Souls' Collision | ✔

T H E P A S T

~ Chapter Twenty Two ~

The year was 1999.

Akra was smouldering. The sun had been mercilessly naked all day, meaning the sandstone streets were piping hot even then as darkness began rolling in. A handful of gentle breezes went through the maze of narrow alleyways, relieved the damp foreheads of the street venders, the reddened feet of the unwanted street pups and soggy armpits of the suspicious men working the corners.

In the marketplace a man stood bent over his fruit, dabbed his forehead with a dirty cloth. A thin sheet hung above him but the sun had easily penetrated it, left a red patch ontop his bald head. Around his portruding stomach was an apron that he lazily wiped his palms on, scouting for both customers and thieves. Anything needing him to put the metal rod hidden behind his counter to good use.

Stark squatted just on the opposite side. He was a scrawny little thing, almost ten summers yet with arms like tendons and hungry eyes. A regular street pup, inhabiting whatever small burrows there were to spare around the city. Unseen and granted no more attention than the cockroaches.

The blisters on his feet hissed and bit as he moved to the side, angled his head to hear the street vender's steps. He'd learnt to be careful years ago, learnt that the wolves of Akra didn't take kindly to snatchers. The scar on his left eyebrow told of that, as well as the much fresher bruise on his ribs.

But he'd exited the burrow too late and now night was settling -- he didn't want to be out at night; he had to be quick.

As he heard the heavy steps of the vender move away from the counter, he decided to act. His feather-like fingers shot up, grabbed one of the juicy apples lined up, and then dissapeared just as fast.

He looked at the apple, couldn't believe how lucky he'd been. Now it was time to stop. It was after all never a good idea to test your luck in a place like Akra.

But he was so hungry, so unbeliavably hungry, and his hand was soon back amongst the goods, fluttering across the fruits's surfaces.

The vender's fat fingers instantly snatched a hold of his wrist, pulled him upward so quickly that the joint hopped.

"You little fucking dog!" he growled into the terrified face of Stark, his small body no stronger than a ragdoll's as he was hauled into the air. "I ought to chop your hand off!"

The street pup screamed as the vender reached for the largest knife he'd ever seen, slurring curses. Stark tried to push away the calloused hand from his wrist but it was impossible.

Soon he was back on the ground, forced to lean over the counter with his arm stretched across it whilst the vender held it in place.

"This should teach you," he said and raised his knife. It gleamed dangerously in the sunlight.

Stark jumped the counter and chomped down on the first thing he could find, acting out of pure panic. As the vender screamed he realized it had been the man's arm. He kept his chipped teeth in the vender's skin and shook his head like a rabid dog, feeling each sharp edge cut through.

It wasn't long before the man let go, bellowing loudly and dropping his knife. Stark flew away, his small body too nimble for the giant man to catch. He felt for the apple still in his pocket and shot out into the street.

Behind him the man screamed and cursed but Stark kept going. He cut through the alley where the men always traded weapons, through the bar where the visitors yelled at him all the way until he made it out the back door, towards the apartment complex he called home.

He shot up the three steps leading to the front door, looked around, and then hopped off the side. He got on his knees by the building's wall, let his eyes run down the base of it. The hole in the brick was easy to spot but small enough to keep him safe if the vender was to follow.

He shimmied through it, noted that it was almost too small for him now as well.

After crawling through he got to his feet, got his eyes used to the darkness of the space underneath the building. Something ran across his foot but he'd learnt that the rats were only aggressive if you scared them. He kept hunched and traveled further in until he saw the small body wrapped in a blanket laying as still as the dead.

Just like he'd taught him.

"Reva," Stark whispered into the dim space.

The bundle moved a little before a dirty face poked through an opening, watching Stark with the wide eyes of an eight year-old. A grin missing most teeth spread on the boy's face as his older brother came closer. "Stark!" he exclaimed with a lisp most prominent when the boy was excited. "You're back."

"Sure am." He reached into his pocket, brought out the bruised apple and handed it to the boy.

Reva marvelled. "Half an apple."

"No, it's all yours. Here, take it. I already ate," he lied and watched Reva bite down. "You need vitamins to beat that cold."

"I thought you were gonna be gone all night," the boy murmured with a mouth full of apple, the juice trickling down his chin leaving a clean trail amongst the dirt.

"I'm sorry it took so long. The sun makes it hard to be stealthy."

Reva nodded inattentively and took another bite.

"Slow down or you'll get an ache." He plopped down on the ground. The dirt was damp and cold with little to no grass to keep his boney legs warm. "What have you been up to?"

"Laying still."

"Have you really?"

He giggled and shook his head. "No. I made something." His hand went behind his back and came back cradling a small pinecone with sticks sticking out the sides.

"What is it?"

"It's you. For when you're not here. But I have to be careful with it because the rats try to steal it all the time."

Stark stayed quiet, latched his hands around his knees.

Reva mistook his silence for anger. "I'm sorry. I know I'm meant to stay down."

The older pup reached out, grabbed a hold of his brother and brought him close. He ignored the sharp pain in his wrist as he massaged his back. "It's fine. Keep it up. Like I tell you, that brain of yours is what's gonna get you out of here."

"You, too."

Stark kept his eye on the apple, tried to sooth the ache in his stomach by imagining himself eating it. "I don't know about that. Ain't nothing special about me."

"Well I'm not leaving without you."

"Me neither, brother. In this life we can only trust eachother. And don't you forget it."

Reva put the apple's remains down but his brother quickly snatched them, put them back in his lap. "What have I said, eat it all."

"But it hurts my mouth."

"How are you gonna bring us out of here if you ain't alive, huh?"

He quieted and slowly continued eating.

"You and me, little brother," Stark murmured, his eyes glazing over as he thought about a better tomorrow. "You and me."

A little throwback to young Red and Chris. This chapter just came to me and I wrote it all in an hour because I felt like it was so important to get down and published. Oh well, tell me if you like it!