Haven

2

"F*ck!"

"Hey, hey! Careful, kid! I'm trying to stitch you up!"

His eyes flew open and he saw a girl kneeling beside him with a needle and thread in her hand. A first aid kit was flung open beside her, and he appeared to be laying on a cloth-covered table. 

"Who...are yo-OW!"

"Sorry! I know it'll hurt, but we can't afford any local anesthesia."

"Who are you?" he asked through gritted teeth. He looked down and found himself shirtless. On his right side was an open wound with old and fresh blood coating it. 

"Ooooh no..."

~

"Hey, kid! Kid!"

He could vaguely hear a faint voice...

"Don't do this to me, I just finished!"

It seemed to be getting closer... Was he walking towards it?

"KID!"

He jerked awake and sat up, taking in huge gasps of air as his eyes flew open. He was back on the table and still shirtless. He noticed the throbbing pain in his side, and when he looked, he saw bandages covering the wound. 

"The stab wound!"

"Yep. Sewed that bad boy up, if you can remember. You fainted again when you first looked at it."

"Oh, uh. Thank you. Wait, who are you?"

He watched the girl pack up the first aid kit and put it on a nearby shelf. 

"Sofie. Sofie Marsh."

He looked around the room, which seemed to be a really run-down apartment. There were sleeping bags in one corner, a worn out couch and armchair by the table he was lying on, an old tv set, a mini fridge, some cabinets, a rusty sink... What was this place?

"Where am I?"

"You're in what we call Haven. Not Heaven. Haven. We expect you're the same as us - kicked out for being queer?"

"...Yea."

"Well, welcome! I started Haven a few years ago with Drake, who will be joining us in about 10 or so minutes. She's out with the others getting groceries."

"Oh, um. Thank you. It's awfully generous of you guys to take me in."

"Well, we do have rules you need to follow." Sofie walked to the kitchen area and washed her hands. "First off, you need to get a job. 50% of your earnings go towards the group as a whole in order to pay bills, get groceries, and accommodate any newbies. You can't do drugs or vape because that's disgusting and the landlord will kick us out, and you need to be inclusive of everyone no matter the orientation or background."

"I can do that."

"Most people can. Most. There have been a couple we've had to kick out, but those were really bad people. You seem like a good kid, and I am more than happy to welcome you into our little Haven."

"Thank you, Sofie."

He got his shirt back on and gingerly sat on the couch. Sofie came back moments later with a glass of water. 

"Drink up. You need a lot of water. You're in bad shape. Not horrible, though, don't worry."

He finished the glass rather quickly, looking to Sophie for more. She wordlessly took his cup and brought him more. 

"Just don't drink too much, kid."

"I'm not a kid," he mumbled around the cup.

"How old are you?"