"GET BACK HERE AZUL!" One of many large men screamed, his arm waving above his head as he chased after the teenaged boy.
"Hah….Hah….Hah…" Azul ran as fast as he could, glancing behind to see how far away the mob was.
He smirked mischievously as he focused his attention back in front of him.
There was enough distance between them that he knew he'd gotten away with it.
Up ahead were abandoned mines that had practically been his playground these past few years.
Once he made it there, he was home free. There was no way they'd be able to navigate the labyrinth of collapsed, semi-collapsed, pitch-black mine shafts on their own.
He clutched onto the cloth sack that was slung over his shoulder even tighter as he wiped away blood from a cut on his cheek with his opposite hand.
Sweat beaded down his face and his back as the hot summer sun's rays pounded against him.
The reflection of the sun against the white concrete sidewalks was making it hard to see.
Even the army green baseball cap sitting atop his jet-black hair wasn't offering much reprieve.
Just when he turned the corner and stepped onto the dirt path that would lead him to the mines, three muscular men popped out before him, cracking their knuckles.
Azul grimaced as he slid to a stop.
He had to get around them, once he got to the mines it would be fine from there.
As he spun on his heels, one of the men grabbed his shoulders and head locked him.
"WE GOT HIM BOSS!" They yelled out to the man who had shouted at Azul earlier.
Their boss huffed and puffed as he approached, the men behind him looking exhausted.
"What. Did you think you'd get away with stealing from me?"
He punched Azul in the face and yanked the cloth bag out of his hands.
"Did you take me for a fool? HUH? You think I don't know your fucking tricks?"
Azul gritted his teeth and kicked his leg at the man they called 'boss'.
As he opened up the bag, he nodded at the men holding Azul, resulting in them punching him over and over again.
The bag was full of cash, gems and jewelry, ammunition and antique knives.
He eyed over the contents, making sure that everything was accounted for before turning to look at Azul who was a mess of black, blue and red.
"This is the LAST time you'll steal from me. I've been lenient on you because you're just a kid, but this is my final warning. You come for my shit again, you won't see tomorrow."
With a flick of his wrist, his goons released Azul, causing him to fall to the floor with a groan, before they left.
Azul rolled over, clutching his ribs and coughing up blood, unsure of what to do now.
After laying there for a few minutes, he stumbled to his feet and limped home.
He approached the small, cracked, concrete building that was tucked away into the tree line just outside the city.
His hand hesitated as he placed it on the knob, his heart pounding in his ears.
Slowly, he turned it, trying to make as little noise as possible.
The interior was in complete disarray. Bowls and plates were stacked high in the sink, take out containers littered the floor and tables, crumbs were sprinkled about, and magazines were thrown haphazardly on the couch.
A strong odor wafted through the air and stung his nostrils as he slowly slid inside, careful to not make too much noise.
Blood from his wounds dripped onto the already filthy floor as he quietly stepped towards the room in the back by the old wooden stairwell.
'CRRRRRKKKKK! THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!'
Azul froze in place as he heard the floorboards from above begin creaking along with the sound of heavy footsteps.
He rushed to grab onto the door to his bedroom and flung the door open, quickly spinning inside and closing the door behind him as his father jogged down the stairs.
Azul pressed his bodyweight against the door as he frantically fiddled with the broken lock, but it was too late.
His father slammed into the door with his shoulder, sending Azul flying backwards and into the wall.
The man glared at him, his red cheeks and strong stench of alcohol an indication of his mood.
"I'll azzz'me you din bring home shit." The man's voice was not raised, and while it sounded rather calm, Azul could tell it was filled with rage.
"I'll bring something worth twice as much tomorrow. Don't worry about it." Azul said as he wiped some blood off his lip, his body trembling.
"LISSTEN 'ERE! THAS NOT GOOD 'NUFF! I SAID TODAY DAMNIT!" His volume escalated as he shouted, his spit spraying onto Azul's face and neck.
