Another day, another scuffle between the Reds and the Bones. It ranged from between melees comprised of teenagers swinging makeshift cudgels to grown adults using firearms. Thankfully, Ann and Nora knew the area well enough to know when and when not to move. It would only take being caught by any number of the other gangs to get them and they'd wish they were rotting with the other dead bodies that piled up whenever turf wars started.

Considering how often violence would flare up between gangs, it was a miracle Nora had been able to survive as long as she had.

Nora, like Ann, was a sand dropping. She couldn't remember many details about her parents or her life before she became aware. All she knew was that she was alone and was told she was found in a dumpster. People often screamed in horror at her appearance and ran away, afraid that they'd get the same disease that turned her into her current state.

It was a miracle that she had been able to survive as long as she had, especially for the fact that she was a cripple. Nora humorously noted that her survival was dependent on the rumors and scuttlebutt that went around about her. Some said she was a bad omen made flesh. Others said she was in the process of becoming a zombie. Even more thought she was a plague carrier. No matter what the tale, they kept their distance. Nora had been able to use this to her advantage in order to survive.

However, ever since they met, there was something about Nora that piqued Ann's interest. She was kind of her own choice. She had no reason to be nice. The streets had no room for that. Only survival. Yet, she always kept her wits about her and was able to live, despite her crippling disability.

Between moments of scurrying through the streets, Ann would often see a few of the tumors that riddled the left side of Nora's face. She always wore a hood to keep the hideous deformations out of sight so she could interact with others.

Unlike most of the children on the streets, Nora had learned how to read from the volunteers at Our Lady of Perpetual Vigil. She had read everything she could for her age and quickly learned to read above her own level. As if to stand in contrast to her deformed body, her mind was as sharp and fit as someone almost twice her age. Her intellect had enabled her to survive.

Waiting for a break in the fighting between the Reds and the Bones, Ann turned to Nora and whispered, "I can carry you on my back. We can make it to the other building faster."

Nora smiled weakly and whispered back and indicated the cane she used to move, "I can make it."

Ann paused. She knew that she wanted to take care and protect the girl who had only a month ago, become her best friend. However, Nora Shepard had surprised her many times when she had found means to help them survive and prosper. Well, as prosper as much as a pair of ten and a half year old girls could on the streets.

"Ok," she said as she turned back to the scene of the fight. They were just a few more blocks away from the church and Ann was more than aware at how easily something could go wrong, even as close to it as they were.

"Ready?" Ann said as she took another peak past the wall to see the melee between several larger teenagers from the opposing gangs.

"Yeah," Nora whispered back as she hobbled right behind her protector.

To their good fortune, the fighting had taken both groups further and further in the other direction. Within seconds, the Bones had the Reds in this area on the run. Since they'd be too busy trying to hunt the enemy combatants down, it would allow them to move through the many dilapidated buildings and reach the church relatively undisturbed.

"Now!" she whispered loudly as she made a mad dash across the street to the building on the other side. Ann pinned herself to the wall in mortal fear as she looked to see Nora wobble as quickly as she could and reach the middle of the road before a misstep caused her to fall over and drop her bag.

Nora Shepard's condition couldn't be cured. She was physically weak and her difficulties in doing even the most basic of tasks often tired her to the point of exhaustion. Even if there was a treatment, she would never be able to afford it. She squeaked as quietly as she could to hide the amount of pain she was in when her deformed side collided with the pavement.

The taller girl gasped and against her better judgment and everything she had learned in her short life to just leave Nora to die, she ran back out, hefted the disabled girl to her feet, grabbed the bag and dragged her into the building they had hoped to use as cover.

With them out of sight, they quickly moved into the shadows of the dilapidated buildings' empty rooms so they could catch their breath. With luck, they could continue their journey and make it to their destination within the hour.

Nora's hoarse voice was louder than Ann's gasping as the former coughed violently. After a moment, her breathing settled down and she held her bad arm with her good hand to try and stem the pain.

"I'm so sorry, Ann," Nora whimpered between haggard breaths. They both knew that Ann could do a lot better by herself, being stronger than her size indicated. She had put them both in danger and they knew it because Nora's deformities made her an easy target.

"Stop it," Ann said quietly. She would not let the smaller girl do this to herself. Nora was a kind girl. She was kind and meek to a fault. While Ann didn't possess Nora's intellect, she was not stupid. She provided the much needed caution they both needed to survive.

Without thinking, she reached her arms around Nora's slender shoulders and held her tight. Nora was a friend that Ann would never believe she would ever have. She was not going to lose her, if she could help it.

