Chapter 20
pRace's hand flew up to his mouth in both shock and horror. Minutes after Snipeshooter ran into the bunkroom, Spot entered the room cradling a bruised a battered Nichole in his arms. His dark emotionless eyes danced over the room and every sound lowered to a quiet whisper. For a brief moment his eyes locked with Race's, but the grief that filled his friends eyes was too much to handle and the contact was quickly broken, and Spot swiftly walked into one of unoccupied bedrooms. /p
pEven after Spot disappeared nobody moved. Nobody seemed to want to realize the seriousness of the situation. Gaining some sense to what was going on around him, Race stumbled from his bed, falling to the floor in his hurry. Ignoring the concerned stares her received, he picked himself off the floor and charged into the room Spot had brought Nichole into. /p
pRace quickly surveyed the room, before silently falling to the bedside Nichole laid in. In the far corner, Blink held Mary to his chest, rubbing her back soothingly. His one good eye, now dull and impressionless, moved over the room rapidly taking in the scene before him. Spot, who sat on the opposite bed, remained in a hunched position, his eyes studying the wood of the worn floor. He refused to meet Race's eyes again. They ripped through him. Every emotion Race felt coursed through his body, causing him more pain and grief that he could ever imagine. /p
pRace tenderly grasped Nichole's limp hand. He fought to catch his breath as he took his first abundant look at her. She had obviously been handled very roughly by the bruising that began to spread and form along her neck and arms. His eyes traveled down her body. He was oblivious to it before, but the shirt she wore was not hers. Glancing up he noticed Spot sat shirtless. /p
pMary pulled herself away from Blink long enough to see Race do this. Her eyes immediately shot towards Spot. She swallowed a few times to regain her voice before asking. "She wasn't raped was she?" Her chin quivered, the answer to her question already clear in her mind. /p
pSpot didn't bother to look up. He already knew all eyes in the room were on him. Slowly, he nodded his head solemnly, allowing the tears that he kept locked inside himself for years to spill down his cheeks. His body soon shook silently with tears of despair. /p
p"I didn't know what to do. She was just lying there in the alley. Her clothes were ripped to shreds and I covered her with my shirt the best I could. I just didn't know what to do." He cried, gasping out the words with difficulty through his tears. "I didn't know what to do."/p
pA momentary silence washed over the room, everyone taken back by Spot's outburst. Spot would have been the one everyone would have though to bear through a situation like this. But this close too close to home. The silence was broken and heads turned towards the door as it was ripped open. Jack glanced around the room with solemn eyes, before ushering the doctor, who stood behind him, into the room. /p
pThe doctor looked Nichole over quickly. He shook his head slowly to side to side. "I'm sorry, but everyone is going to have to leave the room. I'm going to have to examine her," he replied in a business tone. Placing his bag on the floor, he eyed everyone expectantly. Jack nodded his head towards the door, motioning everyone out of the room. Everyone followed, in the exception of Race. /p
p"I ain't leaving her! What if she wakes up!" Race's eyes widened, and he gripped Nichole's hand tighter. /p
pJack sighed. He hated to seeing his friend this way. He knew dragging him out would only make everything worse, but it was doctor's orders. "Come on, Race. You will be the first to see her when she wakes up." He grabbed his arm and calmly escorted him out into the bunkroom with the others./p
pRemoving Jack's arm from his wrist, Race sunk to the floor of the hallway, covering his eyes with his quivering hands. Jack didn't fight him. He only shook his head and sank to the floor next him, hoping his presence would help comfort him. Across the room, Blink laid in his bunk silently comforting Mary. /p
p"Mary, please stop crying. Nichole is strong, and will pull through this." Blink stroked her hair, trying to assure Mary as well as himself. He could hardly look at Nichole in that room. The gashes and bruises that covered her body were to much. He only stayed for the sake of Mary. /p
pBreathing in deeply, Mary sat up and wiped a few tears from her cheeks. "I know she'll be fine in time, but I was just thinking how this whole thing is my fault. If I didn't tell her about the pregnancy she wouldn't have ran out and everything would be perfectly fine." She sighed and snuggled into the crook of Blink's neck. "Why did I have to be so stupid. I knew she was going be upset when I told her, why couldn't I wait for a better time?"/p
