Mike had two fat cops chasing him from behind as he darted in-between houses, escaping barking dogs and yelling women. He ran into stores, climbing up the walls as one cop set off to meet him on the other side. He jumped on top of roofs, slowing the fat cops chasing him, as they had to watch their footing.

Mike looped through and ran straight ahead, down a passage. As he turned a corner, he ran straight into an ambush – the hands of a cop attempted to press his face to the wall. He was attempting to resist the arrest when a code 2 vehicle arrived on the scene to stop the fight.

Max and Nick crossed the long field, only to meet more cops waiting for them on the other end. They looked back and realised police were everywhere. They had no option but to surrender.

Bryan and Elles ran into the church, looking for a priest. He came out of his vestry with them, a gun held to his back whilst the crowd got settled in their seats. The event was interrupted when armed police officers kicked the door wide open and mobilised inside to stop the wedding.

“In sickness and in health, until death do us part!” Bryan said, holding both her hands, riveted.

“You may now kiss the bride,” the priest decreed, holding the holy book over them.

Elles and Bryan proceeded with the kissing part, despite the imminent arrest.

Chris took every corner of the city, skidding wildly, while Copper kept his wheels settled on the chase. They trashed everything in sight, people jumping out of the way of the reckless driver.

Gwen and her protestors threw old food at the police vehicles for chasing the kids, while booing them wildly.

“I have to take the kid down.” Cooper growled, as he revved the SUV and smashed Chris’s van from behind.

Mandy set up her broadcast equipment to capture the action: “Kids of Lion Street have all been busted, except for one that still remains on the run!”

Chris took a sharp corner and was bumped by the SUV again. This time the force rolled his car off the road.

“Oh sh… he’s been hit!” Mandy reported dramatically, as the wrecked car rolled over the road. People ran to take photos.

Ivan drove to the scene, but could not get through the traffic; Jen came out, running to check up on her kid, supported by Chris’s father. The parents looked on as the medics moved in first, advising everyone to keep back.

“The bad parents have killed their kid!” Gwen screamed, causing uproar.

Paul Brown drove the rest of the kids of Lion Street to the scene, as everybody’s attention turned towards them. The parents ran to be re-united with their kids as Mike took a lonely road toward his. Mrs Evans broke down in utter disbelief as she joined Jason in embracing their son.

“Jason, it’s really, really our son!” she sobbed.

“It was a good thing you did back there, bailing that kid out,” said Ivan, shaking Paul’s hand warmly.

“The three million damage to property can be reclaimed!” Paul Brown responded, thinking about the business that this case could bring to his firm.

A man shouted: “The kid is still alive!” Chris crawled out from beneath the car, bruised, and still protected with the rifle.

Dazed, the crowd dispersed to the side as he shot once into the air as a warning and then emptied the remaining bullets onto the ground. He threw down the gutted machine and then ran away from the cops on foot. The crowd whoop for him to pick up the pace as a siren sounded behind him. Frightened by Gwen and her protestors, cheering with their placards from the side-lines, the fat kid ran straight ahead, worn out. Copper and his spoilt SUV roamed slowly behind him, backed up by code four. The streets echoed with whistles as the crowd rooted for the kid to push on. Chris really wanted to escape as angry emotions coursed through him, but it was a short run – even the television crew could keep up.

“Give up kid, it’s over!” Copper said, pityingly.

Chris finally stopped running, trying to catch his breath; Copper came over and cuffed his hands, walking him back to the SUV.

*****

Six months later, everybody settled down for a live interview on Gwen’s new talk show, Bad Parents.

“What’s your name?” Gwen asked.

“I’m Bryan!” Bored on the couch, the young, handsome man played with his camera’s headphones.

“Where are you from?”

“Lion Street!” Nick answered looking towards the audience.

“Why did you leave home?”

“I guess I wanted to live the life I want!” it was now Mike.

“How old are your friends?”

Nick answered, “Elles is 8, Bryan is 10, then Mike…I think he’s 12, but Chris and Max are both 11!” Looking at Gwen proudly he added, “I’m 10!”

“Do you regret running away from home last summer?”

“No! I mean I got married, after all!” Elles said as she she giggled, holding up her finger to display her gold ring.

“What did you learn from this journey?”

“How much I hate my parents!” Chris said with a big frown on his face as he sat stroking Storm on the end of the couch. He continued, “I need to eat whatever I want, whenever I want!”

Of course, he had a full table of food laid out in front of him, so that he could help himself to as much as he could eat!

The End

Tell us: What punishment, if any, do you think would suit the crimes that the gang committed?