The Edge of Society

The pills

As he ran, running from life, desperate to escape this place once and for all...As he ran, his wet clothes sticking to his body from almost drowning in the pool, his salty tears filling his eyes as he dashed through the otherwise empty street. 

The night air was cold against his skin, sending shivers down his spine that had nothing to do with the lingering chill of the water. The night was cool, but his frantic pace kept him warm, his heart pounding with a mixture of fear and adrenaline.

His lungs burned from the lack of breath he still hadn't got back from when he started to drown His eyes burned from the mix of chlorine and his salty tears, leaving a burning sensation that wouldn't leave. 

He felt like he couldn't breathe as he ran through the streets of his quiet town, only lit up by street lights. His wet hair sticking to his face, adding to the sweat that started to accumulate on his skin as he ran before stopping in front of a convenience store.

The blue and red open sign illuminated the street as you could see through the glass a man just sitting there boredly on his phone. Oily hair, and looked mid 30's. The store was completely empty other than the man himself. 

So Jul walked, and the door made a soft ding sound, causing the man to look up at Jul, looking at the boy who entered his store looking like a drowned rat. He grunted incoherent words before looking back at his phone.

Jul walked around, his wet shoes making squeaking noises at every step he took rubbing against the dirty hard floor, making it quite embarrassing and annoying to be the only sound in the otherwise quiet store. 

As he roamed around, taking the scent of chlorine with him, he went to the medicine aisle and grabbed a small bottle of Tylenol. Rubbing his thumb over the dosage and looked at the price $9.18 for 8.

Jul looked in his back pocket and pulled out a wet 20-dollar bill, it was on the verge of ripping but he grabbed a cold water and walked up to the checkout, placing the pills and the water on the counter and sliding the wet bill over to the man who looked at him like he had two heads

"I didn't accept wet money, but I will because you look like you need it. But kid, get this through that wet head of yours, this world ain't forgivin' not everyone is gonna take this wet paper right here."

He spoke in a gruff country voice, but Jul wasn't listening, just wanting the man to check him out, and the man finally did, a small beep came from the scanner as he took the money and put the stuff in a bag handing it over. Before he could ask did jul want his change...

Jul left out.

Back on the streets, he went.

Walking on an empty, quiet night street in a small town is like stepping into a different world altogether. As you venture out, the usual bustle and chatter of the day have given way to a serene stillness that envelops everything around you. 

The street lamps cast a soft, amber glow, creating pools of light that gently illuminate the old cobblestones or cracked pavement beneath his feet. 

Was he going to do this? Once you do it, there isn't any going back... Jul stopped walking and pulled out the pills and the water, he unscrewed the tight red top looking down into it container looking at the pills that read Tylenol in small red imprinted letters.

He opened the water bottle and drank some, getting a taste of the flavorless drink that called down his burning throat and lungs, and finally making his decision he downed all the pills, drinking the water to help him get them down. Why not?

The world wanted him dead so badly.