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Post by Anthony Higgins on Mar 1, 2008 10:42:10 GMT -5
The warehouse stood on a corner in Brooklyn, a few blocks away from Coney Island and the Sheepshead Races. The large, square building was made up of soiled bricks and broken windows, poorly protected from the elements with boards of wood or old sheets Rusted doors stood closed, but unlocked, into the cover from the rain that threatened to fall even heavier shortly. Racetrack could hear the thunder in the distance as he made his way slowly towards the entrance.
His slow pace was so that Fabel, leaning on him with a wounded knee, could keep pace with him, his one arm around her to support her. The broken bottle under the stands at the Sheepshead had done some damage, and the handkerchief Race had used as a bandage wouldn't last long. There was no way they could get much further than the old warehouse before the dark set in, making it dangerous to be outside your own borough. And unfortunately, neither Manhattan nor Harlem was within a walking distance.
Just as the thunder sounded again and the pace of the rain seemed to pick up, Racetrack reached the doors of the warehouse. Using his free hand he pulled at the door handle, and the rusted hinges creaked with protest as the door pulled outward. Inside, Race could see a large, empty room. The corners and sides were piled with crates, and the occasional sheet or tarp protruded from the mess. The wreckage of a broken wagon sat near the back. Race flung open the door and looked at Fabel. "Good thinkin', of this place..." he said. Maybe they could find something that could help Fabel, and at least stay here until the rain stopped or the darkness set in...whichever came first.
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Post by Fabel on Mar 2, 2008 8:02:20 GMT -5
Fabel winced with each step that she took. Her knee was throbbing from the large cut - and although she was used to physical pain, this one seemed to hurt worse. It not only had hurt her physically, but had also hurt her pride. She wasn't used to people helping her, especially after dragging them through trouble, and she felt as though she was burdening Race Track more with every step she took.
She grimaced as Race swung open the old door to reveal the inside to be very roomy, yet full of old junk. It was incredibly dusty, and as they walked in, she could have sworn she saw a rat scurry by.
"Good thinkin', of this place..."
"It should work alright.." she said, startling herself at the way her voice had sounded. It had been scratchy and strained, as if she had been yelling for hours. She gulped, and looked out of the broken, dust smeared window at the dark sky. She couldn't help but wonder what time it was. She had spent a good deal of the day out at the tracks, and the day had seemed to rush by. She wondered whether the dark clouds were concealing a blue sky, or if they were just blending in with a dusk.
The rain began to pound harder down onto the windows, some of it seeping through and sending a light mist through the cracks. Fabel led Race over to a pile of old tarps and sheets and sat wearily down. She glanced down at her hands and the blood that had dripped down her leg, and she made a face of disgust. She wished she could wash it off. A realization came over Fabel; It would take her far too long to walk back to Harlem with her knee like this, and she couldn't ask Race to help her back. She looked over at Race apologetically again.
"I think I'm just going to stay here tonight...You can head back to your own turf if you'd like.." she said smiling weakly.
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Post by Anthony Higgins on Mar 2, 2008 8:36:27 GMT -5
"I think I'm just going to stay here tonight...You can head back to your own turf if you'd like.."
Racetrack was startled that she would suggest it. He had to admit, this whole thing had inconvenienced him. There was no denying it. But after everything that happened, he wouldn't leave her by herself. Especially not in Brooklyn with a cut that pretty much disabled her. "I couldn't just leave ya here..." he said, striding over to where she sat. He dropped to his knee again and gave her a shrug. His voice suddenly softened and quieted. "I gotta say, I'm in up to my neck here. So even if I wanted to leave...I don't think I really could..."
He didn't know where his last statement had really come from. He had said it softly, far from his usual tone of voice. Hoping he hadn't sounded too soft, he cleared his throat and ducked his gaze away from hers, rising to his feet and looking around the warehouse. "Let's see if there's anything here that can help...how ya feelin'?" He needed to know how she was coming along before he went on a treasure hunt around this place. He'd run into a few foul things, there was no doubt about that. He'd find something that could help eventually, he figured. The warehouse was huge, and a clap of thunder confirmed they had a while.
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Post by Fabel on Mar 2, 2008 9:03:02 GMT -5
"I couldn't just leave ya here..." "I gotta say, I'm in up to my neck here. So even if I wanted to leave...I don't think I really could..."
