STITCH I

" Henry, Wake up!"

A woman's voice echoed in the darkness.

"Promise me."

The smell of gasoline and burnt meat blew on his face.

Henry woke up in the middle of nowhere covered with dust.

He coughed a couple of times and sat up.

It was dim but he could squint the edge of a cliff where a large part of the guardrail was smashed and torn off.

"Promise me, protect Nate for me."

Henry stood up. He could see the outline of a woman and a child holding her hand.

"Henry Please, Henry, Henry...."

The earth shook.

The ground cracked.

Henry tried to grab unto anything.

His sweaty hands slipped.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

He fell down into the darkness.

"Henry! Henry! Please! Henry!"

Henry's body gently shook.

He woke up on their dirty cushion, water trickling down his face. The soft sound of spring water running down stream can be heard.

He blinked and rubbed off the sleep dust on his eyes.

He sat up.

Crouching in front of him was a little boy wearing a dirty maroon jacket the same as his but it was blue. They even have matching bonnets.

"Henry please! I'm hungry!" said the boy.

His stomach rumbled louder than yesterday. His headache returned.

"Are your baby worms hungry now, Nate?"

Nate laughed.

"Yours are bigger than mine!"

Henry smiled and rubbed his brothers head.

They emerged under a large dock.

They walked to downtown for their daily rounds.

Nate stopped in front a large window of a restaurant. It was called, "Burgers Plaza," painted in neon pastel colors and below it is a cartoon depiction of its yellow teddy bear mascot.

He looked inside.

A man and his wife happily ate their pepperoni pizza with their children. The family laughed at the father's joke.

"Nate? Nate?!" Henry called out from the dumpster.

Henry looked for his brother.

"Nate?!"

He found him standing still in front of the restaurant.

Henry pat his hand on Nate's shoulder.

"What's wrong?!"

"Something tells me the family in front of us have a happy and perfect life. "

Henry looked inside the window.

A tear started sliding down his cheek.

He cleared his throat.

"I think we are lucky today. I've found a--a—pizza—a pizza box which is not empty and have a whole pizza for a change."

Henry looked at the pizza boxes the delivery man placed carefully inside the car.

He shut the door and ran back inside the store as he forgot the list of the patrons' addresses and names.

"Something tells me they're not gonna last a day." Nate said still looking intently at the family.

Henry didn't hear him as he hurriedly went on the side of the delivery man's car.

He grabbed 2 boxes of pizza and pulled them out of the window.

Henry almost dropped the boxes in bewilderment as the delivery man caught him.

"HEY!! HEY!! GET—BACK—HERE—SON—OF—A—BITCH!!!!!"

Henry ran.

"NATE—NATE—LETS—GO!"

The security guard was on their tail.

They ran and ran with their hearts pounding.

"Did we lose him?!" Henry huffed.

"I—I guess so." Nate said looking at the back.

They finally arrived under the dock.

They both sat on the floor board catching their breaths.

"I--*cough*--told you were lucky today!"

Nate looked behind Henry.

Henry's heart started pounding heavy again.

He realized what his brother was looking at, he started to ran for his life but the Eight-foot-tall muscular man grabbed the back of his jacket lifting him up in the air with ease.

"GET—OF—ME—GET—OF—ME--NATE—YOU—RETARD—WHY—DIDN'T—YOU—WARN—ME?!!"

Henry tried hammering his fists on the guard's arm to break free.

He suddenly clutched his reddening hand.

"OUCH—WHAT—ARE—YOU—MADE—OF—ROCKS—OR—SOMETHING?!"

"You kids have a lot of explaining to do." Said the guard with a deep voice.

"Sorry sir, I apologize for what we've done. We didn't mean to. We are just hungry." Said Nate calmly.

"LET—ME—GO!!"

Henry started swinging left to right.

Nate smiled at the guard.

The guard squinted at Nate.

"Why aren't you scared of me? Kids usually ran in fear when they hear my voice."

"Because I know you're a good man, Mr. Sawney." Answered Nate.

Mr. Sawney widened his eyes.

"How did you know my name?!"

Sawney looked at his ID the name written there was "Joey Skinner"

He dropped Henry.

Henry ran towards Nate and started pulling him away.

