The kick very well knocked the breath out of Edmund, and forced his face into cobblestone hard.  He felt skin scrape from his cheek and chin, and grit his teeth against the pain.  Somehow, he managed to feel even more like shit when he heard jingling from above him.

He turned his head, but it only confirmed his fears. 

"Jail?"  His voice was quiet, raspy, weak and pathetic.  Hadn't he come here to leave all that behind?

Maybe it was in his blood.  Maybe that's just who he was.

God.  This was turning out to be the worst fucking day of his life.  He should have taken the warning from the man before and left when he had the chance.