Shattered

Monday in the afternoon, we started to arrive at the station. The schedule had been rearranged a little, and we were arriving at a different time. The car rocked to a slow halt as Hope helped us gather our stuff and opened the doors.

“Thank you, Hope. It’s been a pleasure riding with you.” I gave her a grand grin. She pulled me into a tight hug as her wrinkled face mirrored my expression.

“You must come back soon to ride the rails. I’m always here, so drop by anytime for a week.” Hope laughed. I nodded and hopped out of the car with Amity and Anarchy. She closed the doors quickly. I touched the graffiti cross, as if luck could be rubbed onto my fingers. As we dodged the sights of train workers, we crossed the tracks and started towards the city. We were directly on the west edge. The train stop backed up to a large field that opened up to a small subdivision.

“So which part of town do you live in?” Anarchy asked me. I pointed straight ahead. Our little house was parked right south of the Empire hotel on the west side. The hotel hugged the edge of the downtown shopping center.

As soon as I stepped onto the familiar steps, I took a deep breath. The scent of gasoline, smoker fumes, and expensive perfume hit me full blast. It was like I was returning home after an extended vacation.

I missed this place so badly.

People bustled by on the empty sidewalks. Soon, the pavement and roads would be filled with the sights and sounds of hundreds of people rushing to get home. I spotted my alley that would lead to home if I took the right twists and turns. Pulling up my hoody against a cold gust of wind, I took off across the street. Few people gave me odd looks.

Anarchy and Amity trailed quickly behind me until I reached the open mouth of the shadowed alley way.

“Home.” I breathed. The two friends watched behind me. I turned around to them and couldn’t stop grinning.

“Let me show you a thing or two about alley runners.” I told them, then started off at a quick pace. As soon as we were out of sight from the people rushing by, I started off at a light jog with my pack bouncing against my back. The other two kept up easily. As we got further into the back twists and turns behind buildings, I picked up the pace, going into a full out sprint and letting out a whoop at the joy of finally being able to run again.

Once we reached the creaking house I call home, I ducked into our secret entrance and started to climb the stairs.

“Wrecker! I’m home!” I cried out, nearly bursting into tears. Three months ago, when he told me about the mysterious collectors, he said no girl had every come back. I was here to prove him wrong.

No sound of my old man rung out. The vision I had of him in the golden fields came back and I started to panic.

“Wrecks?” I called out and tromped up the stairs. I pulled out my beanie from a strong gust of window through the cracked glass windows. Anarchy and Amity followed me up the stairs silently.

He wasn’t on his usual recliner, staring out to the streets below. Okay Kynder, don’t panic. He might be on the street corner, begging for spare change. It was a Monday. He had nothing better to do.

“Okay, let me check someplace else.” My voice wavered. I threw down the bag and quickly checked the broken dresser drawer. Okay, so my homeless health care pass was still there. As I scanned the room, I realized nothing had been touched.

Anarchy and Amity watched with worried eyes as I took the steps two at a time and ran under broken beams and through the secret gateway to the alley. I had to slow my walk as I neared the street corner where Wrecks always used to beg.

No, please tell me he’s here!

He wasn’t in his corner. My breath choked up as I spun around. I spotted a familiar face down the road at the opposite street corner. It was one of Wreck’s old friends, Brecker. He was a middle aged man who had wasted his money on alcohol and is now recovering in the streets.

“Brecker!” I called out to him, jogging through swarms of people to get to the man with the cardboard sign. When he saw me, his eyes went wider than the Pacific Ocean.

“Kynder, it can’t be!” He gasped. I nodded, affirming it was, indeed, me.

“Breacker, where’s Wrecks?” I asked him hurriedly. My panic was growing with each minute.

“You escaped, you escaped the collectors! I have to tell the others! There will be hope for other taken alley runners!” He clapped his hands joyfully.

