DISCLAIMER: (See Prologue)
SHOUTOUTS:
m-e lee12 - once again, late chapters, eh? oh well, I DO have an excuse... it's called camp. but I definitely wrote another (hopefully longer) one!!! and... umm... I made new friends, shithead!!!
Brownie/Melody - you are now phishco, y'know.... b/c that is a brill name foah you. Oh.... the raven.... I forgot it again. there WAS a rat, tho... haha like in Willard... (which you must watch as well) Wow... I haven't written since BRANSON!?!
Strawberri Shake - woo it is so nice to have a loyal fan (brownie, emob... youse two don't count! tehe -hugs-) ahhh Dutchy, nooo! -runs to the bridge- oh wait... I control this story!!!
Walking With Captain Trips
Chapter Five
The rain had stopped. Now it was just gray and muggy. I would have preferred the rain, especially in all this heat. Rain meant it wasn't as hot, there wasn't sun blinding you, and rotting flesh didn't smell as bad. I must have looked pretty down, because Mush came up to me and quietly asked if I was okay.
"I've got ta be better than you guys."
Mush just looked at me a moment and nodded, but rather than sticking around in his usual annoying but well-meaning way, he drifted back over to Blink's side. I watched as Kid tensed a moment, half-turning his head to see who it was, then calm and continue walking. It was an unspoken rule you didn't come up or walk on Blink's left side, where he couldn't see you. Mush was the exception to that rule. Anybody else who tried got chewed out right then and there. Today Blink didn't look up to even that, but that didn't convince me to try it or anything. Now wouldn't be a great time to have to find a new group of friends.
"Skittery, where're we goin'?" Snipeshooter, trotting along on my other side.
"T'my apartment, I guess..." I paused and looked around at the remaining boys, trying not to think about the others that should have been there among them. "...since we're out, anyone care if we head over to the store?"
I looked around and everyone shook their heads, Swifty commenting, "Nah... why not? Don't got anywheah else t'go..."
"Okay, good, 'cause I haven't eaten since... lunch yesterday? Somethin' like that..." I turned the corner, but didn't get much farther than that. "No way..." I muttered, staring straight ahead.
"What?"
"It's Spot..." Everyone crowded forward to get a look, and sure enough, the infamous spot Conlon and one of his cronies from the Brooklyn Boys' Home were on a streetcorner two blocks down. "...does the little shit ever die?" The punk was about a foot shorter than me and I'm guessing weighed about half as much, yet it seemed when we were in the orphanage, you'd hear a new rumor every three days about some kid Spot had handed their ass. Nobody wanted to mess with him, unless they were stupid, or new and didn't know any better. The kid could jump off the Brooklyn Bridge and he'd probably still be ticking.
Blink answered me. "Nah, but youse woulda been if he'd'ah heard ya."
"Tyrant." I muttered.
"No kiddin'... good to see him."
"What?"
"Hey SPOT!!" Kid yelled. The blonde boy on the other corner whirled around, the other guy with him copying the move a second later. A pair of slingshots were leveled at our small group. I doubted he could have got us with those things from this far away, but I yelled anyway,
"Hey chill out! It's us! The 'Hattan boys!"
His enormous sidekick lowered the weapon and pointed at us, talking to Spot, who nodded up at him and put the slingshot in his back pocket. The Brooklyn boy mimicked him and they started coming towards us. We met them halfway.
"Heya Spot."
"Heya boys."
He spat in his hand and held it out, and I waited for someone to take it. No one did. I noticed then everyone was staring at me expectantly, Spot indignantly. Getting my act together, I spat in my own hand and completed the motion as I'd seen our leader, Jack, do many times. It made me uneasy, interacting with Spot like a leader. I wasn't a leader. Guys like Spot and Jack, they were leaders. Not me. Everyone was still staring, so I cleared my throat.
"So uhh... spot. What'cha doin' so far from Brooklyn?"
"What'cha t'ink I'se doin'!?" he barked. "What else's dere ta do?"
"We'se lookin' foah people..." the other boy supplied. Spot's glare swung over to him, obviously in one of his legendary "moods."
"Thanks, Pidgeon..." Spot drawled sarcastically.
"Well didja find anyone?" I asked. Conlon shook his head.
"We'se all dat's left from Brooklyn. Been t'Trenton, too. Nobody dere."
Blink's face paled and his single eye fixed on Spot. "Nobody? Nobody at all? Are you serious?!" His voice rose and became frantic; he looked like a mad dog in his intensity.
Spot's answer was blunt, insensitive as ever. "No. All dead. Everyone. Looks like 'Hattan got off easy..." He was such a prick.
All the color had gone from Blink's face now, but faced with the Brooklyn leader, even Kid's loud mouth fell quiet. He just nodded.
An awkward silence fell after Spot's words, and I looked uncomfortably to the rest of my crew, but they were all glaring at Conlon, save for Blink, who was studying the gutter. He looked like he might have been biting his lip. Like he might cry. But he stayed silent. I wondered what was going on to make him like that, but I didn't dare ask. Instead I said, "So it's just us?"
"Yeah. Just us." Spot echoed. Mush put an arm around Blink.
"Well we'se goin' ta Skittery's place." Snipes said, but there was a hard glint in his eyes.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah." I said, swallowing my loathing of the kid's insolence. Despite all his brash, rude, and condescending behavior, having a leader again might come in handy. And Spot was a damn good leader, if rumors could be believed. I think Snipeshooter knew that. I think we all did. "You wanna come up wid us or what?"
He considered for a second, then nodded. "Yeah... yeah. An' if we find anyone else..."
"We'll get them to come with us, too."
"Yeah. What I was thinkin'. Now let's go."
