I run and run and run. My breath are wheezing, and the water keeps hitting my face. But I keep running and running, ignoring my tired leg and heavy big bag with long strap that I carry with my shoulder.
A car suddenly appeared, I quickly run to the side of the streets.
Splash!! The puddle water that has run through by that car hits me. The hood that I am wearing helped me from that splash, although a bit of it hit my face. But since I;m all wet, it doesn't really matter anymore. That car just go away with its fast speed, leaving without any moment of hesitation. That is much better because I don't want the driver to take a moment to look at me.
I continue run although I already tired.
Although I run to find shelter, I don't know where I actually should go. The road that I am taking is further than my house, and I have never been to this place. But the most important thing is I must find a shelter that never inhabited by any people.
Finally I come into an abandoned building. The building looks like a two-level apartment, but there's a lot of bushes and trees and a wire-barbed-fences that wrote 'keep out'. I throw the bag to the other side and use my clothes to get across the fences.
The doors are locked, so I destroy the door with big stones that I found nearby.
Ouch! my hands are sore during the time I hit the door with the stone. But I keep on continuing to hit the door until the door is open.
When I enter, the room is empty and there's a leak on roof. There's window in front of me, so I opened the window slowly as the handler on the window is rusted. The room that smelled dusty and humid now freshened as outside air enter the room. I let the door open, as it helps the air flows better inside the room.
The downpour still continues, and the night is long. I wiped my wet hands on any dry surface and take out a lighter from my pocket and opened out the bag that I have been holding all along.
Ziiip... The sound of the zip can be heard in this empty room, and the bag opened more, showing the insides of the bag. A bit of it come out from the bag.
It was money. A lot of money overflowing inside the bag. It was millions or maybe more than I can counted inside the bag.
But I am not bothered with the money that comes out from the bag. I take a few pieces of money that still dry and burn it up with the lighter that I stole.
Finally, the room is brighted, and I can feel warm a bit. I shut the door slowly until enough space of air to flow in. I take off my clothes and put it on the floor to dry it off. My malnourished and scarred body is still wet, but not long after that, only my hair that is still wet. Fortunately, my hair is very short, so I don't bother with it.
Finally, I can say I have settled down to the safety. Then I look back at the money bag that I left it there. The money is still piling up.
The rain now turned silent, and I now aware of how bizarre I am doing. How did this all began?
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*Bzzt* Bzzt*
The old television is buzzing a bit. But I can still hear the sound clearly. "Today's news: The XXX bank have been robbed, and million's of cash have been stolen. the culprit still hasn't been found-"
"Rust!!!" shout mother loudly "IT'S DOWNPOUR YESTERDAY, WHY YOU LEFT MY CLOTHES THERE??!!!"
"I'm sorry mom, I forgot to take out your clothes before rain comes..."
"SHUT THE XXXX UP!!! You dare to talk back to me?!" She raises her hand as high as possible, hitting my head with her heels.
Slamp! I fall down with her attack.
"No food for you today! If you dare to touch the fridge, I will kill you!" And she left while wearing beautiful dress.
The sun is up, but the sky is dark, showing that today will be rain again. And here I am, lying down with blood on my head again.
I get up to rub my head. There's just a little bit of blood and I don't feel much pain than before. It seems my head are getting tougher, and maybe this is because my bones are getting strong with my age.
I go to sink, drinking 5 glasses of water. This is my breakfast.
I go to the rooftop of this apartment building and watch the view from above. This is how I normally spend my day. Nothing much to do but wander my thoughts to somewhere that isn't here.
This is my daily norm of my life.
I live with my mother who easy to get mad when something ticks her off, and she release it all on me. The reason is that I am the cause of all of her misfortune. I don't know why she thinks like that. Maybe because she don't know who my father is, or maybe because her future dream is gone, or maybe because her parents kick her out.
Growl... My stomach is growling, so I immerse myself more into my imagination. I am a hero that is born to travel all around the world, living in happiness and fulfilling life. And then, I found a damsel in distress, waiting for her hero to come. I'm coming princess-
Tik tik tik, droplets of water come down, not much to wet my clothes but because it hits my injured head, I know that it's starting to raining. The droplets rain falls very little and slowly, like it is snowing. Realizing that I still haven't take out the laundries, I walk back to the house as fast as possible, taking the laundry before my mother landing another heel on my head again.
That is what I am planning until a man appeared inside the apartment.
"Oh, it's Belladonna's bastard's kid." The man then take the food from the fridge. He then gobbles up the food while walking. When he finished eating it, he throws it away.
This man is Nuts. He is mom's new boyfriend. Although he has a build-muscle body, he is unemployed. I still have no idea why mom has faith on him to the point she gave him our keyhouse. Whenever he come, he always making the house a mess, taking our money and food and bring his friends and doing whatever he likes. After he's out from the house, mom would hit me for every mess he did with the house.
That is why when I seeing him eating up the food and then making the mess in the house, my hunger comes, but more than that, I have to clean his mess or I will be killed by mom soon.
