Untitled: 2

It wasn't like the movies portrayed it. There wasn't a group of haggard old men huddled around a fire in a trash can, surrounded by shopping carts. There weren't people wearing shoes that were too small for them with the tops cut off so their toes poked through. No one had a blanket made of newspaper. It was simply a group of people that were, for lack of a better word, camping indefinitely.

"We call this The Square," Darryl explained, extending his arm and waving his hand with a flourish. "It's kinda like our version of a community center; where we all come to hang out and try to have some fun."

After their introductions on the street earlier, Jane had allowed herself to follow Darryl back to where he stayed. Almost a half hour later, she found herself walking into what looked like a run-down neighborhood. The Square was an old soccer field behind a high school that had closed down years before but was never built into anything else. Behind the field were a series of alleys leading into different wings of the school which itself was shaped like the letter E. Darryl led Jane past The Square, which was equipped with benches and an old barbeque grill. There was a handful of people lounging on the benches, talking and laughing. Continuing on, Darryl pointed to each alley as they passed them.

"These alleys are where we sleep. Their kind of like streets in a neighborhood to us. This first one is called Ned's Alley. Named after a man named Ned, surprise surprise, who was one of the first people to set up this place. The second one is Brick Lane cause the wall on one side is crumbling and bricks tend to fall out- just be careful if you ever go down there. And this," Darryl stopped in front of the third alley and once again held out his arm, "this is where I reside. Welcome to The Yellow Brick Road, or the YBR. It used to be called Third Street but once I got here I changed the name immediately. My daughter's favorite movie was The Wizard of Oz, so it just seemed appropriate to me."

"You have a daughter?" Jane asked, looking at Darryl. His eyes quickly fell and he scratched at his beard.

"Yeah." he paused then quickly stood up straight. "Alright, let's go meet everyone, shall we?"

Jane nodded. She would make sure to find out more later.

Untitled: 1

Jane didn't know her real name. Each day as she wandered the streets, she would keep her ears open for interesting names she heard along the way; Pearl, Daisy, Autumn, wondering if any of them could maybe be hers. Darryl told her that Jane was a perfectly suitable name.

"It's a hell of a name, kid," he would say, running his fingers through his beard, trying to comb out the knots. "It's sturdy, personable, classic."

"It's boring Darryl." Jane would sigh, slouching down and picking at her nails.

"Nothing's boring unless you make it so."

Darryl was the closest thing to a parent that Jane ever had. The first day she found herself out on the streets, it was raining and miserable, just like the middle of November always seemed to be. Jane found herself cringing between the weather and the homeless stereotype she was rapidly living up to.

Darryl approached Jane, not the other way around. She was walking close to a row of stores, trying to remain under the narrow awning above the windows. She didn't know quite what she was looking for; a pair of steps, a bridge, an empty porch.

"There's not much around here in terms of shelter."

Jane looked around, searching for the voice. She found its source in a man walking slightly behind her; close enough to hear but far enough to outweigh any sort of creepiness factor. Not sure whether to approach the man or quickly cross the street, Jane kept a steady pace as if to let the man decide the next move of action.

"You're new out here, huh?" the voice returned, the man continuing to keep an accommodating distance. "I can always spot 'em right away. I am a seasoned pro out here after all. Hell, I've been here since you were merely an item on God's To-Do list. Unless you don't believe in God. Either way is fine by me. In fact, I don't really believe in him either. But if you pretend that you do, you always get an extra scoop of crappy food from the church during Christmas time."

The man paused, most likely waiting for a response from Jane. She considered giving one, only to find she couldn't think of a single thing to say back.

They walked in silence for a moment.

"Ah, the silent type, I see. That's fine. If you ain't got nothin to say, why bother wasting the air? That's what I always say. Although, I'm a bit too much of a chatter-box myself to follow my own advice. But like I said, I'm a vet out here. I've earned it I like to think."

Jane stopped and turned around. The man stopped too, remaining slightly back. Jane stared at the man and opened her mouth, although it took a second for any sound to come out.

"Is this one of those deals where you act all nice and friendly and then get me back to your place and it turns out you're some crazy maniac who preys on young girls alone out in the rain?"

A slight yet thoughtful smile spread across the man's face.

"Ma'am, that can't possibly be true on account of the fact that I don't even have a place to be a crazy maniac in."

Jane looked away and then shifted her eyes back to look at the man. She screwed up her mouth in uncertainty and scratched her nose. Taking a few steps forward, she held out her hand.

"I'm Jane."

"Darryl," the man said, stepping forward himself and extending his own hand, "Damn pleased to meet you."