Julius had fallen asleep in the Church after the service. He was friends with the pastor, who took pity on Julius and let him stay at the church. "Sometimes sleeping in His presence is cleansing," the pastor would always say. Julius knew he wouldn't be able to cleanse himself of what he had done the past three years. His only protection was his belief of duty. Julius felt that the necessity to do it. The Rangers had given him a more permanent home than he had ever had before, too.
Looking up, startled out of his thoughts by a rather large women who was yelling at a bus driver, Julius realized he was almost back to the apartment.
He looked up, out of instinct. At least the Rangers had taught him how to be aware. Julius saw a man on top of the apartment building. He hadn't seen the man before, but clearly the man had been living there for a while. Julius could just see the top of a tent and the man's face looked like it hadn't been touched by a razor in months.
"I wonder if he has any stories..." thought Julius. Julius was always looking for a good story.
Within ten minutes Julius was standing on the rooftop of Castle apartments.
"Morning." Said Julius.
Silence
"Mind if I stay up here for a bit?" Asked Julius.
The man answered with a nod.
"Well...I'm Julius, if you care to talk at some point." said Julius.
With that, Julius turned on the radio he brought with him. WTF was playing John Cage's 4'33"...
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Sweet Dreams And Flying Machines In Pieces On the Ground
Julius left the tunnels. The man either was dead or left through a surface exit. Either way, Julius didn’t have any reason to be down there anymore. Hunger and sleep were calling.
He slept deeply that night. Mom was moving him, Christophe was gone, a man had gone into the sewage and not returned. This city isn’t right. The move will help Julius thought.
The clock read 11. A late start for Julius. He switched the TV on. The background was no longer filled with sand and blasted out buildings. Rather, a developed looking city filled the TV screen. Penelope's picture still lingered in the lower left hand corner of the screen.
Bzzzzzt. Bzzzt. Bzzt.
"Mom?" "Julius, are you ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be."
A black, shiny car pulled up to the curb in front of the apartments. The blackness of the car brought color to the single gray color of the city and sky.
"Black. Typical. Everything is black with them. Like my second shadow..." Julius thought.
Julius slid into the back of the car. Mom sat across from him.
"Julius."
"Mom."
"We..um. Your new location is, sensitive."
"Everything with you is sensitive, why else would we call you mom?"
"No. I mean to you."
Julius slightly furrowed his brow at Mom. Mom rarely beat around the bush. Or just bottled it up.
"Spit it out Mom. I'm tired of this town."
"Well, Penelope is involved."
Julius couldn't swallow. His stomach turned into a baseball sized ball of lead.
"...wha.." he gasped.
"She's alive. We believe."
"Where?"
"Remember 3 years ago..."
The black car that brought color drove out of the city. The sun began to sink. Igniting the gray, old newspapered sky into a canvas of fire. Halfway across the world the sun began to rise. Breaking the cold of the desert night and warming the face of a woman with sandy brown hair and piercing gray eyes.
He slept deeply that night. Mom was moving him, Christophe was gone, a man had gone into the sewage and not returned. This city isn’t right. The move will help Julius thought.
The clock read 11. A late start for Julius. He switched the TV on. The background was no longer filled with sand and blasted out buildings. Rather, a developed looking city filled the TV screen. Penelope's picture still lingered in the lower left hand corner of the screen.
Bzzzzzt. Bzzzt. Bzzt.
"Mom?" "Julius, are you ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be."
A black, shiny car pulled up to the curb in front of the apartments. The blackness of the car brought color to the single gray color of the city and sky.
"Black. Typical. Everything is black with them. Like my second shadow..." Julius thought.
Julius slid into the back of the car. Mom sat across from him.
"Julius."
"Mom."
"We..um. Your new location is, sensitive."
"Everything with you is sensitive, why else would we call you mom?"
"No. I mean to you."
Julius slightly furrowed his brow at Mom. Mom rarely beat around the bush. Or just bottled it up.
"Spit it out Mom. I'm tired of this town."
"Well, Penelope is involved."
Julius couldn't swallow. His stomach turned into a baseball sized ball of lead.
"...wha.." he gasped.
"She's alive. We believe."
"Where?"
"Remember 3 years ago..."
