The police station was just as Daniel remembered it from the cop shows he used to watch on TV; dim, drab, and grey. Detective Jack Dawson, entered the interrogation room where Daniel sat sipping on hot chocolate and eating a turkey sandwich. Daniel lowered his head and tried to chew his sandwich slowly, but he was starving and this was the first thing he had eaten in a day or two. Dawson took stock in that and told the officer that let him in to order another sandwich for the young man. Dawson sat at the table across from Daniel.
“What’s your name, son?”
“Daniel, sir.” Daniel answered into the table.
Dawson tapped on the table to get his attention; Daniel looked up at the clean cut black man that sat across the table. Dawson’s appearance reminded him of his own father, clean shaven, broad shouldered, well tailored suit jacket and a look of confidence. Daniel just hoped unlike his father that this guy would not abuse his power.
“I’m Jack Dawson, I will be handling this case. Are you from L.A., Daniel?”
Daniel swallowed his last morsel, waiting anxiously for the next sandwich to arrive. “No, sir, Oklahoma.” Dawson knew right away Daniel was a runaway, he looked him over, the tattered green army jacket looked like it was three sizes too big, when he first entered the room he got a look at Daniel’s tattered sneakers and filthy jeans. He untamed blonde hair looked just as dirty as his baby face. And the look in Daniel’s brown eyes told Dawson he was more than a runaway.
“How’d you wind up here, Daniel and how’d you know Scott Ranger?”
An officer entered the room and handed Dawson two sandwiches and a soda, Daniel looked at it hungrily, Dawson slid it across the table to him. Daniel nearly choked gobbling the sandwich down so fast.
“Take your time, son.” Dawson said as he watched the young man tear into the food. He felt bad for the boy; he couldn’t be more than 16 or 17 years old, with nowhere to go. Daniel looked at Dawson and wondered if he had children, he seemed to be a nice man, but then so was his father, in front of strangers. He wondered if Dawson went home every night and beat on his children when he had a bad day at work.
Dawson waited until Daniel finished his last sandwich and when he saw a look of satisfaction on his face he asked again, “How’d you wind up here, Daniel and how’d you know Scott Ranger?”
Daniel sighed he knew it was time to talk, he was more afraid of being sent back to his father than of the murderer targeting young street kids. Daniel told Dawson that his father was a powerful but abusive man. His mother had died when he was a boy; things were fine until he turned thirteen. His father caught him and a friend smoking weed in his room, he beat them both. But it didn’t stop there, when the house wasn’t cleaned right Daniel suffered a beating, bad grades, wrong responses or just because, merited a beating. It went on for years, the last straw was on Daniel’s seventeenth birthday; his father came home with a prostitute and insisted that Daniel have sex with her while he watched.
“You’re about to become a man, boy, if you’re going to do it you got to do it right.” Daniel knew his father just wanted him to act out a fantasy. He had seen the magazines and DVDs his father openly displayed in the living room. Sick bastard, Daniel thought, enough was enough. It was time that Daniel spoke up for himself, he was just as tall as his father, and he could take him. But he was wrong; when he refused his father slapped him, breaking his nose and loosening some teeth. Daniel tried to fight back but the man was too strong. By the next morning Daniel felt pain all over his body, the house was a shamble and he was bleeding. The last thing he remembered was his father removing his pants and Daniel felt a sharp pain. A beating was one thing but raping your own son was unthinkable, Daniel had to get out of there. After showering and swallowing a handful of pain killers, Daniel stole six hundred dollars from his father’s safe and left for the bus station.
Daniel had transferred on at least three buses before he finally reached Los Angeles. He didn’t know where he wanted to go but figured L.A. was a good place to start over. With a little over three hundred dollars left, no luggage and no ID, Daniel walked the streets of L.A. until he stumbled upon a motel. Groups of young boys and girls stood near the corner and in the parking lot of the motel, he felt like he was at school, except no one here knew him.
“Hey young stud, how’s bout me and you be roomies for tonight.”
Daniel turned and looked at the tall lanky young man that spoke to him. He smiled at Daniel; Daniel smiled back but kept walking.
“What’s your name young stud, you don’t look like you’re from these parts. What happened to your nose?”
After days and riding buses and popping painkillers Daniel had completely forgotten about his nose, he had lost a tooth while eating a burger a day or two ago. And during rest stops he never bothered to look at himself in the mirror, he only imagined what other people saw.
