Tony is getting worse, and Scat is missing. I couldn’t find him anywhere this morning. He didn’t show for breakfast. His bike is also missing. He is too little to be out in the city alone. If he is caught by the Central Bobcats, it could be disastrous.
Matt and Jonas volunteered to go and look for Scat. I would have gone but I have things that need my attention here.
Madie
The Central Goons had grown bolder in recent weeks. No longer content with intimidation alone, they had begun snatching boys off the streets, anyone small enough to drag away, anyone without someone watching. The boys taken were forced into hard labor on the Central Campus, their days filled with hunger, cleaning, and obeying. The unfortunate were thrown into savage warm-up fights, nothing more than living punching bags for Xavier Boulder’s goons to train on.
At that moment, Scat had just reached his bike. The trade was done, the precious medicine secured. He was ready to return to Bear Country, to save his friend Tony.
Scat didn’t see the two Goons until it was too late. He tried to escape their grasp but failed.
Scat murmured his thanks as they stepped out the backside of the mall, the sharp afternoon light catching the dust in the air. Sam handed him the medicine without ceremony, her face calm, unreadable as always. She had covered the rest of the trade with the pharmacist, a quiet favor, but not a small one.
“Meet me at the market plaza tonight,” she said, slipping her hands into her coat pockets. “I could use your help with a little distraction… and maybe picking a few pockets.”
She paused, just long enough to let the next words carry weight. “I hope this medicine helps Tony.”
Then she turned and walked away, leaving Scat standing with the bottle in his hand.
Sam, Queen of the Gutter Rats, felt a flicker of irritation toward Scat, though she knew he wasn’t to blame. She hadn’t warned him what the pharmacist might demand in trade. The man was unpredictable, sometimes picky, other times needlessly cruel. Scat, unaware of the risks, had laid everything he owned on the counter: every last coin and a battered old pocket watch, his hands trembling slightly as he hoped it would be enough.
He called himself “The Pharmacist,” but he didn’t care about healing anyone. His concoctions were mostly fakes, cheap mixtures that did more harm than good. If you died taking his medicine, that was on you. All he cared about was making trades and scamming the desperate, those trying to save someone they loved, or those just trying to escape the pain of their life.
Sam stood with her arms crossed. “Took you long enough.”
Scat’s gaze drifted to the jagged hole in the side of the building. “We’re going in there?”
Sam rolled her eyes. “Don’t be such a baby. This way we avoid all the bad guys.”
Scat lingered at the edge, hesitation written all over his face. For a moment, he considered turning back. Maybe Tony didn’t need the medicine. Maybe he’d pull through without it.
Sam rested a hand on his shoulder. “We just need to make it to the pharmacy without being seen. Trust me—we’ve got this.”
Scat was desperate. Tony was burning up, barely able to move, and antibiotics were his only hope.
There was only one person he could turn to and that person was Sam.
Sam, known as the “Queen of the Gutter Rats”, had more than earned her title. If something needed to be found, bartered for, or quietly lifted, Sam was the one who could make it happen.
She listened to Scat’s story in silence, arms crossed, one brow raised.
“I can help you get medicine,” she said finally. “I know a guy… but it’s gonna cost you.”
She hesitated, then added, “He’s inside the mall. Meet me there in two hours, I’ve got an errand to run first.”
Scat blinked. “The mall?” His voice cracked. “You want to go into the mall?”
Everyone had heard the stories. People who went in didn’t come out. No one in their right mind went into the mall.
But Sam just shrugged, already turning away.
“Two hours,” she said over her shoulder, then vanished down the street.
We moved Tony from the basement up to the admin hallway. He is not doing well. His eye seems to be better, but his stomach is extremely bloated and painful to the touch. He isn’t holding any food done but we are insisting that he drink water. I honestly don’t know if this is doing any good or if it is doing harm, but I heard once that you shouldn’t let people get dehydrated.
Marty, Gretchen and Cecilia have headed out to the main library to do some research on Tony’s condition. With any luck they will come back with some answers on what we should do to help him. In the meantime, the kids are taking turns sitting with Tony and trying to keep him comfortable.
Madie
I went to the market plaza today to see if I could find a pair of new shoes (old shoes). The ones I have are coming apart at the seams. I couldn’t find any I could fit my feet into. I guess I will wear these a little longer.
Madie
I Dreamt about being home again last night. I swear I could almost feel and smell the clean sheets. It felt like a weekend. One of those mornings when you had a great nights sleep. A familiar smell wakes you. My mom was in the kitchen making her famous biscuits. I miss those biscuits. I miss the strawberry jam. I don’t know what woke me from my dream but it was a let down when I realized it wasn’t real.
Madie