Rain tore down from above, as if the sky itself was weeping for the sins nobody cared enough to acknowledge anymore. My bare feet stung; my skin turning numb from the rain-soaked chill. My scrappy shirt hung around my neck like a block of pure steel, the damp folds making every movement sluggish.
"Return this instant young man!" A shrill voice echoed from the alleyway behind me, nearly drowned out by my hammering footsteps.
I won't go. Tears streamed from my eyes, intertwining the falling rain as I sprinted around a corner, my hoarse grunts bouncing behind me, raw and filled with power despite my breathless panting.
I refused to hear a single word they said, not after the lies they had told me. My foot caught a divot in the poorly maintained concrete paving. No, no, no. Panic welled up as I careened into a wall, pain erupting from my shoulder. I glanced behind me- nobody was there, not yet. A silent breath of relief escaped me, but I couldn't stop.
I gritted my teeth, the agony locking my jaw as I cradled my arm. Finally finding the exit back to the street, a towering wall of pure stone almost double my height stood in my way. Fuck this district and its obsession with its damned appearance. Stepping back and taking a deep breath, I barreled at the wall, silently praying the rain-slicked bricks would still let me climb.
My leap carried me high, higher than I expected —nearly halfway up the wall— and I kicked off its glistening surface. My heart sank as my foot slipped right off, giving me not a lick of upward momentum. Panic flooded my veins, chest tightening as I desperately flailed my arms upward.
The tips of my fingers screamed from the sharp ridges digging into my uncalloused flesh, but thankfully, they had found purchase on the lip of a maligned brick. A grin wormed its way onto my face —despite the circumstances— and with another movement slightly more powerful than I thought I was capable of; I careened over the top— the wrought-iron spikes atop the barricade shredding my shirt as I narrowly passed over them.
I tried to curl up in the air to redistribute the blow in fear of breaking my neck, but before I could, I slammed full force into a warm, meaty cushion. My handy flesh pillow let out a yelp, then a slew of curses.
Maybe it wasn't a pillow.
Quickly springing to my feet, I didn't wait a moment for the man to even get up before sprinting off. Someone of his build would absolutely have guards. Sure enough, the click of a pistol cocking behind me sent my heart into my stomach. With nerves tingling, my body dropped to the pavement.
A deafening crack resounded, and the people on the busy sidewalk immediately stopped before running off in fear. Not willing to waste the opportunity to escape, I followed suit. Desperately merging with the tumult, I did my best to blend in with the fleeing men and women in tall top-hats and long brown trench coats. Even with the difference between their exquisite textiles and well put together outfits, and my torn ratty rags, I still managed to break line of sight with the gunman, once again turning down another street.
Despite knowing he had better things to do, and that he surely wouldn't follow me, I took a few turns, just to be safe. With one final glance behind me, I slumped to the ground, nestling my body next to a white column, using the arch it supported to hide from the rain. A long, deep breath filled my lungs as cold tears ran from my eyes unabated.
Even if I'd escaped the downpour momentarily, my eyes still dripped like the clouds.
Pulsating neon lights from across the massive man-made lake drew my gaze. Whatever this property I was hiding at was, and whoever owned it was one lucky, rich bastard. Mom always talked about how much she wanted a house like this one. Mom…
A whispering voice echoed in my ears, almost imperceivable, like a trick of the wind.
I refused to focus on it, staring back out at the water, admiring the view of the Basin. Its tall glass towers, crisp white lines and sleek modern style stuck out like a coin in the mud compared to the Coffers— the financial district I lived in. For reasons I couldn't understand, the Coffers had always lagged behind the times. My eyes flickered across the visible segments of each district, taking in their unique beauty. Finally, my gaze settled with disgust and contempt on the place every Coffer resident hated. Our neighbor, Brilliante— the entertainment district. Unlike the Basin's refined, classy style, that cesspool was filled with flashing lights, glowing holograms, and was so stacked and visually noise that it was built more like an obstacle course of buildings than anything else.
I pushed that place from my mind, shaking my head with a sigh.
Now recentered a little, I drew myself up to my feet and rummaged through my pockets, ignoring the pulsing pain in my left arm. Two silver coins, oxidized and scraped, glimmered in my hand. Enough to drown my sorrows for a minute. I'd never drunk before… but something tugged my heart toward that thought, that idea. Anything to not think about my now missing mother or my brother which she carried.
A frown carved itself onto my face, refusing to leave.
Plodding footsteps through puddles of water carried me listlessly down the street, my eyes scanning the horizon for the first establishment I could find which served any sort of alcohol. A car ripped by, spraying up the pooled water on the road and sending it cascading over me and my fellow better-dressed pedestrians.
Soft orangish-yellow light blazed from tall black streetlamps, and the dull muted browns and off-whites of the buildings and clothing around me only served to dull my mood. As I walked, a tall window caught my reflection, and for the first time that night, I saw what I looked like. My feet rooted in place, and a broken laugh echoed from my hoarse vocal chords.
My brown eyes had dark bags beneath them, my milky skin had grown pallid and sickly, and my short black hair was a mess. Every inch of my body was soaked, allowing the dirt and grime to stick to me easier than ever. Every tear in my shirt and worn patch in my pants made my heart tighten in my chest a little more. The thought of how much work had gone into getting these clothes made my soul ache at the reality of how quickly they had been destroyed.
"I'm sorry." I murmured to myself… and to my mom if she could hear me. My sorrow slowly bubbled into rage. The unintelligible whispers resounded in my ears quietly, and they were definitely not a trick of the wind this time. My head whipped back and forth as I pressed my back against the wall. "W-who's there?!"