Fabel was trying her best not to choke up, or to laugh, or to frown, or show any other emotions. He seemed to be genuinely concerned for her well being and safety. She reached over and hugged him front on, without really knowing what she was doing. It was her first physical contact with him that wasn't staged, or that was helping her in any way. When she pulled back, she was embarrassed that she had been so compulsive as to do such a thing.
"Sorry.." she muttered looking away, her cheeks flushed.
"Let's see if there's anything here that can help...how ya feelin'?"
She swallowed hard and glanced down at her knee. Her dress was covering it, and she pulled it back, above her knee. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of the soiled, bloodied hanky wrapped around her knee, and the blood trailing down her skinny leg.
"Never better.." she said, giving a half laugh.
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Post by Anthony Higgins on Mar 2, 2008 9:40:52 GMT -5
A moment after he spoke, Fabel reached out and hugged him. The guesture took Racetrack by surprise, and he felt a warm blush hastily rise to his face. He returned her embrace, his arms fitting easily around her slim frame. He couldn't recall ever hugging anyone before, not even his grandmother. She would often just pat his shoulder or head, and in she insisted he kiss her cheek, until he got too old to be going around doing something like that. So an embrace from anyone was new...and Race was half glad he'd known one before he got too old.
"Sorry.." Fabel said after a moment, pulling back and looking away. Racetrack saw she had a blush on her face that would match his. He nodded, trying to make the blush go away before she saw it too clearly. "It's fine...don't be sorry..." It was a hug, after all, not a crime. Race didn't want her to think she had to be sorry for it.
"Never better.."
After seeing the wound, Race involuntarily drew air between his teeth in a sympathetic gasp. "Hss...ahh, boy, we gotta fix you up..." He looked around the warehouse, trying to find something that would service to re-cover the wound. It wouldn't be easy, considering most things were covered in dust and grime. "Okay...ah, just use the hem of your dress to stop the bleedin' for a second. Gimme the handkerchief and I'll bring it to the window. Rain'll wash it off pretty good..."
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Post by Fabel on Mar 2, 2008 9:55:27 GMT -5
"It's fine...don't be sorry..."
Fabel glanced back up to his face, and thought for a moment that she had seen a blush creeping into his cheeks. She bit back a grin and shifted her weight in the sheets.
"Hss...ahh, boy, we gotta fix you up..." "Okay...ah, just use the hem of your dress to stop the bleedin' for a second. Gimme the handkerchief and I'll bring it to the window. Rain'll wash it off pretty good..."
Fabel nodded and began to unwrap the piece of cloth from around her knee. A fresh flow of blood ran down her leg and onto the sheets she was sitting on. She swallowed dryly and held it out to Race once she had completely unwrapped it. She quickly grabbed the end of her dress and pressed it against the wound. She pulled it away for a second and ripped another piece off. Her dress was now well above her knee's, but not so high that her thighs were visible. That was as far as she would go in the presence of a male.
She watched him closely as he went about, Noting the way he walked, his posture, and the way he held himself. She inwardly smiled, and whenever he looked in her direction, she averted her gaze.
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Post by Anthony Higgins on Mar 2, 2008 10:04:52 GMT -5
Race took the bloody bandage carefully by the edges. He walked to the window and held the handkerchief in the rain that was pouring in. The drops did a fair job of cleaning off the grime, but he would have to wait for quite a while with his hand sticking out the window to get the handkerchief about as clean as he wanted it.
He turned back to see Fabel's eyes on him. She looked away quickly, and Race saw she had torn her dress again. Her knees were exposed, and although this wasn't much of a time for modesty he looked away quickly, slightly embarassed at the sight of a lady's legs. He kept his eyes trained on the handkerchief sitting out in the rain, and turned it occasionally in his hand. He called over to Fabel, "I'm gonna be here for a while. You gonna be okay?"
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Post by Fabel on Mar 2, 2008 10:18:13 GMT -5
"I'm gonna be here for a while. You gonna be okay?"
Fabel nodded her head, and her slightly damp loose curls that had fallen out of there place in the bun, fell into her face. The blood on her hands was pretty much dry by this point, and so Fabel pulled her unruly curls back into a quick braid. She glanced over to the smudged window at the darkened sky again. It didn't appear as though it would be getting any lighter. Something caught her eye in the distance out the window though, causing her to struggle to her feet for a better look. Her eyes widened and she half hopped, half ran over to where Race was standing with his hand and cloth in the rain.
She came up behind him and whispered close to his ear, "One of our pursuers is about to take refuge here..."
