Runaway
After a few minutes I get home and go up to my room. I sit on my bed an dump out my backpack. A bunch of books, a binder and loose papers spill onto the floor. I begin to fill my backpack with other things that I'll need for the road. Some spare clothes, the allowance I'd been saving for years... (okay, my mom just wouldn't let me spend any) things like that. I look at my clock, 1:07PM. I finish packing a few minutes later and walk to the door. Then, I freeze. I don't know why, I'm just standing there like time has stopped. I shake my head and walk out the door.
Now I'm breaking into a run, not even paying attention to where I'm going. I look at my surroundings, I know this place a little, this street has the theaters and candy shops and things like that. I smile as I remember that when we were real young, Donald, Goofy and I would come here.
I keep walking, and am soon unfamiliar with my surroundings. Where am I, anyway? I probably should have brought a map or something... oh well, what have maps ever done for me? So I keep walking anyway, eventually I can ask someone or something.
I wonder how long I've been out now, it seems to be late afternoon, my watch says it's about 4:00; but I'm not sure how far I am from home and I'm STILL lost. I see a store that's open, unlike the rest of these rest of these stores that have boards nailed on the doors and yellow 'CAUTION' tape surrounding them. It's 4:15 now, so school's out and I don't have to worry about people catching me. I walk in.
"Excuse me," I ask the man behind the counter "Where am I?"
"Huh?" he asks. He looks middle aged and wears small glasses "What are you doing out here anyway? You should head home before it gets dark, it gets dangerous in this area." Okay, that doesn't answer my question, but I'm curious about what he means by dangerous.
"How is it dangerous?"
"Gangs and thieves and people like that."
"Oh..." I swallow hard. "Why is this place still open? I mean, it looks like every other place is abandoned."
He almost smiles, but not quite "A few years back a kid ran away from home, he ended up here, had no money or food. Starved to death. Another kid got killed by a gang. Their bodies were found not too long ago. Me and a few friends decided to move our shops over here, so that wouldn't happen anymore."
"O-oh." Okay, I'm really nervous now. "D-do you have any maps?"
"Here you go." He hands me one I pay and am about to leave when I hear him call "Be careful now!"
I smile to myself. As I continue walking I look at my map. "Okay..." I mutter "I'm about...here." Looks like I've traveled farther than I thought! I smile again, oddly I feel a lot better than before.
But not for long.
Then sun's setting now, so I'm really hurrying, I should probably be more careful, I guess, because I'm not even looking at where I'm going while I'm jogging... but, hey, no one's out at this area at this hour. Right?
CRASH
Wrong. I'm now on the ground, having just crashed into something or, rather someone. I look up, towering above my I see a bunch of gangsters glaring at me.
"What are you doing here, punk?" one of them asks.