And that's how Spot Conlon took charge.
SHOUTOUTS:
m-e lee12 - once again, late chapters, eh? oh well, I DO have an excuse... it's called camp. but I definitely wrote another (hopefully longer) one!!! and... umm... I made new friends, shithead!!!
Brownie/Melody - you are now phishco, y'know.... b/c that is a brill name foah you. Oh.... the raven.... I forgot it again. there WAS a rat, tho... haha like in Willard... (which you must watch as well) Wow... I haven't written since BRANSON!?!
Strawberri Shake - woo it is so nice to have a loyal fan (brownie, emob... youse two don't count! tehe -hugs-) ahhh Dutchy, nooo! -runs to the bridge- oh wait... I control this story!!!
Walking With Captain Trips
Chapter Five
The rain had stopped. Now it was just gray and muggy. I would have preferred the rain, especially in all this heat. Rain meant it wasn't as hot, there wasn't sun blinding you, and rotting flesh didn't smell as bad. I must have looked pretty down, because Mush came up to me and quietly asked if I was okay.
"I've got ta be better than you guys."
Mush just looked at me a moment and nodded, but rather than sticking around in his usual annoying but well-meaning way, he drifted back over to Blink's side. I watched as Kid tensed a moment, half-turning his head to see who it was, then calm and continue walking. It was an unspoken rule you didn't come up or walk on Blink's left side, where he couldn't see you. Mush was the exception to that rule. Anybody else who tried got chewed out right then and there. Today Blink didn't look up to even that, but that didn't convince me to try it or anything. Now wouldn't be a great time to have to find a new group of friends.
"Skittery, where're we goin'?" Snipeshooter, trotting along on my other side.
"T'my apartment, I guess..." I paused and looked around at the remaining boys, trying not to think about the others that should have been there among them. "...since we're out, anyone care if we head over to the store?"
I looked around and everyone shook their heads, Swifty commenting, "Nah... why not? Don't got anywheah else t'go..."
"Okay, good, 'cause I haven't eaten since... lunch yesterday? Somethin' like that..." I turned the corner, but didn't get much farther than that. "No way..." I muttered, staring straight ahead.
"What?"
"It's Spot..." Everyone crowded forward to get a look, and sure enough, the infamous spot Conlon and one of his cronies from the Brooklyn Boys' Home were on a streetcorner two blocks down. "...does the little shit ever die?" The punk was about a foot shorter than me and I'm guessing weighed about half as much, yet it seemed when we were in the orphanage, you'd hear a new rumor every three days about some kid Spot had handed their ass. Nobody wanted to mess with him, unless they were stupid, or new and didn't know any better. The kid could jump off the Brooklyn Bridge and he'd probably still be ticking.
Blink answered me. "Nah, but youse woulda been if he'd'ah heard ya."
"Tyrant." I muttered.
"No kiddin'... good to see him."
"What?"
"Hey SPOT!!" Kid yelled. The blonde boy on the other corner whirled around, the other guy with him copying the move a second later. A pair of slingshots were leveled at our small group. I doubted he could have got us with those things from this far away, but I yelled anyway,
"Hey chill out! It's us! The 'Hattan boys!"
His enormous sidekick lowered the weapon and pointed at us, talking to Spot, who nodded up at him and put the slingshot in his back pocket. The Brooklyn boy mimicked him and they started coming towards us. We met them halfway.
"Heya Spot."
"Heya boys."
He spat in his hand and held it out, and I waited for someone to take it. No one did. I noticed then everyone was staring at me expectantly, Spot indignantly. Getting my act together, I spat in my own hand and completed the motion as I'd seen our leader, Jack, do many times. It made me uneasy, interacting with Spot like a leader. I wasn't a leader. Guys like Spot and Jack, they were leaders. Not me. Everyone was still staring, so I cleared my throat.
"So uhh... spot. What'cha doin' so far from Brooklyn?"
"What'cha t'ink I'se doin'!?" he barked. "What else's dere ta do?"
"We'se lookin' foah people..." the other boy supplied. Spot's glare swung over to him, obviously in one of his legendary "moods."
"Thanks, Pidgeon..." Spot drawled sarcastically.
"Well didja find anyone?" I asked. Conlon shook his head.
"We'se all dat's left from Brooklyn. Been t'Trenton, too. Nobody dere."
Blink's face paled and his single eye fixed on Spot. "Nobody? Nobody at all? Are you serious?!" His voice rose and became frantic; he looked like a mad dog in his intensity.
Spot's answer was blunt, insensitive as ever. "No. All dead. Everyone. Looks like 'Hattan got off easy..." He was such a prick.
All the color had gone from Blink's face now, but faced with the Brooklyn leader, even Kid's loud mouth fell quiet. He just nodded.
An awkward silence fell after Spot's words, and I looked uncomfortably to the rest of my crew, but they were all glaring at Conlon, save for Blink, who was studying the gutter. He looked like he might have been biting his lip. Like he might cry. But he stayed silent. I wondered what was going on to make him like that, but I didn't dare ask. Instead I said, "So it's just us?"
"Yeah. Just us." Spot echoed. Mush put an arm around Blink.
"Well we'se goin' ta Skittery's place." Snipes said, but there was a hard glint in his eyes.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah." I said, swallowing my loathing of the kid's insolence. Despite all his brash, rude, and condescending behavior, having a leader again might come in handy. And Spot was a damn good leader, if rumors could be believed. I think Snipeshooter knew that. I think we all did. "You wanna come up wid us or what?"
He considered for a second, then nodded. "Yeah... yeah. An' if we find anyone else..."
"We'll get them to come with us, too."
"Yeah. What I was thinkin'. Now let's go."
And that's how Spot Conlon took charge.