She took his hand almost out of habit now, and pulled him, not in the direction of the door - but in to the back of the warehouse where the broken down wagons and carts were. She was half hopping on her uninjured leg and was using Race Track as her support as they quickly made there way to the back. She dragged him as fast as she possibly could with an injured leg behind one of the carts, just as the door creaked open.
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Post by Anthony Higgins on Mar 2, 2008 10:32:34 GMT -5
Race turned his head when he heard Fabel coming over to him. Her eyes were wide with worry, and she came up to whisper in his ear, "One of our pursuers is about to take refuge here..." Race looked at her, incredulous. "What? No way, how could they..."
But she took his hand and led him towards the back of the warehouse. She leaned on him again, and Race went as quickly as he could. Once they were among the piles of boxes, he walked ahead of her a few steps. Crates were piled high, and Race spotted a space between them that would just fit them. He jumped atop a wall of crates and dropped down behind it. Moving one aside, knowing that Fabel couldn't climb or jump too well, he put out his hands to her to bring her inside. "Hurry..." he hissed.
The doors creaked open, and Racetrack grabbed Fabel by her arms and pulled her behing the boxes. He crouched down and listened closely. The heavy footsteps and thick mutterings of a drunkard told Race that Fabel had seen correctly. Was it just bad luck one of them was lumbering in here, or had they followed them?
Race didn't dare look at the fat man, but he caught sight of Fabel's knee. The wound had been allowed to bleed freely, and Race could see a trail of blood leading up to where Fabel was. He gulped, hoping the fat man wouldn't notice the trail of blood. Quickly he began bandaging the wound again with the damp, cleaner cloth.
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Post by Fabel on Mar 2, 2008 10:47:52 GMT -5
"Hurry..."
Before Fabel could even quicken her pace, Race had grabbed her by the arms and pulled her into a tiny space in between crates. She clenched her jaw as her knee scraped up against one of them, and her eyes watered. She glanced down and noticed that there had been a trail of blood down her leg, and had gone all behind her. It was like a trail of breadcrumbs, one that a drunkard hopefully would miss.
As Race began wrapping up her knee again, she shook her head, wondering how such events could happen in one day. The poor boy who had been so kind to her, must be wondering the same thing, she thought. She was a burden to all who took her under their wing, and she hated herself for it. She let the tears roll down her cheeks, but no sound escaped from her lips.
Fabel was afraid to sneak a look beyond the crates, and figured they would just have to wait it out. They could be there all night in the cold, dusty warehouse. It was warmer in between the crates, as there was no window near them letting the cold air and rain in, plus the body heat each one of them was giving off, so it wouldn't be too awful.
Fabel let out a long shuddering sigh and wrapped her arms around herself. Her legs were cold from the draft that the ripped part of her dress was letting in. She painstakingly settled herself on the ground, making sure that there was enough room for Race Track if he wanted to join her. She put her head in her hands and muttered, "This is all my fault.."
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Post by Anthony Higgins on Mar 2, 2008 11:11:46 GMT -5
Race was quiet, staring around the warehouse until he looked over at Fabel. He saw the tears on her face and came up next to her. He didn't dare speak, but he put a hand on her shoulder, asking the question wordlessly: What's the matter? He couldn't imagine her crying now, not after all that had happened today, and she hadn't batted an eye. She put her head in her hands as Race watched, following her to the ground. "This is all my fault..."
He quickly raised a finger to his lips. He didn't want to risk being spotted by talking. He couldn't speak aloud, so he shook his head sympathetically. She was upset, obviously, and he wondered what he should do. He awkwardly put an arm around her shoulders in a comforting gesture. He hated to see her cry. He pat her shoulder and caught her eye. A soft smile came over his face, and he tried to let her know, without words, that it wasn't her fault, not at all.
It didn't occur to him until a moment later that he was being way too soft. What would the boys say if they could see him like this? He looked away from Fabel for a moment, and considered taking his arm back from around her shoulders. But...that would just be cruel of him, wouldn't it? He decided he'd at least keep his arm around her until she stopped crying.
There was the sound of the drunkard shifting around, and then a thud as he either fell to the floor or lay down. Groaning ensued, and Racetrack raised an eyebrow at the noise. Then silence, aside from heavy breathing. The drunk man had evidently been looking for a place to sleep it off. But how heavy did a drunkard sleep? And how asleep was he? Race considered it could be a way out, but wondered if he should take the chance...
