Runnerland — John Burns

Peter's just a normal teenager living a normal life  -- until his father suddenly dies and his world is turned upside down. Already teetering on the brink of despair, Peter goes over the edge when he accidentally discovers that he was adopted. Feeling betrayed, overwhelmed, and confused, Peter runs away from home and goes underground, living with other street children in a squat ruled by the creepy yet charismatic Dekman. The constant panhandling soon bores him, and Peter finds himself blacking out, escaping to a strange subconscious world he calls Runnerland. As the pressures on the street and in the squat mount, the borders between Runnerland and the real world begin to blur, forcing Peter to make some hard choices and seek answers to the questions he's been avoiding. But can he escape Dekman's cult-like gang? And if so, where will he go? Cautionary without being demeaning, Runnerland portrays life on the street with chilling accuracy.