Being Free
#13 of Writing Prompts
This Week's Writing Challenge: "When generosity comes to an end."
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Alex is let out of the hospital where he'd been for the past year.
But he doesn't feel he's ready to go.
This is the same character as from: https://www.sofurry.com/view/1688775
Being Free
New York, November 12th, 2181
11:15 AM
"Happy birthday to you!" The voices of the orderlies still bounced around in his head.
"Happy birthday to you!" Alex Wei sat in the office, waiting for the head doctor to tell him if he could stay.
"Happy birthday dear Alex!" He stared at the bottles of pills that had been laid out in front of him.
"Happy birthday to you!" The voices faded away, their grim reminder still threatening the white corsac fox. He was tired from the new medicine, and from getting woken up early for his final breakfast. The doctor was shuffling through his papers, signing his final prescriptions. There was an inkling of dread, but it was buried under the filth they pumped into him. The bear was talking into his work, organizing Alex's things.
"Now that you're eighteen, your foster parents can no longer count you as a dependent."
Alex nodded, wordlessly.
"Do you understand what I am saying?" His low voice was a calming presence in the storm of his mind. But Alex was nowhere near it. He'd been weened onto the cheap stuff to prepare for this.
He shook his head.
"I hate to tell you this, but now that you're an adult." He placed some papers in front of Alex, "The state's generosity has come to an end, Alex."
Alex nodded, thoughtlessly.
"You're on your own, now." He looked sad, "Your foster parents have decided not to pay for your further treatment, and we don't have the room to keep you."
Alex shook his head, "I'll be okay." He said, an automatic response.
The bear nodded slowly, "There is a program to get you on your feet. You just have to sign some things."
"What kind of program?" Alex said, signing the papers on the desk.
The bear gave a hopeful grin, "An apartment in the Bronx, It's not much, but you'll have a roof over your head for a little while."
"I don't think I'm ready." Alex sighed.
The doctor shrugged, "I'm sorry Alex, but this is all I can do. Really, I am." He walked around his desk, placing a large furred hand on his shoulder to comfort him, "But you're not a dependent anymore, and you don't have any money."
The doctor gathered Alex's things into a small cloth bag. Looking at it, Alex felt himself reduced to it's contents. His heart felt too heavy to carry himself out of the chair. The bear helped pull him to his feet. Alex was then ushered through the halls. A couple guards followed. They were twice his size, but they were jittery, nervous. They watched him practice all day, every day. Alex was never a problem before, but they knew he had the training to fight nearly anything off. Assuming of course it was outside his head. Because of this, the supervisor called in more guards shifts for this morning.
As Alex shuffled down the hall, his pace slowed. The hallways had become blurred with the tears forming in his eyes and his heart was pounding in his chest. In the corners of his eyes he saw more guards coming into view. He didn't want to leave. He wasn't ready to go.
As he entered the lobby he came to a full stop. The room was large, open. It was empty except for a handful of large guards and himself. The bear had stayed behind. Light from the outside world filled the room from the glass roof above them. He glared at the doors. He was scared of them. The same fearful stares he got from the other men in the room. He was surrounded, standing in the middle of the foyer, stuck in a thought. Somewhere he knew there was no way he could just stay. Someone would escort him out soon.
There was a large furred hand on his shoulder. It was firm, almost uncomfortable to the point of pain. The guard was a badger, the same one who's nose one of his alters, Arrin, broke on coming into this place.
"Come on, don't make this harder than it needs to be." The badger said, slowly pushing him towards the door.
Alex shoved the man's hand off his shoulder, "Hands off!" He shrieked. Dropping his bag, turning to face the badger.
The badger backed off quickly, his hand going for a baton on his belt, "Just calm down, Alex." He shook his head, "I'm only doing my job."
"I can't go out there." Alex was shaking, his fists were clenched, brandished in front of him.
The badger readied the baton, "I'm not your enemy, Alex."
"Alex, please." The doctor's voice came from behind a wall of guards, "This will go better if you leave on your own."
"Don't make me go." Alex said, teary eyed.
Another guard approached him from behind, soon they circled around him, getting closer. They each had a baton ready as and outlier readied a syringe with what was no doubt a sedative. Alex took in a deep breath, relaxing his arms. It was a standoff Alex knew he'd lose, but he still felt like a scared kid, not knowing how the world outside works. They'd have to drag him out and he had no intentions of moving from this spot. He had one idea, something he felt could be safe. He made a circle in the ground with the tip of his shoe.
"Fine.. Move me from this circle and I'll leave." He said, his voice was emotionless, though a smirk grew on his face as his bushy tail wagged.
One of the guards laughed, making the first move. He was a gator, the largest in the group. He lunged towards Alex, trying to grab his arm. The fox was quick in his fluid movements. Untouched, he parried, gently shoving the gator into another guard.
One by one, then two by two, the guards tried to move him, but he stood there. It was a fight of sorts, though Alex made a great effort not to harm anyone. Even as the become frustrated and aggressive, he merely moved them out of the way and stood his ground. Some quickly gave up and just watched the ballet. Filming the ordeal on their phones.
Alex's doctor let this go one for a couple minutes as no one seemed to be in any danger. But the guards that were still attempting the feat were getting more and more angered by the fox. After a guard tried throwing a real punch, he decided this had gone long enough. The punch hit nothing but air, but it caused Alex to lose his playful expression. It was went from a game to a real fight.
"That's enough!" Alex's doctor yelled, "Back up." He said to the guards, who dispersed a bit.
He walked over to Alex, extending his had to the fox, "Alex, take my hand."
With a shaky hand, Alex gripped the bear's soft paw.
"You have to leave your circle, sometime, Alex." His voice was compassionate.
Alex shook his head, "I don't know what I'm going to do." He said, weakly.
"One day at a time, like we talked about." He replied.
Alex looked at his feet, "Just.. Pull me."
The bear shook his head, "I'm not going to pull you. You have to take the first step."
Tears rolled down Alex's cheeks, "I'll be okay, right?"
"You're stronger than you know." He smiled, "I think you'll do fine."
With a deep breath, Alex stepped out of his imaginary circle, into the arms of the bear, who embraced him as he sobbed. One of the other men grabbed his bag, handing it to the doctor as the two made their way out into the busy city.