Entering into the darkness, the remnants of Kai Cenat splattered on the cliff, all consuming and pervasive, an almost endless night. A few flickers of light blinked into existence, one then two followed by several more illuminating the view – it was a building, no, a city. It was the City of York with its behemothic buildings towering up to the sky and intersecting each other in impossible angles akin to the leaning tower of Pisa. Peering from above, the streets were empty and it was quiet. The manholes burst in the air breaking the silence with trails of black mists one by one throughout the city.
A lone boy in ragged clothes looks up in fear at the sight of the large buildings.
The pre-pubescent boy was Kai Cenat. His hair was withered and his clothes were tattered and his eyes were tired giving his face an aged look despite his height and biological years proving otherwise.
Despite his youth his senses tell him to be on guard when he is within the confines of the ominous city. On the surface the city appears to be an average urban kingdom however Kai's body can't help but shake the feeling that something malicious inhabits and dwells secretively from the shadows where no light dares illuminate the monstrosities that be.
From the corner of his eye he sees a large shadow!
He quickly turns his head to the right to get a better look!
Nothing.
"Pffts Kai!" whispered a hidden man from an alley to his left, catching Kai's attention. The man stuck out his left arm to be in view and motioned his hand inviting Kai over. "C'mon you can't stay out in the open. Look, I struck gold."
Kai quickly hurried into the alley where he found a man rummaging in a city garbage bin, his head only reached to just above his waist. The air was pungent and reeked of disease and grim however this did not disturb Kai at all. "Whatcha find bro?" asked Kai.
The male figure wore a withered outfit: a red basketball sweater vest with a number three on the back, beige pants with tears in them and red and black shoes where the top tips were separated from the soles of the shoes, exposing the male figure's black socks underneath.
The male figure pulled himself out of the waste bin and pulled out a baguette revealing that he was not a man but a boy just a few years senior to Kai. "See. It's still fresh, no mould anywhere. We can eat this!" The older boy ripped a chunk of the bread and handed it over to Kai while he took a piece for himself. "Here, eat this right now and we'll save the rest for later."
Kai, without hesitation, took a bite of the piece of bread, and stuffed it into his mouth, swallowing the bite whole. "Hey slow down. Chew your food. You got to savour it, you know?" said the older boy.
Kai nodded his head in agreement. "Devonte, when do you think momma and the others are gonna come back?"
"I told you already, momma is busy. She'll come back as soon as she can."
"But it's been weeks, Devonte. Is she so busy that she can't help us out?"
Kai's questioning was angering Devonte but he still kept whispering so he wouldn't attract unwanted attention. "Yes! The rent payment was a clerical error or whatever. We were never supposed to lose the house and this will all be sorted out when mom gets back. Yeah, she'll be back soon. In the meantime, we have to worry about ourselves and eat food to keep up our strength. So eat!"
Kai held his head down but looked up at his brother and gave a nod submitting to his authority as his elder, however, his face showed he was clearly unconvinced by the hamfisted explanation.
"Yeah…she'll be back soon, any minute, she'll be back. And the rest of the family too!" said Devonte, his eyes were crazed and wild, staring off into the distance away from Kai.
Kai stared back at Devonte nervously, recognising that something was off about his older brother.
"Okay Kai. I'm going to go back to fetch some more bread – cheese bread, yeah, could even be cheese bread! You like cheese and bread? Cheese bread Kai!"
"Yeah I do bro I do. I like cheese bread. At this point I can eat anything."
"Good. Good. Good…" said Devonte, as he looked away from Kai and stared off into the distance as if he saw an apparition. Snapping his head back he said to Kai, "Remember what I told you. Where is the secret place located?"
"I do. It's the big tree near the bench at the centre of Bronx Park."
"Good good and what are you supposed to do there?"
Kai sighed before he responded, "I am supposed to wait in the hole of the tree. When I hear three knocks on the tree I can come out. I know all this already, can we just go?"
