Member-only story
The Authentic Eclectic
One For One
Payment must be made…
The sun was too bright, it hurt his eyes. He was wearing too many clothes, but despite the heat of the day, he shivered uncontrollably. He could smell himself, he stank. His legs would hardly bear him, and deep inside there was a gnawing pain and a desperate craving for…something.
He could find no name, no memory, no sense of where he was except a street. He felt, rather than saw, the people passing by, drawing away in open disgust or steadfastly ignoring him.
But the childs’ face, the sound of her voice, the pink t-shirt, they were there. In his mind. Sharp, clear, imperative. She was nearby and he knew it. He forced himself to keep moving, he had so little time.
“Mom! Mommie!” Her voice, no doubt of it. There she was, still whole, still perfect, standing on the edge of the sidewalk, waving anxiously. He half-heard the voice of a parent, raised in warning. Saw the child start to run across the street. Heard the truck coming round the corner too fast. Too fast!
He lurched off the sidewalk, into the path of the truck. Screech, crash, brief sensation of flight, another crash, then blessed numbness.
Darkness closed around him. In it he saw the other girl, her terrified face as she was swept onto the…
