He had walked only a couple stores down from the restaurant when he pulled his bandanna off and shoved it deep into his pocket, covering his pay. He had learned a few nights ago that walking down dark alleys at night with a bandanna on wasn't the smartest thing to do. He had been jumped by two guys because they thought he was from a rival gang. There had been a small fight and it had only been broken up when one of the guys saw a patrolling cop car driving by. They delivered one last kick to Caim's stomach before heading off, leaving Caim to stumble to his feet and make his way to the place he had been sleeping for the past couple nights.
That 'place' was actually a park set at the back of a deserted old school that had a demolition sign on the fence that circled it. The school hadn't been torn down yet, and the park wasn't in too bad of shape. Caim pushed his bag through the jagged hole in the fence before sliding after it without catching his clothing on it like he had done the first few times. He was set up under the main section of the jungle-gym close to one of the slides and had placed two layers of cardboard overhead to keep most of the rain off of him.
He dropped his bag and stretched his arms above his head, rubbing his eyes. God... He blinked to try and clear his vision, then decided to sit down before he fell over. Running his hands through his messy hair he gazed up at the darkening sky. The sun was setting behind him, the rays causing the structure around him to cast shadows on the overgrown grass.
He yawned and rubbed his eyes again, a combination that, for his own reasons, made him feel slightly nauseated. Or maybe the nausea was a side effect like the dizziness and headache. I won't take another. The leftover pieces in my system will probably let me crash anyway. He pulled his bag in front of him and pulled out his water bottle and small blanket. Situating his bag behind him as a pillow he took a long drink from his water bottle before he closed it. Note: Get more water tomorrow before heading out. He set the bottle aside and lay back, pulling the blanket over the lower part of his body; he liked to have his arms free and he found that blankets restricted them.
He closed his eyes, willing his sleep to be straightforward and dark...
Caim bolted upright, the metallic taste of blood fresh in his mouth. He turned his head and spat out the revolting liquid, fighting the urge to also bring up the bile that was rising in his stomach. God damnit, why! Why why why- He wrapped his arms around his stomach and leaned forward, clenching every muscle in his body. He wanted to be sick, oh god he wanted to be sick and for so many reasons, but he knew that it wouldn't help anything.
Taking a deep breath he held it for a moment before exhaling and repeating the process. Once his stomach had stopped churning he lifted his head and wiped the sweat from his forehead, still breathing deeply. Blood from his bitten lip still trickled into his mouth but he merely swallowed quickly, turning his thoughts to something else to avoid another gagging episode. Something... something else... Anything... anything else... He put his head in his hands and spat onto the sand below him. "For God's sake," he hissed. He scratched at a spot on his right palm but quickly pulled his hand away, his eyes widening a bit. No. No no no no no no... He shook his head fiercely and gripped his right hand in his left. Not another. Not- He paused. "I'm overreacting," he muttered. "Just overreacting. It's just an itch, just a spot, that's it that's all there's nothing else going on."
He quickly gathered up his stuff, stuffing the blanket and water bottle into his bag. Taking his pay from the day before out of his jeans he tucked it into the small pocket on the side of his bag. All his money was hidden at the bottom covered up by his bandanna, a hand towel, and his miniature sewing kit. The bills themselves were pressed into a small journal-like book with the first few pages scribbled on just as a precaution. He always took precautions. Better safe than sorry.
With a sigh he stood and shook out his limbs, releasing the energy that was shooting around his body like an over hyper game of pinball. His nightmares, which once again had been the cause of his rude awakening, often left him feeling jittery and over-alert. He dabbed at his lip with a finger and relaxed a little more when it didn't come away red. He often bit his lip in his sleep due to an instinct that he had built in himself: he had taught himself not to scream.
Hoisting his backpack onto his back he shuffled his feet around in the sand, hoping to cover up any traces that he had been there - If they wanted to know that someone was here doing this will have achieved nothing. - and set off.
The sun hadn't yet risen, but it would within the next hour or two. Caim let a small smile touch his lips; he had always liked being out at this time of day. Everything was so quiet and peaceful.
His muscles itched to run but he knew better than to give in. He would be walking for most of the day searching for the next town that he would momentarily set himself up in so he had to save his strength. Instead he allowed himself a brisk walk, heading west, watching the sun slowly make its way into the sky.