p"It's not your fault." Blink insisted sharply. "We all knew that she would get upset over the pregnancy and there was no right or wrong time to tell her. She would have probably ran out anytime you told her. None of us had any idea that this would happen." Pulling her closer to him, he rubbed her back, and relaxed back on the bed. /p
p"I hope Race will be okay."/p
pBlink inhaled sharply and glanced across the room. Race sat against the wall staring intently at his hands, ignoring the comforting hand Jack placed around his shoulders. He was a complete wreck. Seeing the look in his eyes as he burst into the room was frightening, and something Blink didn't want to experience again.IOh God, please be okay Nichole. For Race's sake be okay..."/I/p
pHe forced a small smile for Mary. "Race will be fine. He was just shaken up seeing Nichole like that. You'll see, Nichole will rest for a few days and everything will be fine and go back to normal."/p
p"Lets hope." Mary breathed quietly against his neck. "Let's hope."/p
HR
pRace banged his head soundly against the wall. Everything seemed to move in slow motion after the doctor closed the door about fifteen minutes ago. Everyone went back to their regular activities, all but forgetting the horrid scene that happened not long ago. Another five minutes past and Race groaned quiet loudly, catching the attention of a few of the boys, who looked him over, than turned back to what they were doing. He groaned, again, this time more quietly. He needed to be in that room with Nichole to comfort her if she woke up, not out here in the hallway sulking. Jack left his side long ago to lay down in his bunk, leaving him with a few words of comfort. /p
p'Words of comfort.' He scoffed silently to himself. No words could comfort him in anyway now, no matter who they came from. He just wanted Nichole to wake up and be okay so they could move on with their lives. If that was possible./p
pThe door creaked and Race stood speedily. The doctor gave a silent nod, allowing Race into the room. Taking his place by the bed once again, Race gently placed his hand over Nichole's, and glanced up at the doctor questionably./p
p"She's been assaulted pretty badly," the doctor said, looking up from his bag. Race looked up at him perplexed. "She was raped very brutally, and received many cuts and bruises," he explained, snapping his bag shut. "But she should be fine. She just needs to rest. Just be very weary when she wakes up. She was raped, and waking up and finding a man sitting next to her might terrify her. Just a fare warning."/p
pNodding his thanks, Race turned his attention back towards the motionless girl on the bed. It wasn't until the door closed softly behind him that he allowed himself to let everything go. Gripping her hand tighter, he rested his forehead against the ratty mattress, allowing his tears to seep through the thin blanket. How could this have happened to Nichole? His Nichole? Everything seemed surreal to him. /p
pLifting his head, he wiped his nose against his sleeve, and let his eyes wander over her limp body for the second time that night. Her wounds and bruises were now well cover, preventing any infections from occurring. Her curls that were once matted to her face now were pushed back, giving a clear look of her face, and a thin blanket was pulled up to her waist, covering her bare legs. Walking into the room one would have thought she just gotten into a small fight, but from the deranged look that her face held told a different story. /p
pInhaling a shaky breath, Race shuffled over to the opposite bed, the doctor's words echoing through his head. He wanted to be here when she woke up, but he didn't want to cause anymore damage to Nichole. "I just hope she isn't to traumatized." /p
pA gentle knock sounded on the door. Rolling to his side with a groan, Race snuggled closer to the thin pillow. "Come in," he said softly, almost choking on his own words. The door opened leisurely and Mary's concerned face appeared. /p
p"You okay, Race?" She moved into the room closing the door, her eyebrows knitted together in solicitude. Receiving only a grunt in reply, she cautiously moved across the room. Mary glanced at Nichole before her gaze returned to Race. "What did the doctor say?" She asked sitting on the edge of the bed./p
pWith another grunt, Race rolled to his other side to face Mary. "I see you detached yourself from Blink." He smirked slightly, breaking the thick tension of the room. Mary giggled lightly, and ran a hand through her hair./p
p"Yea, I wanted to come see how Nick was doing by myself. Besides, Blink said he needed sometime to think," She answered, her eyes turning back to their solemn state. "So, what did the doctor say?"/p
pThe hopeful tone of her voice, caused Race to lift his eyebrow in surprise. She already knew what the doctor said, she just want to be positive. "The doctor said that she was beat up pretty badly, but should be fine with rest. He did warn me that she might be frightened by me and the other guys when she wakes up because she was...raped."/p
