December twenty-fifth saw a very cold morning. Ice frosted the windows while breath fogged the apartment. The Claybournes gathered at the entrance bundled together in a tight group hug for warmth as they began to say final farewells to Merri. Icicles replaced tears. If there could be any other way, there would be no need for saying good bye. This young girl at the age of eighteen would have to find her own way. There just was not enough food to feed the unemployed. Merri felt the onslaught of mixed emotions from those huddled with her. The father felt grief. guilt, but also a large amount of relief. The mother felt pain but not enough to be swayed from the decision. The younger brother felt overwhelming joy to be rid of his freak of a sister. That is how she translated what she felt. Sometimes, it was difficult, especially with so much coming through. The group slowly pulled Merri toward the door. It went slower because Merri gave a bit of resistance. The door handle cracked as ice broke free as it turned to open the door. After a firm push, Merri was out in the open air.
Merri could only look at the door with a dumbfounded expression on her face for a while. The wind tossed her hair but the chill of the wind did not compare to the cold hard fact that her family no longer cared for her. Even with the warning weeks prior, she did not truly believe this day would come. Her hands trembled with anger but also fear. There was not enough time to plan what to do. There were no resources for the homeless. All of that aid dried up a few years ago. No more shelters, no relatives to rely on, and no friends. So, she just continued to stare at the door for what felt like an eternity. Then, a voice spoke, "You need to find shelter quickly before night comes." Merri looked around but no one was there. It was one of her spirit friends.
As Merri walked along the roads, she saw many people huddled together. Many of them would ask for food or a bit of coin. When she stated that her position was the same as them, she was abandoned. Litter lined the streets, and rusted vehicles that had been abandoned and stripped of all the parts were left to rot. Some of the vehicles housed people trying to keep out of the bitter winds. Children clung to their parents while wearing no coats or shoes. Empty shops had broken windows, doors, and were looted for whatever was left behind. Even those buildings held people that refused to let Merri in. The day seemed to go by too quickly. She did hear of abandoned houses that were just outside of the city but it was too dangerous to travel to them alone. Muggers eagerly waited to ensnare anyone going past city limits. Some muggers were in the city watching out for anyone that may be carrying stuff to sell or money.
Merri noticed something as she kept walking through the streets. Spirits were everywhere. Some were kind, looking over children. Some were quite terrifying to look at as they seemed to be feeding off of people's sufferings. She had to lean against a building wall for support. She began to feel sick to her stomach, even not having anything to eat. Her head began to hurt while her vision got fuzzy. Fortunately, she was able to fit inside a small space between buildings that protected her from the wind. As she calmed herself, voices came from the other side of her hiding spot.
"Well, shit! Not a single piece of stale bread to be found anywhere. I would much on fucking cat shit if we could find any." This was a man's voice. It was difficult to guess the age but he sounded young. "Did you find anything, Matt?" Two men. Maybe they could help her? Maybe she could have some protection? This guy did not seem so bad, just hungry. That is when Merri heard Matt make a mournful groan.
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"You're fucking joking, right? Man, I went to every single donation dumpster in ten blocks just to see those sons of bitches on third get to them before me." He laughed, "I beat the shit out of one of those old shits. The mother fucker laughed while he taunted me with bread in his mouth. Not stale shit, either. This was fresh shit he probably got off some rich bitch." Merri froze in fear after hearing what Matt did. Both men began to laugh while Merri began to slide her body toward the opening she came in from. That is when part of the shirt she was wearing got stuck on a rusted nail sticking out of the wall. She struggled to free herself but she must have made too much noise because both of the guys went quiet. "Holy shit, Greg! Look!" Merry got her first look at Matt, then Greg came into view. "Hey, girl come here!"
Merri tugged on her shirt so hard that it ripped, exposing flesh near the edge of her breasts. She gathered the torn fabric, trying to close the gap as she also struggled to get out of her hiding spot. As soon as she cleared the buildings, she began to sprint away as fast as possible. The problem was the air was thin, she had nothing to eat for a few days, and she was too weak to keep the pace up. Her heart pounded wildly. Her fears began to escalate when she heard one of them from behind her. It was Greg.
"Hey! Stop! You'll pass out if you don't." He watched as she kept trying to run. "We don't want to hurt you, just stop for a minute." The girl said something but he couldn't hear her over the wind. "We can help you if you just talk with us." The girl fell to her knees for a few moments before struggling to get back to her feet. Greg and Matt knew better than to run in these conditions but this girl was either stupid or crazy. Matt spoke up a bit louder than Greg, and with a bit more authority in his voice.
"Stop right there! If you don't want our help, fine but is it really worth dying in the middle of the road because you're too much of a bitch to even tell us to go away?" She stopped then, struggling to breathe. Greg singled Matt not to go any closer. They both held back. "See? If we really wanted to hurt you, do you actually think we would stand around like this while you decided if we were worth it?" That is when she turned, struggling to keep her torn shirt from flapping in the breeze while not showing off her tits. "If you come with us, we can give you a shirt. Unless you want to walk around looking like a skank?"
Merri hated the way these guy spoke to her but it was either trust them or freeze to death. Neither of those choices seemed like good options. She just stared at them, trying to get some sort of reading but nothing came from them. She felt so drained from trying to run. That must be what was caused the issue. She spoke up, "I don't have anything, not even money." That is when they both laughed. Matt spoke while trying to stop laughing.
"We joined the 'we got no money' club a few years ago. Look around, chicky. Do you see any rich people flaunting cash? Fuck me! Have you been living in a cave or something? We know you don't have anything. Maybe that's why we are offering to fucking help you." Both men started walking back towards the buildings, "You coming or what?"
Merri hesitated a bit before she followed the men back to their little hole they called, "home for now". There was an easier way of getting there that they showed her. A shirt was thrown in her face while they laughed as she struggled to catch it. She wore that on top or the torn shirt for added warmth. There were a couple of rear car seats along the walls. She was offered one of them. When she laid down, she whispered under her breath, "Good bye". The men didn't hear it but didn't care, either. They were just happy to have someone else with them. Even is she seemed like a nut job.