(Oct 22, 2009)
Cracked streetlights groaned in the wind. Aiden shivered from the noises in the dark more than the chill. He was almost there. Aiden urged his legs to move faster as he gripped the handlebars of his bike. They protested at first, but gradually he rolled along at an increased rate. This was the part of every Tuesday and Thursday he hated- when he was most exposed.
The buildings around him had definitely seen better days. Remnants of paint gave the walls a gross patchwork look. Gaping holes glared at him where windows once rested, but most buildings still had doors attached. However it was the graffiti spray painted here and there that made Aiden's blood run cold.
Most of the words were illegible, but spattered in and out of the tags was the crude image of a dragon's head. A tag well known belonging to the Neon Dragon gang.
If this route didn't cut his time by over an hour, and if he'd seen anyone in the area, Aiden wouldn't come this way, but in the three weeks since he'd been making this trip he had yet to see anyone in this particular six-mile stretch.
Anxiety that had been churning within him slowly settled as he put those streets behind him, but the hairs on the back of his neck stood up- as if someone was watching him. 'Probably just my imagination.' Maybe. Hopefully. If not... well he'd worry about that later.
The streets he rode down now were less grungy, but it still wasn't an affluent part of the city by any means. The people here tended to pay closer attention to who was out and about, since this was on the fringe of the 'sketchy areas,' as Aiden put it in his mind. That was one reason why they had a dojo in the middle of a bunch of apartments.
Aiden never got close enough to figure out all the reasons why there was a martial arts center here, but this location was optimal for his laying low needs. Parking his bike in an alleyway, Aiden locked it to a metal ring in the wall. Tightening the straps of his backpack he slipped to the fire escape, climbing to the roof four stories above.
Lights flickered on in the window just as Aiden reached the edge. 'Perfect timing.' The large glass windows allowed full view of the class soon to be practicing inside.
Though the streets were mostly deserted Aiden knelt at the edge of the wall so only the top of his head poked out. It was hard to say if anyone would be able to see him with the street lights below, but, as with almost every other aspect of his life now, he couldn't take that risk. The last thing he needed was for the police to be called since some kid was hanging out on a roof where he shouldn't be. Though at the moment the worst that could happen was for the dojo to shut their blinds.
This school was for Tae Kwon Do. The forms were different than what Aiden had trained in, there was more of an emphasis on kicks as opposed to the punches in karate, but getting back into martial arts - even if it was more of an observation- grounded Aiden in a way he hadn't felt since before- before it happened.
Ignoring that train of thought, Aiden turned his attention to the class gathered. Thursday nights were the adult lessons, which Aiden found to be more his speed. Studying them Aiden felt a surge of appreciation for all Dane taught to him and Brody. Even at his significantly younger age than those gathered, he could follow along with the red and brown belts.
Aiden slid a dinged notebook and half empty pen out of his backpack. Both items had been scavenged from the streets and though they looked a little worse for wear, they got the job done. Intently watching the blackbelts Aiden listed each move he could see:
L leg back, dbl mid block
L front step, R punch
L dbl f kick, in block, dbl punch...
It would be a lot easier to do when the students learned the form rather than practiced it, but that never seemed to be when Aiden watched. Plus coming here more than two times a week left himself more vulnerable than he appreciated. Not in the least since he had to go through 'claimed territory' but for now it worked. A small voice at the back of his mind chose that time to chime in, 'but for how long?' Aiden focused back on the class below, too afraid to confront that thought.
After an hour, Aiden had two full pages of steps for forms. Reclining against the wall railing, Aiden stuffed the notebook into his bag while the class dispersed. The sound of cars and footsteps gradually faded but Aiden waited an extra half hour to ensure a lesser chance of prying eyes. 'Alrighty time to head out.'
Aiden carefully made his way down and unlocked his bike. Night had come on full while he watched the class, only offset by periodic street lights- half of which didn't work in this part of town. He'd biked a lot in the dark over the last couple months but something tonight made him uneasy. 'It's nothing. I'm just overreacting.'
Still Aiden couldn't shake the feeling as he rode back toward the warehouse. Everything seemed okay until he reached the broken down stretch that would take him to the nearest bridge to return to the industrial district. Something shiny glinted in the corner of his eye. That was the only warning Aiden got.