"Finish up your bread. I'll drop you off at the park."
Kai and Devonte made their way to the centre of the city where the park is. The park was the few sources of vegetation a tourist could spot in the cold, and dirty collection of tar, cement, and stone that was the city. They both reached the tree. It was huge and lumbering indicating its ancient heritage. The tree was a giant sequoia and right next to it was a sign that read "THE GENERAL'S TREE" followed by a description of the tree and its history underneath the title. It was a sign for tourists and other visitors who wish to learn more about the city's monuments and other historical figures. At the very bottom of the text was a poem:
The general looks on
The general fights
The general bleeds
On the flowering bud
Of the great sequoia tree
The graveyard
The garden
The seed
The sequoia tree was massive and its roots were thick, protruding above the ground before conjoining into the trunk leaving a massive gap underneath it, large enough for a child or small animal to hide. On the tree was a marking that looked like a lightning symbol too big and too deep for a person to cut into.
"I thought I told you to finish your bread Kai," ordered Devonte.
"I don't want to," whined Kai.
"I said eat the damn bread!"
"Look, it's mouldy. It's gone bad! I thought you said it was fresh?"
"It's not mould Kai. It's just stale. That's why the colour is different."
Kai looked down and closely observed the bread. "I don't know…"
"Trust me."
"Why can't we go to a shelter like everyone else? I hear they serve hot soup."
"I told you this before, so many times, but you don't listen! We can't go to the shelter because they will find us and take us away."
"You always say 'they' this and 'they' that but who are they? No one else knows me but you. I don't see the point in living like this. All I want to do is sleep."
"Don't talk like that!" scolded Devonte. "We are Cenats! We are fighters! We don't give up on life! Plus the reason you want to sleep so much is because you don't have enough energy and the only way to get enough energy is to eat!"
Kai looked away with an upset and unconvinced face.
Devonte sighed and got on one knee. "Listen, I'll tell you the truth. The rest of the story."
Kai turned to face Devonte with his ears perked up.
"Uhh… see… momma ran out of money for rent and she had to uhh… take out a 'loan' from some people."
"Loan?"
"Yeah. It's when someone gives you money now and expects you to pay back the money plus a little more money on top of it in the future."
"I… don't get it. Why do we need to pay them more than before?"
Devonte sighed, "Nevermind that. All that matters is that she was not able to repay them their money and it turns out these people got very angry and mad. They turned into a bunch of meanies."
"Meanies?"
"They are out there looking for us so we went into hiding."
"Is that why we don't see momma and the rest of the family?"
"Now you're getting it! We got separated from them and they are hiding too, just like us! All we need to do is eat as much as we can and find them without being spotted by the meanies."
"It's like Hide N' Seek!" Kai said with an innocent smile.
"Ye-yeah! Just like Hide N' Seek! That's all there is to it!"
"Why don't we call the cops? They could help us find momma and the others."
"Some cops are good and some cops are bad but even worse than that is sometimes the cops work with the meanies – they are secret meanies. It's too big of a risk to involve them."
"Mm okay."
"Pop quiz. What do you need to do while you hide and wait for me?"
"Eat?"
"Correct! Eat the food I gave you before so you won't be sleepy. Then we can go find the others when the time is right."
Kai looked at the mouldy bread one more time. He hesitated, built up his bravery and chewed and swallowed the last piece of the foul bread despite his body's resistance to gag, shivering in protest.
"You know the drill, right?"
"Yeah. Stay hidden in the hole of the tree and don't come out until I hear three knocks."
"Wrong. How many times do I have to tell you this story?" pleaded Devonte.
Kai looked up at his brother with a confused look.
"But you told me three knocks?" said Kai.
The look of annoyance on Devonte's face faded away and he sighed when he realised that Kai was still genuinely confused and didn't know what he was missing.
"Once upon a time, there was a little pig who lived in a nice house but one day a stranger knocked on his door," said Devonte as he kneeled and got close to Kai to tell his tale.
