5

I finally spotted a restaurant a few blocks away. It was a dinner that apparently wasn’t too popular, judging from the few cars that were parked outside. I crossed the street but never made it to the dinner.

            I passed by an alley and was pulled in and shoved against the brick wall. It was dark and I could just make out four figures.

“Wandering on the wrong side of town kid.”

“I was minding my own business, lem’me go!” I tried to shake off whoever was pinning me but the curse of being weak was one of my strong suits.

“Pipe down.” And I was punched in the gut.

“Pretty unfair,” I choked out, “All of you against one kid.” They laughed.

“You want this to be fair?” the one pinning me to the wall hissed. They let me go but blocked the exit, “Fine, just you and me.”

            Before I could even think I was hit in the stomach again. I found whoever hit me, dodged his second throw and third, then I took a chance and jabbed him (or more accurately at him) I missed and he got me in the face then the gut again. I was down and it was a free for all, I was getting hit and kicked and thought I was going to die (as stupid as that sounds). But then something happened, they ran. It couldn’t have been the cops, there weren’t any sirens. I tried to get up but couldn’t, I blacked out.

 

            I was hot and didn’t know where I was. I opened my eyes, I was in a dim room laying on a dirty and thin blanket. There was someone else in the room but his back was to me. I sat up and groaned, I was aching all over and had a headache.

            The person turned around, it was the kid from the gas station, Shawn.

“You’re awake.”

“How’d you come to that conclusion?” I went to wipe the sweat from my forehead with my shirt but found it was missing, “Where’s my shirt?”

            He held up my ripped and bloody white t-shirt, “Not much of a shirt, didn’t your pop ever teach you to choose your fights?”

“Not really, he was never around.”

“Here.” Shawn tossed me a black shirt and I put it on slowly, “What’s a kid your age doing wandering around over there?”

“I’ve never been here before.”

“What are you runnin’ from?”

“What makes you think that?” he cocked his head and raised his eyebrows as if to say ‘really?’. I rubbed the pink of my arm and didn’t answer, he didn’t need to know.

“I see… who got the drop on you out there?”

“I don’t know, all I remember was that one of them had red hair.”

“Sounds like Jack.”

“Who?”

“He’s after his brother, ran off.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“Who knows, he’s power crazy.”

“Where’s my jacket?”

            Shawn tossed it to me, I dug through the pockets, “Nothing in there except a letter.” He said.

            I groaned, now I had no money, how was I supposed to eat? I had never been on the streets before, so far I had been caught twice, beaten up, and robbed, all in 24 hours.

“You okay?”

“I gotta go, thanks.” I slowly got to my feet and put on the jacket.

“Listen, not that I’m a doctor or anything, but you won’t last another day out on your own.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“Well you’re doing a great job at that.”

            I took a step to the door but Shawn blocked it.

“Move.” He didn’t budge, “What do you want?”

“Let me come with you, you’re obviously not strong enough to get to Arizona on your own.”

“Hey you read my letter!”

“What do you say? Let me help you?”

“Why do you want to help me so much?”

“Let’s just say it’s something that needs to be done.” He said quietly.

            It was clear that he wasn’t going to budge unless I agreed, but why? Why did this person want to help a kid from the streets?

“Good!” he left the door got a jacket and stuffed a wad of dollar bills in his pocket and opened the door.

“Wait we’re leaving now?”

“The train leaves in an hour and you need food.” I couldn’t argue with that. I stepped out of the shack, it was an extra room to the gas station. Shawn turned out the light and led me through the dark store and outside, it was cold out and soon I was shaking instead of sweating.

“What time is it?”

“Around 7 let’s go before the corner store closes.”

            I had no idea what this greaser had planned but I was so worn out and hungry that I followed him, and something told me he had done this before.