Who We Become (Power Rangers Ninja Steel)

Chapter 12- Home Sweet Hole

(October 14, 2007)

Midday sunlight reflected harshly off gray concrete and glass windows- or what was left of them- sending the glare into Aiden's eyes. Aiden tugged his hood further over his head and trudged down the street. Having chosen to inspect the area on foot, Aiden's bike and food bag lay hidden among some rubble a ways back

Two weeks of looking for a suitable place to live and he'd only come up empty. Desperation began to gnaw at him (or maybe that was hunger?). These long rides in and out of the city were draining and too public for Aiden's taste. If he didn't find something soon . . . well, he wasn't sure what he was going to do.

Aiden kept on, half wondering what he was even looking for. The streets were almost deserted. Looking around at the broken down buildings surrounding him, he could see why this wasn't much of a tourist destination. However, an occasional adult sat or loitered around some of the structures. Aiden felt their eyes trail him but he pretended they didn't exist. He wasn't carrying anything and his bedraggled appearance projected a similar rough lifestyle.

That didn't mean he let his guard down.

Turning a corner, he wandered deeper into an old industrial park. Warehouses stretched down the road for blocks and buildings loomed overhead; gray, stone and without much protection from the elements or potential . . . visitors. That probably explained why there were so few people around.

The park ran along a small river and connected to the rest of the city by a stone bridge. It was far enough away from the hub of downtown to avoid prying eyes, but not so far to be inconvenient. A half hour bike ride versus a several hour ride. No contest. It really would be the perfect location- if he could find a suitable shelter. That was looking less and less likely with every passing building. If this area would be good enough for him to set up camp in, wouldn't others who were homeless have taken up residence already? But other than a handful of men Aiden had passed, the area seemed mostly devoid of life.

Another row of deteriorating warehouses later yielded the same result. Aiden kicked the corner of the closest one, letting out a frustrated grunt. Why could none of this be easy? Pain pulsed in his temples causing him to rub a hand over his eyes. Sun, lack of sleep and food, stress . . . It wasn't a pretty combination. Ducking into the building he'd kicked Aiden plopped down on the floor, away from the sun's rays.

'What am I doing?' Aiden rested his head against the wall. It wasn't much cooler inside -and, admittedly, wearing a long sleeve jacket didn't help the California heat. Aiden rubbed his face and let out a sigh, letting his eyes trail the building's interior.

Dilapidated bits of wood and concrete lay scattered around the floor. Small piles of debris lined the graffitied stone inside. A few empty door jambs cut into the walls left and right of the main door. Through the holes Aiden could see more junk heaps. Along the far wall, broken metal steps led up to a foreman's office situated on what would be the equivalent of a second story. Aiden studied it with interest.

Forcing himself upwards, Aiden went for a closer look. While the stairs didn't look very sturdy, with his small stature they looked like they'd hold his weight.

Several steps were broken through and others were sharply caved. Many of them, though, did appear intact. Aiden cautiously put his foot on the first stable looking step, testing his weight. It groaned softly but held. Taking it slow, Aiden kept going.

Halfway up he the metal gave way beneath him. Aiden lurched forward and grabbed what remained of the handrail, just managing to catch himself from falling twelve feet to the ground. It took several shaky breaths before he convinced himself to let go of the rail and continue. By the time he reached the doorway his knuckles were wight from holding the handrail and his heart felt like it wanted to leave his chest.