Street Rat or It’s time to grow up

On a train again, he thought to himself. I really wish I could get some money to travel like a human being. Not just jumping on carts that go by x.x.  Garrik had made a long awaited trip to New York, but it was not the city he had imagined. From what he saw, a shanty town had stood where the once great New York had stood. He heard a passer-by mention that Chicago was booming in the down fall of New York. He left immediately; it’s not like he had anything better to do.

The train was starting to get close to the city, and he knew exactly what to do. There was a mixture of nervousness and excitement coursing through his veins. Garrik jumped out of the freight train and was already rolling. He used his abilities to manipulate his sweat and soften the blow of the fall; it didn’t do much (hell, it never has), but it made it less painful. He had a few cuts, mostly on his arms and legs, but he got up and started his long walk to the city.

Several miles later, Garrik arrived to Chicago and was tired. As he walked past the city limits sign, his stomach rumbled.  It had been a while since he had last eaten, and the toll was growing more obvious. While strolling through the city (getting looks at as those who passed by from the specks of dried blood on his limbs), he found a little outdoor market. Perfect, he thought. He reached into his pocket to see how much money he had.  His pockets jingled as he reached down and disappointment struck his face as Garrik soon realized that he was immensely poor.  He pulled out $ 1.43 in change and a Canadian dollar.

He walked over to a stand selling fruit. The apples glistened brightly in the light, and Garrik’s mouth began to water. He bumped into the man in charge of the fruit stand to distract him. The man was pissed off and started arguing with Garrik. Garrik used that time to pull the liquid out of the apple and use it to move another one to his pocket.

Garrik crossed the street back into town before chomping into the apple. The juices flooded his mouth and bliss had followed. He reached into his bag and put his sunglasses on. He walked over to the nearest alleyway. He noticed there were a few puddles on the ground. I suppose this will do, he thought. He rummaged through a dumpster to find a water bottle and put some water into it. He could always use some more water. Looking upward, Garrik found a fire escape on the building to his left; he used one of the puddles to propel him up to it. It was a bit of a push, but he made it up there. He pushed down the ladder to get down… more conveniently.

Garrik sat on the edge of the rooftop. He moved his sunglasses to his forehead, looking down at all the people on the street. He waved at all the people passing by, but no one waved back. It was a beautiful view, all the people in their own workings. He locked eyes with a man in a business suit hurried along his way. As he bit down into the apple, releasing a loud crunching sound, he thought, I can’t keep doing this. Jumping from town to town, looking for… hell I don’t even know what I’m looking for anymore. He let out a sigh but hid it with a smile.

After garnering a little too much attention, Garrik made his way to the back of the building and slowly scaled the fire escape downward. He made it to the second story before he jumped down. He didn’t land great (with his legs taking most of the damage), but it didn’t bother him. Things don’t hurt like they used to. I almost miss it.

Garrik found himself walking to a nearby park. He took a seat on the bench and pulled his sunglasses down. “Let’s see what you’re all about Chicago.”