Silla awoke in the morning when she felt the urge to get fresh air. It was so much better than that stuffy air inside the abandoned store.
Declan, however, laid lazily sprawled out on the palate made out of old sheets; at the sight she chucked and opened the broken front door and took a deep breath.
The city air was fresh this morning, almost sweet and floral as the pace of living relaxed to a steady rhythm. It was strange... Everything in the lower ring was polluted; including the air yet it was so calm not even a light breeze blew by. There was no green smog or acidic rain here.
It was an oddity as the City Of Bones didn't have such calm weather. The sky was always in constant chaos much like the city below.
In actuality, now that she actually thought about it, she remembered that the air in the tunnels was unpolluted; quite the opposite compared to the rest of the lower ring.
So then... Where was the fresh air coming from?
The ancient tunnels were rumored to connect to the upper ring. Originally, she had just believed it to be a myth like every other rational person. Could the the rumors be true?
Was it truly possible to leave the lower ring?
Even curiouser Declan knew the tunnels like the back of his hand while most people would find themselves trapped or lost within a few minutes. She couldn't decide whether or not to question him about it. Hence, the young girl figured she could ask Declan once he awakened.
Though before she could do anything, a rough hand clamped down over her mouth.
Arms as strong as steel wrapped around her not letting go, trapping her arms at her sides. Pure fright consumed every cell in her body, swelling them with terror. With every second she practically felt the rise of her blood pressure, but she knew that this was the least of her worries.
She tried kicking the person behind her, but it was no use as he dragged her backward with force. Her eyes widened, and she frantically tried screaming for help, hoping that Declan would notice.
Suddenly she couldn't breathe, it felt as if someone was choking her. Her heart was racing, and all she wanted to do was curl up into a ball and wait for someone to save her. But she knew better than most that no one would, no one was there. Though this didn't stop her from desperately banging on anything and everything around her with her legs to alert someone, anyone; making as much noise as possible.
A choked cry for help forced itself up her throat, and she felt warms drops run down her cheek. It seemed as if this was the end of the road for her.
No one had heard her cries.
The last thing she saw before she was dragged around the corner was the abandoned store they had made their shelter staring straight back at her. Reality started to settle in. She couldn't help but panic and feel her eyes water. Red-hot tears ran down her face, each one carving furrows on the tender flesh that still stung; tears ran down her face, like the water flowing through drains. Rubbing salt into her open wounds.
It was more than crying, it was the kind of desolate sobbing that comes from a person drained of all hope. Her tears mingled with the others flowing down her face and her gasping wails echoed. The pain that flowed from her was as palpable was the frigid winter wind.
This was it.
He had found her.
She was dragged along the street in the direction of a familiar old holocraft; a hunk of junk. A vehicle that Silla had seen many times and had caused dread to boil into the pit of her stomach for years.
In one last desperate attempt she bit his hand causing her kidnapper to yell out in pain and letting her airway be free allowing her to let out a scream that'd make anyone go deaf.
It came from deep inside her and forced its way out of her mouth. It was a blood curling scream. As if a demon was unleashed from the bottom of her soul. Cursing, he slapped the girl across the face making blood pool into her mouth. Angrily, he threw Silla into the back of the floating craft and locked the doors to make sure she couldn't escape.
However, before the engine turned on a door slammed open revealing an angry and worried Declan; miraculously he had heard her. He had came straight from the discarded building. His panicked eyes quickly catching hers, from the back window of the aircraft as Silla banged her fists repeatedly on the glass.
Though it wasn't long until he was spotted coming after the man who had locked her in the back of the craft.
He slowly turned to the much smaller boy. It wasn't long until they reached each other and the violence had begun. The older mans fist slammed into Declan's face while Silla's stomach sank at the sight. His Blood pooled in his mouth as he gagged on the thick crimson.
They stumbled apart for a brief second to catch their breaths before diving back at each other, eyes narrowed in determination.
Thankfully the next time round Declan was able to dodge the fist and come up with his own; for a brief instant the attacker's deep blue eyes had widened before he managed to tilt his head back and slam it into Declan's. Stars burst in the young boys vision but he shook it off, blindingly throwing a sloppy kick.
The man stepped back, easily evading the kick. He threw his body weight behind the fist that edged closer to Declan's face, it hit his jaw with such force blood flew out of his mouth. Pain erupting from the point of impact.
At this rate Declan certainly wouldn't be the victor.
With the man's own two hands he grasped Declan's head in his hands and brought his knee cap up to his nose, there was a blunt crack and the blue eyed man released his sandy, haired head. Crimson leaked from both Declan's nostrils and his nose was twisted right. Not relenting one bit the blue eyed monster drew his fist back again and ploughed it into the boys stomach, like hitting a train head on as Declan the receiver of the blow vomited blood. His scrawny and malnourished body wouldn't be able to take much more. He was already exhausted; even more evident by the natural and unnatural dark purple bags around his green eyes.
Declan's guts smashed together, blood vessels bursting. He repaid this by punching his jaw, the green eyed boys much smaller fist colliding with all his body weight. The hit was strong and his string bean body almost flew back with his punch.
Though the short victory didn't last long.
Out of the corner of his eye, the boy caught a silver glare in the man's hand. By the time he had recognized what it was it was too late. The blade quickly met flesh, soft and lean and made a satisfying squish as the tip of the blade sank deep enough to make his green eyed victim scream.
He twisted the blade in his hands, all the while sinking it deeper and deeper. Declan's marred skin was tearing to shreds as the knife rotated, the sound of his muscles and nerves being gouged growing louder.
Then, without warning, the man jerked it all the way into his back, until the shiny metal had disappeared inside Declan's and the black handle was pushing against bone.
However, it wasn't long till the knife was violently ripped out. A sharp silver glare covered in red shooting towards the boy in what seemed to almost be slow motion.
