Chapter 5
CHAPTER
FIVE
THREE WEEKS LATER
ALISA
Being homeless is not for the faint of heart.
I wouldn’t say I’m thriving, because that would be a lie.
I went hungry for four days after escaping Clara’s warehouse until a man passed me curled up in a corner.
I thought he wouldn't see me, but he handed me a flyer and told me where there’s a soup kitchen open four days a week.
My lips were cracked from a lack of water, but it rained that week, and I caught what I could in my mouth.
The soup kitchen wasn’t near me and I had to walk a long time to find my way down there.
While I’m sure there may have been others closer to where I was, I didn’t know about them, and I didn’t want to bring attention to myself by asking.
I was lucky enough as it was for him to see me curled up on that street corner.
When I ran from Clara’s, I found myself in a very rural area, so the only thing I could do was go where I knew there would be food.
I’m not from Savannah, and I got lost several times while trying to find the soup kitchen.
Once I finally found it, I had to eat the food slowly so I wouldn’t get sick.
I’ve gone hungry before, that’s no different than anything else I’ve gone through.
What’s hard is constantly hiding my existence from the world.
I once heard that no one sees or notices the homeless, however, they do in Savannah.
I’ve almost been arrested twice in the last three months for sitting in the wrong place.
Now, I spend my days walking aimlessly through the streets until the sun goes down because no one can arrest me for this. Once the world goes dark, I try to find a hidey hole someone else isn’t using until the sun rises again and then do the same thing again.
I’ve slowly found resources like food, clothes, and places to shower, and when I am allowed to do those things.
The shelters aren’t always helpful, but they will sometimes allow me to shower if I catch the right person.
I know they won’t allow me to spend the night, even if it’s raining and gross outside.
They have procedures in place to only allow certain people into the shelters, and omegas aren’t on that list.
My canvas shoes didn’t last very long, and now I’m wearing tennis shoes with a little wear in them, socks, a thin, long sleeved shirt, a pair of lightweight pants, and I even have a hair tie to pull my hair into a thick braid.
I’m willing to handle anything to stay free.
I’m sitting on a park bench today with my backpack of things I’ve collected over the past few months.
People are going for walks together or alone, laughing with friends, and while I have no one, I enjoy the people watching.
It makes me feel like I’m part of society instead of simply existing on the fringes.
In my backpack is a refillable water bottle a church gave me because there are water fountains downtown I can walk to.
I also have a thin blanket to help me hide underneath it, one change of clothing from a church donation center, and odds and ends I’ve collected.
Sometimes, people give me money when they see me since it’s obvious I’m homeless depending on the day, and I save this so I can wash my clothing.
My very existence is tenuous at best in this city, but I can’t leave since I don’t have enough money to. One of my issues is how the city perceives unhoused people. I don’t like sleeping downtown when I have a choice because there’s a large police presence there.
I’ve already been warned away from sleeping there too.
I can’t believe I actually ran into someone I knew from my past last summer.
It’s hard to think about this without feeling jealous.
I may have gotten out of Clara’s through sheer dumb luck, but even I know this can’t last. I refuse to think about Summer and Chase as they were known at Slick Dreams. They were fortunate enough to find a pack, and I ran from them because a part of me doesn’t think I deserve help.
I’ll accept what I need from others in some respects. I can’t survive without some sort of charity, and I know that. I don’t know what I’ll do when winter moves in later, but I can’t tell how close I am to that.
The days move from one to the next, and I have no way to keep track of them.
I’ve managed to figure out what time it generally is based on where the sun is in the sky, and I’m grateful it’s so sunny in Savannah.
I know cooler temperatures will be coming at some point, and I’m definitely not looking forward to that.
Taking a deep breath, I catch sight of a police officer and rise to my feet as the sun hangs lower in the sky than when I first sat down.
He may simply be walking, but I can’t take the chance.
People talk at the soup kitchen, and I’ve slowly started gaining intel about what’s happening in this city.
The police aren’t my friends, and the last thing I want is to get locked up simply for existing in the wrong place.
Lifting the strap to my backpack to my shoulder, I begin walking as I fix the bag so it’s flush against my back.