Nate was unmoved despite of his uncomfortable turn of his shoulder joint.

"Let's go, Nate! Let's go!" said Henry like his having a tantrum.

There was a pause.

Nate looked at Sawney eye to eye for a couple of minutes.

"Okay...Tell you what, since you successfully creeped me out, I'll leave you two off the hook, and I'll pay for your pizza but, I'll have to take you back to your parents."

"No, thanks sir, our parents left us!" said Henry.

"You know that's not true!" said Nate with a frown.

"They left us because they are weak and pathetic!"

Henry's eyes begun to water.

Sawney slightly tilted his head.

"Sorry? what do you mean they left you?" asked Sawney.

"Our parents died two years ago from a car crash." Answered Nate.

"Congratulations Nate, you revealed one of the most controversial Brooks family secrets. Shout it to the world why don't ya?!"

"I told the truth cause Mum and Dad didn't leave us!"

"I--I'm so sorry." Said Sawney.

Nate told Sawney everything that had happen to them after their parents died. Sawney knew right away Nate was a special kid so, he decided to took the brothers in to live with him instead of sending them to a shelter or social worker. Mr. Sawney lived in an old apartment called, "Queens Empire" that has Romanesque style windows and doorway arches. The interior also looked fancy with furniture, vases and chandeliers that looks really expensive and are works of art that dated way back in the past.

"Sawney, if I may ask, who was that little boy you were talking to last night?" Nate asked.

He took a bite at his sausage lunch.

"I can't hide everything from you can I? And please, call me, Joey." said Sawney.

Nate pricked his sunny side up and watched the yolk ooze slowly around the white.

"Come on, we're friends. Aren't we? We'll if you really can't tell it's okay just the same. I know you're working in a good organization, "Joey." He said.

Nate took a sip of hot cocoa keeping his eye contact with Sawney.

"You know?!" Sawney said with raised eyebrows.

"I just know. I don't know why. By the way a girl named Casey Williams was abducted four days ago and is now held captive in the cellar of 4443 Gladstone Street—I'm sorry about that—but help should be on the way cause she's gonna die tonight—"

Nate clapped his palms on his mouth.

Sawney went to the cash register and asked if he could use their dial phone.

"Here you go sir." Said a thin girl wearing a brown cap and apron, giving the phone to him.

Sawney paid the cashier and said thanks after his call.

He went back to the table and ate his lunch with gusto.

He winked at Nate.

Nate smiled.

"SORRY I'M LATE!" said Henry as he stormed inside the deli.

He sat on the chair in front of Sawney. He was still wearing his yellow uniform and pizza shaped name tag.

"Congratulations Best Employee of the Month!" said Sawney

Sawney whistled and called for the waiter.

"Congrats bro! I know you'll be a manager soon!"

"Thanks guys! It was nothing really." He said rubbing his belly.

"What's for lunch, I'm starving!"

The next night Sawney told the boys that he had an urgent call from the agency and that he had to go to their headquarters in such short notice.

"Don't get into trouble and stay safe!"

Sawney rubbed Nate's head and left.

Nate nodded and continued on reading the old birthday cards their parents have given them. One card depicts a cartoonish polar bear wearing a pointed red hat that seemed to be blowing the candles of its cake.

He opened the card.

Written in it where two paragraphs the first one said:

"Happy Birthday Nate, my curious baby owl! Always remember your Mama Barbs loves you! And whatever you and your brother want to be someday me and your Dada will always support you! I know you boys are gonna be great someday and I' am so proud of you!"

The second one was a bit shorter:

"To my tubby baby owl! I love you and Dada is always here for you!"

He squinted at the first paragraph and noticed on the second sentence, the word "brother" seemed to have an additional smudged letter.

He stopped breathing.

The letters fell from his arms.

It all went dark.

A voice of a child suddenly said,

"Our eldest is in trouble—we have to help him!"

The lights returned.

He breathed heavily.

He picked up all the cards.

He took and wore his sling bag and put the cards in it.

He wore his bonnet, took a flashlight, locked the door behind him and left.

"Employee of the Month, my foot! This'll show him!" said a teenage girl.

She was tampering with the fuse box at the back of the store.

The fluorescent lamps flickered a couple of times.