pMary nodded slowly, understanding fully. "Well, maybe you should leave until she wakes up and I'll stay here with her." She suggested. Her hand shot up in defense at the glare Race shot her. "Okay, fine. It was just a suggestion. I though it might be better for Nick if she woke up to me instead of one of you guys."/p
pRace growled. "I ain't leaving this room until she wakes up, and you or none of the guys are going to change my mind." Muttering a few unintelligible words to himself, he rolled over to face the wall. Mary sighed. /p
p"Fine, you can stay in the room, but let me atleast be in the room when she does wake up," She pleaded. /p
p"Just leave, Mary. I really don't feel like talking about this now," Race whispered, hiding his face in the depth of the pillow. /p
pMary opened her mouth to reason with him, but decided against it. It was already getting late, and the last thing they needed was for Nichole to wake up to her boyfriend and friend arguing with one another. With a sigh of defeat, Mary looked Nichole over one last time and promptly exited the room. /p
HR
pNichole groaned. She struggled to move, but her body restricted it. Opening one eye gradually, she took in her surroundings that seemed familiar enough to her. Prying open her other eye she blink slowly clearing her vision. Than she tried to sit up. Nichole only lifted her head, the excruciating pain that shot through her body too much to grip with. Groggily, she examined her body, the events of last night foggy in her mind. 'Not to damaged.' She thought. /p
pShe quickly cursed those words. She muffled a scream as she attempted to sit up again, a pain shooting through her back, down to her legs. Falling back onto the bed, she took a deep breath calming her laborious breathing and relaxed into the mattress. Bringing her hand up to her neck, her eyebrows frowned when she found something there. Grasping the object, she lifted it to her face, only to gasp in return. It was her necklace. Everything from the night before, the Delancys, the alley, the threats, all came swarming back to her mind. /p
pSitting up hastily, she grunted and groaned. Gritting her teeth she fought through the pain, and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She didn't care if she died trying to get out of bed, she need to talk to Mary now. She paused her agonizing struggle when her eyes landed on the opposite bed. Race laid there obviously in a restless sleep. Nichole's face softened as her eyes lovingly traveled over his sleeping form, soaking every detail she could. Shaking her head, to clear her thoughts, she set her mind back to the task she had to accomplish. /p
pIf sitting up in bed was this difficult she didn't even want to try walking. Breathing deeply, she pushed her body from the bed into a standing position, keeping one hand firmly planted on the bed for balance. Another wave of pain ran through her body, and she fell back onto the bed, her attempt failed. She repeated this three more times, but they were all met in vain. She released a loud cry, forgetting she wasn't alone in the room. /p
pRace stirred in his sleep. Rolling onto his back, he stretched and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He jumped from the bed immediately when he turned to check on Nichole. He eyed Nichole cautiously, and she returned the glare, her wide eyes filled with unmistakable fear. /p
p"You okay, Nick? You want me to leave?" He asked slowly. Nichole rolled her eyes, at his attempt to be gentle with her. She didn't have time for this. /p
p"No, I don't want you to leave. I want you to go get Mary, or atleast bring me to her," Nichole stated impatiently, trying to stand from the bed again. Race placed a hand on her shoulder gently pushing her back on the bed. /p
p"You're not going anywhere. You need to rest."/p
pRace pushed her head back onto the pillow, and Nichole fought weakly against him. She grabbed him by the wrist, removing his restricting hands from her shoulders. "I don't need rest, I need to talk to Mary. It's really important," Nichole interjected strongly./p
p"It can wait." Race assured. "You need to rest. You can talk to Mary later tonight." /p
p"No, I need to talk to her now! I may be too late tonight!"/p
pRace sat back confused. "What do you mean it might be to late tonight?" /p
pNichole again tried to sit up, but found herself pinned to the bed by Race. "Look, I can't talk about this with you just yet. Let me talk to Mary." /p
pRace was hurt that she wanted to talk to Mary and not himself. Brushing back a few strands of her hair, he shunned away from her as she violently jerked away from him. Giving a sad sigh, he slowly moved away from her. With his hand on the doorknob, he turned and looked at her once more, making sure she wasn't going to move from the bed, and than quickly left the room, closing the door silently behind him. /p