"'Oh that must be my big brother. He must be back from getting the food from the good old farmer' thought the little pig. The pig rushed to the door to greet his dear elder brother but instead found the big bad wolf standing before him. His claws sharp and teeth sharper, moist with drool. The little pig stood no chance. When the elder pig came back from the farmer with food he came to find an empty house with the door wide open."
"Do you know what the little pig did wrong?"
"The little pig didn't check to see if the person knocking on the door was his older brother," said Kai.
"Yeah, and how does the little pig figure out if it is his older brother?"
"By waiting for his older brother to knock and then listen for his voice."
"Good. Now, when I knock on the tree do you come outside?"
"No, I wait and listen for your voice to say my name," said Kai as he faced his head down and started to fidget with his fingers and sulk.
Kai's lack of care was not taken well with Devonte and so he decided to continue the story.
"That's not all of the story."
"Wait, there's more!" said Kai as he looked up at Devonte with wonder.
"Yeah… well… what do you think happened to the little pig?"
"Uh… I don't know. Something not good I guess," said Kai with a little nervousness in his voice.
"Yeah it was not good at all. The little pig was dragged to the big bad wolf's den. The little pig would beg and beg for the wolf to spare him and all the wolf did was laugh and laugh. When they reached the den the wolf threw the little pig inside where he was eaten alive bit by bit by his pups."
Kai was scared and began to shiver at the end of the story letting the scary scene take hold of him. Devonte was satisfied with his look – he would rather Kai be scared if it meant it would increase his chance to avoid trouble and be safe.
"Alright I'm gonna go get that cheese bread for you. Stay put and don't come out until you hear three knocks and hear my voice."
Kai entered the hole and poked his head out to watch Devonte leave into the city. He put his head back in before gasping. It was a rat staring back at him. It hissed at him and Kai froze with fear and sweat formed on his face.
The rat charged, a feint, but Kai was none the wiser. He screamed and quickly crawled out of the tree's hole. "Ew! Rat! Nasty!"
He peered past the side of the tree using its large mass as a cover and surveyed the rest of the forest around him to make sure no one had spotted him. Luckily, no one did. "Phew," said Kai in relief.
"Why couldn't the city be filled with fluffy hamsters instead of disgusting rats?" There was a brief pause as Kai maintained his composure. "Now what do I do?"
He sat near the tree on the grass and waited. The night was quiet and the stars were beautiful. A tranquil breeze flowed through the park. Kai stared up at the sky and slowly lay on his back. He heard a few rustles beside his head to the left. He turned his head and saw a pretty pink tulip. Inside the flower there was a small tulip mouse.
"Hamster?" whispered Kai. The tulip mouse jumped from the flower and hopped away. Kai stared at it for a few more seconds before turning his back to gaze up at the night sky once more with a calm expression.
Devonte walked through the city at a brisk pace, observing the people walking by with his crazed eyes. "Keep your cool Devonte. They aren't here. If they were, they would have made their move already. Just need to get some bread for Kai and head on over to the park. Quick in and out. Quick in and out."
He returned to the same garbage bin where he got his bread. He ran and began to dig frantically at it before luckily pulling a mouldy piece of cheese bread from the depths of the bin.
"Finally caught ya," said a fat man in a chef's outfit behind Devonte. The chef's voice had a heavy Brooklyn accent. He was from these parts, grew up here, and certainly was no pushover. In his hand was a shotgun.
Devonte didn't respond. He just stood still as if he were an animal caught in the headlights of a passing car.
"I was waiting for ya. Got some complaints from the collectors saying that the bags were shredded and there was garbage everywhere. Figured it was a 'coon problem. Guess I was right." The gun clicked and was loaded. The man spoke in a heavy york accent. "I spent 10 years building a respectable business and you are disturbing the peace therefore affecting MY business. Get going before I blow a hole in ya chest. Filthy freeloader."
