Chapter 105 - cleaning 2

The dumpster behind the apartment complex was a monument to poor choices, overflowing with the discarded remains of a dozen different lives. Chase heaved the third bag of trash over the rim, the plastic stretching and groaning under the weight of a hundred old receipts and half-empty bottles of generic soda. He paused, leaning his forehead against the cool metal of the bin, listening to the distant sound of the city waking up. For a moment, the silence was peaceful, a brief reprieve before he had to go back inside and face the relentless optimism radiating from his brother and Jessica.