Shouts exploded on all sides and several shadows rushed in his direction. Aiden barely managed to hold in a scream. 'No, no, no!' Aiden veered sharply to the left. Shadowed figures blocked his way. Breath hitching, Aiden did the only thing that came to mind- pedaling towards them as hard as he could.
Several of them shouted in surprise (words Aiden didn't recognize) but instead of scattering, one charged him, hitting the bike sideways. Yelping Aiden launched himself from the bike and rolled, backpack and all, coming up in a half crouched position.
"Well, well the small pint's got some fight in him."
Aiden whipped around. A large man, clad head to toe in black with a bright yellow dragon's head on his shoulder, stepped toward him. Oh, this was not good. He pulled a switch from his pocket. It snapped open making Aiden flinch.
"No one uses our territory as a shortcut and gets away with it."
He probably wouldn't appreciate it if Aiden commented on the fact he'd been going this way for over a month now.
Without any more preamble the man shouted, "Get him!"
The group charged as one. Aiden only had seconds to scrape together some semblance of a plan. His mind raced, they had size and numbers. However if he could be more nimble...
Ducking between two of the attackers Aiden spun delivering quick kicks to the sides of their knees. Twin howls pierced the night but Aiden didn't stop to listen. Four more circled him. Aiden charged the closest one stepping close enough to land a kick on his chest. The man grunted in surprise and fell back, leaving a sliver of an opening. Not wasting a second, Aiden darted through it and took off down the road.
Or tried to. Something snagged his backpack before sending him crashing to the ground. The fall stole the breath from Aiden's lungs. He forced himself to stay calm and tried to push himself to his feet. Two pairs of legs appeared in his line of vision, one pulled back to deliver a kick. Aiden rolled violently, a process semi-impeded by his backpack, but managed to launch himself far enough away to only be grazed on the ribs.
Small gulps of air rushed into his lungs giving Aiden the energy to fully get to his feet. Ignoring the cries of anger he forced his shaking legs into a run. Thundering footsteps sounded behind him. There was no way he could outrun them for long, even if he hadn't just been thrown to the ground. Frantically scanning his surroundings Aiden tried to find anything that would help. Empty buildings and dark alleyways. Not super helpful, but maybe better than nothing.
Aiden dashed down an alley and into a darkened doorway. Not giving his eyes time to adjust Aiden stumbled blindly through the room. His feet brushed chunks of rubble but listening to the acoustics of the room Aiden could hear sound bounce off something large closer than the far wall.
'Please be stairs! Please be stairs!' His eyes began to pick up shapes and to his immense relief they were. Taking the steps two at a time he bounded up praying the creaking wood would hold his weight. Two more stories brought him to the roof. Panting Aiden braced his hands on his knees. Sounds of pursuit still echoed below him, getting closer by the second. 'What now?'
Jerking his head back and forth he looked around. The remnants of a fire escape, a couple pieces of railing without anything to stand on, sat across from the door. He wouldn't be getting down that way. Aiden's heart pounded furiously in his chest. Isolating himself on the roof might not have been the best course of action.
The next building over was the same height as the one he stood on. And it wasn't that large of a gap. 'No, no. That won't work!' But the footsteps and shouts were too close. Swallowing hard Aiden tightened the straps of his backpack. Then without giving himself time to think about what he was doing Aiden sprinted to the railing and leapt.
For several long seconds Aiden felt suspended in the air. He heard and felt nothing except for the wind blowing. The spell shattered upon impact. Aiden lay on the roof, stunned more from the fact he made it than any pain landing might have sent through him. Shaking his head Aiden hurriedly stood up. He could process his stupidity later.
Running to the far edge, Aiden saw this building's fire escape appeared to have endured whatever damage the other building had gone through. Practically jumping Aiden dropped onto the landing out of view from the roof. Not a second too soon.
"Where'd he go?" An angry voice bellowed. Aiden couldn't hear if there was a response over his heartbeat in his ears. "He can't be far. Find him!"
Flying down the remaining steps Aiden double backed the way he'd come. Four blocks up he ducked into another building. Stumbling behind a staircase, he collapsed hard against the wall trying to get his breathing under control. 'So... not... good.' They'd probably start backtracking soon even if it wasn't just to look for him. This was their territory after all.