Devonte scampered off and the chef yielded his weapon. The chef thought to himself out loud, "This is the third time I've tried to scare off that bastard but he just keeps coming back. He probably knows the police will side with him. He hasn't put his hands on me but that just means he don't have a weapon. But if he did, oh boy, my shotgun would be ready. Good thing I left a little present for that thief."
A man in shaggy clothing came out from the side of the street. His clothes were stylish and came from expensive york city brands but had a rough look to it. "Hey. I overheard your little problem. The law won't help you so, if you don't mind, my buddies and I could handle it for a price."
"Huh price? I ain't gonna get my hands dirty over a boy. Besides, he ain't violent like the rest of 'em, just annoying."
"We could scare him off if that's what you want. If you do change your mind, we hang out just down the block."
"Trust me I know. I can smell ya from here. Now leave or are we gonna have some problems of our own?"
"Aight aight I hear ya unc."
Kai was sitting cross legged on the grass, elbows on his knees, using his hands to hold his head up. He tried to find the very top of the trees. He was focused and calm.
"KAI!" yelled Devonte. "I thought I told you to stay inside the hole. It's dangerous to be out in the open."
"I did bu-but"
"I don't want to hear your excuses. Why is it so hard for you to listen to me? This is not a game, this is life!"
"I know–"
"Here Kai, take this cheese bread I found."
"Ew but it's mouldy. It looks worse than the bread before."
"Dammit Kai. We don't have a choice to be picky!"
"I don't want it."
"Eat it."
"I said I don't want to!"
"Eat it!"
"No!"
"I said eat it!" ordered Devonte as he squeezed the bread in his fists and threw a punch hitting Kai square on the nose.
Kai flew back and landed on the ground without much resistance.
Devonte snapped out of his anger realising what he had just done. "Kai. Kai! I'm sorry."
Kai lay on the ground with his nose bleeding and his eyes cold and callous – the life was drained from them due to the betrayal.
Devonte grabbed Kai on the sides of his arms and shook his body back and forth. "Kai! Kai!"
Kai got up with a lifeless frown. "I'm good." He released himself from his brother's grip and turned his back on him and sat in a hunched squat.
"Kai I didn't mean to. You know that I love you. We are brothers after all. Kai?" said Devonte. The apology was heard and he was not forgiven.
Devonte began to have a mental breakdown as he put his withered hands on the sides of his head and his eyes darted all over the place with his head tilted to face the ground in shame. "No no no I can't lose you too."
Devonte took one more look at Kai, his back was against him. Devonte looked at the hand that was used to hit Kai and he balled it into a fist. He pummelled his face repeatedly until blood was pouring from his broken nose.
This caught Kai's attention. "Hey stop! What are you doing?! Stop!" He tried to restrain Devonte by grabbing his arm that was used to punch himself – it was of no use as Devonte was bigger and stronger than him.
Devonte stopped on his own. He grabbed Kai's right hand and took his thumb and used Kai's own hand to wipe the blood running from his nose. Devonte took his own right hand and wiped away the blood spewing from his nose. He then pressed his bloodied right thumb against Kai's and a blood pact was formed. "Kai, we are bonded by blood. We are family. I will never be against you and I will always love you." They stood there face to face for a few seconds.
Kai pulled his hand and picked up the cheese bread off the ground. He entered the hole without looking back or saying a word to Devonte.
Devonte stared for a moment letting the guilt wash over him but he had to keep going. "I am going to head back into the city to get some water and food. We need to stock up."
No response from Kai. Devonte turned and headed back to the city.
Kai bravely entered the hole in the tree. It took a few seconds for Kai's vision to readjust to the darkness. Everything was dark and quiet. Until he heard a hiss. It was the same rat that hissed at him before. Kai froze. The rat stood on two feet to make itself look large and intimidating and hissed again. The rat charged and circled back in a crouched position as if it were guarding something precious. Kai took out a piece of the cheese bread and tossed it at the rat. The rat ran away from the bread and Kai crawled to the opposite side of the hole to be as far away from the rat as he could possibly be.
