Simple Man

- TWENTYONE -

It would have made sense to get an adult to help but Kyra didn't have time to explain what had just happened. For all she knew the dogs could be using Gabriel's leg as a chew toy right now. She was flying. Her feet no longer registered the ground they were hitting. She wished she had kept the silk wrap she slept in on her head this morning as the beads at the ends of her braids slapped her face when she turned the corner in the opposite direction of the inn.

'Faster. Faster.' She thought, as she saw the Miller Street Market come into view.

It was the biggest parking lot in town but still very small compared the others Kyra had seen before. The market was in a little strip that connected to a pawn shop and a law office. Of course, the grocery store was located at the furthest end of the three. The sun had already worked over the black top of the parking lot and because of this Kyra couldn't slow down even if she wanted. Unless she was willing to get burns to accompany the scrapes on her feet.

   She was sure she looked all kinds of crazy busting through the front door in her oversized shirt and underwear, drenched in sweat with her feet covered in the clay dust she kicked up. "I need meat! I can pay later! I swear! Please, it's urgent!" She said.

"Liv!? What's going on?" Barney turned to ask, putting a pause on his task of restocking cigarettes.

"I would explain but we really don't have time! He needs my help! Please Mr. Sherman you know I've never asked this before!"

   Barney looked uneasy but he put the carton down on the counter and went to the closest cooler, on top was a small display of Spam. He grabbed a can and gently threw it at her. She caught it and looked at it, "Spam? Really? This barely counts as meat."

"Beggars can't be choosers, you will pay for it later. Now get!" Barney said as he went back behind the counter.

Kyra sighed as she ran back out the door and towards the junkyard. She was scared but she would never forgive herself if something happened to Gabriel. It wasn't his fault, he was scared and wasn't thinking. If he would have just stopped and paused he would have just taken the beating Danny and his cronies would have inflicted upon him. He'd be hurting for sure but it wouldn't have been life threatening. This was life threatening.

Kyra got to the fence and paused for the briefest of moments. The barking of those dogs was almost deafening. She thought of her mom and hoped wherever she was she was looking out for her right now. "Don't die Kyra, just don't die." She said to herself as she slid through the small hole in the fence.

Her shirt caught on the chain link and ripped a hole and one of her braids was snagged. "Ow." She whispered, putting down the can of Spam to free herself. Once untangled she stood up on the other side, it was huge maze of broken down cars and equipment. Broken glass windows and rusted crunched metal as far as her eyes could see. Mother nature had claimed some of the cars for herself as weeds, vines and wildflowers grew into the hoods and rims of them.

The barks echoed off the metal and sounded like they came from everywhere and nowhere all at once. Kyra didn't know if the dogs were close or far away. She picked the can of Spam back up and started slowly walking, trying to remain vigilant of her surroundings all the while avoiding the glass and the metal debris on the ground. The trailer that Kyra could only assume was Bobby Lee's office looked vacant of life inside and his yellow pick-up wasn't parked in front of it. The junkyard was closed on weekends.

As she passed the trailer she thought she heard a faint cry beneath the din of barking. She listened hard as she made sure took look around her and on the ground. Many times she held her breath as the cries for louder. Of course it was Gabriel but he still sounded so far away even though now Kyra was making out his words; but help was the word that was most used. The barking was booming, like the thunder that came down last night on Juniper. She must've been close but Gabriel still sounded muffled.