His singular green eye watching in shock as the blade came closer and closer to his eye; pupil expanding. The pain he felt in his eye was sudden and excruciating.
He could no longer see out of his right eye as a large gash from his eyebrows down to his cheek ran in a straight line over his eye. The dark crimson blood even blurred his vision in his unwounded eye.
He was stumbled back as he held his wounded eye with his hand blood flowing through his fingerd as he held it; knocked to the ground he wouldn't be getting up with his cracked ribs without puncturing an organ or two.
The battering only continued as Declan laid blood running out of his now closed right eye. His chest gently rising and falling with each shallow breath he drew in.
His eye wound felt like the impact of thousands of venomous blades piercing and tearing apart his eye. The cut running over his eyelid and eye and down to his cheek bone.
Though unknown to him when he fell the small music box in his pocket had fallen out and onto the ground.
Noticing Colorful light reflecting beside him through the blood he set his eyes upon it.
Realizing what it was Declan desperately reached out after the small box that was only a few feet from his extended arm.
His appendage reaching further and further almost an inch away from what he so recklessly desired; Not watching the man who had so easily beaten him to a pulp.
Weakly, Declan laid with one arm reaching and the other clutching his stab wound on his stomach; only barely seeing out of one eye, the other one closed with a giant cut over it as a blood trail oozed out and down his face.
In a sick act the man laughed at Declan's patheticness and crunched the boys hand under his harsh boot. Breaking the bones in the process as the green eyes boy screamed out in pain as his hand shook and bent in unnatural directions. Anger evident in his one green eye.
His wide red-rimmed blood filled eye almost screaming out in agony and shock. As if an almost cruel joke the green eyed boy could only watch as the same foot crushed the little music box under its heel in front of him.
He stood still his arm still in a reaching motion as he looked down at the small shattered box in shock almost like he believed if he stared at it longer it would somehow be fixed and put itself back together. The man smirked and spat saliva at the nearly dead boy laying in his own blood on the ground. The disgusting substance running down his face.
Desperately Silla's hands slid down the windows as her body seemed to slack. If Declan was left there he would certainly die. He had already suffered from blood loss when he was shot in the arm but now he had lost so much more of the red life sustaining substance. Not to mention the internal bleeding, he now had. If that didn't kill him, the cold or acid rain certainly would.
All she could do was watch the boy crawl on the bloodied ground.
Seeing her defeated and hopeless expression as he passed the back of the craft the man spoke as he looked upon her. "Dirty whore just like your mother."
He entered the contraption and wasted no time in locking in the proper gears so he could speed off.
Though in one last desperate attempt Declan somehow despite the pain stood on his two feet. One of his injured legs lagging behind the other one. The young boy made a mad dash towards them but before he could reach her, the van suddenly jolted forward. He was limping and holding onto his rib cage but nonetheless ran as battered as he was. His one frantic green eye shining with pain and urgency as his other closed shut eye bled down his face.
Just as he was within arms length he tumbled to the ground; shock filling his facial features. Within seconds he slowly became out of sight, and she could hear him screaming in anger and sadness laying on his knees in the gravel.
Before he was almost out of sight he bellowed out a promise, "I v'ill find you."
Her heart sank as they drove off into the distance. It was highly unlikely that she would ever see him again as she headed towards an all too familiar direction; coming into her early childhood home.
For the man who was driving the white van and took her away was none other than her own father...
The reason she ran away and was living on the streets for so long.
He wasted no time in throwing her into the house, and she landed on the hard floor boards. Silla tried her best to get up but her rib cage wasn't letting it happen.
"Clean the floor with your fucking tongue you ungrateful brat," he spat; his shoe crushing the side of her face as tears gushed from her eyes.
Obeying him, Silla crawled to the bathroom and waited till he left the room. She began to scrub the flooring on her hands and knees with a sponge and a bucket of soapy water.
After an hour the house floor had become so clean it practically sparked. As she was finishing up her father walked in. The smell of alcohol invading her nose as he came closer. Silla looked for any kind of weapon she could use for self defense but she didn't spot anything.
Silla looked over my at her father who was now one step away from her, he held a belt in his right hand.
'O' Gods please help me,' was the only thought that she could mutter.
He slapped her with the back of his hand on her cheek; she fell to the floor holding her stained cheek. He put his knee on Silla's back, so she couldn't move. She saw him grabbing the belt and holding it like a whip.
She felt the belt come down on her back and tears pooled in her eyes. He laughed at the girl and once again let the belt come down on her back. She screamed in agony and let the tears run free.
Not yet having enough Silla's father grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head on the corner of the bathtub. Her brain seemed to fog over as she felt her thoughts and memory's becoming unclear.
Her consensus's faded and sank far down in the oceans of her mind; the sunlight a soft diffuse glow. Those once golden rays from above are only blue in her thoughts and the deeper she sank the less light can penetrate.
Her memories of Declan are now silhouettes in the dim. The light from him he had shown her died quicker than the heat from a winter campfire. The memories in the water seemingly fading.
He eventually got off her and walked out of the bathroom with Selena; his girlfriend by his side. She looked horrible. Like she was in great despair. Her horrified and worried expression clear in her face.
Silla laid on the cold bathroom floor shivering from the cold and the beating she had just received. Tears were running down her cheeks and her back was stinging really badly.
This was probably the worse she had gotten from him.
All the while Silla droned in and out of continuousness. Until she heard a soft voice and a warm fuzzy cloth cover my body. Looking through her hooded dazed eyes Silla looked up to see Selena's figure next to her.
Humming out a low, quiet tune Selena used to sing to her when she was smaller. Her eyes a hypnotizing blue were empty, like the sky. That evening, even the sky seemed to cry.
To Be Continued...