12-05-2014, 12:45 PM
Aria just stood there. He looked at her and saw strain on her face. Pain. He frowned, not understanding.
"I can't go there. Mya's there but I can't go."
She crouched down against the wall and seemed to huddle in on herself. He was torn. He didn't want to leave her like this. As always, she knew his feelings. "Go help Mya I'll be fine."
He didn't like to see her like this. But the girl was inside. She needed help. He nodded to her. She hunted monsters- he smiled at that thought- and went his way.
The clinic was still open so the girl's wouldn't actually been inside. That kind of stuff went on after hours. That meant they were hiding out very likely. The building was next to an overpass and a contractor storage site behind it. Large concrete conduits half as tall as he was were laid out, stacked on their sides, the snow and icy slush draping them and the ground like a blanket. A few empty drums in front of the conduits, right near the entrance. Everywhere, he could see old papers and wrappers and rags.
This would be a place he might go to escape the wind, though it would still be freezing. He walked closer to the conduits and began looking inside them. They were filled with more garbage and rags and cardboard and even some old blankets. One had a pile of old wood and other burnable materials, to burn in the drums for warmth in the night.
That all this was here surprised him. Usually, the lot owners ran people off about once a week and got rid of this stuff. Instead, it looked like at least a month had gone buy since that'd happened. Idly he wondered why.
No matter. He checked the conduits and while the first two had people in them, he didn't find Mya until the fourth bottom one. She was there with another girl.
They both jumped at him. "Hey, it's ok. I'm here to help you. Mya, I was the man that picked you up in the cab last night and took you to a safe place."
The terror in her eyes was palpable. Given that she had been held by that killer and shown the horrors Aria described, he didn't blame her.
"Listen, my friend Aria is over there"
pointing to the other side of the clinic. "We just want to help you. We can get you help."
"No. No. No." she said repeatedly, shaking her head, the terror in her voice clear, the way she huddled up against her friend. She was bundled up but he was sure she was hurt pretty bad.
Her friend, another young girl with dirty brown hair and covered in black layers and smudged dark eyeliner spat at him . "We don't need your help. Get out of here!"
He knew it was a lost cause. These kids were terrified of trusting adults. They had been betrayed and abused too many times. He'd only gone with Valentin in order to rob him blind. And even then, that was because he was an old man. Lucas would've had a better chance. But if a younger man had asked him, no way. It wasn't worth the risk. The memory of those hands around his neck had given him vivid nightmares, one more reason to get wasted.
He sighed and grimaced. "Do you have money, at least for the doctor."
They didn't answer, but the looks on their faces did it for them. No money. The girl must really be a good friend to Mya to be willing to do that for her. He shook his head and pulled some CCD bills out of his pocket. "Here,"
he said as he counted out a few, then looked at both of them, huddled together in a conduit, fear in their eyes. He stopped counting and just carefully laid what he had out. It wasn't much, really. But to them, it was a fortune. He did ok with his shop, enough for this anyway He couldn't save everyone. The people on the streets were a problem much too big for him. He couldn't even save these two girls. But he could help them at least.
He looked at Mya's friend. "Get her fixed up. And then get yourselves something to eat. Some warmer clothes."
He looked at Mya's friend. "What's your name?"
"Sonja"
"You take care of her Sonja, ok? She's been through more than you or I can imagine."
He smiled at Mya and then at her. "You're a good friend. I have a friend who runs a shelter down the street. I'll tell him to save a bed for you both. It'll be just one bed, but I'll see if I can get it for a couple days. She'll need rest."
It was all he could do, really. They wouldn't trust him with anymore. But maybe Valentin could help them.
Kids could escape. He did. Anything was possible.
With another sad smile, he walked back to where Aria was, torn up about the whole situation. The world was such a cruel place. There were times he just prayed to God, asking him why it was like this, why so much suffering. He'd never really gotten any answer.
As he rounded the corner, he saw Aria, still crouched, head down, as if in prayer. He thought about her struggles to hold onto goodness. He thought about Sonja willing to do anything to help her friend. He thought of Sergei taking care of his invalid mother until she had died.
Maybe there was no meaning. But the connections they all made, the loyalty and sacrifices and trust and hope that they showed and refused to let die, well, it didn't explain anything. But it made it more bearable.
