Chapter 9: Make me a pie, fool!

As I sat in the restaurant, I continued licking my fingers and resting my head against the booth cushion. All of the sudden the power cuts out. I start hearing the customers complain and mope about the inconvenience but I keep quiet. Shortly after I start smelling the most divine scent of a freshly baked bitter sweet, chocolate pecan pie. The whiff hit me and instantly demanded my undivided attention. I started thinking about the pie. A simple piece of pie.

Back when I was younger and less fragile I remember a gift I received. On my 16th birthday I attended a church seminar and was rewarded with a piece of pie. A gift that I received and cherished. It would have been the first time somebody had ever acknowledge the day of my birth. The pecan pie wasn't just a delightful pastry, it was a gift of recognition. A prized event in my life.

I soon snapped out of my daydream and headed out of the restaurant.

Chapter 8: ON THE HOUSE!!

After taking a brutal beating to the face, I collected myself and walked over to the Vietnamese restaurant behind the Stop N Shop. Although I had already eaten when I entered the restaurant a waiter saw the damage to my face and offered me a complimentary meal. "on the house!"
I had a seat and looked around the room... I saw two guys sitting at the table across from me and they looked geeked out of their minds. Their eyes fiery red, and their giggling banter caused the waiter to chuckle.

After eating and letting the free fried rice and soup special settle in my tummy, I closed my eyes.

Chapter 7: Get smacked, wolfy boy!

The dirty watch read half past noon and today was bright and pretty. The birds chirped. The horse-flies had come and gone. The cars drifted onward with ease and it felt like I was in the middle of a optimistic movie before a conflict arises.

My stomach ached and it wasn't until I smelled food coming from the Stop N Shop grocery that I knew I had to eat. I hurried through Calloway Boulevard around the corner and went inside. The place was packed today with happy, wealthy families. I could tell that the odors that lingered on me from the garbage were disturbing the shop's customers.  I took advantage of the chicken special and purchased a 6pack of rotisserie chicken and payed for it with the collection of dimes and nickles that have accumulated in my pockets over time. I made my way to the small arrangement of tables located in the corner of the grocery.

The food settled well inside my stomach. I felt warm and suddenly tired. I rested my head down for what seemed to be one second and then realized that the grocery was being robbed.

"Hands on the ground!" A couple of masked men came inside with dark clothing and weapons. The two men made their way towards the ATM machine and started to pick it up with hand truck. In my fright I took a chance and I made a stand against the two men. Picking up the grocery basket on my side i swung it against one of the robber's heads. The other and taller of the two retaliated and smacked me in the face with something hard, and I collapsed to the floor. My jaw was bloody and as soon as I came to my senses I realized the robbers made their way to the parking lot between the police station and Second Chances.

Chapter 6: BURN, BABY, BURN.

My eyes snap open and I awaken to the sounds of my own screams. A masked man in a doctor's outfit is looking down at me. "You're a lucky dog, my friend." Still queasy, I try to spit out the words but nothing more than a unheard whisper comes out. I am laying down and my legs are propped up and I have a patient gown on. My body feels hot and irritated, like a severe untreated sunburn. I squirm from side to side in a marvelous attempt to get up but it's of no use.

A few hours drift on and the delicate sounds of the doctor's operating utensils clinking and clanking serenade my thoughts into another direction...

The doctor disappeared and suddenly I felt anxious. I had to leave. The feeling of vulnerability and delicacy. I pulled out of the I.V and started to and walked out. Nobody noticed. I tip toe to the exit hallway of the building and am confronted by a security guard who restrains me. "LET ME GO!" PLEASE JUST..." a black haze consumes the interior of the hallway and soon everything goes black.

I wake up. Right where I fell asleep. Trapped inside with the soaked garbage, hiding away from the angry horse-flies. All a dream. An seemingly endless dream...

