Aftermath
Chapter 3- Broken Signs
A/N: Nothing much to say really.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Goren arrived at a large apartment building in the drug side of town. The building was old with half the windows blocked with wood. The main door was blocked and wooden stairs led up to each apartment. They ere half rotten and Goren wondered why the city hadn't ripped it down for safety reasons. He looked at the piece of paper in his hand with the key attached. B16, 3 flights up. He cautiously climbed the stairs and opened the door. He had to ram it with hit shoulder a few times before it budged.
As he walked in he found old pizza boxes, dirty clothes, cigarette butts and a fowl stench of alcohol and vomit. Goren jumped over objects on the floor and searched for Ashlie's room. It was one of the last rooms. He pushed open the door. It was the cleanest room in the house until he found the unmade bed with rope and needles. It hadn't changed since she left. He looked at the scene, for once trying not to imagine what happened. He found a bag and put in some clothes, books, toiletries and other things she'd need. He was just about to leave the apartment when a woman stumbled in holding a knife.
"What the hell do you think you're doing with Ashlie's stuff?" she slurred. Goren dropped the bags on the floor and went into defence mode.
"Drop that knife and I'll tell you," he said calmly.
"NO! What are you doing here?" she screamed, jumping forward. Goren leapt behind her strategically and pinned her over the back of the couch, knife stuck into the fabric.
"Let go of me," she yelled, wriggling around. For someone who was drunk she put up a good fight, but Goren was too strong. "Where is Ashlie? I'll kill her! Where did her dad put it" the woman shot a look over her shoulder at Goren. Her eyes were bloodshot. After 2 minutes of wriggling she passed out. Goren let her go and she fell onto the couch. He didn't know what to do with her or what she was talking about so he just picked up the bags and walked out.
He tried not to think about the life Ashlie had been subjected to all those years. No wonder she acted tough. It got him thinking about where she'd go after everything was over. As he drove through the streets he saw many kids like her. Teenagers forced to fend for themselves after years of seeing their parents killing themselves with drugs and alcohol. Children no older than 6 sitting on the sidewalk staring into nothing wondering if their mums would be alive when they went home. He knew they had one of two fates; someone get them out of there or they end up dead in a graffitied room somewhere. He thought about how close Ashlie was to dying that way. She was one of the lucky ones.
~*~*~*~*~* Later that night
Eames was doing a bit of cleaning when Goren dropped around. He seemed dazed.
"Hey. Where did you go? You didn't come back to work" she asked taking one of the bags and invited him in.
"Just driving. I saw where she lived. It was just kinda sad," he said sitting down. Eames was still putting things away and getting ready for her new resident.
"Why was it sad?" she asked, running water to wash the dishes. Goren got up and grabbed a tea towel and stared helping. He leant casually on the counter.
"Everything was broken. Houses, concrete, glass, lives." he trailed off. Eames looked at him. He was concentrating on the plate he was drying. "I mean I saw 10 year olds with cigarettes. Kids that had no expression on their faces at all. Childhood shouldn't be like that".
"Hey, don't worry. We've got the chance to fix one. We can't make what happened better, but we can change what happens in the future," she comforted. He looked up smiling and nodding. Suddenly she pulled her hand out the water, blood dripping from a cut actor her left palm. "Stupid knife" she said removing the offending object from the water.
"You should be more careful," he said wrapping the towel around her hand and gently pressing on it. She winced. He led her to the kitchen table and sat her down and got the first aid kit. Eames lifted the towel and inspected her wound. It was about 3cm long, ½ cm deep and bleeding heavily.
"That looks bad. Maybe we should go to the doctor for stitches," Goren said upon seeing the injury.
"Nah, I'll be fine. A bit of gauze and a bandage will do" she insisted. He shrugged knowing she wouldn't be persuaded and proceeded in tending to the cut. She jumped a few times as bolts of pain shot up her arm. He tried to be gentle. He wrapped her hand in a bandage and put a safety pin in to hold it.
"There" he said inspecting his work.
"Thanks." Eames stood p and walked back to the sink. The water was red and the white plates stained. She pulled the plug and watched the water drain away.
"Well I'd better go" Goren said collecting his jacket. Eames followed him and opened the door.
"Thanks for bringing the stuff around. And for fixing my-" she didn't finish but held her bandaged hand up.
"No problem" he said. They held each other's gaze, half expecting something to happen. Goren clapped his hands together and backed down the hall awkwardly.
"Well uh, see ya" he said and disappeared down the hall.
"Bye" she said to herself. She closed the door and fell onto the couch. Was something meant to happen? Why was her heart beating twice as fast? Suddenly she felt she saw the sign, but missed the turn off.