Without giving any time for Azul to respond, he shoved him to the ground and began stomping against his head.
Azul threw his hands up defensively against the thick boots of the man he called 'father', the rubber soles slammed against his fingers, causing a painful throbbing to shoot down to his knuckles.
After a few more stomps, the man stumbled to the side before bending over and grabbing Azul's blood-stained collar.
"C'MERE!" He yanked Azul up and dragged him over to the living room.
"No! I'll go back out and bring something back right now. Don't!" Azul protested as the man's iron grip held him in place while he flipped up the rug to reveal a hidden door in the flooring.
After flipping it open, the man tossed Azul inside and shut the door behind him.
With a few stomps on the top, he flipped the rug back over and pulled the nearby coffee table over it.
Azul laid on the cold floor in the pitch black, hugging himself as he pulled his shirt over his nose, a poor attempt to filter out the scent of mildew and sewage.
"NO FOOD 'R WAT'R TILL T'M'RR'W!!" Azul could just barely hear his voice come through.
Being thrown into the trashed, falling apart basement with no food or water was a normal occurrence, although he hated every second of it.
The room wasn't completely empty, but nothing inside was of any value. It was filled with garbage and water damage from a burst water pipe a few years back.
Azul was left yet again with nothing but his thoughts, hunger and thirst to guide him until tomorrow.
At least he was able to make a makeshift sort of nest-like structure out of the paper and old rags that were thrown in there.
It wasn't the most comfortable, but it was something, and luckily his 'father' never actually ventured into the hidden room to discover it either.
As Azul lay there, wondering what his life had become, wondering how he got to this place and if he'd ever get out, he heard the table above sliding across the floor.
He stood up and wandered to the small wooden stairs that led up to the entrance.
More shuffling was heard above before the door finally opened, allowing light to enter into the darkness.
Azul squinted his eyes as his father descended the steps.
This was new. Typically, once he was locked in there, he wasn't allowed out until the next day.
There was no way of telling how long he'd been in there for, but it certainly hadn't been until morning and his father would NEVER actually come into the room either.
Before Azul could question what was going on, or why he was coming down, he felt his father's hands wrap around his neck.
Without a second to comprehend what was happening, Azul was pushed backwards against the wall, his fingers frantically clawing at his father's thick hands.
"You w're suppos'tuh be my money maker!!! NOT COSTIN' ME IT! This w'sn't the deal….WASN'T THE DEAL!"
He removed one hand from Azul's throat and reached down to his side.
Azul's eyes widened as he saw a glint reflect off a metal surface.
The man held the knife up and thrusted it toward Azul.
Azul grabbed his wrist and kicked the man's stomach with all his might.
Due to his inebriated state, the man let go of Azul's throat and the knife and clutched his abdomen while he stumbled backwards.
Azul quickly grabbed the knife and thrust it towards the man, his mind blank as his body carried out the actions itself.
The man tried to move, but in his confusion and poor mental state, he moved the wrong way.
He let out a horrible scream as the knife plunged into his eye. Azul yanked it out, completely unaffected by the scream, and plunged it forward again, this time into the man's chest.
With another scream, Azul snapped out of his survival mode instincts, his eyes wide with horror and his hands and body covered in blood.
He left the knife embedded in the man's chest and scrambled up the stairs.
His mind went blank again as his legs carried him deeper into the tree line.
Azul didn't know how far he ran, but by the time his legs gave out under him, he had no idea where he was.
Had he just….killed him? Did he just….commit murder?
His heart was pounding in chest and he felt like he was going to throw up. His body trembled as he frantically tried to wipe the blood off his hands onto his pants.
Azul's eyes shot open to see the hospital room he'd fallen asleep in.
That's right….that memory…..that was the last time he'd ever been scared.
Until today…..
He looked down to see Sira next to him staring.
'Thank god….' As he let out a sigh of relief he didn't know he was holding, he wrapped his arms around her and yanked her towards him, holding her tight.