Nausea churned in Aiden's gut. 'I can't ... do this!' Aiden wanted to collapse there and never move again. 'This is ridiculous! I can't do this! They're going to catch me and kill me, if they're feeling kind.' Aiden shuddered. The stories of the Neon Dragons victims were never pleasant- to the point Dane would turn off the TV if Aiden or Brody were in the room when they were on the news. 'You've made it this far, you can't give up.' A soft reminder whispered into his mind. Resisting the urge to bang his head against this wall Aiden grit his teeth. 'Okay, okay.'
The only thing working to his advantage at the moment was the fact it was dark out and the gang members didn't know he'd double backed yet. But both had a timetable working against him. 'Okay, focus.' Taking a deep breath Aiden listened closely. His blood still rushed in his ears but beyond that frustrated yells could just be heard. Nothing close, but that didn't mean some of the gang were being quiet during their search. 'Main thing is to stay out of sight. If I can do that I can get out. They don't know where I live, but they do know the direction I need to go.' He frowned in thought.
Without his bike this was going to be even harder. 'Less speed, but I do have more mobility.' Like, for example, jumping off a building. Not something he ever wanted to do again.
'Backwards. If I can swing wide enough hopefully I can avoid them.' Hopefully. Giving himself two extra seconds to gather his courage, Aiden closed his eyes. 'I can't give up. Dad wouldn't.' Determination settling in, Aiden pushed off the wall. Cautiously he stuck his head out of the doorway. No one was on the street. 'Doesn't mean they're not in or on the buildings...' But he'd take what he could get at the moment.
Taking off at a run Aiden wove in and out of the alleys. Internally he braced for shouts, maybe even a gunshot, but after several minutes of nothing but his own heartbeat in his ears Aiden began to think he might have gotten away. He didn't slow until he reached the dojo, a return trip that had taken twice as long since he was on foot rather than a bike. Ignoring the churning in his gut at the thought of climbing onto another roof, Aiden wasn't about to risk being spotted on the ground.
With trembling fingers Aiden scaled the fire escape and hauled himself over the edge of the building. Flopping to the ground Aiden rolled over and stared into the dark sky. 'What the heck just happened?'
The last hour was a total blur of fear and adrenaline. Aiden couldn't believe he'd gotten away the way he had. Getting away from the Neon Dragons of all people without hospital level injuries was nothing short of a miracle. How no one spotted him in his mad dash out of their territory, he had no idea. He was thankful nonetheless.
Now came the issue of getting back to his... living space. Aiden sketched a mental image of the old industrial park from this neighborhood. Skirting the Dragons' territory meant having to follow the river several miles north before coming to a deserted bridge that would allow him to double back on the east side of the river. Aiden stifled a sigh. With his bike that trek took an hour and a half, now without it... Grimacing Aiden knew he had to get moving. But having just run four miles his body was less than willing to start up again.
'It's either move now or spend the next 24 hours up here hoping no one sees me.' A thought made even less appealing by the fact Aiden only had half a water bottle and a granola bar in his backpack. 'So staying's not really an option.' Aiden glanced at his watch. It was only nine. If he started walking he could make it before dawn. He just wasn't sure how much 'before dawn' it would be.
Shoving that thought from his mind, Aiden forced himself to his feet. Every fiber of his body groaned in protest but one foot after another Aiden lowered himself to the ground. The streets were practically deserted but Aiden kept his head low anyway. Gripping the straps of his backpack Aiden started the long walk back.
Two hours later Aiden still hadn't made it to the bridge. A, rather large, part of him wanted to curl up in the corner of an alley and take a nap, but he knew if he sat down now he wouldn't get up again before morning. So he kept on. And on... and on.
It was just past 4am when he finally stumbled into his warehouse, almost asleep on his feet. His head pounded but Aiden was too relieved to care. Since there was nothing much of weight in his bag, Aiden didn't bother attempting his rope ladder.
The word 'ladder' was probably a generous term for it. With some of the last of his money Aiden had bought a fifty-foot climbing rope that he'd knotted hand/foot holds into and connected it to a hook. The day he'd gotten it Aiden practiced over and over tossing it up into the window so he could leave it hidden from view.
Even though he wasn't going to use the rope Aiden still grabbed it and carefully scaled the stairs. Once he reached the top Aiden pulled off his backpack and tossed it in a corner. 'I made it back. I really made it back!' That was Aiden's last rational thought before collapsing onto his sleeping bag.