Dark Alley

“Dark Alley”
David Langley


         The alley became dark as a young boy began to wander into it. The boy looked up and found only tall apartments on his left and right. He looked around and saw dumpsters and trash piles taller than he was. The boy wasn’t much older than eight, with dark blue eyes. On his head, he wore a toboggan and a scarf around his face. He wore a grey hoodie on his body and blue jeans upon his legs.
         As the boy moved deeper and deeper into the alley he began to grow nervous. The light began to fade and drug-addicts eyed him with suspicion. Several men sat upon dumpsters and one sat high upon one of the many fire escapes that dotted the walls.
         As the boy walked past the dumpster the men jumped down behind him and several men got up from the ground and stood in front of him.
         As he reached out to try and grab the boy, the boy reached in to his pocket and pulled out a switchblade. With a flick of his wrist the boy extended the blade and drove it into the man’s hand.
         The man jerked his hand back with a growl. Suddenly, the man had taken the knife from the boy and with his hand still bleeding, swung at the boy. The boy stepped back once again and reached into his hoodie pocket. As the man drew his arm back for another swing the boy’s hand flew out of his pocket and several shots rang out.
         The man collapsed on the ground in a pool of blood. The addicts looked down at the man and then up at the boy. The boy had a smoking pistol in his hand and unmoving eyes, focused on the man now lying on the ground. All the men that encircled the boy suddenly dashed off down each direction.
         The boy walked over to the man and shrugged his shoulders. He bent down and picked up his switch blade and with a flick of his wrist he closed it and placed it in his pocket. The boy looked both ways and continued his walk deeper into the dark alley.