Short Stories for A Snacc

Prompt: Lost in the solitude of his immense power, he began to lose direction

CW: Violence, drug use

I look down at the bustling city beneath my feet, as if I was on top of the world, as if all those scum crawling the city crevices are far beyond me. Ha! If only they knew what it took.

In bold and black and fully capitalized was the word "EVICTION" on the top of crisp bright yellow paper, barking at my brother and I to move out of the only place we could barely afford. Not a single cent to our names, we were kicked even further down the gutter by the stacking debt of our convicted single mother.

My baby brother looked held onto my shirt even harder, crumpling the hem in his left little fist and wrinkling his perfect report card in the other. Not a single sound could be heard. His previous joyous mood completely overtaken by the fact that we were, by law, officially homeless. Of course, I was no better. In my mind, thousands of thoughts were rapidly flying around, hatred for mother dearest bubbling and boiling in me.

'Where could we go now?'

'What about my brother?'

'Why did that woman decide to bring us into this horrible world, and then just, do this?'

Wordlessly, I led my brother into the dilapidated apartment, the walls were basically thin biscuits, and any amount of water would have had the roof crashing down on us. Ordering my brother to just take a shower while I figure things out, I sat down near the landline, and prayed to any higher beings out there who were listening for there to still be electricity.

Beeping from a landline had never made me this nervous before.

"Hello, sir?"

My assistant pops her head into my room, pulling me back to reality. I look at her with disgust, "Why didn't you knock? What is it that you had to barge in here?"

She hangs her head low; her voice reduces to a squeak as she apologizes, reporting that yet another company called to inform me that they are cutting off their funding to my company.

I eye her, sighing, "You know what to do, don't you?"

She rushes to get a ride, as I prepare myself for yet another...negotiation.

One week. We had one week to pay half of what we owed. I looked towards my brother who was staring blankly at his food from the corner I was in, newspaper scattered around me, filled with red circles of more open vacancy almost like a barrier separating the both of us. Pay from two jobs was nothing compared to our bills that was racked up.

I had no choice; I had to do what mother did. To support my brother, I would even sell my soul to the devil. What was a seventeen year old to do?

That evening, I left the apartment with the promise that we would not be homeless to my brother and a dozen newspaper pages.

"Apologies, but I believe that our beliefs do not align with your company's," a sweating older man sits with his legs cross in front of me. The sole of his shoe nearly touches my table, ashes from his lit cigarette falls lightly onto the arm chair like light snow. Filthy.

"Absolutely no negotiations, then?" I calmly ask again.

He furrows his brows, "Of course! We allotted your company the funding for a greater good, yet not a single hospital was built!"

The sole of shoe rests on top of my table now. "Hmm, you want to try saying that again?"

"I am cutting off your funding, not a single cent will be given to you anymore!" He yells, slamming his fists, as if he wants to break my table. The remaining cigarette squished beneath his palm.