I’m malnourished despite the meals I attempt to eat a few times a week, but most of the time that’s my own fault.
I can’t always get to the food kitchens I’ve learned about over the last few months, and other times they’re out of food.
At best, I’m just getting by, yet I have to keep chanting that I’m free in my mind.
As the sun begins to disappear in the sky, I leave the park. I’ve learned this isn’t a good area for me to sleep in. There are too many predators and I’m not capable of fighting them off. I’d rather find my spot in an alley a few blocks away from downtown and hide for a few hours of sleep.
As I cut through the streets, I hear heavy footsteps behind me.
Swallowing hard, I tell myself I’m being paranoid, but in case I’m not, I take a deep breath and turn toward a more populated area.
I know there will be tourists moving through there, and I can mingle among them while listening to music before I begin looking for a place to sleep.
“Hey, pretty girl!” a deep voice yells out. It’s hard to keep my lips from curling in disgust because in what world does this work for men?
My anxiety sparks along with the spike in my heart rate, but I continue moving forward. They don’t deserve a response, and I’m hoping they'll get tired of following me.
“Bitch! We’re trying to talk to you,” a man growls, grabbing my arm.
“I’m not interested,” I say, gasping in a breath as I twist to get out of his grasp. “Please let me go.”
My eyes land on the angry blonde grumbling at me who smells like garbage juice and decay. It’s hard not to openly gag, and it’s a day when I actually got to eat. I don’t want to waste my food by throwing it up.
“Are we not good enough for you?”
Twisting away from him, I look for help but anyone who was on this side street earlier has now turned the corner. In a couple more blocks, there will be people everywhere, but I’m royally fucked for now.
“Let go!” I scream, pulling harder away from the alpha. There are two other people with him, including the one who originally hit on me. They’re big men, and I am not.
“God, I love it when they fight.” The man holding my arm uses his other hand to grab my hair and pull it back hard. “You’re going to be so much fun, aren’t you?”
Tears threaten to blind me and I decide to fight him. I have nothing to lose, I’m not going down without doing my best to get away. My nails are broken but I use that to my advantage and tear into his arms. I kick at him, continuing to scream at the top of my lungs.
I plan to be a goddamned problem. Gone is the mouse who does what she’s told. I’m not letting them take me anywhere.
“Damn. You cunt, you’re fucking insane. Be a good—”
“No! I will not be fucking good! Let me go!” I cry out, fighting hard.
“She’s going to ruin our fun.” The first alpha who yelled after me grabs me around the waist and lifts me, holding me tightly as I twist and scream.
His long, dirty hair is pulled back in a bun, and he smells terrible.
“I’ll give you something to yell about. I could use my bark, but Dennis likes to feel the vibration of your screams around his cock. ”
“Did you have to use my name, Max?” the blonde man complains. “This better be fucking worth it. I’m not going to jail for a mediocre fuck.”
“No means no, asshole!” I scream.
“No one is going to go to jail over this girl.” Max, the alpha holding my struggling body, throws me into the alley as he talks to his friend, and I yelp as I hit the ground and roll.
The breath is knocked out of me but I still struggle to my feet and begin to run as I wrap my arm around my aching ribs.
“Jesus, you can still run after that?” Dennis chuckles. “Maybe you’re right, Max. Come on, little omega. I bet you’ll slick really nicely all over his cock.”
“Get…fucked,” I wheeze, continuing to stumble as I run. I’m not sure if this alley runs through to the next street or is a dead end, but I’m not planning to stay in one place while these men are stalking me.
“Oh no,” Max snorts. “We’re planning to do the fucking, baby. You really shouldn’t be walking alone. Hasn’t anyone told you this?”
Dennis jogs ahead of his friends and wraps his hand in my braid before he yanks me off my fucking feet. Gasping at the unnatural angle he holds my head at, I can’t hit him as he also grabs my wrists, grinding the delicate bones in his free hand.
“Such a gentleman,” Max teases his friend as he steps in front of me. The sound of his zipper being pulled down feels loud as my eyes widen. Dennis holds me tightly as he kicks me to my knees, forcing me to be still.
“No. Please. Don’t do this,” I whimper.