Clyde is 13 - 1932

Back on the road, times continued as they had been. Rough and tough. Most looking out for themselves. The trio generally kept off of the road during the day. Each day was one they got through together.

Clyde held his sister's hand tightly and continued down the broken road, with Caesar. His mafioso hat tipped down, covering his eyes from a direct strike of the sunlight that crept from the horizon. The one thing that remained the same through it all. The warm sunlight brushing across his cheeks brought him at least a ray of hope, for better days. It reminded him of his mother's tender caresses long when he had them, bringing a half smile to his face in reflection.

Upon nightfall arriving, Clyde along with Caesar and his sister, sought refuge in a nearby forest. Mist washed all around; making it too hot for him to keep his coat on. Clyde took it off and wrapped it around his waist. They went deep into the forest and found an open pass. Clyde had the two sleep up against a tree while he sat back on a nearby boulder and kept watch for a few hours before Caesar would switch in for him.

The mist around them was annoying considering how moist that summer night felt, sweat slid down his eyebrow. Clyde brushed it away and blinked, making sure to stay awake. He scuffed under his breath and smiled, actually deciding to enjoy the warmth and thought of the cold nights he had before. The warmth the mist provided, reminded him of his mothers warm hugs, the embraces that she'd give him while on her favorite rocking chair, just in front of the house, he hadn't forgotten. It seemed that every quiet moment he got, his thoughts would drift to what was long gone. Such nights, he found himself always missing her and his father, never once did he forget about Rocco. If only he could go back to those times, he lamented how he hadn't enjoyed them enough. The thought of his father trying to get him on a horse, crossed his mind but Clyde soon snapped out of his zoned out state. He jerked his head back and took in his surroundings, listening closely to the chirping grasshoppers that thrived that night along with nearby rustling, most likely mice.

"It could be worse" Clyde tried to lighten his mood. Their surroundings at least provided them with invisibility. Or so, Clyde thought.

“The streets are hard, tough and lean, remote places like these are even worse .. It's impressive to think that a boy would be here .. or rather should I ask, what’s a boy like you doing all the way out here ” He heard a voice but couldn’t figure out where it was coming from at first. There were too many shadows in the surrounding mist. Clyde stood up on top of the boulder, turning his head around as there were shadows all around.

Clyde’s heart spiked, he quickly pulled his silver pistol up, gripping it’s handle with both of his small hands and aimed it around, still unable to pick up where the particular voice was coming from until he caught sight of a new silhouette. This silhouette soon became more visible as the fellow stepped out from the mist.

The fellow seemed substantially taller, looking to be in his late teens; Clyde assumed. He seemed to have a clean cut, his clothes were relatively clean. The most striking feature that stuck out the most being the fellows cunning smile with moles on both corners. One that bolstered sheer confidence.

He approached Clyde without care that a child like him, had a pistol aimed at him. Clyde shot at the ground in front of him, prompting the fellow to pause for a second. He laughed as Clyde heard the sound of guns cocking back. The other silhouettes crept through the mist. Clyde was now on full alert within this seemingly hostile situation. Caesar and May continued sleeping up against a hollow tree, blissfully unaware of what was going on. Three males and a female appeared, aiming their guns down at them. Clyde never expected what came next.

“Here “

Clyde turned out to see the fellow offered him a hand. The individual’s figure came into a better view as he got closer. Clyde got a better look at his freckled face and kept his pistol risen protectively.

" What do you want? To rob us? We've got nothing " Clyde spoke up, taken aback by what the fellow said next.

" No little man, I want you " The smile on the freckled face, widened.

That’s how he met Ally. Who Clyde had believed, to be their savior. That night, the moonlight twinkling around them made Ally resemble an Angel, though Clyde would come to learn that was far from the truth.

Clyde cautiously lowered his pistol. He didn’t see any malintent in Ally’s eyes. Ally asked him if he was hungry. The question made Clyde think back to the struggles they went through that year. He modestly replied. " Yes ... I am " Clyde went through his memory of their travels after escaping the cannibals. Clyde, Caesar and May hid in an abandoned warehouse in the industrial section of another town, Clyde kept a watchful eye out in order to ensure that they weren’t being sought after. Paranoia took its course for some time. They couldn’t stay in one place for too long. To ensure his sister’s safety, he came up with varying degrees of disguises and even pretended to be crippled in one leg in order to gain pity. Other times he along with the other two, pretended to be afflicted with a very severe case of skin lesions, easily created when your hideout is a warehouse full of abandoned dyes.