Both Kai and the rat faced each other from both sides of the hole. The rat smelled the cheese from the bread and approached the bread slowly without breaking eye contact with Kai. Once it got close enough to the bread it gave a small whiff and a nibble before grabbing the bread with its mouth and darting quickly back to its side of the hole. The rat returned to the centre of the hole in its crouched stance – still on guard. Kai broke off another, larger, piece of the bread and tossed it in front of the rat. The rat scampered and took the bread to its side of the hole once more.
Kai heard a sound. Actually multiple sounds. Tiny squeaks like miniature puppies or kittens from the other side of the hole. He squinted his eyes at the rat and that's when he realised that he wasn't alone with one rat. The rat was a mother and he trespassed into her home. He took note that there were five babies being taken care of each taking a piece of the bread. Kai smiled and tossed some more bread.
Devonte didn't have any plans. He walked around the city looking for unattended cups of drinks and boxes of food. Things were getting dire. His stomach growled and began to burn. He needed to find food fast.
My stomach burns. I can easily drink some water from the public tap water in the bathrooms but I need some calories. It looks like I have no choice but to pay the good ol chef another visit. If I just beg him, get on my knees he might give me something fresh. After all, he hasn't called the cops on me yet. He is a good guy, just trying to scare me away is all. No! You heard what he said last time. He even had a gun in his hand. That third time was the last straw for him. He means business. I just need to be really sneaky this time around. He wouldn't expect me to visit twice on the same day, would he? Just got to be sneaky.
Devonte hid behind the wall of a building peeking out for just a few glances. The back door of the restaurant opened and the chef was holding a huge garbage bag of food and he tossed it into the dumpster.
It's my lucky day. Leftovers. I bet they're still fresh too!
Devonte enamoured by the large bag and its contents rushed in without thinking. He tore through the bag and pulled out some garlic bread. He was about to pull some more out of the bag but the door swung open with the chef holding a second garbage bag to throw out.
"You!"
Devonte sprinted away from the street and headed back to the park.
"Dammit! I thought my little gift would deter you from coming back here – give you an upset stomach at least!"
"I hear yelling. Guess he came back?" said the man appearing from the side.
"It's you. You uh–"
"Sup. The name's Jane."
"The boy just–"
"I know. Bold of him to come back on the same day. He clearly doesn't respect you. I was watching him from the other side of the street – he had a big smile on his face too as he ran."
"Th-the utter disrespect. I mean look at me, do I look like I'm some sort of punk. The kid's trying to punk me. Me?! I've been bustin' my ass for my restaurant and in my years I've dealt with far worse! I've earned my stars both in the fields and in the kitchen, you hear?!"
"Really?"
"Of course I did. Spent time in the army and earned my stripes. Proper discipline. When I got honourably discharged I spent years of hard work perfecting my crafts to make the most delicious bread the city of york has to offer. It was tough work getting those stars and packing my spot with customers – it took five years! Then out of nowhere he shows up and scares away my customers with his stench and begging. Just one day and my customer's attendance hasn't recovered since. I mean, can you believe that?!"
"I do, so what now?"
"What do you mean 'what now?'"
"With all due respect sir, he disrespected you. Are you going to let him off the hook?"
"Well I-uh"
"I understand. Have a nice day."
"Wait, where are you going?"
"Back to my crib."
"What about–"
"Clearly you have got a soft spot for thieves."
"Soft spot!"
"Please, I can see it all over your face. You didn't shoot him those other times when you had the chance and you let him get away."
"Well it's that… he's just a kid y'know. I'm just trying to scare him off. Plus the cops would side with the boy and put me away."
"We both know that ain't true."
"You don't know what you're talking about. Last week another kid robbed and beat up Adam in his corner store. When the cops found the kid they just released him. The cops will side with them."
"Or maybe Adam and that kid got caught up in some shady business."
"Ahh you don't know that."
