A Spark of Luck

Chapter 1

The unstable rails above the dark alleyway groaned as the train trundled along. Its worn wheels screeched as they rolled along the corroded track. The chill in the air was palpable as the rain had only just stopped, leaving everything drenched. The faint sound of dripping echoed through the alley as a single flickering light pitifully attempted to banish the darkness.

A young man splashed through the puddles. He looked filthy, and his clothes were in tatters. Jack was a scavenger; a homeless child abandoned by the system, too malnourished to even work in the mining pits, he was forced to learn how to survive by other means. Today he was looking for scrap metal that sometimes fell off the trains that traveled above. He was getting desperate. It had been weeks since his last lucky find.

Damnit, I had hoped by trying a new area I might have a bit more luck, but I guess not. Jack thought to himself. Just as he was about to head back he heard someone speaking.

“I must have dropped it around here somewhere.” A deep voice grumbled.

“I know we were being chased but I can’t believe you dropped it. It better be around here somewhere, if we don’t find it, you’re going to be in serious trouble Tram.” This was a different man speaking, his voice much more nasally.

Quickly taking cover behind a dumpster, Jack's natural instinct was to get away; it wasn't wise to get involved in whatever these men were doing in such a dangerous area. However, something glowing caught his attention, it was some sort of crystal in the shape of a cube. He found the cube behind a rusty dumpster, almost completely covered in random garbage. Only a tiny corner of the cube was visible from Jack’s current position.

Is this what those men are looking for? He thought. Why else could it be here? It couldn’t have fallen off one of the trains.

He peered closer at the crystal cube, it was rather small, looking like it could easily fit into the palm of his hand. Its surface looked extremely smooth, and the crystal appeared to hold a vast thunderstorm that had been curiously reduced in size. Jack had seen magic crystals before, but nothing like this.

He was still examining the cube but could hear the two men approaching. Making up his mind Jack quickly slipped it into his pocket. The cube felt warm in his hand, and he was surprised to find it had no weight. He was sure it was just his imagination, but once he put it in his pocket the little glowing crystal felt like it slowly started to get heavier. Trying to sneak away now, he slipped on a half-broken tile and made a loud sound as he fell. He quickly tried to get back up, but it was too late. The puddles around the corner splashed as the men ran, then suddenly they were standing in front of Jack. They stood over him, leering down.

“What are you doing here, boy?” That must have been the first guy talking, Tram he had been called, his voice much deeper than the second man’s. He was a mountain of flesh and muscle, his dark beady eyes pierced down into Jack. Jack had nowhere to run, the two men stood at the only exit to the small side alley he had been searching through.

“I uh...” Jack stammered.

“Speak up.” The second man spoke this time. The nasally-voiced man was nearly as tall as Tram, but he was much skinnier. Standing beside the behemoth that called himself Tram, he looked downright tiny. Not that Jack could say anything, he was constantly made fun of for being skinny. The two men wore dark street clothing and looked well-groomed. Gritting his teeth, Jack spoke.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“I’m looking for scrap metal.” He had no intention of telling them about the crystal in his pocket, but he knew he had to give them a reason why he was there.

“Scrap Metal?” Not knowing his name, Jack had started calling the smaller guy Bones in his mind. Jack was genuinely enjoying the fact that he had potentially found someone who looked just as skinny as him. Obvious needle marks ran down the man’s arms, causing Jack to assume drug abuse was the cause of the man’s physique.

“Have you found anything interesting lying around?” Tram asked. His deep booming voice caused small ripples to form in the puddles around him. His piercing eyes never left Jack for a second.

“N... No…. I was just leaving…….” Jack tried to say as calmly as possible. But even he wasn’t convinced by what he had said.

“Now wait just a minute,” Bones said, as he quickly blocked the path of Jack who had tried to hastily squeeze by. The man had an unpleasant smile on his face, and when he moved Jack saw the telltale glint of gunmetal under his jacket.

This was not good. Jack thought to himself. Few people could afford a gun in the slums, and you really did not want to get involved with anyone who could. Jack had to think quickly, these men could easily kill him, and there wasn’t another soul to help or hear for miles. Tram still hadn’t taken his eyes off Jack. He was looking him up and down, scrutinizing every inch of him. Another train wailed overhead, its lights briefly lighting up the alley, making shadows dance along the wall as it moved. The train swiftly disappeared into the distance submerging the three individuals back into darkness.

Suddenly, Jack felt utterly weightless and seemed to float off the ground for a second. Then the air crackled and then there was an extremely bright flash and a loud crack as Jack was blown back onto the ground. The air was knocked out of him. His chest burned, and he labored for air. What the hell was that? he thought.

His entire body hurt. He tried to open his eyes, but his vision was blurred. With ears ringing, Jack shook his head, trying to clear it. That’s when he finally noticed that his leg felt like it was on fire and frozen simultaneously. Trying to stand up, he collapsed into a blob on the ground. He was convulsing, his muscles constricting too tightly for any sound to escape his lips. His lungs burned for air. It felt like every pore in his body was ripped apart.

Finally, it seemed to reach some sort of crescendo. The pain was so intense Jack was sure he was about to die. All of a sudden it felt like a huge amount of pressure was released, and his entire body tingled and buzzed like it was full of bees. After what seemed like hours but was just a few minutes, his body gradually began to feel somewhat normal. Then he noticed the sound again, but this time it was much clearer.

BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG.

Jack knew that sound. It was gunshots. Suddenly his awareness of the situation clarified as he looked up and saw the two men. Tram and Bones were both pinned against the alley wall as they were being shot at. Chunks of brick were being blown out of the wall, while Bones was leaning around the corner returning fire. His gun fired in small bursts making a weird buzzing sound every time he shot. Next to him, Tram was the picture of stillness with his eyes closed. Abruptly his eyes flew open, and he started methodically scanning the alley.

Multiple fires had started at some point while they were fighting, causing the area to be lit up and as the dust began to settle, Tram spotted Jack. They made eye contact. Tram’s eyes focused like lasers on him. After briefly locking eyes, Tram made a quick gesture with his hand and unexpectedly Jack felt the ground beneath him turn to liquid. The cold stone quickly wrapped around his arms and legs, holding him in place. Jack tried to struggle but he was barely conscious.

He looked back up and watched helplessly as suddenly Bones’ head exploded. He had been reckless, leaning too far around the corner while he returned fire. His body crumpled to the ground. Jack’s eyes widened in fear. Having no idea what was going on, he squirmed against his bonds helplessly. It looked like they were under attack from multiple assailants. Bullets whizzed over Jack’s head, ricocheting down the alley. Sparks were emitted anytime a bullet bounced against a metal pipe. The fires were quickly dying out because the alley was too damp, leaving them in relative darkness except for the sparks from the bullets.

Jack’s leg still burned with intense pain, but he barely noticed. He was entirely focused on the insane scene occurring before his eyes. The darkness made the wounds hard to make out, but Bones’ silhouette clearly showed his head was still absent from his body.

What the hell is going on? is all Jack could think.