They had great fun coming up with varying degrees of horrible looking injuries and truly nasty colour combinations. Clyde revealed to the young man who sat down beside him. The two laughed, interacting with one another while the others settled on the other nearby boulders. Caesar and May were awoken to enjoy bread with water as well.

Clyde took another bite of the bread he had been given and took a swig of water from a container he saw Ally take a sip from. Realizing he had been rambling too much, Clyde apologized. Ally told him to go on, his stories were amusing. Clyde nibbled on the interior of his cheek and went on to tell Ally that food was still as hard to come by at that time but a kindly baker had pity on May when he saw her foraging in the waste dumps one evening and gave her a loaf of bread and commented that the loaf of bread reminded him of that baker.

The very next day, Clyde explained; she showed up with himself and Caesar in tow and the baker was amused but warned that his generosity only extended so far. He asked for their help and showed Clyde that he could earn honestly, not steal.

He owed it to the baker. For months, they had a steady source of baked meals, but that only covered one meal in a day, they still had to scrounge for the rest and that in itself was a tall task, the entire country was in the grips of depression and affairs were really dismal. Knowing that, Clyde expressed how grateful he was for the kind baker who was willing to give them meals. If there were more kind people like that, there wouldn't be any more struggles. His hopes were to travel and change hearts and show any children he encountered, that the world's not all bad. He promised the baker to do that, in return for all he did for them. That is, when the time sadly came, where they had to bid the baker farewell.

After parting ways with the baker, they got back on the road and had been on the road for a few days. Clyde finished sharing his memories with Ally, leading up to that moment, he felt Ally flick his hat back to get a clear view of Clyde's light green eyes.

Ally stepped off of the boulder he had been sitting on and offered Clyde his hand again. Clyde took it and Ally told him to join up with his gang then. " From what you've told me, you seem like a hard working kid, It'd be a shame for you to go to waste out here "

At those words, Ally whistled and other whistled echoed through the tree lines. Ally waited for Clyde to take his hand. He watched the boy, curious as to what Clyde thought.

Clyde couldn't bring himself to take Ally's hand. The memory of the cannibals crossed Clyde’s mind, leading him to think that it could be a trap, although Ally seemed trustworthy, he couldn’t risk it.

Clyde brought his pistol up, pointing it to the back of Ally’s head. Before Clyde could pull the trigger as he intended, he was tackled from behind, knocking his mafioso hat off of his head. Clyde landed face first in the grass below. " CAESAR, MAY!!! RUN!!! " Clyde tried to shout in grunts. The two were confused.

Ally picked up Clyde’s pistol and had the others bring Ceasar and May along.

“Don’t trust me ay little man? “ Ally blew over the tip of Clyde’s pistol, aiming it down at Clyde’s line of sight. Clyde growled and then watched Ally shoot the ground in front of Clyde, unloading all of the bullets.

That night, Clyde found himself in a locked cellar of an abandoned cabin the gang found. Through it, Ally explained how they were honestly recruiting and Clyde’s story moved him. He could use a strong willed boy like him. Clyde told him he wanted no part of it, he wouldn’t allow them to harm his sister or his friend.

Ally took a look at Clyde’s sleeping sister, her form frail and pointed out that if Clyde were to go out there alone any longer, she’d die of malnourishment and Clyde would have to live with that for the rest of his life, adding in " not that this is any real life to live, besides consider this .. " Ally's faint laugh followed up with him saying " If I wanted to harm your vulnerable little sister and the other boy, I would have done it already ... think about it for the rest of the night, join up with us and we'll keep you all well fed. Choosing not to do so will lead to your death anyway, they're far too weak to continue the lifestyle you’ve been living little man "

Clyde didn’t respond, laying against a sack. " You'll only have this night " Ally repeated, stepping away from the door but Clyde jumped at the offer now a bit convinced, for it wasn't only the pangs of hunger but the desire to keep those he cared for safe, that drove Clyde to desperation and he along with Caesar joined Ally’s gang, convinced by the promise of steady, stomach filling meals and the opportunity to keep his little sister alive.

Over the course of three weeks, Clyde learned that the new gang he found himself in, had their hideouts and clients who often required their services, ranging from wagon protection to merchant revenge and even outright theft of goods.

All throughout that time, Ally seemed like a great leader. Caesar and Clyde both warmed up to him. Until a certain run in that changed Ally.

Clyde found himself standing outside, near a road again. He adjusted his hat and wiped blood off of his cheek as he recalled what occurred with Ally. He sighed, shaking his head as the memories came.

