“Where to, kid?”
The kid sunk into the checkered back seat, his eyes covered by curly hair and his mouth hidden behind a thick scarf. The driver punched the clock and the numbers started running.
“I dunno,” the boy mumbled through layers of black wool. “The train station, I guess.”
As the taxi lurched forward, the driver adjusted his baseball cap and yawned. His radio was dialed to a ragtime station and the bouncy piano line clanked along low in the background. He tapped the steering wheel in clumsy rhythm to the tune as he proceeded down the dimly lit streets. The rain had picked up, so he chose to take the drive slowly.
The water on the street slushed across the worn tires and the sound of it proved lulling to the boy in the back seat. His eyes began to droop, but he was brought back by the inquiring driver.
“There's something out there that scares ya.”
“Excuse me?”
“The way you jumped in here, it just seemed like you were running from something. It was probably just my imagination, though.”
The boy shrugged and looked out the window at the passing buildings, turning from residencies to office buildings as they approached the city.
“Yeah, probably,” he suggested with a sigh.
“It's a school night. You've gotta be in... what... 10th grade? 11th?”
The boy chuckled, “Something like that.”
“Well, I'm sure your parents will wonder about you.”
“I doubt it...”
His driver was clearly growing concerned at the boy's brevity. The taxi rolled to a stop and the scruffy old man turned to face his passenger.
“Listen, kid. I'll take you to the station. Heck, I'll even help you pick a place and pitch in a few bucks for your ticket... but I need to know what you're running from. I need you to trust me.”
The kid laughed out loud, an obvious defense-mechanism.
“Why? You gonna stalk me as my 'protector,' like that Scorsese flick? Sorry, man. My problems are a little above your pay-grade.”
The two sat, staring at one another for several moments. Each of them had a great deal to say to the other, but neither was willing to take the next step. Then a car came from behind, demanding they move on and not hold up traffic. The driver turned his attention back to the road and the taxi went on in silence for a while. Suddenly, the boy spoke up.
“You know those killings that have been going on around here lately? Well, my dad's in tight with the guys that are getting bumped off. He's not a big player, just deals guns and stuff uptown, but all those guys buy from him.”
Another moment of silence passed before the driver carefully replied.
“So, you want to skip town before it catches up to your family.”
“Right.”
“What about your mom?”
The kid scratched an itch on the back of his shoulder and watched pedestrians along the sidewalk beside him. He was ready to “skip town,” as his new friend coined it; ready to get away from the muck and mess that had ruined his life thus far; ready to get away at whatever cost.
“She's gone. I'm an only child, before you ask. And my dad deserves what he's got coming. I just...”
SKREETCH – THUD
The driver hit the breaks and his passenger slammed into the back of his seat. He turned to check on the kid and then the cars around him, already honking for him to move.
“What was that all about?” moaned the kid half-consciously.
“Sorry, kid. Some crazy drunk stepped out in front of me. We hit him pretty hard. God help him, I don't see him anywhere now.”
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