Jane glared back at him.
"Okay so what?" said the chef nervously.
"I can take care of it for a small fee."
"I don't want to get messed up in all this stuff. I've made a stamp here with honest work."
"Fine. I promise we won't hurt him. We'll scare him off."
"How much we talking here?"
"Hmmm… I heard there is a nice spot around here with acclaimed food… heard they specialised in gourmet bread and italian cuisine. Not too pricey, not too cheap. Would be nice to get some goodies for the boys and shawties back home."
Devonte reached the park and headed over to the large sequoia tree and knocked on it three times. "Kai," whispered Devonte. Knock knock knock. No answer. "Kai!" whispered Devonte this time adding some more strain to his voice. Still no answer. Knock knock knock.
There were no sounds. The rats in the nest lay still and unmoving – both mother and babies. Kai groaned and moaned from the knocking.
Kai peered out the hole. "Bro?"
"Kai? Were you napping in there? Doesn't matter, look!" Devonte said, he held out in his arms real gourmet bread that was fresh. "It's fresh garlic bread and it's warm too!"
"Oh"
"I thought you would be happy. What's wrong?"
"No I am. I'm just a little sleepy is all," said Kai as he yawned.
"Not that depressed talk again. I already told you we are Cenats. We are–"
Kai turned and barfed on the ground before collapsing.
"Kai!"
Devonte shook Kai but all Kai could do was continue to groan. Devonte placed the back of his hand on top of Kai's forehead. "He's burning up. It's gotta be a fever."
Devonte put both his hands on his head with his crazed eyes returning. "Oh no, it's all my fault! That bread must have been mouldy and got him sick. If I don't act quickly Kai could… Kai could…"
He picked Kai up over his back and ran to the city.
I can't go to a police station, hospital, or shelter. All those areas are controlled by The Wolves ha. If I set my foot in any of those places they'll capture us and we'd be goners. I can't believe this but the only option I have left is the chef. hahaha. He never saw Kai before so if I just showed Kai he would help. There's enough good in him for him to feel sorry for a sick child, right? Ahahahahahaha.
Devonte ran to the Chef's restaurant but up ahead of him he noticed a girl lying on the floor while another girl stood over checking her out to see if she was okay.
Someone's injured. A girl? I should check up on them and see if she is alright. If she isn't I could ask that lady to take Kai into the hospital for me. Yeah that's it! That way we won't be seen together and the Wolves wouldn't find Kai suspicious hahaha.
Devonte's psyche was crumbling into fine dust flowing in the wind of a vast empty desert.
Devonte placed Kai on the ground at a corner of the street, a few buildings away from the ladies. "Kai, wake up. You're going to be alright. I found someone to take you to the hospital." He ran over to the ladies. "Hey excuse me, is she alright? Hahaha. My broth–"
A figure hiding from a dark alley jumped up from behind Devonte and punched him on the back of the head. Devonte flopped forward onto the ground with his head face planting to the side. He had a wide smile and his eyes were open. He was gone.
"Ha! Did you see his stupid face?" said the lying girl as she got up. She wore a black dress.
"Yeah, I bet he thought he was some sort of hero. That loser. Haha right?" said the woman in the purple dress who stood over her friend.
"Ah shit he's not moving. The boss is gonna be pissed when he finds out."
"Aw c'mon as if he would get mad over trash like this. Look how dirty his clothes are," said the girl in a black dress.
"He smells too. Ew!" the girl in the purple dress said as she held her nose together to avoid the stench.
"Haha you're prolly right. He looks like a bum. Wonder why the boss wanted us to beat the bastard. You think he's from a rival gang?"
"Don't know. Let's get going before anyone else show's up," said the girl in the black dress.
"Hey guys wait a second. I could've sworn he was pointing at something over there at that corner as he was running to us. Go check it out Hanes," said the girl in the purple dress.
"Over there?" pointed Hanes.
"Yeah."
