Ghosts of the Refuge - A Newsies Prequel

Prologue

It was 1896, and that night, Jack, Patch, and Florrie were racing through the dimly lit alleys of Manhattan, their hearts pounding in fear and desperation. The night was thick with urgency—a race against time to escape the grasp of Patch’s father, Snyder.

Jack, who was a newsie from Manhattan, had begged Patch for help in rescuing his little sister, Florrie. Patch had agreed, knowing that, besides Jack, she was the only one familiar enough with the twisted layout of the Refuge to help. She had acted as the lookout that night while Jack smuggled Florrie out. Hand in hand, the two had dashed from the Refuge with Patch close behind, hoping to slip away unnoticed.

For a moment, it seemed they had made it. But then, the sound of frantic hoofbeats shattered the silence. Snyder, furious and relentless, was pursuing them in his wooden wagon. Jack shot a look over his shoulder, urgency setting in. He knew their only hope was Medda’s theater—if they could just get there, they would be safe.

"Com'on!" Jack urged, motioning toward a narrow alley. Patch quickly followed, but Florrie, weakened by her recent stint in jail, lagged behind.

Florrie looked back over her shoulder in fear, her body trembling as Snyder’s wagon drew closer. Patch’s heart clenched as she jumped into the alley behind Jack, trying to push herself faster.

The sound of the wagon’s wheels thundered behind them, and with a sudden, crushing crash, Patch froze. Her eyes widened in horror as she heard the sickening sound of Florrie’s body being struck. She barely had time to process it before Jack’s anguished scream cut through the night.

Tears filled Patch's eyes as the reality of the moment hit. Snyder’s wagon had claimed Florrie’s life.