A Long Way Down

Chapter 1 Despite the late hour the heat was still stifling, causing sweat to run down Daw’s face and soak into his shirt so that it clung to his body like a second skin. It brought back memories of the night, almost ten years ago, when he’d fled home in fear of his life. The ache in his left wrist added another reminder of what had happened as he started up the fire escape to the roof, hoping to find at least a bit of a breeze. He pushed the thoughts away, concentrating on making it to the top without anyone being aware of what he was doing. “Don’t look up,” he whispered when he saw a man, obviously homeless, come into the alley. He froze, one foot on the next step, watching. The man shuffled along, finally seeing a darkened doorway he must have thought was safe enough to crash for the night. Daw knew it was. He’d been there moments before, until the heat drove him to look for somewhere cooler—if possible. When he was on the roof, he turned slowly, checking to see if anyone else was up there. He spotted movement at the far end. In the pale light from the moon, he made out the figure of a girl he thought he recognized, looking up at the edge of the next roof a few feet above her. “Need a boost?” Daw asked, strolling toward her. She spun around, her hands raised defensively. Then she said, “Damn, you scared the s**t out of me, Daw.” “Sorry, Jamie. The question still stands. Need a boost?” Since Jamie was a good six inches shorter than Daw’s five eleven, it was a logical assumption. “Yeah, if you would. I figure it’s gotta be cooler up there.” She tossed her backpack up and it thumped when it landed. “Let’s hope.” Daw put his pack down, linked his hands together, the good one gripping his weaker wrist. “Step up, but make it fast.” Jamie did as he said, grabbed the edge of the roof, and pulled herself over the edge. Then, lying on her stomach, she said, “Hand me your pack.” Daw nodded, did, and then with a running start, jumped up to catch hold of the roof’s edge, and was on it seconds later. “You okay?” Jamie asked, glancing at Daw’s left arm. “Yeah, I’m good,” Daw told her as he bent to snag his backpack, which kept Jamie from seeing the pain etched on his face. “Not much cooler up here, but at least there’s a bit of a breeze.” They moved to the parapet at the front edge of the roof and sat, leaning back against it. “How’s things?” Jamie asked. “How do you think?” Daw replied. “I’m here, I’m alive, so I guess it could be worse. Could be a hell of a lot better, too, but that ain’t happening.” “Yeah, know what you mean. Guess there’s one thing to be thankful for. It ain’t snowing.” “Right now, I almost wish it was.” Daw was tempted to take his shirt off, but didn’t, in deference to Jamie who, he knew, was leery of men to begin with. That she accepted his friendship still surprised him given her background, so he made it a point to tread carefully around her. Instead he wiped his face with the shirtsleeve. “I sweat any more I’m gonna be like that witch in that movie.” Jamie laughed. “I think she melted ‘cause Dorothy dumped water on her.” “Sounds good to me right now. The water, I mean.” Daw turned to peer over the parapet. “It’s so damned hot people are staying in where there’s AC.” “Yeah. Makes panhandling bad. When do we get a break?” Daw snorted. “Never? At least not for guys like us.” “Tell me ‘bout it.” They sat in silence for a moment, then Jamie said, “You hear ‘bout Wink?” “Nope.” Daw shook his head. “To be honest, I haven’t seen him in a while and that’s fine with me.” “Won’t be seeing him again, either. He took a dive off a roof.” “Huh?” “Yeah. Only rumor has it he didn’t do it on purpose. And he’s at least the second guy in the last month it happened to.” Daw slanted a look at her. “No s**t?” He frowned when what Jamie said sank in. “Like someone pushed them off?” “Maybe? I hit up the soup kitchen at that church downtown, umm, two nights ago, to get something to eat.” Jamie chuckled. “Had to listen to a sermon before they fed us but…” She shrugged. “Anyway, some guys were talking ‘bout it. Saying maybe it wasn’t safe to crash on roofs anymore. Least not alone.” “Then we’re good.” Daw pointed to Jamie and himself. “Guess you didn’t believe it, though, since you were up here on your lonesome before I showed up.” Jamie smiled bleakly. “Hot as it is, I figured it was worth the risk. ‘Specially with the smell down there from the Dumpsters.” Daw had to agree with that. They reeked so bad he’d given up Dumpster diving. It meant he had to figure out other ways to get something to eat—like on his knees in a secluded area of one of the local parks, where johns knew they could get a quick, cheap blowjob. Even after all of his years being homeless, he still hated doing that. But like Jamie said, sitting on the sidewalk with a cup, hoping someone would donate some spare change, wasn’t happening right now. “This heat wave better break soon,” he grumbled. “Um-hmm.” Jamie yawned as she settled on her stomach with her pack under her head. “Might see if I can sleep.” “Me, too.” Daw stretched out on his back, using his pack as a pillow, staring up at the dark sky. It took him a while to fall asleep as his thoughts went back to what Jamie had told him. He listened for any signs someone else was on one of the roofs. The only sounds he heard came from the occasional car or truck passing on the street below them. Eventually, he fell into a restless slumber plagued by nightmares of being pushed off the roof, mixed with ones of his last day at home. Those would never leave him alone for long, but he’d learned to deal with them, as he had with everything else in his life since he’d become homeless.