A flash of lighting scorched the black skies. Light illuminated the darkness as if driving away feral beasts. But the true beasts stood before a young man with pitch black hair, and an older man with short and subtle gray hair. The monochrome floor and walls lit up with the flash, revealing the shadows in their human husks. Yin's eyes widened. He almost lost his strength in his legs and refused to puke again. He saw it. Emaciated monsters with blood all over their ivory skin, painting their shades of gray clothing dark. It was blood. He didn't want to know where, yet he cursed his knowledge for allowing him to comprehend the scenery before him.
'Curses! Can… Can we win? Can I win?' Yin thought to himself as he felt his hands clench. But his stomach aching grew, his throat was dry, and his body was thinner than before. He didn't know how long it had been since he's eaten, or even drank. If he could, he would drink the rain puddles outside. But now he also felt a harrowing hatred for rain.
Without time to think, the hungry shadows ran on all fours like feral beasts. The older man was the first to act, rearing his right leg and shooting it out. A sickening crunch is heard as teeth meet against teeth, and flesh meets against flesh. One of the shadows is sent onto the floor as the other three lunge at the older man, tooth and nails all scraping against his thin layer of flesh. Yet his innate musculature gave him the upper hand as he swatted away the feral beasts who couldn't be reasoned with.
Yin stared in horror, but his mindless thinking was interrupted by the sound of an effortless barricade, a wall that stood between him and the feral silhouettes. The older man groaned through the pain and focused on keeping the shadows at bay as they constantly assaulted him without a care for their wellbeing, only seeking him and his nephew's blood to satisfy their hunger. Heith groaned with effort… and after a long battle of silence, he spoke to Yin.
"… Yin. Let me tell you about salvation…" He pushed through the pain from having his flesh torn by hungry nails and vicious teeth. Still, he pushed on.
"Salvation isn't a place you… find!" He groaned in pain, the sound of wet footsteps coated in blood resounded off the steel floor. Another powerful sound is heard as flesh hits against bone.
"Salvation is a place… you make yourself!" He pushed the hungry horde of shadows back, the sound of another bone-crunching crack being heard in the darkness, the darkness that Yin could see so clearly he wished he didn't.
"So… Don't be tied down and… Make your own Salvation!" Yin could see his uncle fighting. He was protecting him… He couldn't help but bite his lip harder, blood trickling down his chin. He felt his eyes water, but he quickly forced them to not cloud his already shadowed vision.
"So go! Find… no, make! Make your own salvation and don't be tied down!" If he could, no, Yin knew. He knew that his uncle was smiling as he held off the feral silhouettes. He wiped his face with his sleeve and ran. He ran with every ounce of energy he could muster. He ran to the corner of the steel cage and grabbed a sickeningly soft yet wet item. It reeked of iron. But he didn't care. He ran to a window and slammed the sharpest part of the torn object with it.
***
Again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
Until he saw it. A crack in the glass.
Yin's eyes widened with hope. But he knew he wouldn't last long if he stopped now. So he smashed the window with the sharp end of the torn object. He knew what it was, but he didn't dare speak of it or think about it again.
'Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Break! Just break and let me free from this hell!'
His words are cut short as the glass window shatters. The glass pane shatters and breaks out to the open world. For the first time, he saw it.
He saw the colorful world. The skies were a murky blue, nothing of the black skies he saw. The grass was a vibrant yet dark green. The roads were a dark gray, and the houses he could see in the distance were so full of varying color he couldn't comprehend it. He felt his hand slip outside, the powerful caress of the rain washed over them. Then his arm, then his head. He couldn't stop himself from falling into a wet puddle in the grass. But he didn't turn back to see what was inside that dreaded steel cage. He dropped the soft object on the wet grass and ran.
The sound of heavy footsteps is heard as flesh meets wet concrete. A young man with pitch black hair and puffy eyes runs along the sidewalk, breathless. Yet he ran. He ran and ran, the colorful image of rural houses blurs past his view. He continued to run.
Yin ran until his feet bled. The scenery changes without him even noticing. The skies were no longer dark, but now a vibrant sky-blue. Fluffy gray clouds accompanied the ocean of blue above as a radiant ball of heat and radiance shone its warmth onto his battered and sore body. The air was humid, a perfect and hot day to cool off.
Yin stepped aimlessly on the sidewalk. His gaze clouded in darkness. It bustled with people. He didn't know where he was, or how he got to this point. He had lost his sense of time. With his gaze stuck to the floor, his head hung down like an anchor. He walked aimlessly, several gazes locked onto him without a word or sound, as if he was on display for the whole world to see. His foot stepped into a drop on the sidewalk. The sudden change jolted him back to reality. The young man looked up to see the clear blue skies accompanied by its cloudy companions. The single ball of light shined, he felt he had to cover his eyes from its radiance. And finally, he set his sights down. The bustling sidewalk he stood at was crowded with lively colors of all sorts. But there was one thing that caught his interest. No one wore black. Only the shadows that were cast were allowed to be so dark in color… And him. Yin looked down at his disheveled clothing that was stained with blotches of maroon. It sent shivers down his spine just thinking about the past. He looked around, seeing the unnaturally vibrant surroundings, looking for one word he knew. Clothes. He needed new clothes, desperately. Not only were his stained, they reeked. Yin huffed and walked into the colorfilled clothing store.