Beware The Water

The Angels Rat

Lux dropped to her knees and checked the side of Lao's neck for a pulse. It was faint but he was breathing. She checked her purse to pull out her phone to call an ambulance only to realize that one, her phone from the wreck hadn't been replaced yet, and two, authorities being called to a gangs base wasn't a good idea either. She had no choice but to help Lao herself.

"You're okay." She told him, unsure that he could even hear her in this state. His breath reeked of tequila and there was a rubber tourniquet knotted tightly around his left upper bicep.

Lao groaned in response, being in a high daze of confusion.

Lux took a deep breath before pulling the boy up from his limp arm, and throwing it over her shoulders. Her knees buckled under his dead weight but her strong will to help someone gave her the strength that she needed to get Lao over to the couch. She panted as he plopped down, making small grunting noises as she adjusted his body onto his side in case he were to throw up, to avoid the possibility of choking on his vomit.

She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and leaned her head down to press her ear against Lao's chest. The beating was slow, but at a rate that didn't lead to any major concerns. Lux learned about the effects heroin had on a persons heart. Lao's heart was weak. He was weak. But his body fought to keep him alive.

"It's cold..." Lao croaked with a scratchy voice.

The sound of words coming out of Lao's mouth allowed Lux a sigh of relief. "Okay, ummm let me find a blanket." She looked around for a throw blanket then went into his bedroom to see that there were no sheets on the bed either. The apartment was filthy with broken bottles everywhere, dirty laundry, old food just sitting out and rotting the air. Lux didn't know this side of the world. She didn't like it. But she knew she wanted to help make this persons life a bit easier. After all, that's what she was best at. Being that little light of hope that others needed to get out of their personal darkness.

After not finding anything warm, Lux sacrificed her oversized black hoodie and threw it over Lao's top half to mildly subside the heroin chills. "Is that better?" She asked.

The fuzziness from inside the jacket felt like a warm hug. Lao held on tightly to the hoodie, bringing it up closer to his face. He breathed in deeply through his nice. It smelled nice. Comforting even. It was a girlish scent. Pomegranates, he thought. "I don't deserve this..."

"You'll be okay. The high lasts about 5 hours. But I don't know when-"

"No..." he drawled, "Your help... Don't deserve it."

"Everyone needs help, Lao."

The brain fog kept Lao from being able to focus on this kind souls face. He was grateful for her. Her soft voice and kind hands made him feel at ease. A feeling that he never thought he'd experience again. "Angel..."

The high was a strong one. Lux could tell by his half lidded eyes, weak movements, and slurred words. "No. Not an angel. Just someone that cares."

Tears welded up in Lao's eyes. This angel cares about him. She cared enough to pick him up from the depths of his despair and keep him warm. Would she judge him though? Would she be one with the world and hate him for his sins too? He needed to know.

"I did something bad." He drawled out. Lux kneeled down beside him, pressing the back of her hand to his cold forehead. She knew he was just saying random things from being high and payed his riddle-esque confessions about betrayal and brotherhood no mind at first. That was until things started to sound oddly familiar. "I talked to pigs. They hunted me.... Tied me down... Forced me to eat with them..."

Lux leaned closer, running a hand through his hair as comfort to keep going with this story about a lonely rat forced to dine with pigs. The rat spied on his clan so that the pigs could find their secret pile of food. The rats brother got blamed for it and nearly got consumed by the starving pests. The guilt caused the rat to become rabid and soon lost in the dark sewers, alone with this dirty secret of laying in a barn and squeaking about scraps with the pigs.

"I'm so sorry..." he choked on his sobs. Lux stood up and backed away slowly. "Please don't be mad at me. Not you. Not an angel."

It was Lao. Lao was the rat. Lao was the reason why she and Sing were almost killed. He was the reason why she's hurt right now. Yet, she wasn't angry at him. She felt sorry for him. He knew he would die for his crimes and he was afraid. "You'll be okay." Lux said one last time before closing the door and proceeding to Shorter's apartment, still hearing Lao's broken sobs and prayers for forgiveness.

"Lux?" Shorter pulled her into the room, and held her in a tender hug. She felt broken. Her face had small cuts and healing bruises, same with the rest of the visible skin on her body. "Oh god... Lux I'm sorry." Shorter ran his hands down her arms. "I'm so sorry."

"I'm okay." Lux wiped the tear that fell from her face. "I promise."

"No baby, you're not. You should hate me right now. I'm the one who caused this. Why don't you hate me?"

"I could never do that, Shorter. I... I..." Lux sighed, "I want to be strong for you. I don't want you to have to worry about me."

"Lux, your job isn't to be strong. Thats my job. You're not the one who's supposed to make sacrifices. That's on me too. You don't get to do my job, you understand me? I don't want you to be like me or these other girls that live this life. I want you to be Lux. You be Lux. That's the girl that I-" Shorter stopped himself and squeezed his lips together and swallow down the words he was about to say, "That I want to just be left alone with."

"Then let's go somewhere. Me and you. For one night I can forget about everyone else in my life, you forget about your gang, and it'll just be me and you."

"Lux... are you sure?"

"Just shut up and drive."

"Where?"

"Somewhere far."