Broken bottles, trash, dead rats, and so much more line the streets around where the nearest cafe was.

Although it was like that everywhere around here

The disgusting smell of the uncleaned streets was enough to put most people in a coma

This was Sic's home though.

A young, medium height boy was sitting in an alley next to a cafe, eating what could only be described as an amalgamation of food

Different types of meat, cheeses, and sauces on a single piece of white bread

Not that any of this food was real anyway, it was all processed and didn't have anything you could call nutritional or filling.

It was still food, and food was hard to get around these parts

It didn't take long for Sic to finish his meal. As he got up, he looked around to see if he could discern any familiar faces.

Thankfully, he could not.

There has been a real relentless group of guys who really wanted their money back

Money Sic didn't not have.

Quickly checking one more time, he hastily walked down the street and left into another alleyway.

As he turned, he noticed a group of people who did look quite familiar

'Damn it'

It was them!

He has specificly tried to avoid the spots they were known for hanging out in, so why were they here?

He tried to back away, but it was already too late.

He has been noticed.

The man turned to look at him and smiled "Well, If it isn't the little cockroach! We were just looking for you."

The man's name was Victor. He looked to be in his late 30's, was very tan, and looked like a tank of a human being. He was well built and tall, effectively towering over Sic.

Around him were 3 other men. In all honesty, Sic didn't know any of these mens names. They usually followed Victor around like puppies, and would do anything he told them to do.

Not that Sic could blame them, after all, one of the easiest ways to survive was to put yourself behind someone strong. If you asked him, it was the correct way to survive if you were weak.

None of the men were very noteworthy. They all looked around 20, and looked about the same as all the other people around here

Hungry, cold, and full of hatred.

Turning his focus back to Victor, Sic response in a shakey voice

"I already told you, I don't have the money right now"

Victor looked at him and smiled

"You say that every time. You know, we can't just let you run around freely and keep our money from us"

Sic wanted to restate that he didn't have the money to begin with, but it was too late.

He didn't notice that someone had snuck up behind him, and his arms were now being held behind his back.

Not that he would be able to do anything against Victor even if he could use his arms

Victor smiled "Sorry bout this kid, but you know how we run things around here. You should've thought twice about takin' our money"

Sic snarled "but I di-"

He couldn't finish his statement. Victor had slammed his fist into Sic's stomach, making his entire world go blurry

'damn.. it'

Victor laughed "let's go, leave him there"

The man behind him had let go and was walking away to join the group behind Victor.

"You're quite lucky kid" Victor said in a haughty voice "I'm feeling quite good today, so I'll leave you off with a warning. Get my money soon, or you're a dead man"

He turned around and walked away. The men behind him look at Sic bent over on the floor and laughed among themselves

It was quiet around him as Sic recovered. He proped himself up on a wall for support and began limping away.

He decided to stick to the alleyways, to avoid any more trouble.

He just wanted to get home

Well, more like where he had been staying for awhile

Home would've been an overstatement

It was simply a large box that had once held the last supply of food sent to where Sic had been living

It was barely 3 feet tall and small enough for Sic to stick his arms out all the way and touch the walls, but it was shelter.

And getting shelter around here was almost impossible.

Getting anything in the dumps was. That's where Sic had been born and grown up. Actually, it technically wasn't call the dumps. Those fancy folk had another name for it.

The Rejuvenation Zone

It was a place where people could serve out community service twice as fast.

Although it was so bad here that a sane person wouldnt take the chance.

The reason it was populated at all was because when you don't have money, you basically don't exist. Many people who had lost most or all of their money would come to the dumps, simply because they were not welcomed anywhere else.

That's what had happened to his parents. He did not understand why they had decided to have a kid in the dumps. Maybe their decision making was screwed up after living here for so long, but alas, Sic was here because of it.

Sic was tired. He had gotten the wind knocked out of him, and had worked an extra hard shift at the tunnel to afford that sandwich.

He walked into his home and looked around. On the floor was his bed, which was simply a old potato sack. Looking next to his bed, his single clean pair of clothes was laying nearby. Getting a cleaner around here was hard and expensive, so he tried to wear his clothes as much as possible, even though he definitely smelt cause of it.

laid down on his bed. His bed might have been nothing more than a potato sack on the floor, but it was close enough for him.

Before he fell asleep, his thoughts started to wander on what it would feel like to be higher in society. How enjoyable life can be when you aren't fighting for you existence.

It wasn't likely he would even have that chance, however.

The only way one could become higher in society was to gain more money, and in the dumps that wasn't likely if you didn't want to starve.

There was another way, however

Something called a runic blessing

Sic didn't know much about them.

All he knew was they could give someone superhuman abilities, and that they were impossible to get.

He had heard rumors of people getting these blessings and escaping the dumps, but to Sic, these were just stories so people could hope.

And Sic has long lost his hope in the world.

And As Sic closed his eyes, hearing the noises of the dumps. Bottles breaking, people fighting, he had one final thought

'I wonder if I'll be able to afford food tomorrow..'