The chattering stopped.

The customers and the crew members of Burger's Plaza stopped and looked at the flickering lights.

It stopped.

Henry looked at the wall clock.

It was 9:30 pm.

It was already thirty minutes before closing time.

He swiftly filled the glasses of the guests with a pitcher of soda then, left.

He went back to the kitchen.

"Okay guys, it's almost closing time! Get cleaning and endorsing! Said Lloyd the Team Crew Leader.

Henry took the map and wheeled the map squeezer to the dining area.

Henry wiped a table.

The squeezer fell on its side.

The soapy water flooded the floors that reached and wet the branded shoes and socks of the guests.

"What the fuck!" one of the guests said.

Some of them felt icky stood up and decided to leave.

The team leader rushed at the guests and offered them their orders as take outs and have half their money back, that they reluctantly agreed upon.

"That's one way to send the guests home." Said Armando

He winked at Henry.

Lloyd frowned at him as he disseminated the guests' food placed inside paper bags.

Some of the guests frowned at him.

"What kind of service you have here! My shoes are ruined!" said a black female.

"You can keep my money but, people are going to know about this!" said a mustached man wearing a waist coat.

The guests left still muttering to themselves.

"Henry, make sure to take out the trash if it isn't too difficult for you!" said Lloyd firmly.

A girl laughed maniacally behind him.

"That's right "employee of the month" take out the trash, and don't forget to take out yourself too!"

Henry frowned at her and said.

"You know what Sarah; I think you're the one that spilled the water on the floor!"

"Oh did I really?! Where's your proof "Trash Tramp Henry?!"

Sarah snickered.

"Yes you did! You messed up a drink at one time and mixed it with sewer water causing food poisoning, and that one time you took a thousand-dollar bill and blamed it to me. You pinned a lot on me but, guess what, I'm not going to lose to a whore like you!" snapped Henry.

Sarah's smile vanished.

The crew members started to whisper.

"Yeah, she's a whore alright. That's why the manager kept her here." One quietly said.

"What's going on here?!"

The other crew members cleared out and made a passage for their manager.

"It's you again, Mr. Brooks." The manager said with one eyebrow raised.

Henry frowned at Sarah.

"I've heard reports from your team mates you've done quite "unwell" from your previous stations."

"He's lying." Murmured Armando.

"Quiet!" shouted the manager.

"I'll report this to the other managers, so you'd better say to your promotion goodbye!"

"With no disrespect sir, I've done everything you've asked for and everything I've done, I've put my hard work on it. You're making up stories so that they'll promote your "Bitch" Sarah instead of me!"

"Insubordination! Mr. Brooks! Say good bye not just for your promotion, but also to your job! You're fired!"

Henry dropped his mop and went for the lockers.

Sarah smirked.

"What are you looking at! Go back to work!" shouted the manager.

Henry shoved all his things from the locker slipping them all untidily inside his bag.

He slammed his locker loudly.

The lights went out.

"Very funny Sarah! Don't you have enough!" Henry shouted.

No one answered.

There we're faint murmuring.

Faint footsteps.

"Sarah?! Anyone there?!"

Henry shook his head then walked briskly towards the door guided him by the light of the moon.

As he was about to walk past the last of lockers he turned around.

He almost fell.

His heart started to race.

A shadow swiped at him then, vanished.

The lockers in front of him opened one by one.

Henry's eyes widened.

SLLAAAAAMMM!!!

The lockers closed shut at the same time.

He eyed the door.

He just wants to get out of there.

He started to ran.

He stopped.

A fury paw appeared on the side of a locker which slammed at its door.

Henry walked backwards.

He fell on the floor for hitting a trash bin.

A giant furry head slowly peered at him.

Shiny white eyes glared at him.

It cackled with it shiny teeth and giant half-moon mouth.

Henry frantically slip backwards.

He tried to grab something to pull himself up.

The creature roared.

It stopped.

Creaking, winding metallic sounds whirred from the creature.

Silence.

Henry breathed deeply.

The creature ran after him.

Henry had a sudden jolt and screamed.

He got hold of a locker door and pulled himself up.

He ran as fast as he could.

WHAAAAAAACCKKKK!!!!!

Something hit his head hard.