“Angie! Did you throw the Sunny Brook forms in the trash?” Danny’s Father called.
The world suddenly burst into motion. Danny flung the door open and dashed down the stairs clutching the bundled egg tightly to his chest. His mother spun around and on seeing her son shouted in desperation.
“Danny! Please, don’t go! Danny!”
Danny reached the bottom of the stairs without looking back and desperately wrenched the front door open. A gust of wind-driven rain greeted him, pelting his face and for a moment seemed to want to drive him back into his home. From behind him Danny’s father added to his wife’s shouts.
“Danny? Danny please! Son no,” he shouted.
Danny put his head down and rushed out into the pouring rain. He jumped down the front steps in a single leap and was running down the driveway. He glanced back over his shoulder, and to his shock found his Father chasing after him, his face a mask of panic and desperation. The older man’s stocking feet slapped against the wet asphalt with each stride, his hair and his shirt plastered with rain.
“Danny! Son, please come home!” he pleaded.
The fleeing teen crossed the street in a few quick strides and then crashed into the thick underbrush of the woods. Danny’s father was in no shape to catch him, but the older man would simply not give up. He ran full speed into the brush in pursuit, but within a few quick strides his feet became tangled in the low bushes, and he pitched forward onto the muddy ground. Danny stopped and turned to look back at his father now laying on the ground. The man was in obvious pain, and one of his hands was grasping at his mud-soaked pant leg, but his father’s eyes along with his other hand were still reaching out towards him.
“Danny, son please stay! This is your home. Let us help you! We love you!” his father begged.
Danny met his father’s eyes, he had never seen the man cry before but tears now streaked down his muddy face. Danny felt a lump catch in his throat. He had done this, all of this, he had destroyed his family. He had ruined all of their lives. What did he have to go back to now? Danny turned and ran further into the woods leaving his father calling his name after him.
A little over an hour later Danny found himself walking down a darkened alley in the rain. It was the kind of place he had learned to call home over the last year. A narrow nameless street, the kind that could be found in almost every town, though few places were likely to admit it. He trembled slightly his body soaked by the rain and eager for its next fix. Usually, Danny’s mind would be focused solely on that next hit, imagining the wave of ecstasy and relief that would wash over him, but this time was different. Danny couldn’t stop picturing his father lying in the mud and reaching out for him. He couldn’t help but hear his mother’s voice again as she desperately screamed for him to stop. All of these things swirled through Danny’s mind as he made his way towards the warehouse.
Danny had asked around the streets, and it hadn’t taken long to find out what he needed. Lenny Two Thumbs was the only dealer in town currently holding. Danny couldn’t help but smirk at the term. Lenny was missing both of his thumbs, the penalty for a past transgression the dope dealer once quipped to him, while muddled in a heroin haze. The teen didn’t like getting high around Lenny; the dealer had a reputation for violent outbursts and unpredictable mood swings. Danny also knew better than to go to Lenny empty-handed. The rumor on the street was that the dealer was willing to take flesh in trade and he had no preference if it was girl or boy, as long as they were young.
Danny reached the derelict warehouse at the end of the street and found an old drunk sleeping inside the doorway. The fact that Harold was even their met Lenny was inside. The drunk served as Lenny’s lookout and gatekeeper.
“What you want boy?” Harold barked gruffly.
“You know what I want,” Danny replied.
“Going to cost you,” Harold said.
“What?” Danny asked.
“Got to pay the toll. Some cash or a bottle. So, I know you good to buy here,” Harold said sitting up a bit straighter and extending out an open hand.
“I’ve never had to pay a toll before?” Danny questioned sensing a shakedown.
“Before don’t matter. Now Two Thumbs has got what everybody wants. Now you pay,” Harold insisted.
Danny’s head throbbed to the beat of his racing heart. Every word he spoke sent a fresh wave of needles through his brain. He was tired of talking, what he needed lay just on the other side of this door. Without warning, Danny kicked the old man hard in the ribs. Harold grunted in pain and rolled over trying to roll into a ball to protect himself. Danny kicked him twice more and then stepped over the whimpering man and pushed his way into the warehouse.
