Snippet #2400175

Kyle gritted his teeth and pushed open the door to his tuny flat. His muscles groaned in protest as he limped to his tiny bed and sat down, resting his face in his calloused hands. It had been a long day. Sure, every day was long, but that day had just seemed... longer. At least than most. He leaned his back against the dingy wall of his apartment, moving his hands to his shoes, gingerly removing them. Kyle dropped the boots on the floor, ignoring the hollow clunk and rolling sound as, presumably, another button fell from their leather.
He needed new shoes. His head thumped against the wall as he viewed the subtle humor in that. He needed new everything. New shoes, new clothes, a new job, he reflected sourly as he thought of just how temporary his employment situation was, a new life. And a cure.
He needed a cure most of all, but he didn't see that happening. He didn't see much of anything happening, really. He barely even saw the 'new shoes' thing coming to be. Not on an inconsistent salary. He reached from his bed to the dusty cabinet across from him and swung it open. The hinges creaked, and he pulled out an unmarked bottle. Uncorking it, he eyed the contents as it swirled.
Not tonight. There was an Alliance meeting the next morning. It would be in his best interest not oversleep.
He re-corked the bottle, careful not to waste any of the precious liquid which drained his salary so efficiently, and leaned back onto his bed, staring at the cracks in the ceiling, as he reached above his forehead, pulling the cord that switched off the single light in his apartment.