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Post by Fabel on Mar 2, 2008 11:55:40 GMT -5
Fabel welcomed his arm around her and gently laid her head on his shoulder. She understood the wordless communication and kept her mouth shut. She wiped away her tears, thinking of how stupid and childish she must appear. She returned his smile, grateful for his patience with her. She felt lucky to have someone like him with her in this rough time.
Fabel started as she heard something hit the ground somewhere in the building. It sounded like the intoxicated man's obese figure. She crawled forward on her uninjured knee to where the crates opened up and peeked through. She could see him laying on the bloodied pile of tarps and sheets that she had previously been on, and breathed a sigh of relief as he appeared to be in a heavy sleep. He had a bottle in one hand and his other hand lay across his forehead, obviously pained. Fabel almost laughed when she saw he had a bloody nose...
A bright light zipped through the sky and a loud clap of thunder followed it. The man didn't even flinch. She scooted her way back over to Race and sat next to him again, where she had previously been. It had been a few hours at least that they had been sitting in that cramped position, and Fabel was beginning to go numb. She peeked out again, and saw that the man was still in the same position. and the sky was much darker, but that the rain had slowed considerably. It must be late, she thought.
Fabel yawned and glanced around her. The crates had sheets and tarps in them, and Fable struggled up from her position on the ground. She pulled one out and wrapped it around her. Even though it was dirty, it was warm. She then settled herself back down on the floor.
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Post by Anthony Higgins on Mar 2, 2008 15:28:56 GMT -5
Racetrack watched as Fabel glanced at the drunken man sleeping. She came back a moment later and sat back next to him. Race sighed quietly and stared around as another clap of thunder made him glance towards the wondow. It was late, without a doubt. Checking his watch, he saw that it was close to nine o'clock at night. The boys would be wondering where he went off to by now. He thought the rain was letting up as well.
Suddenly he was faced with a dilemma. There was the chance that they could get out of the warehouse now that the rain was slowing down. But there was still the matter of being in Brooklyn in the dark. They could risk it...try heading towards the bridge and into Manhattan before anyone could spot them. And there was also the chance of waking up the walrus. Plus Fabel's knee was still in sorry shape...
It didn't look like they would be getting out of here anytime soon. Race shifted and tried stretching his back and legs. He was starting to get drowsy. Taking a chance, he whispered, "How long ya think we'll be in here?" He watched as Fabel took up a sheet and wrapped it around herself. Race couldn't blame her...it was fairly cold in the warehouse, and the wet didn't make it much better.
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Post by Fabel on Mar 2, 2008 15:43:42 GMT -5
"How long ya think we'll be in here?"
Fabel gave a half laugh and said, "I'm not going anywhere tonight.."
She had this phobia of being out in an unknown or even a known territory in the dark...It just scared her. It wasn't very easy to scare Fabel, like, really scare her, but there were those few things that did. Fabel pulled the sheet around her tighter, and slumped her body down the wall so that she was almost lying on the floor. She had decided she was staying for the night.
"If you want, you can try to get out of here..But I think I am just goign to sleep here." she stated calmly. She was filthy, bloody, tired, and frightened. If that wasn't enough reason to stay put, she didn't know what was.
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Post by Anthony Higgins on Mar 2, 2008 19:13:38 GMT -5
"If you want, you can try to get out of here..But I think I am just goign to sleep here."
Race's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You're stayin' here?" he exclaimed in a whisper. "With that thing sleepin' ten feet away?" He gestured urgently towards the sleeping walrus. "What if he wakes up before you do? What if he finds you?" He blinked away the thought, and realizing he was being pessimistic, he glanced away and then looked back at her. "No way am I leavin' you alone. I'm stayin' as long as you stay."
It was a commitment on his part, but he meant it. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he left her here alone. And if he found out later that something bad happened to her? No, he could live with guilt, but not that much guilt. And not for someone as kind as Fabel was. Maybe if the one he was with turned out to be a pain in the neck, Race wouldn't care what happened to them. Harsh? Maybe. But true. However, Fabel was anything but a pain in the neck. She was...well, whatever the opposite of a pain in the neck was. Race would think of the term later. Now he moved so that he was next to Fabel on the floor.
Looking her in the eye, he whispered, "Plus...what kind of friend would I be if I left you here?" He was taking a bit of a venture, calling her a friend. But after everything that happened, he considered her to be that. He wouldn't help out just anyone like that. There was something about her that he immeidietly liked. And he resolved to help her out for as long as he needed.
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