“Fuck you,” Harold choked out after him.
“Same to you buddy,” Danny replied and let the door slam shut behind him.
The inside of the warehouse wasn’t much drier than the outside. The steel roofing had sections rusted through and others simply missing. Danny made his way down a line of rusted hulking machines that had probably been outdated before he was born. A soft yellow light beckoned him from the building’s back corner, and Danny had to force himself not to break into a run as he neared. It was a small square room that at one point may have housed a manager’s office, but now it boasted a more diverse group of occupants. Light poured out of the empty doorway, and after a moment’s hesitation, Danny stepped through.
Dozens of candles lined the walls, and a gas lantern burned brightly at the room’s center. Mildewing piles of cardboard, old sleeping bags and an array of half-rotten furniture filled the cramped room. A half-dozen people sat wherever they could find space. A few of them Danny recognized from the streets, but most were strangers to him. Danny felt as if he had just interrupted something important as every eye was on him now. In the corner of the room given a respectful distance by all sat Lenny Two Thumbs. Within arm’s reach sat his latest bodyguard, a muscled street thug covered in tattoos and wearing a length of chain as a belt.
Lenny’s face lit up when he recognized the teen.
“Well isn’t it little Danny. Have you come to play with your friend Lenny tonight?” the dealer asked with a grin.
A girl not much older than Danny suddenly shot him a murderous look. Danny had seen her around and knew that she worked the street to support her habit. It seemed that she had decided, for at least the time being, to cut out the middleman.
Lenny Two Thumbs suddenly stood and stepped into the center of the little room. He wore a dirty white suit jacket and matching pants. A red tie hung loosely from around his neck, but he wore no shirt underneath. His skin was so pale it seemed to reflect the candlelight and gave his skin an almost golden glow. A pair of cheap rubber flip-flops completed the dope dealer’s ensemble; it was the kind of look that only the exceptionally wealthy or incredibly high could pull off; those that truly did not give a fuck.
“Welcome to tonight’s party young Danny. All are welcome here,” Lenny said as he spread his arms wide encompassing the whole room.
The teen looked around at the grubby faces, a circle of men and women like him. Broken souls that spent their days trying to figure out how they had ruined their lives so completely and their nights trying to find the next score. None of them looked happy to be there, like him they were, at least for now, slaves to the dope dealer’s whims.
“That is… all are welcome that can contribute to the festivities,” Lenny amended.
Recognizing his cue the tattooed thug stood and useing a stained pillowcase as a sack circled the room collecting the nightly offerings. Harold must have done a better job vetting the guests than he had with Danny. A pair of credit cards went into the sack followed by a worn leather wallet. Next followed a smartphone with a large screen and a pink case. Then a gold watch and matching lighter. Lenny smiled watching the progress of the collection as it made its way around the room. The thug reached the teenage girl, and she turned to look away, she had nothing to offer the sack it seemed.
Lenny laughed, “Looks like we know what we are going to have for dessert again tonight. Don’t we Spider?”
The thug, presumably Spider, gave the girl a long and toothy grin. She continued to stare at the wall trying to pretend she wasn’t the center of attention. The dope dealer then turned to look directly at Danny.
“Or perhaps… there is going to be a change of menu tonight?” Lenny asked with a twisted grin.
Both the girl and Spider turned to look at Danny as well. The girl’s face was a mix of relief and fear. Spider’s smile had disappeared completely; he seemed less enthused by the prospect than Lenny did.
“What did you bring me, Danny?” Lenny whispered.
As Lenny approached with one of his thumbless hands outstretched Danny began to shake. He wasn’t sure if it was from fear or the onset of withdrawal. But at this point with his fix nearly in hand, there was no way he could turn back now. Instead, he reached out and placed his mother’s gilded egg in Lenny’s outstretched hand.
