Fading Out

Bread Loaf

Was it wrong? Yes.

Could it be forgotten? Possibly.

Could it be forgiven? Not likely.

And did it hurt? Like hell.

The ground was hard and cold, offering little cushion against the frequent blows. A single Monster against a human who barely had enough strength to run. Sounds about fair, right?

I was actively looking for a job, my current occupation was literally wandering around looking for rich people who needed errands ran.

The man who owned the stand knew me, knew my parents. A single loaf was all I needed. I had never been late on a payment, nor had I left things on a tab. But that loaf was too much for me to take.

His buddy finally walked away, not having done any damage that would last too long. I slowly stood, hissing at the pain caused by my already bruised ribs.

The loaf sat warm but smashed in my jacket, offering some hope for the new few days. I moved down the alley, ducking in and out of streets, yards, and the like before I started to scale the side of an abandoned home.

Can’t really call it abandoned as I had been staying there for the past few months.

No matter how much I wanted to take a piece of bread and eat, there was still stuff i had to do. The loaf was dropped onto a broken table, and a scarf was quickly thrown around my neck.

Before I could eat I had to try and find a few quick jobs.

My feet moved across the hard ground, and I dusted myself off to look more presentable.

“Hear ye, hear ye! A message from our capital city!” My head peered around the corner to see a young monster with no arms calling the attention of monsters and humans alike. “A message to all citizens from the royal family!”

A hushed whispers broke out, everyone wondering what they had to do with the city. The young boy was raised into the air by two soldiers, the emblem on his hat now visible. He was messager for the king.

“The Royal family is taking a tour of the country to evaluate our progress as a society! Our beloved city is the last stop, and they shall be arriving tomorrow!”

This would be interesting…

As the monster boy left, going to tell another sector, I brushed my black hair from my face. My tongue flicked over the scar on my lip, and I ducked into the bustling street.

There didn’t seem to be anything for me to do, as the majority of rich people who needed jobs done, where now off trying to hide any evidence.

I sighed and turned to make my way home. That loaf would have to last.

The air was forced from my throat as a large force dragged me off the street by my collar. As my back hit the hard cement, I coughed, and looked up to see two larger monsters blocking the entrance.

“Rauni, you owe us money…” one hissed.

“No I don’t. I payed you back in full, plus interest,” i said, pushing myself up.

“Don’t lie,” it’s buddy snarled, pushing me back. “You owe us.”

There was a desperate look in his eyes, meaning they were just as worried about the arrival of the Royals.

I sighed, and stood up. “Fine. How much was it? Fifty, and I gave you seventy-five… I’ll get you a hundred in a week.”

“What…”

“Here. I’ve got twenty here, so take that for now.” I passed over the gold coins I had just picked up, both looking shocked. They were good people, but the conditions in this city were nasty. “Will that be enough?”

“Stop trying to act all high and mighty,” the one snarled. He grabbed my collar and lifted me from the ground. “You’re no better than us, filthy lowlife.”

I nodded, looking at him. He quickly dropped my jacket and kicked me aside.

“How about this? I let you live, and you get us the money by tomorrow?” His buddy looked at him in shock, obviously not wanting to go this far.

His foot slammed into my side again and I weakly coughed.

“Okay, I’ll see what I can do.”

“Weak…”

They walked away, looking around to see if they had gotten caught. When they ran away, I sat up and chuckled. A hundred in a single night? What was I thinking?