pLeaning against the closed door, he closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply. Rubbing his forehead, he moved through the bunkroom and than into the washroom. He didn't notice that anyone else was up until, someone nearly pounced ontop of him. /p
p"Jesus, Mary! What the hell are you are you doing?" Race questioned, trying to regain his footing. He glared at the girl that stood next to him with wide curious eyes. Mary mumbled a brief apology. /p
p"So, did she wake up yet?" She asked speedily. Race looked her over with a bored look, and turned to wash his face. /p
p"Don't you think you should give her some breathing room, before you go in there to ask her what happened?" /p
pMary growled, confounded. "Are you going to tell me if she's awake or do I have to go in there and see for myself." She felt as if she was going to strangle the boy as she watched him leisurely dry his face. /p
p"She's awake." /p
pMary turned to leave, but she was too slow. Race grabbed a chunk of her shirt, pulling her back. /p
p"Mary, please wait to see her. She did want to talk to you about something important, but she needs her rest. She doesn't need anymore strain on herself."/p
pRipping her arm from Race's grasp, she glared at him. "If she said it was important than maybe I should go talk to her. I mean maybe it could help us find out who did this to her." /p
pRace nodded in agreement. "Yea, it could. But we don't need to go in there right after she wakes up asking her questions. She needs to rest."/p
p"I know she needs to rest. I just want to see her and make sure she's all right."/p
pRace began to protest, but the sound of the others waking up filled the room. He knew he would probably regret this later. Growling, he nodded his head swiftly. "Fine, fine. Just don't let anyone else in the room." /p
pMary threw him a small grin and than ran out of the washroom, dodging a half-dozen drowsy boys. /p
pDiscarding his towel, Race weaved his way through his friends, disregarding the worried looks he received. Falling onto his bed, he kicked his shoes off and pulled his covers up to his chin. /p
p"You're not selling today?" /p
pRace's eyes moved towards the owner of the voice. Spot stood before him, looking physically and emotionally drained. His usually neat attire was untucked, and his pink suspenders hung loosely at his side. Moving deeper into the warmth of the bed, Race shook his head. /p
p"No, I'm not."/p
pMoving to the bunk next to Race's, Spot sat down and ran a hand through his unkempt hair. "I'm not either. I've got to many things on my mind. It wouldn't do me any good to go out there anyway, I probably wouldn't sell much." Leaning forward, he lowered his voice to a whisper. "Is she all right? I mean did she wake up yet, or is she still sleeping?"/p
p"No, she's awake," Race sighed. /p
p"Is she okay? She wasn't afraid of you or anything?"/p
p"She was raped, Spot!" Race exclaimed, his voice raising slightly. The anger that he held within himself for whoever did this to Nichole now showed. "Of course she was afraid of me. She didn't scream or anything, but she wouldn't let me touch her much." Race blink furiously, holding back the tears that formed in his eyes again. "I tried to smooth back her hair from her face like I always do, and she flinched away from me. The look in her eyes was pure fear. I'm…I'm afraid that things aren't ever going to be the same between us." Race babbled in a choked up voice. /p
pSpot turned his head, unable to meet his friend's eyes. "Don't worry, Race. Whoever did this will get what's coming to them." /p
HR
pThe door creaked open and Mary's head appeared. With caution she opened the door wider and moved her body into the room. Leaning back against the door, she closed it quietly. However, the sound was loud enough to rouse Nichole. With a start, she jumped and curled into a ball. The pain she felt was too poignant to do much more. /p
pCursing lightly under her breath, Mary moved across the room, kneeling at the side of the bed. "Hey, Nick. It's me, Mary. Are you okay?"/p
pUncurling herself, Nichole cracked her eyes open at the familiar voice. With a small sigh, she stretched her body out on the bed with care. "God, Mar. I thought you were, Race. I just can't look at him right now, or any of the other guys for that matter."/p
p"It's okay, Nick. None of the guys have to come in here unless you want them too." Mary sat down on the edge of the bed. "Can you sit up?"/p
p"Yea, with lots of pain involved." Nichole replied. "So, I'm not even going to try again."/p
pMary nodded, than glanced down at her hands, somewhat ashamed. "Do you know who did this to you? Who raped you?" She asked sheepishly/p
p"That's not important right now-"/p
p"What do you mean it's not important?" Mary cried incredulously, standing from the bed. "Some guy raped you and left you in alley to die, and finding out who he is isn't important?" /p