“Look, my name is Scott, you look like need a good friend, let’s go to my room and you can lie down.”
Daniel followed Scott to the motel. Inside the room was a mess, clothes and trash scattered everywhere, Scott push clothes off of one of the full size beds and patted it for Daniel to sit down. Daniel looked around, cigarette butts covered the floor, condom wrappers lined the dresser, soda and beer bottles were everywhere. “What’s your name again?” Daniel asked disgusted by the sight.
“Scott.” Daniel looked Scott over, his bleached blonde hair was spiked all over his head, his brown eyes glared at Daniel seductively, his pale white skin was the only thing that seemed to brighten the dimly light room. He wore a white sleeveless shirt and a pair of stone washed jeans. Despite the tight shirt exposing his ribs, Scott looked like a million buck compared to how Daniel was feeling. He finally turned to the mirror and looked at himself. Ghastly, he thought, his eyes were red, and dark circles formed under them, his face looked sunken in and his nose looked bigger than usual.
“Daniel,” He said after turning away from his own reflection. “My name is Daniel.”
Scott smiled, but then his expression changed as he looked at the stranger he had planned to have sex with. He knew instantly from his demeanor and appearance that Daniel had run away from something so terrible, he knew all too well and for the first time since he’s been on the streets he decided not to take advantage of the situation.
He sat on the opposite bed and his look softened on Daniel, “Who did it, your pops, your mom’s old man, a neighbor?”
Daniel only wished it was a neighbor. That night Daniel and Scott sat up talking about each other’s past and hoped for a better future. Scott took Daniel under his wing; he promised him that he would not let anyone hurt him ever again.
“Your pops probably isn’t even looking for you, so you’re safe here. And don’t worry about Crater, I told him you had AIDS, so he wouldn’t put you out on the corner.” Crater was the pimp that Scott and many of the young people living in the motel worked for. He was a fragile looking guy, only two or three years older than Daniel, but he was mean. When Daniel’s money ran out Scott told Crater, Daniel would make a good drug runner, but Crater wanted him to work the street as a prostitute. He was afraid to tell Crater no, in fear that he would get the same punishment his father gave him or something far worst. During a “meeting” Crater had with some of his workers, one of the guys came up short. Crater pulled out a knife and slit the guy’s throat, blood sputtered from his neck like a water fountain. Daniel had lost some bodily fluids that day; Crater was ten times worst than his father and Daniel wasn’t trying to get on his bad side. Luckily for Daniel, now he had someone that would look out for him, Scott was like a brother to him. Everyone respected Scott, they looked up to him and Crater was no exception. He agreed to use Daniel as a runner, without much hesitation, thinking Daniel had AIDS didn’t sit well with him, but he knew no one could get the virus from a mere drug transaction.
Daniel stayed with Scott, when he was “working” he’d clean up the small motel room and wash out the sheets in the bathtub, he and Scott were about the same size, so some of the clothes he’d washed out, he’d wear as well. The motel was a rundown building that Crater “renovated” a few years ago. Somehow he managed to get all the utilities back on and the money that was coming in from the prostitution and drugs must have been what were keeping them on, Daniel assumed. The rooms were also where Scott and some of the others conducted business; Daniel spent many a night sitting in the parking lot waiting for Scott’s tricks to leave, the next morning he’d clean up the mess they made before leaving for “work” himself. Daniel loved Scott like a brother, but he was tired of all of this. The little bit of money Crater gave them all was only enough to feed them, Scott sacrificed his nutrition for fashion, every other week he’d go out and buy a new pair of jeans. Daniel would always buy an extra sandwich just to make sure Scott ate. Daniel tried to save at least twenty dollars every pay but it never worked for him. One day he decided to tell Scott he was leaving, he knew Scott would make up a story to tell Crater and he’d be free. But then Daniel didn’t want to leave Scott behind, maybe he could convince him to leave with him. That night Daniel was walking back from the store, he had bought some milk to put in his new little refrigerator he just bought; after saving up two months worth of pay. As he rounded the corner blue and red lights lit up the night sky, Daniel stopped in his tracks as he witnessed many of his friends being carted off into police wagons and patrol cars. He caught Scott and one of his regulars being hauled off as well, Scott looked around and caught sight of Daniel, they made eye contact and Daniel retreated back in the direction of the store. He had heard about raids but never thought he’d witness one, he was just glad he wasn’t caught up in it. Hours