Author: kbkirtleybooks

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do,” Eddie whispered to Maria, kicking the alleyway wall while the boys slept. He had woken her up as soon as he got back. Usually, he stayed out until sunrise, but thought it would be better to call it a night early after the conversation he had with… Continue reading The Street Rat 108

“Unghhh.” Eddie groaned, rubbing his back as he sat up. Their shelter had been torn apart by the sweeps. The cardboard on wooden pallets felt like sleeping on a cloud compared to sleeping on the tarp laid over the unevenly filled potholes covering the asphalt. The sun set as he pulled the blanket off his… Continue reading The Street Rat 107

“Eddie!” Eddie blinked open his eyes as Maria shook him. “Eddie, wake up!” “It’s too early for this,” Eddie groaned, rubbing his eyes as sirens blared in the distance, welcoming him back to consciousness. “What’s this all about?” “They’re doing a sweep.” Eddie’s heart dropped as he bolted up. “But that’s the third one this… Continue reading The Street Rat 106

“Ba-dada-da,” Eddie hummed to himself, over the sound of sirens in the distance and the hum of A/C units in the windows of the alley. It was the only part of his theme song he’d figured out yet. He was sitting on the cold fire escape in the alley he called home across the street… Continue reading The Street Rat 105

Crack. The gunshot echoed nearby, and screams rang out. Stray animals ran past them farther into the alley, fleeing from the sound. Eddie and Maria leaped to their feet as Tomas and Alex instinctively raced for their makeshift shelter. “You two lay low,” Maria told them in a hushed tone. “We’re going to go check… Continue reading The Street Rat 104

“Dinnertime!” Eddie called, returning to the alley they were living in with a plastic bag. “Tomas, Alex, come eat.” He laid down a rotisserie chicken on top of their crate, as far away from the graffitied dumpster, its smell, and the flies circling it as he could get. “Where did the food come from, Eddie?”… Continue reading The Street Rat 103

The Street Rat 102

The Street Rat 101