Back when Clyde settled, Ally along with the senior gang members showed the new trio their regular haunts, areas of interest and areas that were particularly dangerous due to their being held by rival gangs or heavily patrolled by armed guards employed by merchants. They were told of what to avoid and the three listened.

Food was readily available, not plentiful but every member got something to eat, compared to the situation Clyde had been in previously, the new gang experience seemed like heaven. They were soon completely assimilated into the activities of the gang and accompanied them on their operations.

There, Clyde was introduced to the world of the companies and corporations that controlled their world. He soon recognised that it was in this underworld, that his father had been killed, but why? This new question, became one that Clyde kept in the back of his head.

The gangs were literally tiny fish in a big sea, the sea had family gangs as heavyweights, these had grown beyond the gang portfolio and were rechristened as companies with both legitimate and illegitimate affairs being manoeuvred adroitly by the capas who were the leaders of the corporations making power moves to gain as much control of the masses, for themselves.

Ally ran into one of these Capas, who showed him the luxurious lifestyle, one far greater than the one he himself, was in. He contracted Ally to do work for him and promised that he too could become a Capa.

Ally had his sights set on becoming a Capa like the higher-ups and in the gang meetings they had with the level supervisor. In those meetings he had, he'd consume drugs in order to please the higher ups, telling himself that he'd be able to quit whenever he wanted, he just had to become a Capa first. That's just how it worked, he'd tell himself.

Lower gangs all had overseers appointed by the higher-ups to levy their operations, failure to comply would result in erring gangs being crushed and disbanded. Some individuals would simply disappear with no trace whatsoever.

The fear kept the lower gangs in check and also prevented any small gang from becoming too powerful as they were in a constant state of feuding to be the top gang and also to gain the favour of the higher-ups, any plans made to the detriment of the higher-ups were soon reported to them by informants who hoped to gain favour, they unfortunately were often killed, the belief that a betrayer would always betray no matter how favourable the conditions are generally held. No snitch policy.

Ally gradually began to show truly how greedy he was becoming. He started to hoard the majority of their takings for himself and indulge in whatever substance the leaders of the higher gangs had him take whenever he paid them a visit. This being done to control him. Someone who was bent on being on their good side.

When Ally wasn’t called up for visits, he’d become erratic and very hostile towards the others. He’d use everything he had to get a hold of the substances he had become addicted to. These substances were not cheap to come by and soon nothing was left in the gang purse, all they made went straight to Ally’s hand and onto his pursuits.

Most agreed that their hideout became progressively uncomfortable to stay in whenever Ally was there. Clyde couldn’t leave his sister around such people so he got her out, the very moment that the opportunity arose. This came when a woman who had become fond of Clyde watering her garden for free, found out about the boys sister and his situation on one evening. She had the boy sit with her on a bench and conversed with him daily. This woman, known as sister Lillian, who Clyde had a crush on.

She offered to take May in, though she couldn’t do the same for Clyde. The boy thanked her with a brimming smile and took up the kind offer.

From then on, May begun attending a charity school for girls run by the St Louis sisters on the outskirts and Clyde was glad she was no longer as exposed to the rigours of gang living. Though they didn’t see each other as often, May came around to play during the weekend while the sisters did their weekly market run.

Ally often turned lecherous eyes on her during those instances and there came a moment when Clyde walked into Ally staring at her for a long period of time. He got a disturbing feeling that all perhaps was not well. The leader he had came to admire, wasn’t the same any longer. Clyde knew this.

He kept a close eye on his sister from then on, always making sure he was close at hand whenever she was around and on hand to escort her back to the gaggle of sisters on their way back to school.

The gang affairs had steadily gotten worse off and they now often went to their ragged or stuffed straw mats hungrier than they had been at dawn. Clyde was soon running his own little gig with Caesar and a few others when it became clear that Ally’s greediness was now out of hand and things would probably never get better.

They ran small jobs and soon built a reputation for being on time and dealing honestly, literally unheard of in a gang, all due to Clyde’s steady thinking. The jobs soon began piling up and the other gangs got suspicious as to why their regular clients were taking their odd jobs elsewhere.

Clyde got wind of this and shut down their activities for a couple of weeks till the furore died down, he made no other plans for the future, his hands were soon forced nevertheless.

Around the time May would customarily come to visit, Ally sent Clyde and some others out on a scouting lay, it was to survey a supposed score they planned to do for a new client. Clyde was very uncomfortable with the errand and his instincts told him something was very wrong.

Stopping the others halfway to the location, he urged them to return with him, he had garnered some respect with them over the past months and they acquiesced to his wishes, hurrying back, the closer they got to the hideaway, the more Clyde’s heart pounded with fear for May’s safety and unable to stop himself, he began sprinting as fast as he could.