Hanes slowly made his way to the corner without making a sound. He had a handgun in his pocket. He quickly turned the corner and pulled out the gun. There was no one there.
Kai ran all the way back to his hiding spot. He was huffing and puffing. He looked back at the city and then entered the hole of the sequoia tree and lay in a fetal position next to the deceased rat family. There were flies covering them. The stench of decay enveloped the wooden womb of The General's Tree.
Two days have passed. Kai emerged from his hiding place. He was scrawny and more boney. He was like a lone feather at the mercy of a strong gust of wind. He headed to the city.
In the city he walked at a slow pace, heaving left to right and from right to left. He was thirsty and hungry. His stomach rumbled and his lips were chapped and dry. He looked up but the crowd ignored him. Those who did look at him gave a pitiful glance and rushed away from him in order to keep to themselves.
This continued for an hour until a squeak got Kai's attention. He looked around and at his feet where he saw it – a hamster!
"Oh my goodness. A hamster? Hmm. Seems like you're on your own. Did your owner abandon you? My family left me too." Kai pulled out a few crumbs of bread from his pocket and dropped them on the ground to feed him, slowly earning the hamster's trust.
Kai eventually picked up the hamster after it became comfortable. "I think I'll call you… 'Lil Cenat!'" He placed the hamster in his shirt pocket and they were on their way.
Kai explored the city for the next few days, walking around, scavenging for food and water. He drank from the bathroom sinks for water and cruised through garbage bins for leftovers. Another time he saw an open manhole cover and peered in. It was pitch black and gave a menacing aura – a dark and mysterious force was there.
Kai avoided streets with large buildings because he did not like the skyscrapers and huge buildings. It made him feel small. Although sometimes they are unavoidable. He looked up at a large tower with a logo that said "Pollos." Kai looked up at the building and could see a chubby white kid stare back at him with his hands pressed against the glass. They both looked at each other until the chubby boy disappeared from the window. Kai looked ahead and kept walking.
Some more time passed by feeling like aeons to Kai. His vision started to blur and distort. His stomach began to grumble again, and he took his hamster out of his pocket. The hamster was asleep. "Sleeping already Lil Cenat?" Kai took a moment to observe his surroundings. He was in an abandoned part of the city where there were incomplete buildings and scrap cement blocks and unfinished work around him. He began huffing and puffing. Snot began to run down his nose and he began to hobble. "I'm getting sleepy too Lil Cenat. Let's sleep together."
Kai laid himself on the cold concrete ground and stared up at the sky with the skyscraper buildings surrounding him. The snot dripping from Kai's nose began to dry and harden. The pigment of Kai's eyes began to fade and lose its colour. It was cold yet he felt warm at the same time. He had a glowing misty white aura around him.
A miracle happened.
Yes. This will be their resting place. An epiphany hit Kai: He needed the world and the world needed him. All that has been, is. He felt no fear, for all things, himself and the world were connected and meant to be. For the first time in his life he felt serenity. It was all beautiful. The Others: Lil Cenat. The Gang. The Rats. Mother. Himself: Bone. Flesh. Mucous. Brother. Son. Human. The World: The Cement. The Vomit. The Dirt. The Wind. The Skyscrapers. Everything and nothing. All was good in the world.
The Palm of the Almighty.
The skyscrapers turned into an open palm with Kai at the centre and it began to close itself. In the sky, the clouds parted leaving a stream of light to set on the boy. Kai slowly closed his eyes and accepted his fate. In doing so he would have cherished these truths eternally except…
Black appendages burst from a manhole cover above Kai and extended to him.
1.
Kai woke up and continued his aimless journey of walking around and scrounging for food. His stomach grumbled again. So hungry.
Kai bit into the dead mouse's stomach with a look of horror and madness – Saturn ate his Son.
"Where did you go, Lil Cenat? Lil Cenat? Lil Cenat?!" shouted Kai in search of his furry friend. "I'm alone…" as his eyes began to water. He quickly wiped his eyes and nose. "No, I am a fighter," Kai continued his walk.