later he returned to the motel, it was like a ghost town, he felt alone and wondered if he should go down to the station, but thought better of it. He put his milk in the fridge and turned off the light. Daniel didn’t feel like he slept long, when the smell of smoke woke him. He got up and immediately jumped back on the bed. The carpet was hot the room below him must be on fire. He picked up his shoes and put them on hoping it would protect him from the heat. He ran to the door and unlatched it, but it didn’t open. The door opened into the room, so something or someone was holding onto the knob. The floor began to sizzle and Daniel could see dark rings forming on the carpet. He had to get out of there, he yanked on the door, to no avail; finally he grabbed his newly bought refrigerator and threw it at the big bay window. The glass shattered into a million pieces, some of it flung back into Daniel’s face, he took the quilt off of Scott’s bed and broke the remaining glass; once outside he saw what was constricting the door. Someone had tied all the door knobs and railing together with heavy rope. Daniel had the duck under three other rope traps just to get to the stairs. He ran into the vacant parking lot and looked back at his “home”. The six rooms on the bottom were engulfed in flames, soon his room and the other five rooms flickered with flames. Daniel hoped he was the only one in there, seeing that mostly everyone else was at the police station. He wondered if Crater did this to get rid of any evidence, but then why would he bind the doors to the rooms on the second level.
Daniel sat in the park for days, he had ten dollars to last him until he could figure out what to do. After the fire he went back to the motel to see if anyone returned, he was glad to see some of the old crew, but where was Scott. Daria one of Crater’s best workers stood in the parking lot smoking a cigarette; she shook her head.
“There goes my livelihood,” She said as Daniel walked up beside her. She eyed him. “Where the hell have you been? You wasn’t at the station last week, when we got herded in like cattle.”
Daniel shook his head. “I was coming from the store when I saw the raid, I seen the cops take Scott and his trick.”
Daria stomped out her bud. “Shoot, they took all of us. Just a few got away; you, Crater and some others.” Daria and Daniel looked at the charred remains of what they called home. Daniel could still smell burnt wood.
“I came back the night of the raid; somebody set the place on fire. All the doors upstairs was tied to the railing.”
Daria turned and looked at him, her green eyes were wide, strands of her red bob were matted to her sweaty forehead. “The cops say someone was here, at least two people, one escaped the other didn’t.”
“Who was it; was it Scott?”
“No, Scott is going to be out tonight. His trick was some big time lawyer. No they saying it might have been Crater.” She looked at the building and nodded towards the first room. The door, as with all the doors was kicked in and what lay inside was nothing but darkness. Daniel’s heart skipped a beat. “They say they should be getting the id in a couple of days.”
“But who would do this, torch the place trying to kill whoever was left?”
“The Street Killer, stud.”
“Who?” Daniel said looking confused.
Daria motioned him to walk with her out of the parking lot, she had seen enough. “There’s a nut job out here, killing us streeties. Especially us prostitutes, you runners are a little lucky but not all the time. It started a couple of months ago; six hookers got “X”ed on the south side one a night. Last month two got “X”ed.”
“What you mean by “X”ed?”
Daria gave Daniel a dubious look. “Don’t you watch the news, stud? This bastard’s been carving “X”s in people. Like Zorro with the “Z”.”
Daniel hadn’t paid much attention to the news, what did he need to watch it for, Crater used to tell him when he wanted him to make a run. Who needed a weather man? Plus the T.V. in his and Scott’s room was broken. At one of Crater’s “meetings” he did tell them to keep an eye out on vigilantes, but he never elaborated on that.
“Who is this guy?”
“A nut job like I said. They say he just came out of nowhere and start targeting us; us like in teens. Everybody he hit so far has been between the ages of 16 and 20. Our crew had been lucky up until now.”
“And you’re sure it was Crater in there?” Daniel said glancing back at the ruins.
“No I’m not, but I’ll find out in a couple of days.”
Daria stopped at the corner and joined some of the other girls but Daniel kept walking, he walked until his legs got tired, he ended up at the park. Daniel sat under a big oak tree and watched the children playing on the swings and the jungle gym. His mother used to bring him to the park when he was a boy. He missed her so much, he sat in that park until night fall and he got cold. He wrapped an old tattered green army jacket he found in the rubbish tighter around his body and drifted off to sleep. By morning Daniel had made his way back to the motel in hopes to find Scott, to his surprise Scott was standing among the group of kids that was out there the day before.
