{ #3 } Twisted Moon (MxM || 18+)

Chapter 3 - The Flee

Twisted Moon - Book 3 of the Black Moon series - Chapter 3: The Flee

(Noah's POV - Tue. 20 January 2015)

Mmmh... I shouldn't be feeling at ease and relaxed. The grounds on which I usually sleep are not so comfortable and I feel like I am lying on a thick mattress right now. Besides, I don't have this constant sensation of cold for once. It never matters how many layers of clothes and blankets I manage to get over me at night at my secret hiding, I never feel warm; they are just enough for me not to freeze and die from the cold, so why do I feel so good in this instant? Even on the rare occasions I crash in shelters when the temperatures are going too damn low, it is not as soft and warm as it is here. Where the hell have I landed again?

I crack an eye open and see that I am in a bedroom. I can tell that it is still early in the morning because the light coming from the windows is very dim, but I don't recognize this place at all. It looks like a guest bedroom, with modern black and white furniture, but no particular signs like pictures or personal things which would show that someone uses it. What am I doing here? And how did I get here?

I swiftly sit up in the bed when I finally remember what happened last night...

I remember I was hungry, which I can deal with easily, but Jess's stomach kept growling and the puppy wouldn't stop whimpering. If I was too lazy to find money to feed myself, I had to at least get something for him. The problem was that I hadn't begged in a long time and the little cash I had left wasn't enough for both of us to eat that night. So I left the baby dog among the heap of clothes that I keep in the old abandoned building where I squat and, despite the dark outside, I braved the cold to roam the streets and see if I could find something for him.

After a couple of hours wandering without success, I was chilled to the bone and about to head back to my squat. There were heavy clouds and even if it wasn't that cold yet, I knew that a snow storm was coming. I was beginning to think that I couldn't let Jess and I sleep in that unheated place; I needed to find a shelter for the night, even if I hated them. At least, we would be fed something warm; if they didn't have anything for my little puppy, I would share my soup with him. Jess isn't picky and he would eat anything he is given.

I didn't know what time it was exactly but I knew that it was late; the perks of being a homeless, you don't really pay attention to the clock. Very few people were still outside and most of the stores were closed. I had reached the Loop during my search and just as I was about to turn around, I saw that little grocery store, still opened. There were no customers inside and the manager seemed to be busy at the back because I couldn't see anyone, so I walked in and grabbed the first thing within hand's reach which happened to be a bunch of bananas on a fruit stall. At the same moment, someone popped up from behind the counter and I got scared when I saw someone else coming back from the stock room of the shop. They immediately understood what was happening and I made a dash for the door, running as fast as I could.

I used to be quite a healthy teenager; not fat, but not thin either; barely average with my 5'6, I was never the bulky jock, but I still had a nice shape. Unfortunately, I have lost a bit of weight over the past year and a half living on the streets and my lean muscles have obviously melted and weakened. I managed to keep a little distance ahead of my pursuers for a few minutes. However, not being in the best of forms, they easily caught up with me. The icy pavement didn't help either as I kept skidding on its slippery surface, spraining my ankle quite a few times. When the two men eventually reached me, I was brutally thrown to the floor, my hands and knees hitting the cold ground hardly.

Before I could react, one of the men snapped the bananas from my hands and, as the other one started to punch my face, the only thing I could think about was that I had just lost my puppy's dinner. The pain wasn't much to my already-bruised and abused body; pain never bothered me; at least the physical kind; but I believe I must have screamed a little. Brushing my fingers against my cheek, I remember that I was hit a few times on the left side of my face and received a few more kicks in my legs and my back, until... until... I can't be sure, but I think a third man arrived and pulled the other two away from me. My eyes were only begging to shut by then, but I vaguely remember that he was tall... very tall... and I think he had a beard... And his voice... it was deep and full of anger.