The Clever One

On The Run

[Adante]

If I had just listened. If I had just—what am I saying? It's too late now. I'll just have to find a place to sleep and pick up where I started in the morning. It's past midnight, so if I get at least 4 hours of sleep I'll hopefully have enough energy to get to Seph's house. She hates it when I'm late because she gets worried easily. Always worried that the Zom Gang will get ahold of me and beat me until I'm bleeding to death. They've tried multiple time but I get lucky. The Zom Gangs are known for their anger. They're full of it. Especially towards me since I burned their step-dad's house on fire, once. But in my defense it was an accident and nobody got hurt. It was supposed to be a prank when I was 17, but they hold grudges and the first time they attacked me I stabbed one of the guys foot with a knife. I also managed to steal one of their legendary Smith and Wesson pistols. Whatever, they don't use weapons like that anyway. The Gang likes to use their actual hands when it comes to causing pain. I don't think they've killed anyone. But you can never be sure. Right now I'm walking down an alley. Yeah, an alley. You know, those really dirty, dark ones where stray cats live and homeless men sleep? Yeah, I'm more of a person who sleeps somewhere more.....pristine. Once, I got so tired of looking for a comfortable place to live, I just broke into a JC Penny and slept in the bathroom stall. I remember waking up to a little boy looking under the door wondering why it was locked. Then I opened the door and casually walked out, giving him a cold stare, of course. Call me mean, or whatever, but I find amusement in creeping little kids out. But only a little bit. If I see someone really teasing a child, I interfere but nothing too noticeable. I just scare the bully. That was back when I had plenty of free time and didn't have to worry about running away from people who wanted me dead. I probably would be dead right now if it weren't for Seph. She's been my friend since graduation. Literally. At the graduation ceremony we became friends. I've mostly been relying her since. Now we're both 23, and she's moved on with that whole "rebellious" phase. I'm stuck. Sometimes I wonder if she pities me...I hope not. I don't need pity. I don't need luck. I need money. Until then, I'm stuck with walking and sleeping. Nothing more.

I'm back walking on the actual streets, there's stores still open with bright lights and few people inside. There's drunk parties leaving bars, laughing so loud you can barely think of anything else. A while longer I'm no longer in the middle of the city, but more by the collection of smaller stores and apartments. I climb the fire escapes of apartments and get to the roof. Nobody else is up here, so I get comfortable and sleep. As I'm staring at the night sky, I notice that....there's no stars. So many lights in the city, you can barely find a star in the sky. I dream of all the lights in the city going out, so people can focus on what's in front of them. Realize what they all lost, without even knowing it left in the first place.