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Chapter 1 – Midnight Cry

“Only you would think to hit a new club on one of the coldest and rainiest nights in Florida, D! Then, to top it all off, you park in East-Bumble-Fuck! We’re going to catch pneumonia and die. Just like our mothers always told us when we were little. Wet hair equals pneumonia, which equals death! Then what will our fans do? Damnit, D, it’s cold!” AJ McLean growled angrily, unrolling the collar of his leather jacket to shield his sensitive neck from the icy mist. His dark eyes were heavy with disgust as he peered out into the dark and chilly night. He was known to have a dramatic flair stitched into his personality, so his best friend and band-mate, Howie Dorough, was immune to his badgering.

“First off, J, it’s not pouring. It’s just a light sprinkle and you won’t melt. Second, the car is just a few blocks away, not miles. I’m sure you’ll survive,” Howie Dorough contradicted, smiling at his younger friend. His dark chocolate eyes twinkled with adventure. He wasn’t aggravated or irritated with AJ’s incessant whining because his nature gave him the unique nature of optimism. He always had a sunny personality to match Florida’s usually beautiful weather, which counteracted whatever depressive antics AJ might spout. “Why don’t you live it up? You never know what could happen on the way!”

“We’re not walking in a deadly rainforest with killer animals, D. This is freaking Florida! The only adventure we could possibly find is a drunk surfer with athlete’s foot!” AJ groaned, hurrying to catch up with Howie’s quick stride. Yet, Howie seemed uninterested in the debate AJ was delivering. Frowning, AJ peered at Howie with confusion. Since ending a long relationship with a woman the band thought Howie would marry, Howie had directed his life in a new direction. His sweet, caring, nurturing, energetic disposition in life thankfully hadn’t changed, but something deep inside his warm heart did. It was as if he were searching for the missing link in his life, yet hesitated on bringing up side a dire conversation.

“Weren’t you the one who told me to take risks?” Howie asked, breaking the silence.

“Yes, and I could have handled a tattoo, a piercing, bungee jumping, sky diving, rock climbing, swimming with sharks, or air gliding. Not freaking walking in the freezing cold! I didn’t care if you endangered your life, but I sure as Hell don’t want you taking me down with you!”

“Did anyone ever tell you that you’re dramatic?”

“Did anyone ever tell you that you’re a smart-ass?”

“Did anyone ever tell you that you’re close to getting your ass kicked?”

“Did anyone ever tell you that you need a new chick?”

Howie jerked in surprise as the banter actually turned quite serious. He caught AJ’s arm with a cat-like reflex. They stood silently in front of a dark alley as small sprinkles of cool droplets layered their skin. Howie cocked his head to the side, obviously surprised with AJ’s blatant remark. The murky change in AJ’s eyes made it transparently clear that the members of their band were discussing their worries about Howie’s misfortune. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing—”

“Wrong, it’s definitely more than nothing. It’s obvious you guys have been discussing my life since whatever. So, c’mon, J, level with me.”

“Honestly?” AJ sighed, tucking his numbing hands into the back pockets of his damp jeans.

“It’d be nice.”

“D, you’ve changed since Roxie dumped you. The guys and I have played stupid for a while, but I can’t anymore. You spin off into dazes, you talk to yourself, you can hardly sleep at night, and those bizarre outbursts aren’t you at all. What’s up with you? Level with me, D,” AJ stressed.

“Roxie didn’t dump me like you all think she did,” Howie countered softly, running his hands against his damp, short, dark curls. He didn’t understand why the boys were so focused on the past relationship. Yes, he had cared deeply for the woman, but it wasn’t meant to be. “I ended it with her when I found out she didn’t want children. She didn’t even want to get married. She just wanted to live in the moment and never be tied down. We couldn’t compromise no matter what we did. She didn’t want kids, I did. She didn’t want marriage, I did. So, I ended it before it got worse. It was for the best.”

“But?”

“But since she left I feel like something’s missing from my life. Or maybe something’s been missing since the beginning but I had Roxie to cover up the hole… I really don’t know, but I do accept what happened with Roxie and I consider her a good friend. And I know that in the long run, she made me realize that something is absent in my heart. It’s so hard to explain, because I don’t even know what I’m looking for, but I know I have to look for something. Like I have to keep looking because God is waiting to give me something special.”

“Like what?”

Howie was about to answer, but a shrill screech echoed from behind them. They were startled at the helplessness of the painful shriek. The howl of agony barely offered a note of humanity, but reeked of heartache. AJ’s heart hammered with fear as he leapt into Howie’s arms for protection. Howie snorted in disbelief and pushed AJ out of his arms. Surprisingly, Howie did not fear whatever miserable creature lurked behind the pitiful sounds. If anything, something was drawing him toward the creature. The sound of need called to his numbed soul with a throbbing intensity. Ever so slowly, Howie began to creep toward the needy wails.

AJ shivered with disgust as he took several steps back from the situation, “What the Hell are you doing?!”

“Something is obviously wrong back there,” Howie replied, unthreading AJ’s fingers from his arm. Howie felt as if he were trying to calm an irrational girlfriend. He was about to speak to AJ again, but the sharp wails grew louder. Howie cringed as the sound bounced against the dark, damp, menacing alley. He felt sick to his stomach, knowing someone or something needed help within the lurking depths.

“This is the point in the movie where the hot-ass chick turns stupid, chases the sound, and gets chopped into tiny pieces with her blood flying everywhere!” AJ whined.

“I’m not a chick, asshole.”

“Well you’re not too damn smart either!”

“Shut up, J,” Howie scorned, traveling deeper into the alley. He clenched his fists at his sides, prepared for an attack. He slowly crept toward the sound of the screeches, but they suddenly ceased. He turned in a complete circle, baffled by the case. Howie stood for a moment waiting for the sound to return. Yet, no sound reverberated from the musty alley. Somewhat disappointed, Howie kicked the lid to a dingy trashcan. Immediately a scrawny cat leapt from its hiding place, hissing wildly. Howie screeched in surprise, tumbled backward, and stirred the wails yet again.

“Are you dead?” AJ called worriedly after a few moments.

“Is that a request?” Howie growled, noticing the wails emitting from the large dumpster. Unable to wait any longer, he peeled back the odorous top, coughing against a gag reflex as he noticed something quiver beneath the piles of filth. Howie sucked in a deep breath away from the garbage, then rummaged deep in the pile that had moved. He made a face when he uncovered a red-tinted Wal-Mart bag. Carefully, Howie pulled away the top of the plastic bag to reveal a bloody mass covered with clumping human tissues. Howie gasped and leaned against the dumpster to study the blue tinted, bloody mass, praying to God it wasn’t alive. He felt his heart wrench as a tiny hand freed from the tightly wound garbage bag and thrust upward into the cold night. The blue hand seemed to reach for Howie as the shrill wails erupted again.

Howie followed the adrenaline flowing through his body as he leapt into the dumpster, freeing the abandoned baby. He fell to his knees in a muddy puddle with the endangered child. He shrugged off his jacket and tore the rest of the plastic bag away from the newborn. He swaddled the shivering body into his jacket, holding it tight to his chest to give it warmth. Tears of anguish rolled down his cheeks as he stared at the bloody child’s blue-tinged lips, noticing only a faint breath occur every few seconds. It couldn’t have been more than a few hours old and needed immediate attention.

“Holy Hell, J, go get the car!” Howie screamed down the alley, stumbling to his feet as he willed his heat into the needy child.

“What’s wrong?” AJ called back.

“It’s a baby! It’s a God-damn baby!”