Trying to Escape

Chapter 4: Before-Part 2

~Six Years Ago~

I've been walking for days. Through rain, and wind, and snow. I'm cold, hungry, and alone. Everyone I walk by ignores me when I try to ask for help. It's like I'm invisible. I don't know where I am. I'm lost, homeless, worthless.

I'm walking down a tattered city street. It is well past midnight and the icy cold wind is whipping me side to side. I try to keep warm by hugging my arms around my body, but it doesn't help much at all. A huge gust of wind knocks me over and I am on the ground, my hands and knees scuffed and bleeding before I've realized what haappened. I just stay down, hugging my knees to my cheast as I begin to cry. My tears practically freeze on my cheeks as they fall.

"Hey, kid, are you okay?" A voice calls over the loud wind. I look up and see a boy, maybe a couple years older than me, looking down at me. He holds out his hand and I grab it as he pulls me to my feet. "C'mon. Let's get you somewhere where it's warm."

I follow him down the street past a few apartment buildings before we come up to a beat up building with a sign that reads "The Night Owl" in lit up red letters, but some of them are flickering out. He takes me inside and I feel the warmth begin to sink into me all the way to my bones.

"Are you hungry?" He asks. I nod. He leaves me sitting at a little table and comes back with a small roll of bread and a glass of water, handing them to me. Before I can think, or before he can change his mind and take them away, I stuff the bread down my throat, hardly chewing, and inhale the water. He chuckles.

"Man, kid, how long since you last ate?" I just looking away, ashamed, and shrug my shoulders. "What's your name?"

"Evilyn," I whisper.

"Well, that's a pretty name," He replies, making me blush under the rosy red of my cheeks from the cold. "Hang on, I'll be right back." My eyes follow him as he leaves the room. When he comes back, an adult is with him.

"Hi, Evilyn. I'm Danny. I run this place. Are you okay? Would you like to stay here for a while til you feel better?" The man asks me, putting a hand on my shoulder. I look from his hand up to his face. A face that looks so kind amd trusting, that I nod my head and he smiles, taking my hand. "Here, I'll take you to a room you can sleep in while you're here."

I follow him, the other boy right behind us, through a door, down a dusty hallway, down three flights of creaky strairs, and down another dark, musty hallway before we finally stop at a closed door. "Here we are," Danny says.

Before I can react, Danny opens the door and throws me into the room, rushing the boy in behind me, and closing the door behind us. I land on a small, thin, hard bed, my head knocking into a small wooden table next to it. I sit up and rub my head, trying to see in the almost complete darkness. A slot on the door slides open, Danny's eyes showing through it.

"Have fun, you two." And he shuts it with a sharp metalic scratch and I hear a lock click. I can even think straight and my head hurts. I try to see the boy, but I can barely see my own hand in front of my face.

"We're going to have fun," I hear him say, closer to me than I expected. I jump back, knocking into a wall. I feel a hand on my shoulder, pushing me down onto the bed before his body is on top of mine. He brings his face close to mine, his lips at my ear, and whispers, "I'm Travis."

*****

Hey, everybody! I hope you liked my book. This is the last chapter. Thanks so much for reading!