Retrospect (Part One)

Region: Unknown

Nathaniel Alistair

Retrospect

(Part One)

It was dark and Nathan was getting tired of waiting. He had been squatting down behind a row of trash cans for nearly an hour now, patiently, and his legs were getting very sore. He could feel a tingly and burning sensation crawling up his thighs as his muscles begged for a reprieve. As an added insult he happened to be standing in a small puddle and could finally feel the moisture creeping up through his boots and into his socks. The gang of girls just a few yards away from him had been loitering and doing nothing of any importance now for nearly an hour now and Nathan had just about had enough. He shifted his body just a bit to find a more comfortable position and as he did so he accidentally bumped into the can closest to him, causing it to make a small bit of noise. “Shit” he thought to himself and held his breath.


The girls in the alley, five of them, all roughly around the age of 16, were smoking and telling stories about the good old days had went silent the moment they heard an unexpected sound. “What was that?” one asked the others looking in the direction of the trashcans. “I don’t know” replied another. They all turned together to face the row of cans on the right side of the alley with their inquisitive eyes squinting into the darkness. Nathan began to panic, he looked left and right, trying to figure a way out of this mess. As he studied the area he stayed motionless, breathing ever so lightly. “Should I go check it out?” Another girl piped up. “We can all go together” responded one of them. Nathan decided it was now or never. He had to make a run for it. He squatted down further prepared to spring up and run for his life as the girls drew closer. But lucky for him, it was at that moment, when all hell broke loose. Across the alley from him another row of empty cans banged and fell as a loud caterwaul pierced the night followed by a symphony of cats and girls all screaming at the same time.

Nathan didn’t move an inch and it may have been that inaction that saved him right then and there. He watched from the shadows as a soldier, rifle in hand, came sprinting around the corner while at the same instant the two fighting cats from earlier that started all the commotion ran past her. The soldier slowed to a walk lowering her weapon as she eyed the girls who had all gone quiet at this point. “Do you realize that it is past curfew right now?” the woman asked none of the girls in particular as she approached them. “I could hall you all of to the labor office and you’d get two weeks each. Do you really want that?” “No sir” the girls all responded in unison. “Do I look like a sir to you?” the woman asked. Nathan shook his head when he heard this. “Some things never change” he thought to himself and at that very moment he mouthed silently what the soldier said next. “I work for a living”. The air hung with silent tension yet again. Nathan sat in the shadows with his muscles screaming. The soldier stared down the girls and the girls stared at the ground. It seemed like an eternity passed but eventually the torture ended for the girls and Nathan. “I am gonna let you go this time with a warning since I know most of your mothers. Next time you won’t get off so easy. Now get your asses home before I change my mind.” With those last words the five girls darted in five different directions leaving the soldier standing there by herself.

Nathan watched the soldier as she gave a cursory glance down the alley and turned her back on him. She spotted a still smoking cigarette and crushed it purposefully with her boot. Then with a soft sigh she slowly walked back down the alley the way she had come. He could hear her mumbling something about how kids had it easy now a days and some other rambling not worth repeating. When she rounded the corner and disappeared out of site he stood finally giving his body a chance to relax. He stretched his hands toward the clouds loosening up his tense muscles as he eyed one of the unkept houses across the alley. The door was hanging half off and all the windows were shattered skeletons of a time long gone by. He shook his head and sighed as he cautiously walked toward the dark dilapidated home.

Looking up and down the alley one last time for good measure he watched as one of the cats from the fight earlier came jogging down the alley. It stopped in front of him and stared inquisitively. “You must be the winner huh?” Nathan asked as he squatted down once more, taking the time to pet the stray. “I guess I owe you one buddy. You kind of saved my life.” It was actions like this, a simple moment to pet a stray cat that helped him keep his sanity. When the cat was satisfied by his attention it gave a soft meow and sauntered off purring, leaving Nathan alone yet again. He stood up and took a few more steps forward reaching for the half dangling door, opening it as carefully as he could. He looked around once more to determine he was safe and quietly stepped into the darkness inside.

To Be Continued...

Region: Unknown

Nathaniel "Nathan" Alistair