"So this is where you have been running to all this time! Come with me now, we need to talk!" Victor cried out from behind the closed doors of his own house. He was angry for a while until the fact that they had been hiding in here all along crossed his mind. What if it was some kind of trick? His face flushed red as he remembered how much trouble they got into before. This could be a trap. But if it wasn't then he didn't want to know what would happen to him or anyone else when they found out they were living under their roof. "I don't have anywhere else to go! I am sorry but please let me stay here! If you will at least leave me alone then so may it happen! Please I beg you!" The last one was whispered through the door with tears welling up on his cheeks. The only response he received was silence which made his heart drop.
He didn't know what was worse than being caught by the mobsters or being left out there to fend for himself. After a few moments of standing there Victor slowly made his way back down the steps from his house. Maybe he could still find another place to live. No, no he would never do something like that. Even though he wanted to cry right there and then he refused to. Instead he looked around at the neighborhood and took a deep breath. It was empty. He sighed in relief and turned away from his home. Now what should he do? He felt hopeless. Where could he go without getting in even deeper trouble? What if someone heard him screaming and came rushing over to see what happened? His chest tightened thinking about that.
He thought about everything, about everyone around him. It was too hard to think about anything else. How did he get here anyways? Why did these people even bother to take care of him? There were so many questions swirling in his head he couldn't decide. All he knew is he hated every second of it. Everything ached and burned. His arms and legs hurt from constantly moving. He felt numb almost all the time. That was exactly why he kept going. If he was tired he went back. There was nothing for him at home, he just needed to keep on moving. If only it worked like that. He would give anything to run faster but he just wouldn't be able to anymore. Every time he tried he fell again, each fall seemed harder to recover from. Victor sighed again, he needed something else. Something that would make everything stop hurting… something that would put him out of his misery…
It hit him like a lightning bolt. He stopped dead in his tracks. It was the perfect idea! The perfect solution to every problem! He grabbed his phone and quickly scrolled through his contacts looking for someone that was familiar. Finally landing on an older woman named Elaina who owned several stores around town. She always helped him whenever he ran into trouble and she also worked at a tattoo parlor called Elina Tattoo Parlor. He dialed her number hesitantly not sure if he really wanted to involve such an elderly person. But he had to. He had nowhere to turn and no other option besides calling Elina because he didn't trust anyone else.
"Hello?" The elderly woman asked sounding sleepy.
"Hi, it's Victor… I-" he broke off not knowing what to say. "I need your help, can you come over?" He blurted out after clearing his throat. He felt stupid doing so after asking for help from someone who had so little experience. But there was no turning back now.
The woman was silent for a moment before answering him, her tone clearly showing her annoyance at having to wake up earlier than usual. "Alright, I'll be right there."