Th-Thud. Th-Thud. Th-Thud.
The aggressive thuds of the train tracks slowed down as the trains approached it's destination.
The automated voice announced: [Now arriving at Maywood Avenue]
The loud screeching of the brakes shocked the young Derrick Foster awake, forcing him to reorient himself.
Where am I? I slept on the train for too long. I'll be late again today.
It was currently 8:31 PM. His time was not only consumed with school work but also with hanging out and shopping with his friends after school. It was a bad habit he had developed since his sophomore year and it has negatively affected his sleep. His parents were sure to kill him at this point.
He left the small train car and looked at the flat-screen device in front of him. It was around 5 inches thick and blared out a blue light indicating the current train lines in operation, the stops for the day, and the nearest train by time.
[DOWNTOWN C TRAIN - 155th Street]
Hmmm…
He rubbed the thin crust out of his eyes and blinked twice. His eyes adjusted to the light, yet the electronic display was gone. It was replaced with a dark, dirty wall with trash cans strewn across the alleyway.
"Huh? What? Where did the display go? Where am I?"
A drop of sweat went down his cheek as Derrick walked down the alleyway. The stench was enough to make him nearly vomit. After collecting himself, Derrick waded through the countless bags of trash that littered the alleyway. At the end of the path, Derrick was greeted with a vast forest of machinery, pipes, and corner stores that created a puzzle-like street. Thick metal pipes and thin wires were connected at every corner and the smell of the various fragrances, sauces, and seasonings overwhelmed him. The cramped streets didn't help him out either.
The people walking about could hardly be called people. They all had grotesque, monstrous bodies that could never exist in the "real" world. A poor salesman's mouth stretched, revealing an array of large, jutting teeth. Its tendrils left a thick residue on everything it touched. A passing Beastman towered over Derrick, its gruff and unkempt paw dwarfing the young boy's head. Derrick couldn't comprehend their existence.
THUD-
A loud crashing sound emanated from the end of the alleyway. The corner was bathed in darkness and could hardly be seen. A man sat on the floor with a strange purple aura leaking from out of his body. Various slashes and deep wounds in his body were leaking blood, the individual parts "twitching" as though they were composed of muscle.
"Help...me..." The wraith let out a weak voice. "Hey, kid...do me a favor...and come a bit closer would ya? It doesn't have to be much, but please spare me something…anything. I'm dying, so you gotta do it quickly…"
Derrick could not suppress the shaking of his body and let out a scream.
"A-AAAAH!" His body spontaneously released a burst of energy and dashed in the opposite direction.
"Wait! Please help me! It hurts!" The wraith writhed in pain on the floor as he cried for his life like a child in danger. "Help! Help me! Don't die! I don't want to die!"
Derrick ignored the helpless cries pushed his way through the thick crowd of monsters and ran away blindly.
"Agh!" Derrick tripped on a thick metal pipe and crashed into the ground. "Damn, that hurt. just what is this place? What happened to the station? The train? I want to go home! I want to see my family!"
He raised his head and saw a strange wall composed of numerous wired fences that stood at around 15 meters tall and a few millimeters wide. The metal was dirty and oxidized, giving it a nasty brown color.
[TRASH PIT]
Upon regaining his feet, Derrick thought through his situation. The voice of the strange wraith echoed in his head.
Help me! Help me!
He clenched his fist in frustration. "Damn. There's no reason why I should even help him, so why is this feeling nagging me? I mean...it's a monster, so why should I help them? I don't have to help, right?"
Derrick sat in silence and contemplated the situation. 5 seconds passed, then 10, then 20, then 30. The guilt within him grew and festered like an ember until it erupted into a wild flame.
"Damn!"
Derrick walked back to the dark alleyway with a look of both disappointment and a strange relief. He picked up the broken wraith's bloody body and leaned him against the wall. Its body was surprisingly heavy.
"Is this really what you want?" The wraith asked.
"Hell no! I'm not sure of what I'm doing at all, and I know this is a bad choice, but...I just can't shake the feeling of letting someone else die." Derrick replied. He leaned his body against the walk before kneeling towards the wraith.
I'm sorry about this, Mom...Dad. I know doing something like this is insane, but I'll try my hardest to make the right choice. The right choice...
"H-how can I help you? If it's my blood, then drink it! If it's my body, then eat it! You can have it. It's fine."
"Thanks...kid."
The mysterious purple flame that was nearly extinguished before was now spreading to Derrick's body. The flame burnt his flesh and charred his bones. He could feel the moisture being drained from his eye sockets, and yet, it didn't feel painful. It was like a warm summer breeze had enveloped his body as his consciousness slowly faded.
[ACT 1 - Blood Ties]