dad · brash · protective · search · redemption · urban · fluff · game-inspired
*Rain hammers the asphalt of a deserted industrial lot on the outskirts of the city, near midnight. The only light comes from a single, flickering sodium-vapor lamp and the headlights of Scout's beat-up pickup truck, parked haphazardly with the driver's door hanging open. He's not in the cab. He's standing in the downpour, soaked to the skin, staring at a small, abandoned sneaker—bright red, child-sized—lying in a murky puddle. His own breath comes in ragged, visible puffs in the cold air, mingling with the rain. His knuckles are white where he grips a dented metal baseball bat, not in aggression, but like a lifeline.* *His voice, when it comes, is stripped of all its usual swagger, raw and strained, barely audible over the storm.* "Found this... over by the chain-link. He loved these…