“I’ll explain myself at the meeting tonight in the park. For now, I need to know where Wrecks is!” I asked him anxiously. There was always a Monday night meeting in the park nearby for all the alley runners that wish to attend and get up on the latest gossip. Normally, there was a large crowd of about twenty or so.

When I mentioned my old mentor’s name, his face fell and the homeless man sniffled.

“Gone.”

“Gone?”

“Dead. He died of old age and heartbreak of losing you. He’s buried north side, with his old rocker.” Brecker sighed mournfully. I froze, every nerve tingling. No, he couldn’t be resting in the north side! That was the cemetery for all the homeless! He couldn’t be there!

My vision couldn’t have been true. I didn’t want it to be true!

“No, he can’t.” I whispered. Amity put a hand on my shoulder as the two friends tried to comfort me. Tears started to pour out of my eyes.

“Kynder, I’m sorry. He was heartbroken when he heard you were taken. Wrecker searched high and low, contacting anyone outside of the city that he knew of. It was no use. About July Fourth, he stopped coming to his usual corner. Of course, we stayed away out of respect of the claimed spot, especially since he’s so highly regarded, but I had to go check on him. Wrecks was sitting in his rocker, staring at the fireworks sadly. All he said was that you two used to watch fireworks and drop water balloons on unsuspecting victims in the alley below and he couldn’t believe you weren’t here to do it with him.” Brecker stated, patting my shoulder in an attempt at calming me. I was trembling violently.

The man who was my second father, who cared for me since I was twelve. He was just dead and gone. Wrecker had been there for me when I thought I was most alone. He took me in and taught me the ways of an alley runner. He made me into the strong, agile, intelligent alley runner I was. I may not have gotten a high school education, but Wrecker had been my teacher. He made me get books from the library and learn. Wrecks made me learn math and science on the late nights. Not only book smarts, but street smarts were instilled in me. If he wasn’t in my life, I would be dead.

“W-when did he die?” I sputtered through the drops of tears.

“Three days ago.” So I was too late, too late to save him.

“Thank you, Brecker. I’ll see you at the meeting, ten tonight.” I shook his hand and started to walk back. A few men and woman on the street gave me odd looks. They wouldn’t remember me. Who would care?

“Amity, Anarchy, I need to go pay my respects. You know the way back? I’ll be back at the house in twenty minutes.” I sniffed. Both gave me a quick hug before I departed.

I didn’t walk, no, I sprinted the entire way. I dodged cars, bikes, and people as I swerved into an alley and past some back street smokers.

Up over the hill was an empty plot of land with an iron wrought fence around it. There were several gravestones. This plot was just outside the city in an empty field, away from busy traffic.

In the back corner under the shade tree was a familiar rocker. The arms were worn and holes were riddled in the fabric. I could almost see the spirit of Wrecks sitting in there, giving me that old grin he always flashed when I came home.

I knelt next to the chair, a rock right in front of it. The dirt looked freshly turned as a few leaves rested on the new mound.

Wrecker-the man who let no one forget about him.
A mentor, a friend, an alley runner, a dad.
“I might be older than dirt, but I sure as hell can run faster than you!”

The last word made me drop to my knees and cry. Wrecker was never married, never had children. But to him, he was my street dad and I was his own child.

I sob and wailed as I relived the second time my dad had died.

As the tears slowly turned silent, I read the third line and smiled a little. It was a line Wrecker always used with the new alley runner who thought they were the fastest. It put them in their place about as fast as Wrecks could run.

All I did for the next ten minutes was sit in the rocker and think about Wrecker. My memories seemed to be on replay until the tape ended. As I stood up, I stared down at the stone and grave before turning around and leaving. I had paid my respects, now I had to live out what he had left for me.

Two hours later, I had met back up with my two friends and sat in the house with them. We chatted back and forth about useless topics until talking ran out. I showed Amity and Anarchy where they could stay in the second floor.

That night, I stayed up on the deflated sofa, my heart as thin as the pillows.

Notes

:( :( :(

WRECKER! NO!!!