From Crutchie To Wheels (And a Little Les Trouble)

Blind

(I was feeling nice so here's an early update. The next few chapters are filler chapters, so they're not the best, but trust me, it does get better. Or worse if you look at it that way...)

Jack and the rest of the boys reached the lodging house soaking wet. They all walked in squishing and lit some candles.

Once they were all cleaned up and in dry clothes, they went upstairs to sleep. No one dared to say a word to Jack in fear that Jack would kill them.

Race slipped into his bottom bunk.

"Goodnight, Specs."

Silence.

"I said, goodnight Specs. You're nearly blind, not deaf."

Race got out of bed and looked at the empty top bunk.

"Specs is gone! Guys! Wake up! This is an emergency!" Race screamed while bouncing around the room.

"He's probably just in the bathroom. Go back to sleep." Blink mumbled with sleep in his voice.

Race looked over at the empty bathroom.

"The door is wide open, genius." Race smirked back.

Jack overheard, along with the rest of the room. "How about you go downstairs and check around. If he's not there then we'll actually start to care."

"Fine."

Race got up with a candle and walked downstairs.

"Specs?" Are you here?"

There was a knock at the door.

Race slowly walked over to the door. Who would be knocking during a thunderstorm?

He was about to open it when it creeped open and a note with something taped to it was thrown in the room.

Race slowly picked up the note, read it, and gasped. Then screamed. He bolted upstairs and was jumping up and down on beds trying to wake everyone up.

"What's going on? What's wrong? Race, go back to sleep." They all said.

Race handed the note to Jack.

Jack gasped when he finished reading it.

"Hey. Hey! Everyone calm down. Listen up! This is important!"

Everyone quieted down.

Jack read the note out loud. It read:

"There's a difference between mean and cruel. Taking the crip and child to the refuge would have just been cruel. But taking a blind guy wandering around alone at night during a storm is what mean is all about."

Race took Specs's broken glasses from his hand and handed them to Jack.

Everyone sat in silence. A third newsie has fallen victim to the Delanceys.

After a few minutes, the door downstairs opened. Everyone sat quietly, scared.

"Race, when you got this note, did you remember to lock the door back?" Jack asked.

There was a moment before Race responded with "We have a lock?"

Groans, "that explains so much," and "ughs" were heard from the other newsies.

Then the stairs started creeking. Boys started hugging each other and whimpering. Race grabbed a cane to use as defense.

The door to the bunk room slowly opened. As soon as the intruders walked in, Race whacked the first one up the side of the head and slammed the door closed. On the other side, a loud thud of a body dropping to the floor and a scream followed by crying was heard.

Then they heard Finch's voice. "What the hell?!"

Jack ran to the door and opened it. He saw a confused Finch, a dazed Elmer on the floor, and Buttons crying, holding his hand.

"RACE!" Jack screamed.

"Did I get them?"

"Well, you got Elmer and Buttons pretty good."

Jack opened the door all the way so everyone could see what was happening.

"Buttons are you ok?" Romeo asked.

"My fingers." Buttons managed between sobs. "They got slammed in the door."

Jack went over and helped the young boy up. "Let me look at it. Can you move them?"

Buttons slowly but surely was able to move all of his fingers except pinky.

"Ok lets get you a damp cloth. Can someone take care of Elmer?"

Jack walked down to the medical cabinet and got out some bandages. He cooled down Buttons's fingers and made a makeshift splint for him.

Then they went back upstairs with another damp cloth. Jack gave it to Finch, who was helping Elmer.

"So how did Mrs. Jacobs take the news?" Jack asked.

"Better than Davey, actually. Davey's spending the night there. Did we miss anything here?" Finch replied.

"Oh not really. Except for the fact that Specs is in the refuge, now," said Jack.
"You walk someone home for 10 minutes and then your friend gets put into the refuge! If that teaches me anything its don't be nice or your friends will go rott in a hell hole." Finch nearly screamed, very frustrated.

"Hey. Calm down." Jack started. "We'll go bust him out in the morning after we sell papes. We need the money if we're going to pay those hospital bills. Now, everyone needs to get some shut eye. It been a long day and we all need to process it."

Finch and Romeo helped Elmer into his top bunk. Everyone climbed into bed except Jack, who climbed up to the rooftop. He sat there thinking. Crutchie and Les are possibly dying. Specs is in the refuge. Davey's a blubbering mess. Buttons now has his fingers broken on one hand. Elmer just got hit up the side of the head. How are they going to break Specs out if they can't even hold themselves together?

Jack fell asleep to the sound of Buttons's small sniffles. And started dreaming, well, having a nightmare. Far worse than the nightmare that was happening during the day.