Troll world chronicles

A life and a death

Scab stood on top of the mound of garbage and sucked on his teeth, his leg still itched a little but he didn't scratch, the cut would only get more infected if he messed with it. The others were mulling around by the pipes, Quark-Quark, the two boys who shared the same name and almost everything else were busy chasing the rats. All together they had two dead crows and a whole sac full of the little creatures. Maybe he wouldn't eat anything tonight.... 

" Chips said not to stay out too long."

Scab swiped at the lank hair hanging in his face. 

"Scab? "

"What? "

"Chips said-"

"I don't care what he said."

" He was mad last-"

"Go on then, I'm not done yet. "

"But-"

"I said I'm not done yet!"

The girl without eyes shook her head and chewed on her lip.

" Do you want me to save you a rat?"

"No. "

"Your hopeless...."

Scab listened as she climbed down, how she managed to move around without falling over things was anyone's guess. His leg itched again. More than anything he wanted to scratch...

While the others moved away Scab squatted down atop a strip of metal and stared out over the gloom, he had explored most of this waste before, maybe this time he would go to that mountain of rubbish away to his left.  Sometimes you found things out here. This was not the edge of their gangs territory, that was still some ways off, but if he kept going that way long enough...

Scab made up his mind and started down the side of the trash heap.

It was hard work to navagate through all this mess without getting hurt. Sometimes it was impossible, but Scab was pretty good at it. With the agility of a mountain goat he found places to put his feet. It only took an hour to reach the Mountain, and a few more to get to the edge of the gangs property. Scab looked back. He was far now, he was alone....

The sky was bloody and red, if there were clouds he couldnt see them. The air had an acrid bitter taste,  it made him thirsty. Absently he scratched at his leg.

How far would he go? The edge. Past the edge. How far? If he got lost he could just follow his head back to HQ, Chips and Jiggs would be mad but he didnt really care, he was almost as tall as Jiggs, and he was a good one in a fight. He brought out his knife and pricked his finger, his skin was hard. The knife blade didn't cut. Scab smiled and put the weapon away again. Funny how your hands and feet got hard but the rest of you didn't. He scratched his leg again and blood came away on his fingers. Scab looked at it curiously. Red. Red was the only color here, unless black was a color. Was black a color? He didn't know. Maybe he would ask  someone later. Suddenly he stood up and swung his arms. He would go, now, now before he changed his mind and went back.

Scab leaped down off the mound and ran. In a minute he was beyond the border and in the wastes, a minute more and he was farther then any of them dared to go....