Chapter Text
James trudged down the dusty Iowan dirt road. Hitching his rucksack higher on his shoulder, he wiped his nose on the back of his hand and sniffled loudly. He'd been kicked out of his own house by his ass of a step-dad, Bert, less than an hour ago. Ever since his mother let that slob into the house, the boy's life had been miserable. The man beat him, got drunk, beat his mom, made her cook for him, kicked the crap out of Jim and his brother, then passed out drunk. That was basically the guy's average day.
"You can't make him leave, he's only six!" Winona Kirk screeched, running after the man that was carrying her son to be thrown out, Sam, James' brother, following closely behind. The boy was shouting abuse, using words that he shouldn't even know, but the mother could only focus on her baby's panicked expression. "Please, Bert... Don't throw him out, he's just a baby! James!"
"I'll do what I want in my own house , woman," he roared. Opening the front door, he launched a rucksack into the front yard, then threw James after it. He then turned and slammed the door without a second glance. From outside, the six year old could hear the sharp smacks, as flesh met flesh, and the screams of pain that followed.
James looked around, searching for a sign that he was approaching the town. He didn't know much, but he knew that the nearest town was pretty far from his home. Seeing the small black outline of building, he started to feel hope. It took him the rest of the day to reach it, but once he arrived, his weariness and sadness were temporarily forgotten.