Edited by Lucas, Dec 5 2014, 12:51 PM.
"I can't go there. Mya's there but I can't go."
She crouched down against the wall and seemed to huddle in on herself. He was torn. He didn't want to leave her like this. As always, she knew his feelings. "Go help Mya I'll be fine."
He didn't like to see her like this. But the girl was inside. She needed help. He nodded to her. She hunted monsters- he smiled at that thought- and went his way.
The clinic was still open so the girl's wouldn't actually been inside. That kind of stuff went on after hours. That meant they were hiding out very likely. The building was next to an overpass and a contractor storage site behind it. Large concrete conduits half as tall as he was were laid out, stacked on their sides, the snow and icy slush draping them and the ground like a blanket. A few empty drums in front of the conduits, right near the entrance. Everywhere, he could see old papers and wrappers and rags.
This would be a place he might go to escape the wind, though it would still be freezing. He walked closer to the conduits and began looking inside them. They were filled with more garbage and rags and cardboard and even some old blankets. One had a pile of old wood and other burnable materials, to burn in the drums for warmth in the night.
That all this was here surprised him. Usually, the lot owners ran people off about once a week and got rid of this stuff. Instead, it looked like at least a month had gone buy since that'd happened. Idly he wondered why.
No matter. He checked the conduits and while the first two had people in them, he didn't find Mya until the fourth bottom one. She was there with another girl.
They both jumped at him. "Hey, it's ok. I'm here to help you. Mya, I was the man that picked you up in the cab last night and took you to a safe place."
The terror in her eyes was palpable. Given that she had been held by that killer and shown the horrors Aria described, he didn't blame her.
"Listen, my friend Aria is over there"
pointing to the other side of the clinic. "We just want to help you. We can get you help."
"No. No. No." she said repeatedly, shaking her head, the terror in her voice clear, the way she huddled up against her friend. She was bundled up but he was sure she was hurt pretty bad.
Her friend, another young girl with dirty brown hair and covered in black layers and smudged dark eyeliner spat at him . "We don't need your help. Get out of here!"
He knew it was a lost cause. These kids were terrified of trusting adults. They had been betrayed and abused too many times. He'd only gone with Valentin in order to rob him blind. And even then, that was because he was an old man. Lucas would've had a better chance. But if a younger man had asked him, no way. It wasn't worth the risk. The memory of those hands around his neck had given him vivid nightmares, one more reason to get wasted.
He sighed and grimaced. "Do you have money, at least for the doctor."
They didn't answer, but the looks on their faces did it for them. No money. The girl must really be a good friend to Mya to be willing to do that for her. He shook his head and pulled some CCD bills out of his pocket. "Here,"
he said as he counted out a few, then looked at both of them, huddled together in a conduit, fear in their eyes. He stopped counting and just carefully laid what he had out. It wasn't much, really. But to them, it was a fortune. He did ok with his shop, enough for this anyway He couldn't save everyone. The people on the streets were a problem much too big for him. He couldn't even save these two girls. But he could help them at least.
He looked at Mya's friend. "Get her fixed up. And then get yourselves something to eat. Some warmer clothes."
He looked at Mya's friend. "What's your name?"
"Sonja"
"You take care of her Sonja, ok? She's been through more than you or I can imagine."
He smiled at Mya and then at her. "You're a good friend. I have a friend who runs a shelter down the street. I'll tell him to save a bed for you both. It'll be just one bed, but I'll see if I can get it for a couple days. She'll need rest."
It was all he could do, really. They wouldn't trust him with anymore. But maybe Valentin could help them.
Kids could escape. He did. Anything was possible.
With another sad smile, he walked back to where Aria was, torn up about the whole situation. The world was such a cruel place. There were times he just prayed to God, asking him why it was like this, why so much suffering. He'd never really gotten any answer.
As he rounded the corner, he saw Aria, still crouched, head down, as if in prayer. He thought about her struggles to hold onto goodness. He thought about Sonja willing to do anything to help her friend. He thought of Sergei taking care of his invalid mother until she had died.
Maybe there was no meaning. But the connections they all made, the loyalty and sacrifices and trust and hope that they showed and refused to let die, well, it didn't explain anything. But it made it more bearable.
Edited by Lucas, Dec 5 2014, 12:51 PM.