“Scott,” Daniel called out to him.
Scott looked up and smiled at Daniel he waved him over, Daniel ran up to him and shook his hand then gave him a hug.
“I thought you were out for the count.” Daniel said as they walked away from the crowd.
“Nah, all they had me on was solicitation. Too bad for Crater though.”
Daniel looked at Scott sadly. “So it was him?”
“Yeah.” Scott said staring at his “home”. “When I was in the can, they say someone else was here too but they escaped.”
“It was me, Scott.” Daniel said sadly.
Scott looked at him with great concern he grabbed Daniel’s shoulders and shook him lightly. “Are you alright, stud? Did you see who did it?”
“I was sleep, the fire woke me up, whoever did this was trying to kill anyone that was left; they tied the doors to the railing.”
“I heard it was the street killer.”
“Why didn’t you tell me Scott?”
Scott put an arm around Daniel and they walked away from the motel. “The less you knew the better, stud. Me and Crater thought you’d be safe around us.”
“Well who was Crater safe with?”
“Look , now that we have become a direct target we need to stick together, I was worried about you stud, while I was caged. Did you eat?”
Daniel shook his head. “I’m starving.”
The next few weeks Scott and Daniel stayed close, the others started to drift to other parts of the city, Daria went to the Southside with a few others. Daniel and Scott hung around the bars and clubs. Scott did a few alley favors and encouraged Daniel to try it. He refused.
“This is the only way we’re going to survive stud. I know your dad messed you up but out here your darned if you don’t.”
Daniel promised he’d find something, anything but that, there had to be a two bit drug dealer in the area looking for a runner.
One night while hanging out in front of a gay club, Daniel ran up to Scott.
“Hey where you been stud?”
“I found a dealer, he wants me to meet him in an hour; I think he might hire me.” Daniel smiled proudly, now they would have enough money to rent a room for at least a week.
“Good looking stud.” Scott said patting Daniel’s back. He pulled out a twenty from his back pocket and handed it to Daniel. “Do me a favor; go get me some condoms from the Deli.” Daniel grabbed the twenty and ran off happily. “Keep the change!” Scott yelled after him. Daniel turned around to wave and a figure in the crowd caught his eye. Daniel thought his heart had stopped beating from a moment; he had an intense pain in his chest. He sprinted up the street and around the corner as quickly as he could. When he thought he was far enough away, he leaned against the side of a building to catch his breath. It couldn’t be true, he thought, that couldn’t have been his father, not here. He wanted to get back to Scott and tell him, but he was scared. Maybe, after he talked to the dealer. Then Daniel remembered he had to run an errand for Scott, he ran into the closest drug store. On the way back to the club Daniel kept looking around, terrified of running into his father. No, maybe he was just imagining it, yes. There was no way his father would come out here looking for him, he was almost sure that his father had forgotten him and felt better off without him. He was just spooked, that’s all. All this talk about the street killer was getting to him, he needed to hurry up; he had to meet the dealer soon.
Daniel rounded the corner hoping to catch up with Scott, but he was not in sight. He asked some of the others if they’ve seen him and they directed him to go up the street to the alley between the jewelers and dry cleaners. Daniel figured Scott’s alley favors didn’t take long, no one wanted to get caught getting a blowjob in an alley, from a street kid. But this alley was popular because the dumpsters were high enough to cover the average size man. Daniel got to the alley just in time to hear Scott scream, “No, please don’t.”
Daniel pressed his chest against the front of the dry cleaners and peered around into the alley, he saw a figure that stood taller than the dumpsters; Scott was not visible. He hoped the man didn’t beat him up; it happened a lot now that Crater wasn’t around. From the position the figure was standing Daniel figured Scott was against the wall. The figure stepped away from the dumpster and turned towards Daniel’s direction. Daniel quickly backed up he ran behind a parked car and waited for the figure to exit the alley. He heard footsteps and peeked around the bumper, frightened by the sight Daniel fell back and bumped his head on the car behind him. The noise made the man turn his head and walk towards the direction of the noise. Daniel quickly scrambled around the side of the car, his heart pounded hard in his chest. He moved as the footsteps moved, thankfully a car was coming down the street, it was full of guys. They beeped the horn and started yelling out the window. Daniel wasn’t sure if they were yelling at him or the man, but after the car passed Daniel heard faint footsteps walking away from him. He sat in the street for a moment then slowly got up to go see about Scott. Heart still pounding, Daniel could hardly catch his breath, he ran down the long alley calling Scott’s name. When he got to the dumpsters he stopped in his tracks, sprawled out on trash bags was Scott’s lifeless body. A large bloody “X” engraved across his bare chest. Daniel ran out the alley yelling for help, he ran back to the club yelling. “He killed him, somebody help.” But no one seemed to care.
