hello, goodbye, hello.

Chapter 10: Sleeping Through the Storm

EJ opened his eyes and tried to slow his breathing. The rain pounded on his windshield. In hindsight closing his eyes while trying not to hit someone in the middle of the road wasn't the best reaction, but with the storm wailing above, it wouldn't have made much difference anyway.

I could barely see. They were in the middle of the road. What the FUCK were they doing in the middle of the road?!?

He was afraid to get out the car. A small, yet persistent voice in EJ's head told him to just drive away. It was dark, no one would ever know it was him that- No, that wouldn't be right. What if they were hurt? EJ wouldn't be able to live with himself if we woke up to a news story the next day about someone found dead in the road in a hit and run. Without shutting off his car, EJ opened his door and stepped out into storm. He had to check. He had to call the police or an ambulance or-

A heavily dented trashcan lay in the middle of the road, trash scattered in a circular path from the driveway where it had been struck by the vehicle that had swerved off course.

Oh thank god. EJ thought, examining the back side of his car. It was definitely going to leave a dent in his car, but at least he hadn't actually hit a person. 

EJ suddenly remembered the person in question. He turned back down the road that he'd come in on and peered through the rain. He could just barely make out the shape of someone crouched on the ground.

Again, that voice in EJ's head told him to get back in his car and drive off. And this time it was rather convincing. After all, He hadn't actually hit the guy, and any person who would lay in the road past midnight in the middle of a storm probably wasn't all there to begin with. EJ wasn't to fond of the idea of getting murdered by a lunatic tonight. But for some reason, he just couldn't leave the guy. He probably needed help. The least he could do after almost killing him was check on him.

EJ jogged over to the crouching figure trying to ready himself for whatever was about to happen.

"Hey, are you okay man? What're you doing in the middle of the road? EJ shouted over the rain. The figure didn't respond.

Getting closer, EJ could tell that the person was asleep. How he could be asleep in these conditions EJ didn't know. He inched closer and prodded at the sleeping person with his foot.

"Uh..Hey man you gotta get up." He said. He really didn't know what to say. Of all the things that this night had brought, finding someone asleep in the middle of the road in a rainstorm was by far the weirdest, and that's saying something.

EJ knelt down and shook the person's shoulder.

"Come on! This isn't a safe place to sleep you gotta-"

The person turned over on their back and for the third time that night, EJ got the shock of his life. The storm street sleeper, the person he had almost hit with his car was none other than one worse for wear looking Richard Bowen.

"What the fuck Bowen." Was all EJ could say.

Ricky's eyes fluttered open for a moment.

"Wha-Who?" Ricky said before passing out again.

Without really thinking about it, EJ scooped up Ricky in his arms and ran him back to his car. He carefully placed Ricky in the backseat then, dashed to his trunk and pulled out a blanket. He wrapped the unconscious Ricky in the blanket, and hopped into the driver's seat, shutting the door. EJ took a breath and looked back at the boy in his backseat. The light from a streetlamp glowed on the boy's face. Rain water dripped from his curly hair down onto his face, past his quivering lips. Despite the fact that he was soaked to the bone, shivering, and clearly not doing well, Ricky looked almost...angelic. EJ turned up the heat and, still not quite sure what he was doing, began to drive home.