pWith some effort, Nichole propped her body up. "Will you sit down and shut up for a minute? I need to talk with you." /p
p"No, I'm not! I want to find out who did this to you so they guys can go out and beat the shit out of him ten time worst than he did to you!"/p
pFrustrated with her friend, Nichole balanced on her elbow, and grabbed her friend, pulling her back onto the bed. "Shut up, and listen for a minute. Mario is here in New York looking for me," Nichole whispered, pulling Mary's face inches from hers./p
pMary's mouth hung agape, as she pulled away from Nichole. Gaining back her senses, she shook her head. "You're lying. Why the hell would he come all the way here looking for you? It's been what, two, three years?"/p
pYanking the chain from her neck, Nichole shoved it in front of Mary's face. "If I'm lying than where did I get this? Huh?"/p
p"I don't know? You found it!" Mary shook her head, not waiting to believe what Nichole was telling her. "You could have gotten that anywhere."/p
p"Morris Delancy found it, and when him and his brother attacked me last night they must have left it with me," Nichole stated truthfully, turning her head away from Mary's intense stare. /p
pMary sighed impatiently. "And what does this have to do with Mario? Where does he come into this whole thing?"/p
p"Morris said he talked with Mario, so he is obviously somewhere in New York. He asked them to find me, hurt me enough so I couldn't just get up and walk away, and leave me in the alley so he could deal with me."/p
p"And why didn't he?"/p
pNichole took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. "He didn't get to me. Spot found me before he could."/p
p"Okay," Mary answered, allowing everything just said to her to soak into her brain. "Let's just say, hypothetically, that Mario is here, in New York. What are we going to do about it?"/p
pNichole relaxed back onto the bed, wincing when she moved too fast. "We aren't going to do anything. I'm going to try and figure out something to do."/p
p"What could you possibly do?" Mary asked, her voice raising again. "You can't possibly get the money you owe him. He'll kill you if he finds you and you don't have it."/p
pNichole rolled her eyes. "Don't you think I know that? If I don't do nothing though, he will eventually find me and kill me anyway."/p
pPausing, Nichole stared up at the ceiling, searching her mind for some kind of solution. Either way she played it she was screwed. There was no possible way to gather the amount of money she owed, and staying here would put Mary, the baby, and newsies in danger. Only one solution stood out in her mind, and it wasn't the easiest one, or the one she wanted to take. Breathing in deeply, Nichole prayed silently prayed for the strength to stay with her decision. /p
pSwallowing the lump that formed in her throat Nichole asked, "Mario just wants me right? I'm the one that owes him money." Mary nodded slowly, an eyebrow raising in suspicion, unsure where Nichole was going with this. "Well, what if I left, just long enough to get him out of New York."/p
pMary stood, shaking her head, vigorously. "No, no, are you nuts! He will come after you and kill you! The guy is fuckin' crazy!"/p
p"And if I do stay here he will come after me and everyone else in the lodging house." Nichole sighed sadly. Why did Mary have to make this harder than it was? "This is the only way. I don't want a mistake that I made to ruin everyone's lives." Turning her head, she tried to hide the tears that began to cloud her eyes from Mary. "I especially don't want to ruin your future, Mary. You have Blink, you're pregnant, and I'm sure you two will get married someday. It's everything you wanted in life."/p
pMary whimpered a small protest through her tears. "I won't have you, and that's the only thing that matters."/p
p"No." Grabbing Mary's hand, Nichole managed to it sit up. "Kid Blink and the baby are what matter. Besides, I'm not going to be gone forever. I'll come back when I can…"/p
p"But what if he kills you?"/p
pNichole sighed, and adverted her eyes towards the bed. After an uncomfortable silence she answered, "If he kills me, than I'll die knowing that I saved my friend, and that she'll have a good life."/p
pNeither of the girls tried to hold back their tears any longer. Embracing each other, they shed every possible tear they held in their bodies. All their motions were thrown out into the open. Breaking the embrace, Nichole picked up the necklace that she disregarded on the bed, and placed it in Mary's hand, folding her fingers over it. /p
pMary eyebrows raised in surprise. Pushing the hand that held the necklace to Mary's chest, Nichole grinned. "Keep it. I want you to have it."/p
pNodding, Mary hung the chain from her neck. "So, what are you going to tell Race? I really don't think he's just going to let you leave." She whispered, drying the tears from her face. "And how are you going to leave if you can't even get out of bed?"/p