The hustle and bustle of the crowds started to become more malevolent. He could see their regular bodies but they had wolf heads. He hugged himself and kept moving. "Momma. Devonte. Anyone."
"If it isn't Kai Cenat. It's been a minute," said a voice to his side. It was Jane and his gang. The members were Hanes and two other girls. They appeared as normal humans to Kai. "We're friends of Devonte."
"You know Devonte?"
"Yo Hanes, Vena, Serene, what are you waiting for? This is our guy. Sick em."
Kai screamed and tried to run away but Hanes got him by the arm and pinned him down.
"Cover his mouth. I don't want to make a scene," ordered Jane.
Vena and Serene attacked Kai by stomping on his little boney body with their heels. Their heads turned into wolves and Kai continued to yell in pain.
"C'mon let's go to the boss's place," said Jane.
"Aw c'mon. He's so cute. I love squishing cute things under my heels," said Vena. They stopped the assault and picked up the weak boy.
"Aye wake up. The boss wants a word with you," said Jane.
"Huh, who are you?" asked Kai.
Seated on his own throne was a giant wolf in a purple suit. The Wolves brought Kai down to their lair in the underground tunnels of York City.
"I am the big bad wolf – the one and only kingpin that is in charge of The Wolves. My gang runs the city of york from the underground. Do you know why I brought you here?"
Kai was speechless. He couldn't comprehend what he was looking at.
"You stole money from me, Kai. Will you please repay me?"
"I-I don't–"
"Your family took a lot of money from me and I want it back. It's that simple. We tried to call your family but we couldn't reach them – they are probably at a place far away from here. According to standard finance law all debts are inherited by the descendents."
The big bad wolf looked down at Kai who could do nothing but stare with no words to come about.
"You're unable to pay your debts aren't you? No worries, money ain't the only way to pay back debts… some good old fashioned entertainment would do. Alright go ahead," gestured the big bad wolf.
Jane grabbed Kai and pulled him back to where his gang stood watching.
"No no please," begged Kai.
Jane and his gang beat up Kai without holding back. His bones cracked and caved in as he screamed for help.
Jane and his gang turned into giant wolves laughing over him. The kingpin of the group also started to laugh. Kai then saw hordes of rats explode from the wall behind the big bad wolf's throne and they all raced to Kai. It looked like a black flood. When the rats reached Kai, they all began to nibble and gnaw at Kai's body devouring him.
Kai screamed at the top of his lungs "I want to die. I want to die. I want to die," repeatedly again and again. The sphere of existence within him turned from white to black. It began to shake and erupt black smoke forming a funnel of two tornadoes at the top and bottom of the sphere. There within the small recesses of his subconscious he said "I want to live."
A black smoke erupted from Kai's body engulfing everyone and everything within the vicinity. It took over the entire underground tunnel network of York City and with the pressure from the burst of smoke having nowhere else to go it pushed out from each manhole cover one by one.
In the present, Kai Cenat pulled the upper half of his body from the black blood splattered wall of the cliff. He gasped with his head held high to the heavens as he recollected his past grievances.
He saw a vision of an obscured man with scars on his body and missing fingers kneeling over his limp body and this figure picked him up.
The black sludge that was on the walls began to move to Kai's body on its own.
The vision continued. Kai was on some wheat crops. He saw a boy stand over him.
"Hey bro, Agent! Take a look at this."
A young Agent ran over to the scene. "Oh shit he ain't look too good Dontavious," said Agent with a worried look on his face. "I think he has a fever. He's panting and sweating."
"Let's take him to Fanum. He'll know what to do."
He was reminded of who he was and his tribulations – he was Kai Cenat: once a boy but now a man – the walking corpse of York City. His body fully reformed with the black blood that made up the splatter on the cliff rejoining his body completely. He was perfectly healed. He closed his eyes and looked up to the sky above him, took a celebratory pose and screamed with triumph!