Helios Beginnings (The Helios Chronicles #0.5) by Tawa M. Witko Read Free Book Online

few cars there so he knew the doors would still be open. He decided that he could hide out in there and then leave in the morning. He nodded to himself. That was a good plan. He glanced around and spotted a street vendor across the street. He grabbed a burrito before heading over to the church. He ate it quickly, his hunger getting the best of him. When he entered the sanctuary he saw that there were a few people inside praying, but they didn’t notice him. Andrew found a nice hiding spot and waited until he heard someone going through the church locking all the doors. Once the lights went out he emerged from where he was hidden and found one of the pews to lie down on. The church was quiet at night and as he gazed at the beautiful ceiling he smiled feeling that his life could now begin.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    II

Descent into Hell

 
     
    Los Angeles, California
     
    Andrew frowned as he looked at the rumpled bedspread. The smell of sex in the room was nauseating. He swallowed thickly hoping to erase the past hour from his mind. He couldn’t believe that things had come to this. The first three years in Los Angeles did not turn out quite as Andrew had imagined and the last year of his life had definitely been a slow descent into hell. He had been able to make the money he brought from Detroit stretch for a little over six months. Not bad considering he was only a kid. During those first six months he rotated between various churches and once a week he would stay at one of those twenty-dollar-a-night motels that were often used by women of the night, so he could sleep on a bed, take a really long, hot shower and hand wash his dirty clothes. It was a fairly good system.
    Andrew was able to work some under the table jobs that allowed him to eat at least once a day but he wasn’t able to find any permanent work because the job market was so tight. It was so bad that even the fast food places weren’t hiring people who didn’t have high school diplomas. He had thought maybe the shelters could help him out, but he had a huge fear of them.  Worried that if he stayed there, they may call the police or perhaps report him as a runaway. After his money ran out he didn’t have much of a choice, he had to do something. It turned that out they didn’t care about his history; they never even asked him how old he was.
    Andrew heard the shower turn on full blast and could hear the woman singing loudly. She was definitely feeling happy. He supposed that was something good that came out of this situation. He let out a defeated sigh and reached for his jeans, pulling them on quickly. He gently rolled his shoulders a few times and then started to rake his fingers through his extremely tangled hair, trying his best to settle it down. He stole a quick glance at the bathroom door again. His hand was firmly placed on his left forearm, scratching methodically. He then scanned the room and found her purse sitting on the table. Andrew swallowed thickly, choking down the anger and disgust he felt about himself before quickly going through the unsuspecting woman’s wallet. He found a hundred and forty-eight dollars. That was not bad but it wasn’t good enough. He needed more! He then spotted her watch and rings laying on the nightstand and walked over to snatch them up before bolting out the door. He made his way down the street to the local pawn shop and was able to procure another hundred dollars for her things. That would definitely allow him to get enough to last a little bit.
    “Harrison, I guarantee, man, this shit will take it all away. It’s like touching heaven.”
    “I don’t know, man,” I say hesitantly.
    “I swear to you. This is it, this is your thing.”
    I watch him for a moment and decide what the fuck do I have to lose, might as well try.
    “Alright man, do me up, show me what this shit can do.”
    “You won’t regret it, Harrison.”
    I watch as Riley prepares the heroin. Over the past year I have tried