With burning lungs, Red kept running alongside Darren and Reggie, the latter worse-for-wear than the other two boys. He was wheezing and coughing, soon stomping to a halt as he leaned on his knees and panted. Red and Darren stopped with him, similarly catching their breaths. They had kept running for at least ten blocks, not stopping until they could no longer see the flashlights or hear the yelling. The street lights were on now, and each of them were sweating bullets as they realized the trouble they would be in once they got home.
On top of that, they’d run so long they didn’t recognize where they were, and they looked around endlessly for a landmark before Reggie groaned. “We’re lost, shit.”
“My uncle’s going to be pissed,” Red admitted off-handedly.
“I think we’re close to the underpass towards the north side of town,” Darren stated, his eyes darting from corner to alley, and to another corner again. “That’s the pool-hall there.” He pointed towards a building that was still open on the corner to their right, and pointed further ahead. “That’s the underpass.”
“So what does that mean to us,” Reggie asked, and Darren smirked.
“Amanda and Snaps visit here all the time because they live out that way. I’ve come with them before.”
“So you know how to get home from here,” Red questioned, and Darren nodded. “Think we could stay with you, then? I could call home and warn them I’m staying the night.”
“I mean, I don’t know if my mom or dad will agree,” Darren reminded them. “At the least they could give you both a ride.”
“And nobody will be as worried that we were late home,” Reggie added. The idea was pretty good considering their circumstances, in Red’s opinion.
“Alright, well, follow me I guess,” Darren said, beginning to guide them.
He remained point to each of them, the pair walking alongside the cheetah with exhausted demeanors. Red was sore - simple as - his face where he got hit was swollen, his hand as well. He was ready to crawl in a bed and fall asleep, he didn’t even care whose bed at this point. Given Darren’s expression, he was equally exhausted, his natural talent at sprinting not forgiving him for his long-winded run that night. Reggie, however, seemed fine despite his earlier death throes at the hands of what sounded like severe asthma.
They continued to walk, and only stopped once Red looked up at a large three-story building with wall-length glass windows. One floor was filled with newspaper articles which had been taped to the pane, the stories ranging from corrupt officials, to the earthquake four years back, or even missing persons cases which simply went cold. A chill ran down Red’s spine as he stared at the window, questioning his sanity even. The eerie sensation which entered his body, as if someone were watching him, or even standing behind him.
“Red,” Darren called out from a few yards ahead, looking at the fox with a curious expression. “You good?”
“Yeah, D,” Red replied while removing his eyes from the windows. “Just don’t like the way the window was covered…”
“You’ve never seen it before,” Reggie asked, and Red answered with a nod. “Surprising. A lot of people call it the house of truths. The owner would pin up weird newspapers, but I never understood why.”
“He’s a weirdo,” Darren interjected in a flat tone. “That’s all there is to it.”
“Well, let’s hurry up, then. I’d rather not show up on a milk carton,” Red said, catching up with the pair after a quick jog.
YOU ARE READING
Eastside Riders : The Catkiller
Fiksi UmumFollowing the destruction of his gang, a young man named Red, otherwise known as The Catkiller, is forced to move and confront his trauma after it follows him. Read through his tragic story from the past to the present as he grows and learns to be a...
