This Is It

Prologue

Trash was littered all over the living room floor. Fast food wrappers piled high on the worn down coffee table, dirty dishes piled mountain high in the sink, and cat shit overflowing the litter box in the corner of the room. Our small apartment was trashed.

"Mom?" I kicked off my shoes and slunk down the small hallway toward her room. I halted the minute I heard the moans. She had a guest. There was banging coming from the inside of her room, low grunts, and high pitched panting. Her bedroom door was shaking on its hinges. I quickly turned and pushed my shoes on as fast as I could. I slid out the door, letting it slam behind me.

It was too good to be true. I should have known she was lying to me the day I walked in from school, her eyes bloodshot and face completely pale. The needle laying there. She made a show of throwing out her stash, and flushing pills she had lying around but I should have known it wasn't real and wouldn't last.

The sidewalk was covered in white and ice from the snow previously. Cold was an understatement. I reached my fingers into my back pocket and pulled out a case of cigarettes I had stolen from mom earlier that morning. Staring at them for a minute, I brought one to my lips and fumbled for my lighter. One single drag and I already felt warmer. I inhaled the smoke, and let it fill me as I made my way through the rough neighborhood I lived in. Kids were in the street playing while the older kids were off somewhere else, beating each other senseless. Adults were out and sitting on the steps that led up to the many apartments around, sipping their beers. I would never understand how they didn't get cold. 

I kept walking for about an hour before I reached the busy highway. Night was starting to fall. I had made the decision once I left the neighborhood. I was leaving Chicago. I couldn't handle mom anymore, and the drugs changing who she is. I was tired of the string of men coming in and out, leering at me as they stumbled into my mother's room, or the slight touches on my ass.

Standing on the side of the highway, I pulled a common move and stuck my thumb out, cigarette dangling from my lips. It took about another hour before a cherry colored pick up truck slowed down and pulled off to the side in front of me. The driver's side door opened and someone stepped out. A boy around twenty strolled over to me, his shaggy brown hair falling in his face. As he got closer, I noticed a deep scar on his left cheek, as if someone had sliced him. His blue eyes watched me carefully. He slid his hands into the front pockets of his black, ripped jeans and nodded at me.

"Where ya headed?" His voice was soft and almost melodic.

"Anywhere but here." I removed the lit smokestick from my mouth and crushed it beneath my black Converse. He nodded at me once more, and shrugged.

"I'm in the same boat. If you want a ride, you can join me and Beau." He shifted on his feet and removed a hand from a pocket, throwing his thumb up and pointing at the car. He was nervous.

I was probably going to get killed. There was going to be another person in this truck and they were going to tag team me, and murder me. I was screwed. I could say no.

"Okay." I followed him, and opened the passenger side door of his pick up. I saw nobody else and my heart began to race. This other guy was hiding somewhere.

"Aroof!"

I screamed and stumbled backwards as a giant beast jumped into the front from the small back seat. Suddenly, my face was being licked and I saw a German Shepherd happily standing above me.

"That's Beau."

Hey everyone. This is just the prologue to a new story I'm currently working on! Hope it intrigues you, because I have a feeling this is going to be one of my best works.

Thanks for reading!

-Caitlyn