~~
"Fuck… I'm going to be in a lot of trouble when I get back, aren't I?" I muttered, staring down at my now-dead phone after getting chewed out by my assistant for a good half hour.
I kept walking down the empty street, sighing as I shoved the phone back into my pocket before looking back up.
"Well, future me can deal with that. For now... where the fuck am I?"
I scanned the area slowly, trying to figure out a way out of this dump. All I could see was garbage. The streets were cracked, dented in almost every single spot. Trash overflowed from bins, spilling onto the broken pavement.
"Jeez, this place is a total junkyard."
I couldn't imagine people actually living here—but I was quickly proven wrong. The more I walked, the more I saw. Families, both big and small, and even people on their own were digging through trash cans or rushing out of broken down houses with whatever supplies they could carry.
Not wanting to stick around any longer, I wandered through the cracked streets, trying to find somewhere—anywhere—to sit while I waited for my ride.
After a few blocks of dodging trash piles and loose pavement, a flicker of light caught my eye from around the corner. Curious as ever, I followed it. What I found stopped me in my tracks.
After a few blocks of dodging trash piles and cracked pavement, a flicker of light caught my eye from around the corner. Curiosity got the better of me, so I followed it. What I found stopped me dead in my tracks.
A baseball field.
In the middle of this dump.
"You've gotta be kidding me…" I muttered.
The chain-link fence around it was rusted through in places, barely holding itself up. Weeds poked through the infield dirt, and the outfield grass was patchy at best—but somehow, the floodlights still worked, casting a dim yellow glow across the worn-down diamond.
Gathered just outside the fence were three old men, wide, feral grins stretched across their weathered faces. Their dirt-streaked clothes hung loosely on their gaunt frames as they leaned close to the chain-link, eyes glued to the scrimmage unfolding on the field.
On one side of the court stood a man who looked like he'd crawled straight out of a storm drain. His clothes were more stain than fabric—grimy, frayed at the seams, practically hanging off him. A thick, wiry beard sprawled across his jaw like a nest, wild and untouched. But his bald head? Spotless. Shining.
On the other side was a kid. A kid who looked like he didn't belong in this dump, yet here he was. Pale skin, white hair, and the deepest gray eyes I'd ever seen. He didn't just look out of place—he felt out of place. Like he'd been dropped here from somewhere else entirely.
He licked his lips slowly, eyes darkening as they locked onto the boy. "Must be hard for a pretty boy like you to be out here all alone... Especially after that whore of a mother of yours ditched you."
His voice dipped, thick with something ugly as he took a step closer, "Could show you a better way—one that's a hell of a lot warmer than this cold-ass street. Hell, maybe you'd like it. Maybe you'd like having someone to look out for you.".
It wasn't hard to realize what the situation here was. No matter where you are in the world shit like this is still bound to exist. Yet this kid…
The kid didn't respond. No words. No expression. He just stood there on top of that mound as if he belonged there, staring at the man—reading him.
'What an interesting kid.'
His silence, his stillness—it pulled me in. But when the match started, I couldn't take my eyes off him.
The guy must have taken the hint and finally threw the worn out ball towards the kid on the mound. The older man must have caught the hint. With a grunt, he finally tossed the scuffed ball toward the kid on the mound. From outside the fence, one of the old men shuffled in, clutching a battered mitt like a trusted weapon, ready to play catcher in the gritty little scrimmage about to unfold. Planting his feet on the ground he began to ready his bat as the boy got ready to pitch.
..
I stood there, eyes fixed on the kid as the game wound down, the worn out ball bouncing once—twice—before rolling to a sto.
He didn't even celebrate. Just turned and walked off like it was nothing.Like he hadn't just picked apart a grown man.
He's not supposed to be here.
Not in this forgotten corner of the city. Not surrounded by rusted fences, shattered glass, and lives worn thin. His skills… his presence… it didn't belong in this place. It deserved more.
"You don't belong in this place, kid… not one bit."
I shoved my hands in my pockets, watching his back disappear into the through the alleyways.
"What a shame…" I muttered under my breath.
And for the first time in a long while, I actually meant it.