The Abandoned - Chapter One

"Just get the fuck out!"

The boy quickly opened the door, stepping onto the porch before slamming it shut. He ran down the steps towards the street, looking for cars before crossing. After some time, knowing that he was now relatively alone, the teenager stopped sprinting to catch his breath.

The streetlights flickered above him; some turning on completely and others going back off after blinking several times. It was getting darker. The clouds now covered the earlier yellow and red sky, the sun out of reach until tomorrow.

If tomorrow ever came.

Taking a deep breath, he moved onward. His fast paced running turned into a slight jog, occasionally gazing up at the dismal sky. There were barely any stars in the city. Boston's urban community was full of lights and sounds. It really wasn't too different from New York City.

He passed by several run down buildings. Some windows broken. Some trash scattered across the sidewalk. This wasn't exactly the highlight of Boston, let alone the upper class area. He was a few blocks from his house by now, in an even worse neighborhood.

How far was it from his house? He couldn't remember. He just knew that he had to do this soon, before his mom called the cops again. His step dad probably didn't notice he left.

What was he doing? Was he really planning on going this far? Jacob thought to himself, growing hesitant by the minute. This wasn't him. He wasn't this depressed before his step dad moved in. Before his dad ran off, leaving him and his mom to save every penny to afford their filthy little apartment.

But that's where Steve came in. He swooped Jacob's mom off her feet, able to support the three of them with his "job". What a loser. Should he be thanking that pig? Is he just giving his mother a hard time by doing this?

It wouldn't matter in the end. He had to do this. Maybe not for anyone's benefit, but to at least prove a point. There was no other option.

No other escape.

Finally, Jacob reached it. The Zakim Bridge; Stretching one-thousand-four-hundred-and-thirty-two feet across the Charles River. A forty foot drop down into the polluted water below.

The sound of traffic and cars speeding by was deafening. He took another deep breath and sped across the street, closing his eyes hoping he didn't get run over.

Or maybe, he thought, it would be a good thing if he died right now. It would be a lot easier on everyone.

But before he reconsidered, he had made it to the other side, much to the annoyance of the Bostonian drivers honking and shouting at him. Jacob smiled to himself, though not out of joy. It was the sad, almost content display of understanding that soon, they would have their wish.

Soon, he would die.

He stepped onto the bridge, the metal sidewalk clanking beneath him. Now really wasn't the time to be afraid of heights, he yelled to himself. He began to laugh at his own irony; his thoughts quickly turning from a sad and depressed mind set to delusional and almost psychotic.

Still, he continued. Disregarding his fear in order to obtain his ultimate goal, he looked down at the green water below. The wind picked up, and he almost lost his balance prematurely. He could feel the salty, disgusting water below. It whipped around his face, vapor filling the air around him and clogging up his nostrils. The putrid smell irritated his eyes, and he couldn't think straight anymore. He hopped the metal fence and looked down.

The waves crashed against the pillars below. Holding onto the fence for “dear life”, with one foot hanging off the platform, he closed his eyes. He just needed to let go, he thought. He screamed at himself, but then the noise inside his voice turned audible. Though muted by the sound of traffic and the strong breeze that picked up in a matter of minutes, he was yelling. Screaming. Crying.

He couldn’t do it. Not voluntarily, anyway. The boy slapped himself, telling him that he MUST do this. There was no turning back. The clouds formed seemingly out of nowhere, and suddenly it down poured.

“No one wants you, Jacob.” He muttered to himself. “No one needs you around.” His tears flowed more quickly, and his whole body started shaking. “YOU DESERVE TO DIE!”

Just as he was about to let go of the fence completely, he saw something. A…teddy bear? It flew out from under the bridge, into the water below. It was only then that he heard the voice beneath him.

“I don’t need you! Or my parents! Or anyone else!”

What was that? His curiosity made him unconsciously grab hold of the fence again. Deciding to check it out, he did what he promised himself he wouldn’t do after all this time. He hopped the fence, and walked back to the street.

