"Uncle Paul, please!" The boy cried out. "Don't let them take me away!" He cried, his body being dragged inside the vehicle by the strange men who had come for him. He constantly looked at the porch and saw the two old folks standing there, no remorse or guilt whatsoever in their faces. "Aunt Layla… don't let them take me, please!" The Purcells only watched.
"Ethan, brother! Help me!" Karl continued.
"You're not my brother. You killed my brother!" Ethan responded.
How the world could change in a snap.
He saw him head inside the house as the door of the car was shut from the outside. The two men got in, and the car's engine roared. With tears in his eyes, he gave a last glance at the people he called family. From the way they were looking at him, he knew that he was alone in the entire world. Deceased parents, a deceased brother that actually cared for him, and a family that wanted nothing to do with him were all that remained. The car slowly drifted away from the house, as his eyes locked on the folks at the porch. In about thirty seconds, they looked like human figures from afar… and that was the last of them that Karl Stine saw.
His eyes were stuck on the outside, though his mind was buried in an abyss to contemplate what had happened to him during the last few weeks. He had a lot of good things prior but now… everything was gone and he was just by himself. He hoped wherever these strangers were taking him was going to be better. He had no clue of where they were going but he knew that it was different. Life was going to be different, and strangers would be his new family… if he was lucky enough to find a family.
He whimpered a lot as the vehicle made its way through the small neighborhoods of Colorado Springs, his mind drifting away once in a while. He passed the summer homes and saw how families were having the time of their lives, burning barbeque in the back yards and having garage sales. Some children were jumping up and down in their little swimming pools. Family… it was all about family. The love between all that he saw, and how they enjoyed each other's company. He couldn't believe that he had all these once, and now…
After about two hours of driving, the car came to a stop by a building. The two men got out of the car and opened the door for him. He slowly crept out of the vehicle, his trembling stature all well too obvious. One of the men went over to the trunk of the vehicle and pulled out the boy's two suitcases, and one held his hand firmly. The group of three walked towards the building, and the curious eyes of the boy couldn't help but notice the large writings by the entrance. CHILD HELP AND SUPPORT SERVICES: STATE OF COLORADO.
He was led into the reception bay and told to sit on one of the available seats. He looked around the bay that was close to the entrance of the building. There were some children, younger and older than him on his rear, while there were others in front of him. They all looked tired and lost. Some were dressed in tattered clothes while others were fairly well dressed. Some old folks were seated in their midst, and some were by the reception; a slightly long queue of men and women. He deciphered that they were probably looking for their lost children, or…
He played with his feet lightly and fingers too, just to pass the time. After a minute, the two men came for him and some other random boy, and they were directed to a small room. Karl looked at the other boy. His hair was blonde like his and he seemed like they were of the same age. He looked really interesting by the way he was handling himself; cautiously, yet courteously. The two sat on chairs on one side of a table and were given some documents to write their names and ages and a ton of details about them. After two minutes, they were done and they were ushered outside the room and waited by the reception as all the other children were. This time however Karl sat next to the boy, as he couldn't help himself by wanting to talk to him.
"He— hello there." Karl began.
The other boy looked at him strangely, with douching eyes. He scoffed and looked away.
Karl bit his lip in disappointment. It wasn't a secret anymore… life was never the same again.
"Hey, I was wondering if we could talk?" Karl asked.
In response, the other boy got up from his seat and walked to the back seats, and sat next to a red-haired girl. Karl looked around the place with uneasiness. He wished that Dylan was here so that he could at least talk to him, or even see him. He felt like he was the only one that truly cared for him all along… but even so, he had no way to know for sure, The dead don't speak, unless some do. He hid his face in his hands and cried out by himself for a long time. His soft whimpers escaped and he could be heard by the children present there. Some laughed at him, and some never even cared.
Thirty minutes later, three women came and led all the children to a room, which had a long table in the center, with foods… lots of it on it. There were neatly arranged chairs around and plates for the children to help themselves to a meal. Karl sat next to the red girl and the boy sat across from him. From the way they were eating, Karl could tell that the other kids had been here for a long time without something to eat, and were hungry to the pit of their stomachs. He smiled at their greed and joined them later on. Strangers, beautiful strangers.
After the meal, Karl, the red-haired girl, and the blonde boy were led to a black SUV and they headed out of the premises. A man and woman were in the front seats while he and his latter were in the rear. The girl sat between them, zoned out. The other boy though. He really found him interesting. Perhaps it was because the boy resembled him, and reminded him of Dylan. He really hoped that he would converse. The two-hour journey however was filled with nothing but utter silence.