Daniel ran to a pay phone and called the police; then he went back to the alley and sat next to Scott’s body. Daniel rocked back and forth until the cops showed up.
Dawson was shocked. This kid’s story was the usual runaway’s story, but Dawson felt bad for the young man. “So you think your father killed Scott?”
“Yeah” Daniel said.
“But why?”
“I don’t know Mr. Dawson, maybe it was his way of getting back at me for stealing his money, I don’t know. My father is a powerful man, he’s a judge in Oklahoma; he has connections.”
Dawson sighed. “Well if what you are saying is true, then we need to catch him in the act.”
“What?” Daniel said confused. “True? Catch him in the act? It is true, Mr. Dawson, I heard Scott scream, why would you want to risk another kid’s life?”
“All you heard was the screams, son, but you didn’t see it? We have no evidence linking the murder to anyone, the killer has been very careful. Look you hang out here, I’ll talk to some shelters and see if you can get in one tonight…”
“No!” Daniel yelled. “It’s not safe out there for me, he knows I’m here.”
Dawson looked at Daniel and shook his head. “Son, I can’t say it is safe in here.”
Daniel sat in the interrogation room for hours, every time he thought about Scott he cried. He wondered if Daria had heard. He only hoped she was ok. Dawson came back with a gang of officers, Daniel recognized the two officers that was at the scene of the crime.
“Daniel, if what you’re saying is right we need your father to see you.” Daniel was terrified, but he was afraid to say no, plus he knew that Scott would be proud of him if he stopped the murderer. As Dawson explained his plan to him, Daniel sat there in a dazed, petrified by the thought of seeing this man again. It had only been six months, but six months on the street was better than six years in a house with his father. He weakly agreed to the plan; he was doing this in honor of Scott.
Daniel stood outside the same gay club days after Scott’s murder; he couldn’t appreciate the laughter and happiness the club goers were enjoying. The mixture of fear and sadness was too great.
“Look alive, son.” Dawson spoke to him through the wire they planted on him. Daniel looked in the direction of the unmarked car and fought to put a smile on his face. Just then Daria walked up.
“Hey stud.” She looked like she was doing well; her hair was a new color and her blue eyes were bright. Blue? Daniel didn’t ask he just hugged her.
“I’m hanging.” He said weakly. Daria looked him over and flung her long blonde hair behind her shoulders.
“Well you look like crap to me, but I can understand why.” She rested her hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “Sorry to hear about Scott.”
Daniel thought he was going to cry again but he had to hold it together. “Well I decided to take over where he left off.” Daniel said weakly. “I really need the money.”
Daria eyed him long and hard. He knew she knew he was lying, he made it all too clear that he would never result to sex for money. She looked around and immediately spotted the unmarked car. Grabbing Daniel by the arm she said “Walk with me”.
“Daniel, get rid of her.” Dawson sounded in his right ear.
“Ok.” He was telling Dawson.
“What the hell are you getting into stud?” Daria said as she pushed him into the closet alley.
“I told you I need the money Daria, how am I supposed to survive. Scott and Crater are gone, our home is gone and it’s…” Daniel stopped himself before he said too much he didn’t want to get Daria involved.
“It’s what Daniel?” She asked looking at him seriously. She felt bad for her friend and didn’t want him to mess his life up any worse than what it was. “You got AIDS, you can’t go passing that around.”
Daniel heard the cops say “What?”
“No,” Daniel pleaded. “Scott only told Crater that because I didn’t want to hook, I was afraid to tell him myself.”
Daria looked around she didn't have any paper on her so she tried to whisper it. “Are you wired?”
Daniel nodded. Daria raised her hands and widened her eyes as to ask “Why?”
Daniel shook his head and took his finger and made an invisible “X” across her chest. “Look, I need to get back to the club ok?” I’ll see you around.” Daniel started to walk away he was a few feet from the club when he turned to look at Daria and saw his father as well. “No!” He yelled as his father grabbed the girl from behind clamping his hand around her mouth. “Daria!”
