A Little Bit Of Joy | ✔

Chapter Fifteen : The Boy Who Cried

"Do you think he's at home or he ran away or something?" I asked Jamal who narrowed his eyes at me.

"I ain't no foreteller so let's knock, shall we?"

"Smartbum," I muttered and we both stared at the door helplessly. We were outside Logan's apartment which was very sketchy. The entire building looked haunted and what was worse was that Logan lived on the twelfth floor which meant taking the helicopter-like noise emanating elevator. The elevator shook like there was an earthquake and I wondered why my grandpa found this apartment to be a good investment. If it didn't help Logan, then I would suggest him to sell the apartment without any delay.

Jamal started banging the door with loud thuds and I rang the bell continuously, but to no avail.

"Should we break the door?" Jamal asked while positioning himself to burst in and I tried to twist the doorknob as the last feeble attempt. Surprisingly, the door slowly creaked open. Jamal shot me an incredulous look and I mirrored his baffled expression. "Holy shit, we got lucky."

"Now, don't behave like you got laid and let's go in," I asserted and barged in the apartment. The tiny apartment was filthy and even that word would be an understatement. The floor was sticky like how it felt when one trod on milk stains. There were clothes and random objects strewn everywhere, boxes of half-eaten rotten takeaways on the table and the minimal furniture was misplaced. There was an odd, foul smell enveloping us which made me feel sick. I had less than a minute to register the disorderly room before I noticed Logan lying on the bed. His back was turned to us. Jamal and I shared one last look conveying our mutual fear on whether he was alright, before rushing towards the bed.

Jamal immediately pulled Logan so we could see his face and I gasped. His hair was greasy and matted to his head while his clothes looked grubby. His eyes were closed and his face was blotchy and seemed as if it was covered with tear stains and dirt. If I were, to be honest, he looked appalling.

"Fuck, is he alive?" Jamal placed his finger near Logan's nose and his body relaxed. "He's alive . . . Dude, wake up! This shit's nasty, you need to wash yourself!"

Jamal shook him with all his might and slowly Logan's eyes half-opened.

"Damn, he takes drugs?" Jamal asked in astonishment and I frowned.

"I don't think he's high," I opined as I tried to look at Logan's sea-coloured eyes which appeared almost black now because of the darkness. His eyes were droopy and puffy. When I flashed my mobile light to get a clearer look, it was red. "Oh okay, did you take drugs, Logan?"

His body was still and by the subtle expressions on his face, it seemed like he was struggling to comprehend what I had said.

"Did you take drugs, Logan? We can help you accordingly, so please reply. Did you take drugs?" I enunciated and to my relief, he finally shook his head. "Did you eat anything?"

He stared at us with his half-opened eyes, a ghostly and distant look on his face.

"Shit, shit, shit, he's going to pass out! We can't let that happen!" Jamal screeched and started slapping Logan's cheeks. "His lips are dry and chapped. JJ, bring water!"

I dashed towards the little kitchen like area and grabbed from the countertop- a bottle which was surprisingly filled with water.

I bolted back towards the bed and hurriedly unfastened the lid. "Here, Jamie."

Jamal sprinkled some water on Logan's face and then squeezed Logan's hollow cheeks with his thumb and index finger to part his lips. He started gingerly pouring water within small intervals of time in his mouth and I was surprised by Jamal's sudden compassion. We let Logan drink water slowly, without any rushing so he wouldn't feel uneasy.