pNichole shrugged. "I'm going to wait until I can get out of bed, but I have to go as soon as possible. I should be fine in a few days. And I'm not going to tell Race. I don't think I would be able to leave if I did."/p
p"So, what are you going to do? Just get up and leave?"/p
p"It's the easiest way. I don't think I could go through telling everyone that I'm leaving. It's just way too much to handle. Do me a favor though." Nichole asked grabbing, Mary's hand. Mary nodded, and Nichole continued. "After I leave tell Race everything, and assure him I'll come back--" /p
p"But you may not--" Mary winced slightly as Nichole squeezed her hand tighter. /p
p"Just tell him that I'm coming back." Nichole's eyes pleaded. Mary ripped her eyes from Nichole pleading ones, and slowly nodded her head. She was taken back when Nichole threw her arms around her. Her forehead wrinkled in concern as she felt Nichole jerk in pain. Slowly pulling back, Mary pushed Nichole down on the bed. /p
p"Rest. You're going to need it if you want to get out of here in the next few days." Mary sniffed, close to tears again. Clutching the ring that hung around her neck, Mary stood and turned her back to Nichole. She began to advance towards the door, but Nichole's voice stopped her. /p
p"Yea?" /p
pNichole gave an infectious grin. "Talk to ya tomorrow?"/p
pMary managed to return the smile and nodded. Turning, she left the room, restraining the tears she so desperately wanted to release./p
pThe next few days passed slowly. Nichole and Mary talked sporadically, keeping their secret to themselves. Nichole strayed from the guys only saying a few words to them if they came into her room. Nobody found this suspicious, until Mary usher Race into the room, with no explanation. /p
p"Mary, what the hell are you doing? I was just going to start a poker game," Race complained, ripping his arm from Mary's grasp. As he did this, he noticed he stood in front of Nichole's room. He glanced at Mary, questionably. "Does she want to talk to me." /p
pMary sensed the relieve in his voice, and turned her eyes away from his. She almost wasn't able to answer, but she managed a small nod. Before Race could ask any more questions, Mary returned to the bunkroom, leaving Race on his own. /p
pKnocking on the door, he entered not waiting for an answer. He stopped short when he saw Nichole sitting on the edge of the bed, staring solemnly at the wall. Race cleared his throat and walked to the bed. /p
p"Nichole, you wanted to talk to me?" Race sat down on the bed and placed a hand on her shoulder. Closing her eyes, she inhaled quickly. Opening her eyes again she turned towards him. /p
p"Yea, but I really don't know where to start." Clearing her throat, she glanced down at her folded hands. She tensed as Race tucked her hair behind her ear. /p
p"Just relax and take your time. I'm not going anywhere."/p
pNichole closed her eyes again, realizing how difficult this was going to be. She exhaled gustily, choosing her words, slowly. "I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am for everything I put you through, and that I love you." Releasing a shaky breath, she wiped away her tears before Race had a chance too./p
pHe eyed her curiously, searching her face for an explanation. Find none, he reached up and wiped a stray tear form her face, grinning when she didn't flinch away. "I love you too, and you don't need to apologize. I'm just glad that you're okay."/p
pNichole nodded, and without thinking, she threw her arms around Race, embracing him tightly. Race was surprised at first, but he recovered and wrapped his arms protectively around her. /p
pNichle's head swarmed with emotions, it was all she could do from breaking down. Pulling back, she slide an arm around his neck and kissed him firmly. Pushing him away, she turned her clouded eyes away from his. Ignoring his intense stare, she whispered, "Good-bye, Race."/p
pAgain, Race glanced at her curiously. He wanted so badly to just grab her by the shoulders, and ask her what was bothering her, but he knew not to badger her. Complying too her wish, he stood, leaving Nichole as he found her, staring solemnly at the wall./p
pGrabbing the hat, from her bedpost, she fingered it gingerly. She sighed, remembering the day Race bought it for her, to keep her from stealing his. Placing the hat on her head, she laid down on the bed, lost in her own thoughts. /p
HR
pThe light of the moon shined brightly on the lodging house, as a lone figure silently slipped out a window. The figure slide down the fire escape, and into the illuminated streets of the city. A block from the lodging house, the figure froze and turned catching on last glance at the old worn down building. Than in the blink of an eye the small figure was gone, enveloped in the darkness of the night. /p