At The River's Crossing

Chapter 2

 We walked down the snow-covered streets lined with little shops. The night was still and silent. I hadn't seen another person since we got here. The snow crunched beneath my boots but didn't make a sound where Wade stepped. I watched where their feet should be making indents as we walked, their footprints were a shape I couldn't figure out – it definitely wasn't foot-shaped.

We stopped in front of an empty and boarded-up storefront at the end of the main street. Wade led me around back and around a large dumpster to an out-of-sight back door. They produced a small key from their shadowy body and unlocked the door, gesturing me inside.

I couldn't see much inside. No light came in through the boarded-up windows. The room became completely black when Wade shut the door behind us. I heard the lock click, and then the flick of a light switch.

Warm light filled the space, revealing a back storage room. Tall empty metal shelves lined the wall to our right. A big plastic sink was fixed near a door on the wall opposite us. A small row of lockers stood beside the sink. Most of them were left open, all empty except one with a crumpled-up piece of paper.

I walked forward and quietly opened the other door. The abandoned backroom made all noise louder. The gentle creak of the hinges screamed in the vacant space. I winced as the doorknob clicked as I let go of it. I felt blindly for a light switch against the wall, eventually having to enter the room slightly to reach it.

With a click, light flooded an even larger, emptier room. The faded wallpaper was covered in the outlines of long removed frames. Most of the carpet had been ripped up, and dirty grey cement made up the floor underneath. The large windows took up most of the front wall of the building, but they were boarded up from the outside and covered in old newspapers on the inside.

I looked around the room as I walked further in and noticed another door along the back wall and a collection of what looked like camping supplies in the corner. As I got closer I was able to make out more of the supplies. A sleeping bag was set up against the wall, with a pillow, two blankets, and a small stuffed pig. It looked even tinier in this giant room. Next to the sleeping bag was an old radio alarm clock that read 3:54 and a small box with a stack of clothing on it.

I kneeled down next to the bed and picked up the pig. Its shiny black eyes looked so sad. I felt a kinship with it as I petted its soft pink fur – we were both sad little creatures in a place we didn't belong. I felt tears well up as I remembered everything that happened today. I was about to break down completely when Wade spoke up.

"I asked a friend to set some stuff up for you. She didn't want to choose too much for you, so she just got you what you needed."

"I can stay here?"

"Of course. She owns the building. It's safe for you to be here, but we kept it boarded up so that you could have privacy."

I wiped my tears away with the back of my hand and sniffled. "Thank you. I really appreciate it."

"I have to go back to the river, but I will tell my friend to stop by tomorrow afternoon. Try to get some rest until then."

Wade turned to leave, but I rushed over to give them a hug. They stumbled in surprise but wrapped their arms around me. The calm of their embrace washed over me again.

"Thank you again. No matter how things are, I'm really glad to be alive."

They ran their hand through my hair and hugged me tighter. "I'm glad you're alive, too, my love." Wade pulled back and raised my hand, placing the key in the middle of my palm. I closed my fist around it as I watched them leave through the backdoor.