The dope dealer inhaled sharply as he laid eyes upon the jeweled egg. He brought up his other hand quickly, his thumbless hands coming together to form a nearly perfect nest for the precious egg. Lenny grinned widely as he stared down at his newly found treasure. The rest of the group strained and stretched trying to see what had drawn the dealer’s fascination so completely. Lenny suddenly turned on a dime and held the egg high for them all to see.
“Look at what a precious gift Danny has brought for us!” he exclaimed.
The dealer slowly walked the circle, and the group of junkies stared up at the egg. Some wore looks of obvious confusion, and others held greed in their eyes as they considered what it must be worth. When Lenny reached the teenage girl, he gritted his teeth and gave her a throaty growl. She immediately abandoned the rotten section of couch cushion and scampered away from him. Her hands raised to shield herself from blows that hadn’t yet been thrown.
“Sit here Danny, in this place of honor next to me,” Lenny instructed.
Danny hesitated for just a moment and then stepped across the room and sat down on the offered cushion. Lenny grinned broadly at the teen and then sat down heavily in his dirty recliner. His eyes went right back to the egg he cupped tenderly in his palm. The group watched him in expectant silence. Lenny smiled broadly, as usual, enjoying being the center of attention, but even he realized the Junkies were reaching the end of their patience.
“Spider, break out the party favors and fire up the burner,” he said dismissively.
The tension in the room broke like a wave as Spider stood and pulled Lenny’s small red daypack out from behind his recliner. The thug dug through the bag for a moment as every junkie eye in the room followed his movements. After a bit of digging Spider produced a small sandwich baggy twisted tight and sealed with a rubber band.
“Boss?” Spider asked holding the bag out for Lenny to see.
Danny’s breath caught in his throat the baggy held the largest ball of heroin he had ever seen. It was the size of large marble dark black with a sweet sticky shine. The reaction among the rest of the junkies was nearly pavlovian. Heartrates leaped, empty hands were wrung together incessantly, and lips chewed, as all were eager to feed their need. Lenny saw all of this and reveling in his power over them smiled broadly.
“Cook it all Spider,” he said casually.
Danny let out a long breath while someone else in the room let out a shout of joy. The teenage girl still cowering in the corner appeared to be quietly crying, but if it was from fear or joy, Danny couldn’t tell.
Spider went to work with a steady and experienced hand. First, he blew out the gas lantern that was burning at the center of the room. Then he spun off the small propane tank and attached a simple burner. Once the burner was lit he removed a piece of fresh tinfoil from the pack and folded it into a small tray, ready for cooking. Then the street thug smashed the ball flat while it was still in the bag before dumping it out onto the waiting tray. Spider then added water to the cooking tray from a water bottle, and the heroin began to dissolve slowly.
As the heroin cooked down to a dark liquid Spider went back to the bag and retrieved a handful of 3CC needles, but Lenny raised his hand demanding Spider’s attention. Though the dealer’s eyes still focused on the shiny egg in his palm, he spoke.
“No. Use the party needle, after all, we are all friends here.”
Spider hesitated for a moment as if unsure and then placing the handful of smaller needles back in the bag retrieved the largest syringe Danny had ever seen. The thug attached the equally large needle to the syringe and then bent down over the now liquid heroin. The large syringe quickly sucked up the dark liquid, and Spider held it aloft. The gathered junkies all pushed in for once eager to be the first to feel the sting of the needle and the wave of the ecstasy that it promised.
“Give it here,” Lenny called to his bodyguard.
The muscled man handed the syringe over to Lenny, and every eye in the room followed it. Lenny Two Thumbs stood now towering over Danny.
“You first Danny. For bringing me such a precious gift you shall get the first taste.”
Danny’s eyes were locked on the huge needle in Lenny’s thumbless hand.
“That’s too…too much,” Danny objected weakly.
But even as he said the words he was already rolling up his sleeve barely able to contain his need.
