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I ran out of the tent and zig zagged through the fiery maze. When I reached the end, by the lake, I found Noah's unconscious body limp and sprawled at an unnatural angle.
I picked him up, noticing a large branch being carries out by the water; I looked up and saw a piece missing from the canopy of trees and fire overhead.
Noah was in the trees, caught a branch that was made weak by the fire and fell onto the rocks and shallow water below. I felt tears but they only made my eyes burn more due to the smoke.
I tried to back that image of his broken body tossed among the rocks surrounded by fire out of my head, knowing it always found its way back when I least expected it.
I look down to Noah and kiss his head. The smoke was so thick that it damaged Noah's eyes pretty bad, and he still has burns, patchy and permanent, scattered across his body.
"Wait here" I tell him, preparing to leave him at the street corner. I didn't like seeing his face as he watched me steal, so I normally had him wait for me. Just because most of the homeless steal around here and didn't give a shit if they stole from a child didn't mean I liked it. If it weren't for Noah, I'd rather die starving than a savage.
I let go of his hand and he sat where I left him, drawing various shapes and pictures in the dirt by his feet. I walked into the usual shop I stole from, the same man with the permanent scowl, was nowhere in sight. He never notices when I walk in.
I reached the back of the convenience store and picked up the things I needed: bread, milk, and ham slices. I heard shuffling nearby and stopped frozen in my tracks.
I peeked over the Hispanic food aisle to see the man staring at his newspaper. He usually was in his office watching ridiculous sitcoms, but this time he sat at the register. This was going to be difficult.
I looked down to see a bottle of hot sauce and picked it up warily. I swung my arm back and threw it like a Molotov cocktail towards the front of the store. It shattered at the wall behind the man's head and the red liquid blew everywhere like an open wound.
I ducked behind the aisle as the man yelled profanities as he went around the store to check what happened. I took my chance and ran out successfully.
I ran around two street corners before reaching the one I had Noah at. He looked at me, eyes squinted from the sun. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the bag of gummy worms I had snuck into my pocket seconds before rushing out of the store.
Noah smiled a bright genuine smile. I knew he liked surprises. He hugged my leg from his spot on the floor and kissed it. "Look Scar, a train." He let go of my leg and directed my sight with a stick he was holding.
I looked down to his feet to see a train that he drew in the dirt. It was pretty impressive actually. He even drew a little man in the front, directing the train. "That's great, Noah!" Noah loves trains, their speed, their sound, their stability, he loves the overall experience. He's only been on a few times and of course we snuck on those times. They weren't those kinds of trains for public transportation, they were trains used for exportation of things like coal and timber. Maybe I should take him on another ride sometime soon.
Noah and I returned to our alley and ate. Noah only went halfway with his sandwich before giving the rest to me. "You aren't hungry anymore?" he shook his head and laid on the floor facing away from me. Noah had been losing a lot of his appetite recently and it was really bothering me.
As he lay there, his shirt was lifted, revealing his spine, I was able to clearly see every bone. They protruded so far out that the light was able to made shadows from them. Shadows that were slowly eating away at him like parasites. They live in the indentations in between his bones and feed off his health. He belly was very bloated and he looked more pale than usual. I dont know what to do.
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Imma make you bîtches cry.
Jk
Not really.
»b.r.l.«
