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“Cleb?” I yelled.
I was getting the attention of passers-by. I didn’t care.
I ran down the road, checking the nearest alleyways.
I froze.
There, Cleb stood staring up at a store’s front window.
“Cleb!” I yelled.
I ran to him, dropped to my knees, and embraced him.
“Don’t you dare run off like that again!” I said. “I thought something bad happened to you!”
I wanted to shake him, smack him, anything that would stop him from doing something like that ever again. Instead, I buried my face into him.
“It’s okay,” Cleb said. “I wasn’t alone. This man said he wanted to buy me some candy.”
“What man—?” I said.
My eyes trailed up to peer at the face of the mysterious man.
And my heart seized up.
The man stood semi-encased in shadow at the entrance to the candy store.
“I said I would find you,” he said.
Asshole was even uglier and more sinister than I remembered. His clothes sported more holes and the familiar stench of dirt assaulted my nostrils. He glared at me with a twisted grin on his scarred face.
His hand lashed out and grabbed my arm. He yanked me to my feet.
“You’re coming with me, girly,” he said. “And your little friend.”
“We’re not going anywhere with you!” I said, standing my ground and yanking my arm back.
Asshole pressed a hand to my face.
“Don’t make this any harder than it needs to be,” he said.
Cleb burst into tears. His scream got the attention of passers-by in the street.
That was it, I thought. That was our chance of escape.
I bit my teeth down on his dirty hand.
He pulled his hand away. Anger spiked in his face and I knew what would happen next.
He would beat me. And then he would do the same to Cleb.
Not on my watch, buddy.
I screamed at the top of my lungs.
Everybody on Main Street, including the traffic, came to an abrupt standstill and turned to look at us.
“Help me!” I yelled. “Help me! I don’t know this man! He’s trying to kidnap us! Help us!”