A/N: Nothing much to say really.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Goren arrived at a large apartment building in the drug side of town. The building was old with half the windows blocked with wood. The main door was blocked and wooden stairs led up to each apartment. They ere half rotten and Goren wondered why the city hadn't ripped it down for safety reasons. He looked at the piece of paper in his hand with the key attached. B16, 3 flights up. He cautiously climbed the stairs and opened the door. He had to ram it with hit shoulder a few times before it budged.
As he walked in he found old pizza boxes, dirty clothes, cigarette butts and a fowl stench of alcohol and vomit. Goren jumped over objects on the floor and searched for Ashlie's room. It was one of the last rooms. He pushed open the door. It was the cleanest room in the house until he found the unmade bed with rope and needles. It hadn't changed since she left. He looked at the scene, for once trying not to imagine what happened. He found a bag and put in some clothes, books, toiletries and other things she'd need. He was just about to leave the apartment when a woman stumbled in holding a knife.
"What the hell do you think you're doing with Ashlie's stuff?" she slurred. Goren dropped the bags on the floor and went into defence mode.
"Drop that knife and I'll tell you," he said calmly.
"NO! What are you doing here?" she screamed, jumping forward. Goren leapt behind her strategically and pinned her over the back of the couch, knife stuck into the fabric.
"Let go of me," she yelled, wriggling around. For someone who was drunk she put up a good fight, but Goren was too strong. "Where is Ashlie? I'll kill her! Where did her dad put it" the woman shot a look over her shoulder at Goren. Her eyes were bloodshot. After 2 minutes of wriggling she passed out. Goren let her go and she fell onto the couch. He didn't know what to do with her or what she was talking about so he just picked up the bags and walked out.
He tried not to think about the life Ashlie had been subjected to all those years. No wonder she acted tough. It got him thinking about where she'd go after everything was over. As he drove through the streets he saw many kids like her. Teenagers forced to fend for themselves after years of seeing their parents killing themselves with drugs and alcohol. Children no older than 6 sitting on the sidewalk staring into nothing wondering if their mums would be alive when they went home. He knew they had one of two fates; someone get them out of there or they end up dead in a graffitied room somewhere. He thought about how close Ashlie was to dying that way. She was one of the lucky ones.
~*~*~*~*~* Later that night
Eames was doing a bit of cleaning when Goren dropped around. He seemed dazed.
"Hey. Where did you go? You didn't come back to work" she asked taking one of the bags and invited him in.
"Just driving. I saw where she lived. It was just kinda sad," he said sitting down. Eames was still putting things away and getting ready for her new resident.
"Why was it sad?" she asked, running water to wash the dishes. Goren got up and grabbed a tea towel and stared helping. He leant casually on the counter.
"Everything was broken. Houses, concrete, glass, lives." he trailed off. Eames looked at him. He was concentrating on the plate he was drying. "I mean I saw 10 year olds with cigarettes. Kids that had no expression on their faces at all. Childhood shouldn't be like that".
"Hey, don't worry. We've got the chance to fix one. We can't make what happened better, but we can change what happens in the future," she comforted. He looked up smiling and nodding. Suddenly she pulled her hand out the water, blood dripping from a cut actor her left palm. "Stupid knife" she said removing the offending object from the water.
"You should be more careful," he said wrapping the towel around her hand and gently pressing on it. She winced. He led her to the kitchen table and sat her down and got the first aid kit. Eames lifted the towel and inspected her wound. It was about 3cm long, ½ cm deep and bleeding heavily.
"That looks bad. Maybe we should go to the doctor for stitches," Goren said upon seeing the injury.
"Nah, I'll be fine. A bit of gauze and a bandage will do" she insisted. He shrugged knowing she wouldn't be persuaded and proceeded in tending to the cut. She jumped a few times as bolts of pain shot up her arm. He tried to be gentle. He wrapped her hand in a bandage and put a safety pin in to hold it.
"There" he said inspecting his work.
"Thanks." Eames stood p and walked back to the sink. The water was red and the white plates stained. She pulled the plug and watched the water drain away.
"Well I'd better go" Goren said collecting his jacket. Eames followed him and opened the door.
"Thanks for bringing the stuff around. And for fixing my-" she didn't finish but held her bandaged hand up.
"No problem" he said. They held each other's gaze, half expecting something to happen. Goren clapped his hands together and backed down the hall awkwardly.
"Well uh, see ya" he said and disappeared down the hall.
"Bye" she said to herself. She closed the door and fell onto the couch. Was something meant to happen? Why was her heart beating twice as fast? Suddenly she felt she saw the sign, but missed the turn off.