“Hush now young Danny,” Lenny whispered sweetly.
Danny just nodded dumbly not sure what else he could do. Lenny pulled off his red necktie with a flourish and then tied it tightly around Danny’s exposed upper arm. The dealer pulled Danny’s arm out roughly and after a moment of eyeing the teen's arm slid the oversized needle into an exposed vein. The needle burned Danny’s arm as it tore into his tender flesh.
“Now Danny, only a taste now. There is such a thing of too much of a good thing!” Lenny said with a grin.
Danny reached for the needle in his arm eager to feel the familiar rush of ecstasy. But the sound of muffled shouting punctuated by splintering wood broke the spell the dope dealer had cast over the room. All eyes turned towards the empty doorway and the dark warehouse that lay beyond it. A moment later a familiar voice called out of the darkness.
“Danny?” the voice said, but then was suddenly cut off by a harsh whisper.
Lenny shot Spider a quick look and then hissed. “Go deal with whatever that is!”
Spider nodded in reply and moved towards the doorway sliding the chain off of his waist as he went. The street tough stepped out into the darkness, but then a half second later stepped back into the light. Spider took a few deliberately slow and controlled steps backward. His eyes were focused intently at some point out in the darkness his eyes wide and his face a mask of anger. A moment later the source of Spider’s rage became apparent as a man gripping a pistol came through the doorway.
Danny had seen violence in his time on the street, and more than once men had threatened him with guns. Gang members, angry shop owners even the occasional desperate meth head, but this man looked nothing like any of those. He was broad at the shoulders but thick at the waist, like a prizefighter past his prime. He wore a dark suit that looked new, shoes that matched and the hand that gripped the pistol was clad in a black leather glove.
The newcomer’s eyes, like his gun, were focused on Spider. The thug’s anger was nearly palpable his body shook slightly, and his breath came in quick hisses through clenched teeth.
“Easy Spider, don’t do anything you’ll regret,” the man cautioned in a quiet voice.
“Bitch you can’t tell me what to do. You don’t got no badge no more,” Spider hissed.
“You're right, I don’t. But all that means is a lot less paperwork when I kill you in self-defense,” the man replied.
The thought took Spider by surprise, and his eyes narrowed for a moment as if reconsidering his choices. The man in the suit took the opportunity to risk a glance at the rest of the room. His experienced ey
e took in the small circle of Junkies, estimated the risk and then focused back on Spider.
“Self-defense?” Spider sneered. “You come in here busting up our private party waving a gun around, and you think that you going to be able to claim self-defense?”
The man gave a little shrug in reply.
“That or something else. Honestly, I hadn’t given it much thought. But don’t worry I imagine I’ll have plenty of time to think about it while you're lying on your back bleeding to death,” the man said casually.
Then it was Spider’s turn to glance back at the others room with uncertainty as if looking for help.
“Who do you think the responding officers will believe? Me or your friends here? I mean the ones that actually stick around to give statements to the police,” the man asked.
“May I ask what seems to be the problem here? Officer?” Lenny asked taking a measured step forward trying to reassert his power.
“Sit,” the man commanded and pointed to the floor with his pistol. Spider let out a breath in defeat and sat down at the base of the wall.
Only once the thug was seated did the man risk a glance at the dope dealer.
“The name is Harris, Mr. Harris,” he said. “I’m here for Danny Richards. I don’t give a fuck about what you people are doing here. I don’t care about drugs, stolen goods, warrants or anything else. I’m just here for Danny. When I get him, you can all go back to ending your shitty little lives.”
At the sound of the man’s name Danny’s heart skipped a beat, and with it, everything snapped into place. Max Harris, the private investigator whose card he had found in his parent’s house. They must have called him right after they had caught Danny at home. This was the man that they had paid to drag him kicking and screaming off to their hospital. As if in answer to his question a woman’s shout came through the doorway out of the darkness.
“Mr. Harris, is he in there? Danny, please come out!” he heard his mother shout.
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