station. He takes form at the bus depot near Brewster. It's 7:39AM when he gets off the bus and takes his perch where the bus yard and train station meet. It's a strategically significant spot, one can run off in the 4 cardinal directions along the train tracks or the streets. If one can break West, they can shake free in less than a mile, the unlucky ones get trapped east bound which was near certain capture. Trey Dogg has seen these rules play out dozens of times as various Station Heads would try their luck against the agents of San Mateo County in a foot race.

Robb arrives at the time Trey Dogg is finishing his 2nd Newport Menthol 100. There is a circus of Station Heads starting to materialize, which is good for Robb's situation. Trey Dogg doesn't want to talk yet, so Robb deposits his backpack and ventures off to the bus yard to beg for a few easy dollars. 8:00AM is near peak traffic for the train station and bus yard together, so Robb feels good about scoring an easy $15-20. Robb returns at 8:08AM to get to business with Trey Dogg. Much as it pains him, Robb is willing to give up the details of his lick. He has to make sure that his target is not related to Trey Dogg and that the merchandise would be safe for him to buy. Robb is not about to go through this risk and then find out that he hit Trey Dogg's cousin or some other reason that would reduce his payout.

The arrangement seems to be kosher, then Robb sees a black SUV appear at Brewster St and stop right in front of the railroad crossing, blocking traffic. He looks the other way and sees a white SUV and a Crown Victoria approach from the bus depot side. Without a word, Robb breaks toward the train tracks. He gains speed impressively, while his legs are short, Robb's short frame moves explosively and violently. He blows by the San Mateo County Sheriff's deputy, who does not attempt chase. The 2nd cop deploys the Taser, aiming at Robb's back. The electricity meets the running criminal, but he grabs the diode and tears it out in stride.

Trey Dogg looks on at the pursuit and sucks his teeth in disappointment when he sees the Sheriffs connect a Taser to Robb Thomas' neck and then faceplant him on to the train tracks. In the ensuing state of confusion Trey Dogg boards the southbound CalTrain without a ticket, but with a Jansport backpack and intel on a Pill dealer in Palo Alto who needs to be robbed.