Croo Goes Random

From Rags to Riches

this is an Armageddon thing but I don't think there are any spoilers so it's free for everyone woop

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Rain fell harshly on the grounds of Chicago. Fog hung low and heavy in the city, vastly reducing vision levels. Such a thing usually resulted in heavy traffic; vehicles lines the roads as if they were sitting ducks on a pond. A small figure darted behind the vehicles, avoiding being seen by the people in the cars. She clutches a bunch of white tissues to her chest.

The child eventually escaped from the maze of cars and dived into an alleyway on her left, desperately panting for breath. Her muscles burned. The girl could practically see the build up of lactic acid.

She hid into the shadows as angry shouts from the store owners echoed throughout the streets. She smiled to herself as she glanced down at the bundle of bread in her hands. There was enough to keep her fed for a few days, perhaps even a week if she managed the quantity responsibly.

The girl jumped when she heard footsteps against the wet concrete behind her, her eyes widening. She turned towards one of the men from the store. His eyes were narrowed into a glare. "I didn't see you pay for that, little girl." He grumbled. "Is that what you are? Just a lowly thief?"

The girl backed away as the man continued talking. "I don't want to hurt you. We can settle this peacefully, okay? All you have to do is give back what you took. I'll forget this whole thing even happened. I'm sure the guys back there would forgive you, too, if you... returned the favour."

The girl shook her head, feeling her legs tremble. "B-But I need this...!" She pleaded. "Without this, I'll starve...!"

"And we need to make a living!" The man retaliated. "But if you go stealing all our damn stuff, we can't do that, can we?!"

The girl ran, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small buck knife, slashing it against the man's ankle. She didn't stop, even with the man's yelp of pain. She was aware of the blood on the tip of the knife. The thought used to make her queasy, but she no longer thought about it.

She ran away from the man, eventually losing sight of him. A sudden collision knocked the knife from her hand, sending it clattering elsewhere on the street. She was more concerned about the bread collapsing into some puddle and no longer being edible "A-Are you okay?" A timid voice asked, extending a hand to her.

The girl ignored the gesture and jumped up, backing away from the person until her back came into contact with the wall. She growled at them, noticing that it was a boy around her age. The bundle of bread sat at his feet, covered from the rain by his umbrella. "This... is yours, right?" He asked.

The girl didn't respond. The boy seemed to get the message, though, as he took the bundle from the ground and held it out to her. "I, um..." the boy began. "I heard your argument with that man earlier. You... stole this, didn't you?"

"So what if I did?" The girl grumbled, picking up her knife while snatching the bread from the boy. "Are you going to tell on me? I'll kill you before you have the chance."

"I-I won't tell anyone, promise!" The boy exclaimed. "I totally understand why you have to do it! You're like me and have nowhere else to go, right?"

The girl relaxed slightly. "Like you...?" She repeated. She stared at the bread in her hands before sighing. "Come on," she muttered. The girl walked away and sat underneath a doorway, unfurling the tissues. The boy hesitated before sitting next to her. "Here." The girl said, holding out some of the bread to the boy.