Ally had posted a guard at the front of the hideaway, Clyde noticed upon turning a corner. Something they had not done in recent times, they really were no longer much of a threat to rival gangs and had not been attacked in a while. Surprised, the gang member was unable to warn those with Ally inside as Clyde immediately swarmed him, supported by the rest, they muffled his mouth and then rushed in.

The gang enforcer who was the second in command was down on his knees in front of May, trying to untie the ragged knots that held his britches together, two others held the struggling May down while the other girls were all standing in a corner, horrified and shaken. Their clothes were partially removed. They remained frozen in place.

“ Marah?! What the hell is going on here?! “ One of the guys behind Clyde shouted furiously.

The reason was standing right in front of them, Ally stood over the quartet, his eyes dilated and watery but the hand with which he held the small pistol was steady. He stuffed a powdered roll into his nose and sniffed in a crazed manor. ‘Ahhhhh wwhhhaah ahhh! let’s all leave this hell tonight!”

Clyde yelled out that Ally has lost himself, he’s gone mad. He’s gone too far and upon saying that, guns raised up on both sides. The guys who had attempted to restrain May, let go of her and brought their guns up too.

Ally aimed over and randomly fired a shot, Clyde dove over behind one of the old empty tanks and no one else moved.

Ally stepped out, going down the steps to meet the others at the ground floor, all the while hallucinating. He laughed, accusing Clyde of wanting to take his spot as a Capo. He accused him of taking his gang from him and taking the fun from his life and urged him to come out as he kicked the tank aside in a full rage. He thought Clyde would be there and aimed his gun down, shooting several times, only to see there was nothing there but the shot up tank, with water profusely pumping out of it.

He whipped his gun around and cautiously stepped back. Clyde was hidden, making Ally very paranoid. So paranoid that he waved his gun and told them all not to move, he’d kill all of them if he had to; even his guys.

Clyde took all of this in at a glance and waited for his moment. He fired a shot to startle Ally and moved through the shadows. Ally fired the few shots he had left and twisted his head back and forth, the hallucinations growing worse as he saw the ghosts of those he had killed in the past. Particularly of a certain baker who he had assaulted, having raped and murdered the baker's daughter when the baker had called him a boy.

“I’M NO BOY!!!! I’M A CAPO! I’M A CAPO!” Ally shouted.

Suddenly, from behind, Clyde tackled him with a solid hit to the midriff, the air in his lungs expelled with a whoosh, Clyde hit with enough force that the pistol flew from Ally’s hand to the floor and the momentum took them both through the air and toward a pile of crates with sharp edges that had been broken into by the gang in their earlier tyrade.

The two landed with brute force and the stacks impaled Ally through his back and lodged solidly in his stomach cavity, Clyde landed on him and luckily, was cushioned by Ally’s body. Ally gurgled, blood bubbled to his lips and ran out through his ears. His bloodied hand stained Clyde’s cheek before dropping. Clyde stood and surveyed the body sadly.

“Little man's not so little . . . after all . . . “ were the last words that slipped out of Ally’s lips.

Behind Clyde, scuffles and the sound of punching was heard. The rape buddies had been subdued and the pistol recovered by Caesar who handed it to Clyde. They all pleaded to be spared, whimpering.

“Sorry it came to this, you should have had better control over yourselves . . . “

“We won’t do it again!” Pleads Clyde ignored with a faint smile.

“That’s what they all say.”

“You should have made better choices, like me - Now you have to experience this!“

Is all Clyde uttered as he headed over to the rape buddies and put bullets through their heads without question. The shots frightened those who stood by, making the girls themselves flinch with each pop. All three bodies dropped stiff dead.

Silence descended on the hideaway as the others all surveyed Ally’s body. One of the guys called Clyde over. “ It had to come to this .. “ Clyde sighed regretfully as he used his pistol to tip his mafioso hat back into place. He lamented how things ended.

Sighing a second time, Clyde turned to his sister May and after making sure she had no serious injuries, sent her off to meet the sisters.

The others stared on in silence inside, unsure of what would happen to them now that Ally was no more. They simply all waited in silence. Clyde returned moments later.

Quickly thinking, he turned to the others and said.

“The higher-ups will want to know what happened here and since Ally was not much of a threat due to his greediness and ruthless approach that won him no allies, It's guaranteed we'll be made to suffer for this .. We have to leave now, gather what you need, tie the other traitors up and leave them where they are. They deserve whatever comes to them, we are not coming back here ”.

No one objected and into the dusk, they fled.