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Jan. 12th, 2017 09:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
i_ship_itIt was just after sunrise when she spotted the person out on the pier. It was too far away to tell anything about them, or even what they were doing, beyond being out on the pier and being human-shaped. Dodger stayed inside the lifeguard building, watching the person until they disappeared back inside Pacific Park. Even then, she stayed inside a while long, hoping it meant the person had been long gone. But she couldn’t stay inside forever. She had to get out and find some food, because the little bit she’d managed to collect was running low. There were still a few fishing rods at the tackle shop at the edge of the pier, but Dodger hadn’t had any luck using the one she’d taken. She was never very outdoorsy, and had no idea what she was doing with it. And in a way, she was a little relieved she’d never caught anything, because she wouldn’t know the first thing to do with any fish she might have been able to catch.
As she was just gathering the nerve to go out, she spotted the person out on the pier again. It seemed like they might have had the same idea as her, and that was bad news. She didn’t need the competition or the fight. She’d just have to hope the coast was clear and leave in the morning. For now, she was stuck.
She still had two cans of soup, and a tin of weird off-brand spam. The not-spam probably would have been more filling, but something about it put her off. She’d save it for when she was starving, and went for a can of soup instead. The last time she’d come across a Taco Bell, Dodger had grabbed a handful of their black sporks, and it was one of these that she pulled from her bag. Popping the lid of the soup off, she settled down by the window to watch the goings-on out at the pier. As long as the person stayed over there, and didn’t come toward her, they could do whatever they wanted. They kept disappearing back into the park, and coming back out to the edge again, but without binoculars, Dodger couldn’t tell what was going on.
After finishing half the can of soup, Dodger put it down on the table and started digging through her bag again for something to do. About six months earlier, she’d found a collection of colouring books and a box of crayons in one of the houses she stayed at. It was a good way to pass the time. Such a good way, she was down to the second half of her last book, and most of her crayons were small little nubs. But it was enough. She filled in three pages before getting bored, and when she got up again to look out the window, a sharp wave of sourness through her stomach nearly knocked her over. She covered her mouth with her hand, certain she was going to puke all over herself. But she managed to clamp it down, holding herself against the table as she leaned over against the sharp pain in her stomach. She had to sit down again. She’d made a bed for herself in one of the smaller rooms off the main one, and needed to get there. It was just a few steps toward the doorway, and she managed to get that far at least before having to hang off the wall to keep from falling over. Instead of falling, she leaned against the wall and gracelessly sat, hoping to get up enough energy to move closer toward the bed.
At some point, she fell asleep halfway through the door. She didn’t even realise she had fallen asleep until she heard footsteps in the other room.
“What’s this?” a man asked.
“I dunno.”
Two men. That was all Dodger could tell from what she could hear. She managed to pull herself all the way into the room, hoping to hide out of sight until they went away. But they didn’t go away. She could hear the thunk of a heavy pack being dropped onto the floor, and one set of footsteps coming across the building and toward her room.
“Hey, there’s someone here,” the guy said as he stopped in the doorway.
Dodger didn’t look up. Maybe if she played dead, they’d go away. But it was hard to play dead when all she wanted to do was cry from the pain in her stomach.
“Yeah, I think we figured that out already,” the other guy said from the front of the building.
“No, I mean… Hey, are you okay?” He knelt down beside Dodger and reached out to poke her shoulder. Even that hurt. Dodger wanted to punch him for daring to touch her, but she could barely uncurl herself from the tiny ball she’d wound up into on the floor. She wished she had her baseball bat, but it was on the other side of the room, and she was never going to get to it.
“Uh, Dave? A little help, maybe?” the guy next to Dodger called out.
Without warning, grabbed hold of her. Dodger didn’t even have the energy to fight back. She just groaned at him, but it wasn’t enough to scare him away. The next thing she knew, she was being picked up off the floor. She tried to push away, but it was hopeless. Every time she moved, it just made her want to puke even more. Although, maybe puking on the guy would make him put her down.
Probably not, knowing her luck.
As she was just gathering the nerve to go out, she spotted the person out on the pier again. It seemed like they might have had the same idea as her, and that was bad news. She didn’t need the competition or the fight. She’d just have to hope the coast was clear and leave in the morning. For now, she was stuck.
She still had two cans of soup, and a tin of weird off-brand spam. The not-spam probably would have been more filling, but something about it put her off. She’d save it for when she was starving, and went for a can of soup instead. The last time she’d come across a Taco Bell, Dodger had grabbed a handful of their black sporks, and it was one of these that she pulled from her bag. Popping the lid of the soup off, she settled down by the window to watch the goings-on out at the pier. As long as the person stayed over there, and didn’t come toward her, they could do whatever they wanted. They kept disappearing back into the park, and coming back out to the edge again, but without binoculars, Dodger couldn’t tell what was going on.
After finishing half the can of soup, Dodger put it down on the table and started digging through her bag again for something to do. About six months earlier, she’d found a collection of colouring books and a box of crayons in one of the houses she stayed at. It was a good way to pass the time. Such a good way, she was down to the second half of her last book, and most of her crayons were small little nubs. But it was enough. She filled in three pages before getting bored, and when she got up again to look out the window, a sharp wave of sourness through her stomach nearly knocked her over. She covered her mouth with her hand, certain she was going to puke all over herself. But she managed to clamp it down, holding herself against the table as she leaned over against the sharp pain in her stomach. She had to sit down again. She’d made a bed for herself in one of the smaller rooms off the main one, and needed to get there. It was just a few steps toward the doorway, and she managed to get that far at least before having to hang off the wall to keep from falling over. Instead of falling, she leaned against the wall and gracelessly sat, hoping to get up enough energy to move closer toward the bed.
At some point, she fell asleep halfway through the door. She didn’t even realise she had fallen asleep until she heard footsteps in the other room.
“What’s this?” a man asked.
“I dunno.”
Two men. That was all Dodger could tell from what she could hear. She managed to pull herself all the way into the room, hoping to hide out of sight until they went away. But they didn’t go away. She could hear the thunk of a heavy pack being dropped onto the floor, and one set of footsteps coming across the building and toward her room.
“Hey, there’s someone here,” the guy said as he stopped in the doorway.
Dodger didn’t look up. Maybe if she played dead, they’d go away. But it was hard to play dead when all she wanted to do was cry from the pain in her stomach.
“Yeah, I think we figured that out already,” the other guy said from the front of the building.
“No, I mean… Hey, are you okay?” He knelt down beside Dodger and reached out to poke her shoulder. Even that hurt. Dodger wanted to punch him for daring to touch her, but she could barely uncurl herself from the tiny ball she’d wound up into on the floor. She wished she had her baseball bat, but it was on the other side of the room, and she was never going to get to it.
“Uh, Dave? A little help, maybe?” the guy next to Dodger called out.
Without warning, grabbed hold of her. Dodger didn’t even have the energy to fight back. She just groaned at him, but it wasn’t enough to scare him away. The next thing she knew, she was being picked up off the floor. She tried to push away, but it was hopeless. Every time she moved, it just made her want to puke even more. Although, maybe puking on the guy would make him put her down.
Probably not, knowing her luck.
