Chapter 1

This is the first chapter of my inprogress book Living in Hell.

      Another cold and sleepless night. No blanket to keep myself warm. No mother to hold me tight after one of many nightmares. These were never in my cards. I am Kristen Nichols, and I am living in hell.

      The sirens awaken me once again. I think it’s about 2 am, according to the moon. The smell of the dumpster behind me makes my nose cringe only slightly because I am used to the stench. This isn’t how it used to be. I was told there were friendly faces as you walked down the street, and the government was working as hard as they could to help the everyday person. Now the gangs run these streets. The cold, heartless, crime-is-fine gangs.

      I move stealthily collecting all of my things as to not make any disturbances. My blanket, filled with holes, my second pair of tennis shoes, and the flashlight I found in the dumpster that the plastic is chipped away at get shoved carelessly into my backpack. I then awaken my younger brother.

      “Joshua!” I whisper fiercely at him. “Joshua! Wake up!” He startles and sits up.

      “Huh, what?!” he replies half asleep.  I tell him it is time to go. He gathers all of his belongings which include his green cap, his second pair of shoes and his Swiss army knife engraved with his name “JOSH”. As I keep watch, I see a slight smile cross his face as his knife slowly slips out of his hands into the backpack he recently found, but the smile left his face as quickly as it came.

       It’s a sad world. Living on the street with my twelve year old brother can be extremely difficult. I feed him before I feed myself. After he’s asleep, I cover him completely up with our blanket, and I stand guard most of the night. The streets are not safe, and I would do anything for his safety. Anything.

      “Where are we going now?”

      “We…we never know. You know that. Let’s just walk. You know it’s not good to stay in one place all night.” He sighs and starts to drag his legs and stares intently as if commanding them to move the correct way. Left. Right. Left. Right.

 I can’t help but think, “How many sleepless nights must he go through until I can truly provide him with what he needs or with what he deserves?”

      A small crash awakens me from the trance my mind put on me. My hand smacks out to stop Joshua from continuing trudging any further. It hits him in the gut and he grunts quietly. The fear in his eyes awakens as we hear talking in the distance. I slowly pull us behind a nearby dumpster. My finger, unaware to myself, places itself on my lips signaling Joshua to be quiet.

      “How pretty was she?!” The words get lost in a drunken slur. My ears pucker up. “I mean how bea-hiccup-utiful was she?!”

      “Beautiful enough to kill!” another laughs at his own disgustingly cruel remark.

      “I mean, I wish we could have “played” with her more boys, but she was a screamer!” My free left hand tightens on Josh’s waist, and my right slowly inches up my bag for my knife I keep concealed as the voices approach. Joshua’s attempt to control and hide his shaking is all in vain. He is too scared to conceal it at all.

      “Maybe we can find another pretty one!” one says. “One with smaller breasts. That one was difficult to pin down!” The way he is completely serious makes my stomach flip.

      “Josh. Close your ears and climb in the dumpster quickly.” I whisper. He nods, and I boost him up and over. Gracefully, he buries himself within the stench and the trash. “Do not say a word, and do not leave there. Understand!” I would jump in as well but it is safer spread out. If they find me, they won’t find him cornered in the same spot. We have better chances apart.

      “Yes, Kristen.” It’s mumbled, but I still understand his promise through the piles of trash that bury him.

       He keeps his promises, so I am reassured that he won’t disobey my command.

      “Boys!!” I see the shadows approaching. “I said “boys”!” This voice was unfamiliar. The shadows stop to my relief before I could see their faces.

      Their responses to this man are so jumbled up I cannot understand anything but “One drink -  Tony’s fault �"  I’m drunk!” Whoever responded last obviously isn’t the smartest. I shake my head at their obvious arrogance.

      “Shut up!”  Silence takes over. My breathing becomes lighter. I try to make the pounding in my heart slow down. The attempt is a huge failure. “Boys, you go out and bring me a pretty dame! You all have had your fun, but don’t forget! I’m in charge!” I try to quickly and quietly sneak away from the dumpster in case they find me. I don’t want them to find him. I move on my toes halfway to the next building.

      I listen.

      Silence.

      “Why are they not talking!!?” My brain tries to think of a reason, any reason, which leaves my toes and feet distracted. I kick a small can just a few inches. My breathing can no longer stay light. I jump and try to reach the next building, the next ally way, the next dumpster, something, anything!

      A hand larger than I have ever seen grasps my little wrist. My face has enough time to turn, see a glimpse of the man holding me, and get slapped back to its starting position. A large nosed, hairy man with yellowing teeth is my captor. I try not to think too much. The man has a thick untamed black beard. His yellow teeth still glow through the hair in the night.

      I fall hard onto my knees, but I keep my head down. A hand slides itself up the back of my shirt.

      My shoulders go back. His breath frozen by the night hits my neck.

      I turn and slap his cheek with my free left hand. The man jumps back grabbing at his now red face. Before I can even get up, another man grabs both of my wrists so tightly that I cry out in pain. “Wrong choice!” the man said. I refuse to look up for more than a second just to get a look. This man was taller and had broader shoulders, but still had the yellowing teeth and beard. The smirk on his face was making me extremely uneasy.

      I get dragged away.

      Far away.

      The sweat drips down my nose. The large nosed, hairy man forces my face up enough to look  directly at him. His hand firmly wraps around my neck. I gasp for air.

      “Well, look at you!” he spits. “Aren’t you pretty.” The spit slides down my left cheek. I stare at him. They hold me up and asses me like an animal. My heart sinks as the taller one releases my wrists to the larger nosed one. He walks around me. Stalking his prey, his meal.

