The City - PewdieCry

7: Problems

Even in my sleeping hours Pewds never left my mind.

This was getting a bit ridiculous; it had been three days. My dreams were plagued with the thoughts about his words and how he was being treated as if it were my problem. As if it were something I could solve. God damn did I want to help him.

I sat up, letting the blankets slip from me as I stood. I teetered over to the window on sleepy legs, and stared out over the city. I had to clear my head, for my thoughts were a mess. I couldn't really help Pewds out, seeing as how he wasn't a part of my gang, but he clearly needed it. He wasn't being heard, and it just wasn't fair. He had problems, he was being pushed around by older members and his opinions were shut down. That wasn't the way that a gang was supposed to be led. How would a leader know what's going on if their members can't talk about it?

I froze.

I threw myself on the floor by a pile of clothes, pulling a shirt over my head so quickly that I nearly tore it in two. I grabbed my boots and hopped into the elevator, falling on my ass once I stepped inside but slipping both on. I tied them up, and then sprinted into the lobby, gaining everyone's attention once more as I stuck a pair of fingers into my mouth to release a whistle that echoed to John's HQ on the other side of the city and back. Many covered their ears, and focused on me as I climbed onto a table, glaring down and out of breath.

"Can I have all of the lower ranked members meet in the Conference Room on the second floor in ten minutes?" I asked, and despite the confused looks that were shot my way the majority of the lower ranked soldiers nodded their heads, glancing around, and I clapped my hands together before jumping off the table and heading towards the elevator again. Matt caught me by the elbow on my way, lowering his voice.

"Cry, what the hell are you doing?" he hissed, and I looked at him from behind my mask.

"Making things how they should be." I responded simply, yanking my arm free and heading upstairs. I set all the chairs neatly around the table, and then seated myself at the head of the table and waited. Fortunately for me most of the younger ranked seemed to sense my urgency and showed up a bit early. The rest filed into the room soon after that, and after a bit of small talk amongst one another they looked at me. I cleared my throat, moving my mask up a bit and grinning. "A few things have come to my attention lately, and I realized that the lower ranked members may not always have their thoughts and opinions voiced. So, now I ask you if there's anything you've had a problem with that I can bring to the attention to all." I waited, but rather than speak the soldiers looked around at one another. Their eyes flashed, and they spoke in facial expressions that I didn't understand. After a few more moments of observing this, I cleared my throat. "This is the only time this will happen probably, so you might as well speak up now." They all froze, glancing around. Many then looked at the ground. Maybe it was their fear of retribution from the veterans, but I didn't get a chance to offer this up.

"Our beds are kind of uncomfortable," one of the boys spoke up, taller, about 17 years old or so. His brown eyes met my blue ones, and he immediately looked down as he continued. "All the better beds go to the older ones, which is understandable, but-.." he trailed off, and I nodded, making a note of this by scribbling on a small piece of paper.

"Anything else?" I asked, glancing around the ranks at the soldiers who were staring at the one who'd spoken as though he'd totally lost his mind. After a few more seconds, a girl spoke up, staring me straight in the face without hesitation.

"Everyone else gets first chance at food, and it usually leaves the rest of us for last with the sloppiest, worst rations," she spoke with confidence, and I smiled at her from under my mask.

"I know, I'm usually the last guy awake." I reminded her, and she then blushed and glanced down at her feet. A friend next to her giggled, and another boy, one much younger than the rest of the group, piped up from my left.