Ann looked up and held her breath. The sounds of the fight had died down and she quickly looked around. No one had seen them, but she couldn't be too careful. She let go of Nora, stepped up, leaned against the wall, and inched to the edge to check if anyone else was with them in the building. She creeped around the edge and noticed nothing looked like it had been disturbed. She turned back to Nora and assisted the disabled girl to her feet.

They slowly got up and padded through the darkened halls. The cluttered chips and rubble crunched underneath their worn out shoes as they saw the entrance to the next block. It wouldn't be too much longer before they would reach the only area in the city that was considered safe.

From one of the abandoned rooms, a shadow leaped out and tackled Ann against the opposing wall. Startled, Nora fell backward and struggled to get us as she saw a boy, no older than Ann, grope through Ann's clothes for anything he could find as she was distracted.

However, he didn't last long as Ann used the leverage of the wall to put her foot against his stomach and force him back into the dimly lit room from whence he appeared. Enraged, Ann got to her feet and dove back at the boy, who was roughly her size, but she was still larger than he was. The boy, however, would not be easily deterred as he scraped his nails across Ann's face as she tried to wrap her hands around his neck.

Both children snarled like animals as they were constantly in a quickly changing tug of war for dominance. Trash and debris was tossed in every which direction when they tumbled around like a storm that had just been unleashed in a cataclysm of violence fueled by desperation. When the boy bit her wrist, she thrust her knee into his stomach. When he grabbed her hair, she yanked his thumb backward.

Nora struggled to get to her feet as the sound of the struggle only seemed to grow louder and knew that if it kept up, the victor of scuffle would find them. They had to go, now!

When it seemed as though the boy's thumb had pressed the tip against Ann's esophagus, they both had rolled to the far side of the room, where Ann's hand had caught a hold of a piece of metal pipe. It was long enough for her that she'd be able to use it, as it seemed to be the only weapon she could use.

She locked eyes with the boy's and knew that only one of them was going to leave alive. He, like herself, was only a few steps away from feral after living with starvation as a constant companion. His short blond hair was dirty and matted, his clothes were ragged and in shreds, and his skin was marred by dried blood that he had no doubt received from other scuffles.

When the other boy had finally got his other hand around her throat, she aimed the other end of the pipe to his face and jammed it against his temple as hard as she could. The amount of force was strong enough to cause the boy to loosen his grip and scream in pain as Ann once again kicked him off of her. Aware that she wouldn't have another she quickly closed the distance between them and struck the back of his head before he had a chance to recover.

With a bestial grunt, Ann continued to swing the pipe against him, all reason lost for the adrenaline that coursed through her veins. His repeated cry of 'Mama!', as if it were his one plea for help, was ignored.

"Ann! No! ANN!" Nora cried as loudly as she could, but she was blatantly ignored as Ann continued to swing.

It had taken another half dozen swings of the pipe before Ann realized that the boy wasn't moving anymore. She then looked at the pipe and noticed the blood. She looked down in horror at what had happened. It was a boy. No older than she was. He was the same as she was. Desperate. Starving. Destitute.

He was dead.

Her hands started to quiver as she let go of the pipe when Nora threw her arm around Nora's waist.

"Come on! Let's go," Nora said as she drug Ann as quickly as her deformed body could.

For the rest of the journey to the church, Ann was shocked into silence.


When they finally made it to the church, Ann couldn't take it anymore. When at last she had a moment to breathe, she used it to cry.

She held her hands against her face as she fell to her knees and sobbed loudly in the bathroom Nora and Ann would use to clean themselves up.

Nora knelt down beside her with great difficulty and hugged her again.

It was no secret among the duct rats and the other abandoned kids that Ann was hated. She hated them all back. It was simple. It was easy. It was how she survived.

So, why was she feeling like the worst person in the whole world? Why was she crying because she had to survive? It wasn't her fault! She couldn't find an answer as she heard Nora weeping into her shoulder.

For the first time, Ann realized. Nora was the first person she actually cared for. And that was before Nora cared for her in kind. They had been friends for such a short time, but they came to rely on each other as siblings.

Nora never hated anyone. She never wanted to hurt anyone. Nora was different. Ann could tell. That kind of different you'd do everything you could to keep.

And Ann had hurt Nora. By doing that horrible, horrible thing, she had hurt Nora.

"I'm so sorry," Ann sobbed as she held Nora tightly with both of her arms. For the moment, they were safe, but it didn't make the ache Ann felt any better.

"I'm so sorry."