      My eyes try to follow him and keep contact, but my wrists are shaken, and I am forced to be looking forward again.

      A hand reaches out for me.

      The cold hand grabs the bottom of my shirt. Another follows. My plaid green shirt is rising higher and higher.

      The time slows down. They are taking their sweet time torturing me. It rises up and above my neck and over my wrists. My breathing becomes even heavier. The men smile widely. My tattered shirt now lay alone on the concrete.

      My white now grey tank top remains as the only clothing covering my upper body. I must get out of this situation and back to Joshua! My wrists are held above, my head and my chest pound. I feel as if I am powerless. An idea hits me. An idea that could free me or just get me killed, but it is worth the little chance it has.

      The short one sits a few feet away picking at his teeth with a sharp tool. The taller still holds me captive. His nose brushes up against my neck and my hair. He sniffs my hair, and he whispers “Won’t be alive much longer”. His chuckle leaves hot air cooling on my neck.

      “This one looks perfect for the boss!” he shouts at his partner. “That was easy.” He looks at me and smirks again.

      “Ok. This will work! This will work! It has too!” I think. Ok. I decided. I’m doing it now! My knee and my teeth go, synchronized, at the man standing closest to me.  My knee hits his groin and my teeth bite his arm as it lowers. I don’t even have time to register what all just happened. I just know I am free, and I am running away.

      I do not dare turn around until I’m hidden in the dark near a dumpster.

      I hear shouting, but don’t see shadows in the lamplight. My breathe turns to a white smoke as it leaves my mouth and enters the cruel and cold world. The footsteps fade in the night. I continue my run towards the area where I was captured.

      “Joshua?! Joshua?!” he didn’t respond as I ran towards the dumpster. My heart feels as if it will explode. I jump in. Trash is thrown over my shoulder in my frantic search for my brother.

      “Sis? I’m right here.”  His green eyes look up at me out of a pile of soda cans.

      “Why didn’t you respond?” my voice cracks. Josh quickly snuggles up underneath my head hugging me.

      “You told me to plug my ears.” This innocent response sends my stomach back to me. My heart slows down.      

      “I did, didn’t I?” I sobbed.

      “Are you ok?” He knew nothing that had happened.

      “Yes, I’m fine. I just forgot what dumpster you were in.” I laugh and he laughs. His laugh puts a genuine smile on my face. “Come on.”  I look around us. “We are sitting in a dumpster.” We both truly laugh this time. The fact was obvious but enough to get him to really smile and laugh.

      I give him a boost out of the oversized green dumpster. I use this few seconds to actually get a look at our surroundings. The tall, empty bricks buildings form a maze throughout the city. The few rusted lamps have a single light bulb providing little light for its users. The black paved ground covers every inch of this city now. The sky is an eerie grey. Dumpsters are in every alley, and they are filled with trash that never gets picked up. The dumpsters are no use because the ground is covered in paper, cans, bags, and different assortments of trash.

      I found one book in the dumpster two years ago that told me this city was once a city of trends, freedom, and it was always one step ahead. This city was the city of New York.

      My leg flies over the edge of the metal, green object. Thankfully, we have gotten used to the stench that it holds. I jump down six feet and land securely on my feet.

      “Let’s go!” We walk in silence for a few minutes, which seems like hours, as we wait until we are far from the men in those alleys. When I think it is safe enough, I open my mouth to talk. I open it but realize I do not know what to say. Should I tell him the truth? Should I just not say anything? I don’t know.

      He is only twelve, but he has been forced by the streets to mature far beyond his age, as have I. I’m only seventeen.  

      “I know what happened.” He said quietly, almost to himself.

      “I..uh.” I didn’t know what to say to that. I didn’t expect that to be what he would say to me.

      He turns to me and tackles my waist. Startled, my arms go up, and then fling themselves around him. “Don’t ever leave me again!” he sobs into my chest.

      “Shhh, shhh it’s ok.” I stoke his hair back.

      His eyes twinkle in the light of a single bulb. Tears stick to his eyes until he says, “I love you.”

      I take a deep breath. “I love you more.”

 

Author's Note

I am still currently writing more of this book. The first few chapters are finished, but still under correction and review.

Reviews

[Judy]

This is really great. It starts out with action, and your voice is great. I usually don't take the time to finish a first chapter if it's not that interesting, but I already want to read the next chapter of this!

[Steve]

Well, you did good. You kept my attention! That is not easy to do. I have no tolerance for crap. This was really riveting....very nice. I felt like I was really there.

[tiffanyrenee]

Thank you. That is what I want to do. Make the reader feel as if they are right there in the story.

[Steve]

You are good. I will read more.

[Eagle Cruagh]

Exceptional writing.
I have just finished the Chapter and I am
speechless. You are a genius.
----- Eagle Cruagh

[ScottWinchester]

Okay... listen.

You have talent. But it's more than that. You have sharpened it to a publishing caliber. I've read a lot of novel fiction by unpublished authors; usually responding and reviewing their work isn't easy because you have to point out the problems with prose, and dialogue, and overall lack of voice. I don't have that problem here. It's obvious that you have more than talent (which, alone, doesn't go far); you have also developed an ear and an eye for storytelling. It's still developing, and I would be delighted to see how formidable you are in five years.

Good job ;)

... and, um... it's "assess" lol :) "Asses" is the plural form of "a*s"...

[tiffanyrenee]

Thank you! ( and i fixed it haha) My computer didn't correct it because..well it is a word. I'll just have to keep an eye out for mistakes like that. Again, thank you.

[ScottWinchester]

You're very welcome :)