Soaking wet, he slid down a small slope and peered below. Jacob never noticed the secret platform before now. It was just below the top of the bridge; old columns supporting each side and creating a makeshift cave. Looking closely, he saw several shadowy figures moving around quietly. Barely visible, to anyone not investigating further.

But he intended to do just that.

There were indeed people there. At least a few dozen, he realized as he crept deeper into the dark hideout. Most were either sleeping or sitting against one of the pillars. Some crouched by a small fire pit at the center of the large room.

"Don't bother, Brian. She won't listen to us. Just her do whatever she wants! Nobody gives a fuck anyway."

Jacob noticed several voices talking now. Some were muttering quietly to themselves, hidden in the darkness. But he could just make out two voices talking to each other, in some kind of argument. And amongst them, a girl was crying.

"Look, shes been sobbing for fucking three days! What the hell is wrong with her? If she won't even talk to us, then why should we keep her here?"

The girl stopped crying.

Jacob decided to do something. He wanted to know who that girl was, who they were. He wanted to help her. Finally, he simply walked deeper into the platform, the darkness engulfing him. Walking towards the fire pit, he tried his best to be as quiet as possible.

Suddenly, he tripped over something... a beer can? And fell to the hard ground.

Several figures looked up at him, his presence now revealed to everyone. His face was still hidden in shadow, but they knew that an intruder had found them. Who was this boy? Was he working for the police? Maybe another journalist trying to interview the runaways and beggars that have been living under the Zakim for years.

But Jacob didn't carry a notebook, or a badge. He looked around at all of the silhouettes peering up at him. Shocked, he realized that there were many more then three dozen people.

"Who the fuck are you?" Brian, the same voice from before, replied coarsely.

"I'm Jacob... I'm running away from home. I...didn't think there would be anyone here."

He needed to think fast. He may be in a dangerous situation now. Where was the girl? Jacob had no idea what to do next. He couldn't back away now.

"How long ‘ave ya been runnin' for?" a third voice said from the darkness. Jacob looked around before replying again. All of the people here, hobos and runaways, were filthy and wore dirty clothes. All the men had messy beards and wide, scary looking eyes that just stared him down menacingly.

"Just a few days... I had a fight with my step dad."

Why was he telling them this? He couldn't trust any of them. He didn't know a single person here! They were all just a bunch of bums. The smell was getting to him now. The wretched smell of vomit, alcohol and feces. He tried extremely hard not to cover his nose. It was so nauseating, and started to give him a huge headache.

"You’re not welcome 'ere! Go somewhere else kid!"

Just as Jacob started to slowly turn away, he heard a fourth voice. This one was sweeter; gentler. A young girl called out to him "Wait! Don't go!"

Jacob turned around. She wore a black hoodie and dirty jeans, and a red sox hat. Long, curly brown hair covered her eyes. The teen ran over to him, and held onto his right hand with hers tightly. "He’s staying with me!" She stuck out her tongue at the three men.

"Fine, just keep him away from me!" The other men walked away, mumbling to themselves. The girl pulled his hand, motioning for him to follow. She led him to the edge of the platform, where metal planks stuck out, hanging above the water. Sitting down on one of the planks, she brushed the hair from her eyes with one hand and looked up.

“What’s your name?” Jacob asked, not knowing what else to say. He sat down next to her, his hands in his pockets. The rain stopped, and the sun was just sitting above the horizon, at the end of the long river leading out to the harbor.

“I’m Brittany” She said softly. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. They had just met, but already he felt like he could trust her. No, wait, it was much more than that. He could have just left, and gone back home. Jacob didn’t have to stay here, and be with this girl he barely knew. But he felt like he should. He wanted to be there for her, and keep her safe.

Brittany looked up at the sky, tears in her eyes, and Jacob stroked her cheek. She looked back at him, and they hugged as if they hadn’t seen their best friend for a long time. They went back inside, his arms around her as they fell asleep against a pillar.

There was no turning back now.