Detriment

Delirium Preview: Prologue

First, he sold his body...

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"How much for an hour?"

Slightly fearful eyes snapped up to an older male, examining him for a while before they nervously looked back down at the concrete sidewalk. The kid had never actually done this sort of thing before, so never had he thought of something like prices. He didn't know what to say. At that moment, all he knew was that he needed money and this was the second quickest way after thieving.

"10?"

"Is that a question?" The male asked with a raised brow.

"10."

"You actually value yourself like a cheap whore? "

The younger of the two stepped back at the insult, opening his mouth to say a higher price but the other had continued. "Kid, what are you doing out here, it's obvious you have no idea what you're getting yourself into."

"I left home."

The guy rolled his eyes in annoyance causing the boy to look up in confusion. "Great. Another runaway teen whose parents pissed them off. Go home before you get killed out here."

"I have no home, I'm in the system."

"It doesn't matter, you need to go back to your foster parents or DHS or wherever the hell you came from because guess what? You're gonna get raped and beaten out here. They'll find you fucked and washed up on the coast by daybreak and there's nothing you'll be able to do about it."

Hesitating, the kid shook his head slowly. He wasn't going back because of what some random stranger said to him. It wasn't as if he could predict the future. "I can protect myself..." He replied, a frown on his face as he went into his back pocket and pulled out a gun.

That was when the man had shown sudden interest in him, raising his brow once again.  "Do you know how to use it?"

"Yes."

He ran a hand through his hair and chuckled. "No, you don't."

Unhappy at his doubt, he pointed the gun shakily at the man's face with his finger on the trigger. "I will shoot you." He threatened, gripping tight on the gun.

He hadn't known what to expect from the man. Fear...maybe anger at the weapon and yet, his face only held amusement. As if this entire thing was just so interesting to him.

To be honest, it discouraged the boy.

"No need kid, if I wanted to hurt you, I would've done it a long time ago. Why waste my breath talking, right? My name is Elliot."

"Cyan."

"Two hundred." Elliot began. "I'll give you two hundred dollars for each hour you stay with me, but I won't fuck you. I just don't want you out here tonight." Elliot stepped close to him, his hand reaching for Cyan now trembling fingers. "You're just a kid, I would be heartless to leave you out here alone."

"I'm sixteen."

"And I'm nineteen, now give me the gun. You won't need it anymore, I promise."