Chapter 5: Bloody Tornados

REEEROOOREEEROOOREEEROOO! The siren sounds and the lights in my brain begin to fade in and out. My thoughts in a heated frenzy. I don't remember my last thought, perhaps it was my silent reflection in the garbage, or maybe it was later. I can't remember. The man in the ambulance tries to reenact the scene but I can't hear what he is saying or make out his mouthed words. He calls for my attention but I drift off and back into an altered state of consciousness.

Here I am, tying my black laced shoes, and combing back my greasy, think hair. I check myself out in the bathroom's mirror, and make my way down the stairs back to class. "You're late, Bill, and you have a responsibility to follow my instructions of timeliness. " The lady explains. "...maybe it's because you are different. Does your condition excuse you from the rest of us, Bill?" One second I'm facing an old woman with crooked teeth and ratty hair, and then my mind fades back into reality and I see the man in the ambulance. "HEY SON! CAN YOU HEAR ME, BOY? YOU HIT YOUR HEAD PRETTY...." But I lose my surroundings again and fade off to another place.

I awake on a beach. There are flocks of seagulls and cool breezes flowing uneasily through the air. A storm appears to be approaching and I can see the dark clouds making their way towards my vicinity. I look from side to side but see nobody but myself. Nobody but me. Everybody else has come and gone, left knowingly, escaping the troubles they can so obviously see tumbling their way. The storm grows violent and fierce, and the sand around me starts to lift up and spin. A cyclone of ferocious sand particles flying, scratching the sides of my face.  I bleed a little. And then I bleed a little more. What starts out as a cut and a drip of blood on my neck, grows into a uncontrollable gory mess. The sand tornado rips me to shreds, slowly, and I cannot move. I can only take the pain that is force upon me. I scream and yell but the pain won't subside! I look down at my arms and see parts of where my bone sticks out through broken skin. A dark bloody red tornado consumes me alive.

Chapter Four: Garbage Day!

"BEEP BEEP BEEP! Watch where you're going you hairy bitch!" The heavy spray of brown polluted water nearly knocked me off my feet. Cars flew by anxiously making it hard to cross the street. I picked up a piece of nearby garbage examining it for all it's worth. It's amazing to me how many neat things I can find, that people just throw away without a second glance. A brand new leather jacket... some Nike Dunks... and a functional coffee maker. Oh the ungrateful citizens of my city...

Salvaging all of the intriguing items, I make my way down the road a little until I notice something unusual...Everything heats up. I can feel beads of sweat surface on my palms and my neck starts to feel sore and numb. My eyes start to turn into giant flames and are beat-red. I cannot understand what sort of sickliness is engulfing me. Unfazed by this physical distress I continue making my way down the road. A swarm of horse flies appear from nowhere and start chasing me. Threatened by the swarm, I speedily avoid the conflict and sprint to a nearby public store. The rain prevailed and I soon found myself face-flat on the cement, scraped knees, and a broken ankle. The horse-flies felt no sympathy. While the pests bite viciously at my neck I am able to enclose my self in the nearby dumpster to wait-out any further physical damage.

Fucking annoying little monsters. It seems obscene to believe they could possibly prosper in such a soggy climate.

Chapter Three: Shh...Can't a Wolf Get Some Shut-Eye Around Here?

Being in a theater reminds me of nostalgic times where I used to attend performances with the orphanage. Those were my favorite days. I used to close my eyes and imagine I were a performer, who everybody looked up to and idolized.

The light casting down from the small window revealed the dust and dirt particles that float in the air. My eyes burn from the 3 days of sleep deprivation. The faint sounds of something so subtle echo through the emptiness of this cave. The pattering of the rain against the top of this building displayed the thinness of the walls and the overall fragility of the building.

I slept uneasily and found myself continuously awaking to more rain and the sharp sounds of thunder. After regaining some alertness and strength I soon made my way over to the Watershed Heights Building. They always say you get wet faster when you run... My clothes are drenched and my hat does nothing more than freeze my head off. The building's AC makes the wetness on my body chill. I find that I have to relieve myself in the nearby restroom I am startled by some sort of cry through this building, it echoes over all the other sounds. A cry so loud it forces me reflect over lost times of agony. Those days have come to an end.