Chapter 4 : Least of two evils

*Charlotte*

The car pulled into a fast food restaurant, and as the car drove around the small building, Alexander pulled in through the drive-through, right up to a menu board and speaker.

“Welcome to Buck’s Everything Hut. What would you like to eat tonight?” A bored droning voice came from the speaker at the drive-through. The glowing neon sign above the menu board declared brightly in mismatched colors, with a few letters having darkened ‘Open 24 hours.’

It was surreal and absurd to think that I was sitting in this fancy car, my clothes still torn to tatters and covered in dirt and grime while this handsome, absolutely out-of-my-league guy, just drove up to the greasiest dirt-cheap fast-food restaurant in town, all because my stomach rumbled.

I stifled a laugh behind my hand, unsure if it would be appropriate considering Alexander’s kindness as he stared daggers at the menu board, a look of disgust crossing his features as he saw its primary meals included ‘Hamburgers’, ‘Fried Chicken’, and ‘Hamburger and Fried Chicken combo’.

“Do you not have anything that won’t give you a heart attack just from looking at it?” Alexander questioned the poor worker fiercely.

“We have a salad,” The worker droned without missing a beat, “With either hamburger meat or fried chicken slices. I wouldn’t recommend it though. We don’t refrigerate the lettuce.”

I blanched at that confession while Alexander’s face darkened. That was a surefire way to get food poisoning or worse. I shuddered to think of how many unsuspecting victims had walked into that trap though I doubted many health-conscious people came to Buck’s Everything Hut.

“A combo,” Alexander bit out, the reluctance clear as day on his face.

“What would you like to drink? We offer soda-”

“Water,” He snapped.

“Thank you,” The worker said, sounding much like they were on auto-pilot and I sympathized with them. “Pull ahead for your food.”

Alexander grumbled under his breath but did so and I felt bad for making him order something that he clearly was not pleased about. I doubt he’d ever known a Buck’s Everything Hut existed before tonight.

However, my guilt was washed away once we paid and the smell of the food hit me all at once. It was like the force of being hit with a basketball straight to the chest and my stomach growled loudly, begging for just a taste of the food it hadn’t seen in two days.

I couldn’t remember the last time I had an actual meal and not just the scraps from the kitchen. The creditor had only ever served us leftovers and hard bread, which I was certain had just expired from the kitchen service. We’d always have to soak the bread in our water before eating it just to make it easier on our teeth.

Soggy bread was not the most nutritious, especially for me who had still been a teenager when I was brought into this. I was certain the poor diet was the reason I had become so small and skinny.

The worker at the window passed over a plastic bag full of food, their logo on the front and Alexander sneered, seemingly reluctant to even touch the bag but he did so anyway, passing it to me unceremoniously before then followed by the paper cup full of water.

I glanced at the food in the bag and then at Alexander, who pulled out of the drive-through with a huff before he noticed me staring.

“Eat,” He said firmly, and I needed no other permission.

I tore into the bag, not caring about my poor manners as I unwrapped the hamburger first, diving in. It was greasy and dry at the same, a quality certainly fit for a 24-hour fast food establishment, but I swear I had never tasted anything as good.

I scarfed it down, as the grease dripped all along the paper it had come wrapped in. I was starving, and the hamburger had only begun to fill the emptiness in my stomach.

I grabbed the cup of water to help wash it down, not realizing until I had taken my first sip how utterly thirsty I was. It was like the first rainfall in a desert and one mouthful vanished, then another until I was bypassing the straw and just gulping it down as fast as I could.

It was like I had blacked out for a second until all there was left was big clumps of ice pushing against my face and I frowned, setting it back down as I glanced at the massive cup and wondered where on earth all of that water went.

My belly was full though, and I took my time with the fried chicken, splitting it apart with my fingers and taking smaller bites than I had with the hamburger.

Alexander glanced at me every so often, a deep frown on his face but no longer the cold and indifferent look he’d been giving me all night. This was warmer, almost sympathetic, and as much as I hated accepting others' pity, his didn’t feel like it came from a place of superiority.

Alexander, as I was learning, was a much kinder person than his facial expression gave away, and I could tell he had a strong moral compass. He’d helped me, twice, even without knowing my name, bought me food when he realized how hungry I was, and didn’t judge me even when I scarfed it all down like I was starving.

