Bitch

Edwin's flickering eyes scanned over the area like an antelope looking out for a dangerous predator, dashing from left to right as he glimpsed from one area to the other. Every step he took he would briefly glance over his shoulder or quicken his pace once falsely convinced that someone was defiantly following him for sure. Ever since he'd that chat with Scarlet, he'd been cautious of who was looking at him and who was around him. Anyone in this street could have been that person who gave him the note. He might have already passed them or maybe they were lurking in the shadows somewhere. Either way, he had that ongoing feeling he was being followed.

It was getting close to sunset now so the buzzing crowd had finally started to die down, leaving Edwin feeling less fretful and making it easier to catch anyone scrutinizing him from a distance. He'd been feeling like this all day. Ever since Scarlet had told him that maybe the letter hadn't been from Kyle and someone really did want him dead or worse. Hence his current abashed actions.

Edwin hated the streets of New York. If it wasn't for Kyle then he would have already moved away and found a better life. Or at least tried. But his friendship had implored for him to stay in The Big Apple. He wasn't originally from New York. Edwin grew up in Manhattan with his normal family and his normal life. He used to have good grades and lots of friends. But this was all before that vital mistake he'd made the night of his bestfriend's birthday party. The house had been completely crowded full of people, the music had been blaring and almost forcing the window pane to rattle out out of it's frame. More importantly, there had been alcohol.

Edwin had only been the fragile age of 14 at the time, he'd begun to hang around with the wrong characters and one of these 'friends' happened to be a 16 year old reckless jock. So of course the place was going to be full of slutty chicks and dangerous drinking games. And so Edwin had made the biggest mistake of his life fully influenced under alcohol.

He never did learn of mistake until a few weeks later when a 15 year old girl turned up on his doorstep claiming that he was the father of her child. A father. At the age of fourteen. It shocked him as much as his infuriated parents who had kicked him out after hearing this for the first time. See, Edwin came from a heavily religious family. They thought his hanging out with the high school jock was bad but getting a girl pregnant at the age of 4 was absurd. They couldn't even bare to look into his eyes any longer and so were forced to chuck their corruption of a son out onto the freezing cold streets.

After hours of wandering around the streets with nothing but a small backpack full of valuables, Edwin had finally managed to track down the girl he had managed to impregnate. She lived in a grotty block of shabby apartments, her mother had been a heavy drinker plus heroin addict and the girl had been just as desperate as Edwin for a better life. The money her mother earned weekly from her part time cleaning job had been just enough to buy maybe a sandwich a day and the father had walked out on them both years ago for another woman.

The girl had been stunned at first to find Edwin at her doorstep, but then he'd explained his current situation and asked if she had decided to keep the baby or not. She'd replied that she would because she'd never believed in abortion in the first place. And so Edwin had agreed to become a proper father and soon enough the two had become a couple only to move away from Manhattan and to a small bungalow in New Jersey. Edwin had gotten a job as a mechanic and everything had started to work out. The two had fallen in love over a drunken accident and were even building a life together. It was almost like a fairytale. It was almost unrealistic. Too perfect.

But this was before the hurricane. Edwin and the girl had gotten used to New Jersey's continuous chaotic storms and destructive disasters but not as bad as this one. The hurricane had probably been the worst New Jersey had ever suffered, ripping apart Edwin's home and his family. Two weeks. Two weeks Edwin had been searching for his girlfriend and 3 month old child. Only for them to never have been found. They could have been lost, they could have been injured or maybe even dead. The last time Edwin ever saw his beloved family was as he screamed at them to take shelter as the hurricane ripped apart everything in it's path. As the wind blew in his face and debris and dirt was erupted into the air while he tried to help his neighbours out of their own home. His girlfriend had obeyed, taking his son and running for the nearest store.

The next day Edwin had woken up to find himself lying in a hospital bed suffering a head injury. With no clue on where his family was. He'd soon returned to the store where he'd last seen his family flee...only to find the crumbled remains of the store it had once been.

Emotionally distraught and a complete wreck, Edwin had stumbled forward with his life the best he could. But with no more money and no house, he'd been forced back out onto the streets. His heart torn apart and having to face the fact that he'd lost everything that had ever been important to him. Edwin had eventually made it back to Manhattan before hearing that New York was good with job offers and had decided to head over to there instead. But New York had been just as bad as Manhattan, if not worse. He had no job and no money. Forced to sleep on a park bench in the cold and the wet. It had rained his first night in New York. It was like his beautiful paradise had so quickly been crumbled into his own living hell. Having to suffer with the loss of his family while having to deal with the new wave of poverty that had suddenly hit him like a tsunami.

Then Kyle had found him. At first it had all been a matter of "Oh look at that guy, he looks down so I'll talk to him". But after that they'd started talking more. And more. And talking had turned into friendship and then eventually Kyle had decided to help Edwin. It was Kyle who had helped Edwin get back onto his feet and it had been Kyle who had helped Edwin survive his time in New York. Everything Edwin knew about living out on the streets had been all thanks to Kyle. And that was why Kyle was so important. That was why Edwin had to at least see if this letter had come from Kyle. Because if it meant at least a slither of chance that it could be Kyle trying to contact him then Edwin was going to take it. Even if it meant the complete opposite.

Edwin knew what everyone was thinking. They all thought Kyle was dead. But deep inside Edwin could sense that he was still alive somewhere. He could sense it. And that was why he had to try. He had to try and get his friend back or at least find out what happened to him.