The morning sun glistened on the crisp snow, as the skinny figure of the boy moved through the shadows beneath the alleyway, carefully scanning his surroundings.
Although a day and two nights had passed, bullet casings embedded in the ground, not covered by snow, and damaged walls still told the tale of the fierce battle that had occurred that night.
Eventually, He Ao's footsteps halted at the exit of the alleyway. He squatted down, brushing away the snow with his thin palms, revealing a large patch of bloodstained snow in his field of vision.
He was silent for a moment, then lifted his head to look forward.
Vehicles passed by in front of him, revealing the wide but worn street before his eyes.
Just the night before last, Yiluo had 'passed by' this street in an SUV with his parents.
He had 'seen' his parents fall before him, watched as their bloodied bodies lay in front of the speeding SUV.