Because I was, I thought, but he didn’t necessarily know that, despite how obvious it must be from how skinny and short I was. There wasn’t any judgment as he pulled out a handkerchief from his coat pocket, handing it over with a softer look.

“Thank you,” I said gratefully, for more than just the handkerchief, and he gave a stiff nod, attention pulled fully back to the road as I wiped my mouth and greasy hands. Once I was clean and the food was gone, I neatly tied all the trash into the bag, not wanting to make a mess in his car, and he relaxed then.

“Um, Alexander,” I said cautiously, hoping I wasn’t overstepping my boundaries, “I’m grateful you’ve helped me so much, but I’m just… curious why, I guess. Who are you and where are we going? Did you just help me on a whim or something? I think it’s obvious, but I don’t have anything to give you in return.”

My cheeks flushed red as I admitted this, both to him and myself. I truly had nowhere to go, not a penny to my name, nor a sole belonging. I was utterly alone in this world and there was no gain Alexander could get from helping me.

As we stopped at a red light, Alexander sent me a cryptic look, like he was searching for an answer to a question he hadn’t thought to ever be asked. I tilted my head, unsure of what he wanted from me, or whether this was where we would part ways now that he’d saved me.

Or worse, if he would demand some sort of payment in return.

“My father,” Alexander said, low voice hesitant as he explained for the first time that night, “was an old friend of yours. My father promised to take care of you. That is why I came looking for you, to fulfill that promise.”

My first honest gut reaction was to call bullshit.

Because my father had been dead for three years. Had suffered a crippling injury before that, and we’d long been in trouble before this point. My father had exhausted every relationship he had trying to keep us afloat in an unforgiving world, and by the end of his life, there had been no one but me willing to come to his funeral.

Well, me and his creditor.

The idea of my father having an old friend, especially one who came from a powerful and rich family like Alexander obviously did, was laughable at best. I narrowed my eyes at him, searching to see if he was telling the truth, or just lying to me to get out of answering, but I couldn’t tell.

His expression was impenetrable, like a fortress with no openings, and I wasn’t experienced enough to see through it. I’d known the man for all of a single night, not even an hour of words spoken between us yet.

There was no way I could tell if he was being honest or not.

But I also knew that I didn’t really have a choice right now. Even if he was lying to me, where was I to go? I couldn’t return to the bar, I knew the creditor would just draw up another contract and force me into a life worse than death.

I couldn’t go out on my own either, even if my debt was now in pieces. Who knows if the creditor had kept other copies of my debt? I wouldn’t have put it past him.

Compared with facing the creditor and the world at large when I had nothing to defend myself with, Alexander was obviously the better choice. At least he seemed to have a conscience.

Not being beaten or harassed, food and water when I needed it, and shelter above my head. That was all I really needed to survive, and if Alexander could at least provide that, then I didn’t mind pretending that I was fooled by his simple explanation.

Lie or not, I’d even thank my father’s grave for his supposed friendship with this big league if it got me off the streets and away from the underground.

“Then I have your father to thank,” I said cheerfully, having made up my mind to keep playing along with him. “Will I meet him where we're going?”

Alexander eyed me and then nodded. “It’s a long way back home,” He said coolly, “Get some sleep before we arrive.”

I nodded, more than happy to follow his directions as I leaned back into the seat, curling towards the window as I gently cushioned my head on the windowpane. The street lights whirled past us in a blur and my belly was full and no longer in danger, the exhaustion hit me all at once.

My eyes closed unconsciously as I began to slip away into sleep. The last thought I remember thinking was that Alexander didn’t seem as cold as I thought. Clearly, he didn’t like me and wasn’t willing to talk to me for whatever his reasons, but he was still considerate of me.

A good person, I thought, relaxing fully as I submerged into unconsciousness.

I was jerked awake but loud gunshots firing just outside, startled enough that I jolted to sit up and I took a moment to survey what was going on. The car had fully stopped though the engine was still rumbling, and in front of us was a blockade made of a dozen cars.

All around the blockade were thugs with guns stationed around us, each looking nastier than the last.

“Give me back my property, you thieving bastard!” A familiar voice declared itself loudly outside, and my eyes widened as I realized exactly what was going on.

The creditor stood amid a gang of thugs surrounding us from every side, and I cursed lowly.

I should’ve known he wouldn’t have let this go.

The creditor had already come back for revenge.