Nuts sit on couch while lighting up his cigarettes. "Ain't it time for school, what'cha doing 'ere?"
School? It's been a long time since I have gone to school. Mom doesn't want me to go to school after I finished my elementary education. She said that because I'm going to school that I used up all her money. It is irony because she spend most of her money for her make up and clothes and food for Nuts and all of that money cost more than my school fees.
"Nah, forget it." Nuts then take another whiff of smoke "School's not important in life." And puff it out. "Ha ha ha..." He then laugh it out, as he is a philosophical who creates the ideology of the world. He really enjoyed doing so.
"It's nonsense that going ta school helps ya ta getta money, eat better food, livin' smart. What a load of bullshit!!" He kick the table in front of sofa very hard that the table fell with his footprint. If mom sees this, I am dead.
"Only those who are born in rich family can live better life! Only those lucky to be employed at large companies can get a lots of money!" He then stand up and come toward me. "Those like you and I, we are born to be ants for those high-born! You understand?!"
I don't know how to answer his reply, but before I manage to reply him, he hold my jaw with his one hand "You understand or not, BASTARD?!!"
I quickly nodded at him. He smiles with my reaction. "Very good!" Somehow he is very happy with my answer. He then let go of his hand and then patted my shoulder.
"But it is different if ya have brain." He is holding out a thick paper of money printed $100 "If ya smart enough, ya can also get money." If I count it right, it must be more than $1000.
"How in the world... do you get that money?"
Once I walk a few step near him, he put the money back in his pocket. "Ain't tell ya." And he laugh at me out loud.
"Ya don't deserve this, just keep being a bastard and keep on get heels on ya head by ya momma." His laugh is getting louder and louder, mocking me as much as he can.
After he trashing out the house, he goes out with his full stomach. All that's left in this house is mess and dirt. Nuts is right. How long am I going to live like this? Until I got old? And then what? Although I have to clean up his mess once he goes away, I go out from the house immediately. I don't want to do this anymore!
But then what should I do? What can I do? I am shy and stuttered when I meet people, if they laugh at me, I don't think I can handle it. I am weak and coward, there's no way I can do heavy work, and I will be bullied by my pioneer because of my weakness...
The little bit of rain is gone, but the sun hasn't come out. My clothes are wet due to my sweat and rain. It's almost midday, and I haven't clean up the mess at home. I will be killed...
With that thought, I look at the alley, trying to find shelter, staying away from home for a few days. Unexpectedly, I found a small secret hole at the wall. the hole is enclosed between the soil and wall, and there's something inside it. Seeing how unnatural the hole is, I dug the soil near the hole.
Dig, dig, dig, I grabbed something inside the hole. I pulled it out with all my might.
Crash! the wall that hold the hole are crashed! But it doesn't hurt that much. When I take a grasp of the situation, I find that I got a huge bag, like a bag used by people when they are traveling. The bag is heavy, making me wonders what's inside the bag.
Ziiiip, when I open it, I saw money. Lots of money are inside the bag. From that moment, I know I indirectly involved in something big, and trouble.
I run to my house with the bag, thinking where I can hide the bag. The safe? No, I can't open mom's safe lock. The wardrobe? No, it's too easy to find. While searching the place to hide the bag, I suddenly see Nuts from the window. Shoot! Why is he here?!
Slam! Nuts slammed the front door with all his power! He with scary glare looking around the house, looking for me who he can't see. I just hide myself near the sofa, sitting while holding the bag.
He gets inside the house, and into the main room. If he walks a few more steps, he can see me...
"Nuts?" Ask mom. She's at the entrance of the house and seeing his boyfriend inside the house, looking around with glare. She walks toward him. "What is it Nuts?"
"Where's ya son, Belladonna?" He ask with unwavering glare.
"Rust?" Mom looking around. "What the..." Her voice getting angrier "That useless child..." She must be angry with the mess in the house...
"Ya ain't answer my question." Nuts getting closer to mom "Where is ya bastard?"
"What have rust done to you?"
"Woman, ya better answer..."
"He's my son!! Why are you looking for him?!" I felt touched. Mom is trying to defend me...
Nuts sighed "Alright Bella, ya win this time." Nuts then continue "Ya know 'bout robbery, right?"
Mom answer "Robbery that happened yesterday night, right?"
"Yeah, me and ma friends' stole the money. I keep all of money, and it's gone." Nuts sit on the sofa. Thank god he didn't notice me.
"I look at the soil trace, and from I see it, the soil trace is in this neighborhood. I suspect ya son know 'bout it." Nuts is so sharp, that my heart beat out loud from hearing his words.
Mom...
"Why didn't you say so?"
Huh?
"If you told me earlier, I would have also help you!"
"Heh." Nuts laugh "So ya finally show ya true self."
"Who wouldn't? This is nothing compared to money that I will get."
Something crushed inside my heart. Something that I have never felt before toward mom.
All that's left inside me is despair and desperation, and this cause me to run away from them while they still inside the house. I ignore my mother shouts and run as far as I can without any care in the world, until i felt the downpour.
And this is what led me here.
