Separated

Chapter X

SEAN

Music: Crazy Cannonade from Pac-Man World

I feel a sharp prickling in my back when I wake up this morning. It doesn't take me too long to figure out why. Apparently, both Luke and I had rolled over in our sleep the previous night. I rolled over onto my stomach, and he rolled over in such a way that his prosthetic arm is now quite literally digging into my back. As gently as I can manage, I roll Luke back over and then get into a seated position, nearly banging my head on the staircase above me in the process. I must not have been gentle enough, because Luke wakes up sharply.

"UH, FUCK, NO, I DIDN'T MEAN THAT!" he exclaims loudly, likely waking up from a dream. I stare at him in confusion for a few seconds. Once he finds his bearings and notices me, he mutters, "Oh, like you've never done the same thing."

"Uh, no, I haven't," I sigh.

Shanna and Mia walk around the building corner to join us. "Is everything alright back here? One of you was screaming loudly, and given the circumstances we're dealing with right now, there's a cause for concern here," Shanna asks. By this point, the bags under her eyes are just too noticeable. My eyes feel quite droopy as well. Considering the conditions we've slept in over the past few nights, it's understandable.

"It's nothing. I just woke Luke up at apparently the wrong time," I reply.

Luke gives me a glare, then shakes his head and mutters, "Y'know, I'm too tired to argue with anybody right now."

"I feel you," Mia mumbles to herself.

Elle wakes up at that moment. "Ugh, morning already?" she grumbles groggily. None of us respond.

A few minutes later, we're up and starting the same daily routine we've been using for the past three days. And by that, I mean simply walking through the streets of... wherever in the world we are. As we're walking, Luke examines the people walking by us, hardly any of whom give us any attention. They range from rich, fancy-looking townsfolk to people with ripped clothes who look like they're barely surviving.

"Man, if only Argentina's economy was more stable," Luke muses. In an attempt to enforce positive interaction (which has been a rarity ever since we got here), I nod my head.

"Okay, I've had it," Elle randomly blurts out. "This is not working anymore."

"What do you mean?" Shanna asks.

"We can't keep living like this, guys. We need to try something other than being poor beggar children."

She has a point. Our first night here was without a doubt our most pleasant, since we actually got a good night's rest and a (sort of) nourishing meal the following morning. Since then, we've been out and about, and we're basically living like hobos. People give us food whenever we ask for it (if they can even understand us), but it's always out of pity. And we've resorted to sleeping in places such as in alleyways, under staircases, basically anywhere that looks remotely comfortable.

"Well, what do you expect us to do!?" Mia exclaims, frustrated.

"Uh, I don't know. Ask for help?"

"Who would believe us? If they could even understand us."

"Girls, enough!" I yell. Mia and Elle's bickering has really taken its toll mentally on everybody here. My intervention succeeds in its task, as both girls stop talking.

By this point, Luke's eyes have caught onto something in the distance. He starts slowing down in his tracks. When the rest of us stop, he points through an alleyway and tells us, "I just spotted a large building that I think is worth checking out."