The black car that brought color drove out of the city. The sun began to sink. Igniting the gray, old newspapered sky into a canvas of fire. Halfway across the world the sun began to rise. Breaking the cold of the desert night and warming the face of a woman with sandy brown hair and piercing gray eyes.
Light of the Morning
It was Saturday. May 19. Christophe had given Julius the day off. Actually, a note had. He hadn’t seen Christophe in a couple of days. Something wasn’t right. Someone who runs an orphanage cannot just take multiple days off.
He watched the shiny, black tv, slightly slumped on the couch. Nothing new of her. Just memories.
His leg started to vibrate. “Hello?” he said.
“Are you ok?” Mom asked.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”
“It’s May 19.”
“No shit.”
“We’re moving you. Don’t worry about the Orphanage anymore.”
Great. Good thing I don’t have much to pack Julius thought. Before packing, he went back to the Orphanage. He wanted to at least leave a note. Mom would take care of the formal stuff, but he liked a personal touch.
The door handle to Christophe’s office was slightly warm to the touch. The switch for the fan was turned on. Christophe knew it was broken. Something wasn’t right. Then again, nothing ever was on May 19. Christophe had left a note.
The smell was rank. Worse than above. There were 19 rungs down the manhole. What the hell is it with 19 he thought. Sewage gas seethed out of the water. The shimmering gas made the tunnel look like it was covered in glass. A real house of mirrors. Random debris passed slowly by him. A tire, a shoe, a jacket. Normal city trash.
Scush scush scush. The noise echoed off the glassy tunnel. He wasn’t alone. Could it be Christophe? Mom said don’t worry, but too late. He followed the splashing noise. Soon, something overtook the sound of the splashing. It grew from a soft rumble, to a loud roar. Like a train barreling down the tracks. Gushing out steam and frothing with power. A waterfall.
A man stood at the cusp of the waterfall. Then was gone.
“Holy shit.” he whispered.
He approached the edge. Taking care to watch his footing and moving slowly. Peering over the edge, he could see the man swimming through the muck. A lucky man on his unlucky day.
He sat watching the man climb out of the water. He wasn’t going to tempt fate with the waterfall.
The darkness of the tunnels kept time from Julius. 30 minutes might have passed or six hours. He didn’t know. The man hadn’t come back. The waterfall became white noise, a constant rumble throughout the tunnels. No clanging of metal. No footsteps. Nothing.
He watched the shiny, black tv, slightly slumped on the couch. Nothing new of her. Just memories.
His leg started to vibrate. “Hello?” he said.
“Are you ok?” Mom asked.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”
“It’s May 19.”
“No shit.”
“We’re moving you. Don’t worry about the Orphanage anymore.”
Great. Good thing I don’t have much to pack Julius thought. Before packing, he went back to the Orphanage. He wanted to at least leave a note. Mom would take care of the formal stuff, but he liked a personal touch.
The door handle to Christophe’s office was slightly warm to the touch. The switch for the fan was turned on. Christophe knew it was broken. Something wasn’t right. Then again, nothing ever was on May 19. Christophe had left a note.
The smell was rank. Worse than above. There were 19 rungs down the manhole. What the hell is it with 19 he thought. Sewage gas seethed out of the water. The shimmering gas made the tunnel look like it was covered in glass. A real house of mirrors. Random debris passed slowly by him. A tire, a shoe, a jacket. Normal city trash.
Scush scush scush. The noise echoed off the glassy tunnel. He wasn’t alone. Could it be Christophe? Mom said don’t worry, but too late. He followed the splashing noise. Soon, something overtook the sound of the splashing. It grew from a soft rumble, to a loud roar. Like a train barreling down the tracks. Gushing out steam and frothing with power. A waterfall.
A man stood at the cusp of the waterfall. Then was gone.
“Holy shit.” he whispered.
He approached the edge. Taking care to watch his footing and moving slowly. Peering over the edge, he could see the man swimming through the muck. A lucky man on his unlucky day.
He sat watching the man climb out of the water. He wasn’t going to tempt fate with the waterfall.
The darkness of the tunnels kept time from Julius. 30 minutes might have passed or six hours. He didn’t know. The man hadn’t come back. The waterfall became white noise, a constant rumble throughout the tunnels. No clanging of metal. No footsteps. Nothing.
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