Daniel stood frozen as his father dragged a kicking and crying Daria down the alley. “Daniel what’s happening.”
“He got her.” Daniel said. Without another thought he sprinted down the alley in search of them. This alley was clean he looked in the coves that hid the back doors to the stores but there was no sign of them.
Daniel could hear a car start in his ear. “Where are you Daniel?”
Daniel didn’t answer he pulled the wire from under his shirt and peeled the little ear piece off, than he reached in his pocket and pulled out the gun he stole from one of the tenets, in the rooming house he and Scott shared. Daniel ran out the alley and headed towards the dry cleaners.
Dawson was on him. “Right there.” He told the officer driving, pointing to the scrawny figure running down the street. “Daniel…Daniel?”
Daniel stood at the opening of the alley, just like the night Scott died he saw his father standing in the same position behind the dumpster; this time Daniel entered the alley.
“Leave her alone!” He yelled.
His father turned to him and laughed. “Just like a rat, following after trash.” Daniel could hear Daria whimpering.
“Why are you doing this?” Daniel said standing at a distance, even with the gun in his pocket he was still afraid. He put his hand in his pocket and gripped the gun. “What have these kids ever did to you?”
“You were a bad boy Danny.” His father said stepping from behind the dumpster. Daniel watched him zip his pants up and tighten his belt.
“You bastard!” He yelled drawing the gun out. It shook fiercely in his grip.
“You thought you could get away from me. Did you really think I was going to let you go that easily?”
“You didn’t need me, you was better off without me.”
Daniel’s father moved towards him, “You’re right, after your mother died I tried to raise you, but her babying you damaged you. Then you thought you were a ‘man’ trying to smoke weed. I couldn’t beat you while your mother was living and you gave me no reason to beat you after she died until you pulled that little stunt. When I saw what a coward you was, it just sickened me.”
“I was trying to respect you.” Daniel said backing up. He saw Daria peek her head from behind the dumpster, it was hard to tell if she was alright.
“Oh so what happened that night I brought the slut home, you lost respect for me.” Daniel had never had respect for his father since the day he started beating on him. He had always been stern with Daniel, but he never hit him. Maybe all the anger he had building up over the years finally got to him and the weed incident was just a cover to do what he had always wanted to do. “I was trying to make you into a man, that night, boy. But you were so ungrateful, was it because you didn’t know her.” He looked back at Daria; she flinched and coward back behind the dumpster.
“But you know this trash don’t you.” Daniel’s father turned around to get Daria.
“Leave her alone.” Daniel yelled, his father whirled around.
“You haven’t got the guts.” He spat at Daniel. Daniel thought about all the beatings, the broken arms, sprained ankles, busted lips, black eyes, the broken nose, the…pop, pop!
Daniel stood in the alley and watched his nightmare go down, his father fell to his knees then landed face forward. Dawson and his crew came charging the alley, officer ran pass Daniel one to his father and another to Daria. Daniel couldn’t move, the gun still rose pointing over the officer checking his father. Dawson gently took the gun from Daniel’s grip. “It’s over, son, it's over.”
The fresh air was warm and inviting, the sun shined brighter than it had in months for him. He was truly happy; he had a new outlook on life thanks to Jack Dawson. After the shooting, Dawson’s sister allowed Daniel to stay with her for a while, he helped her around her house and ran errands for her. Because he was under age, he became a ward of the state and had to be put in foster care or a state facility. Dawson worked hard to get him and Daria into a group home for lost and exploited children in Anaheim. He drove them up there and kept his promise to visit. Once a month, Daniel and Daria would meet Dawson in town and they’d see a movie and have dinner. Today Daniel sat on the park bench alone waiting for Dawson; Daria had a previous engagement and couldn’t make it. Daniel watched the cars and buses pass by, people hustled and bustled about him, he’d seen a few streeties every time he came into town and was glad he was no longer a part of that life. Though he missed Scott dearly, he knew eventually that life would catch up to him just like it did for Scott and Crater and others like them. Now he was free, free from the bondage of his father, free from the street life. He was free to do and be anything he wanted.
“Hey.” Daniel looked up and saw Dawson heading his way. “You busy thinking about something?”
Daniel jumped up and met him the rest of the way; he smiled from ear to ear. “Just, good things.” He said holding his head up proudly.
