The coldest night of the year peaked as both the moons were nowhere to be found. He pressed his back against the rough cold wall of a remote alleyway. The stench of frozen garbage permeated the air. The cold breeze that cut like glass could not do anything about the stench. The boy pressed his knees into his chest and with routine ease, he ignored the stench all the while he carefully managed his breath for the best efficiency of heat and warmth while getting plenty of oxygen.
Constantly heightening all senses at full alert was the only choice for survival. Hunger, a constant background noise for which the volume button is obtained once in a couple of days, more than that if he is unlucky and that too for a short momentary time that can only reduce the noise by so much.
The cold seeped past his protection, a thin patched-up shirt and a pair of trousers, and froze his already freezing body with frostbites everywhere. The pain was the only constant for the boy since his very birth. Being born in a prison and having no choice but to go to foster care with no other living relatives and with no idea about his mother, something he left behind long ago, something he no longer concerns himself about.
The life of Kaelan Voss was nothing short of torture he chose the moment he decided to run away from the cruel foster care. With the war going on, the crime rates were at their peak as everybody who was a legal citizen and able enough to fight was taken to the frontlines. The foster care turned into a child trafficking and child labour agency soon enough.
Kaelan continued to live as he got used to the constant pain and torture with the liberation given to him by his choice that he never regretted and never would. The darkest night of the last century was at its peak as both moons turned their face to the other side. A rare night that came once a century bringing the peaks of crime with it. The war had long since caused a resource shortage for all of humanity as the people of the cities had their living standards reduced to that of villages as they had electricity coming to them barely once a week.
Kaelan moved through the shadows as he masterfully avoided every eye on the streets with no sound. The stealth was a norm for walking for him. The only place he could be free was in the shadows. The only way to be alive was to stay in the shadows. The 15-year-old boy moved to the usual scavenging spot with routine ease. A torn coat was the only useful thing in the lot. He took it out and moved to the back of the restaurant for his usual wait to find something barely edible. The boy sat down beside the dogs of the street looking for the same time of disposal of the wasted food.
The back door opened and the chef put the bucket full of useless food out with a mechanical motion as the boy looked at the bucket to find the usual mix of inedible food, I am not that desperate yet. The dogs pounced on the bucket toppling it over and devoured the mix of all the food as they tried to fulfill their starved stomach in desperate attempts.
I won't lose my humanity to become like them under the command of my hunger and pain, ever, the boy thought as he saw the dogs.
A blinding white light started to shine upon him, his street-hardened reflexes acted as he hid behind the nearest dumpster only to find the source of light did not cut off! He understood that the source of light was inside himself, in his own eyes maybe.
The light increased in intensity as the rate of increase increased with the intensity. The boy found he could do nothing about it, so there was only a void, no fear as he had nothing to lose. The boy closed his eyes as he rested his tense muscles while being on fully high alert. The light finally covered his vision in its entirety and lasted for a few moments.
The light disappeared. Still on high alert, the boy opened his eyes as his pupils adjusted to the darkness. He looked around to find many people lying down in the clearing surrounded by dense forest. The boy immediately reacted instinctually to move to the remotest and he deserted the corner of the clearing slightly surrounded by relatively less dense trees as he deemed the humans more dangerous than his chances in the forest.
To understand his situation and get to a safer location he moved up a tree with agile and lithe movements. He stood on top of the tallest tree in the vicinity and looked far and wide. He could see the forest ending to his north where the low hills started and a small stream flowed through the groove between the terrain change.
All other directions were an expanse of denser and denser forest as far as the eye could see. With this newly acquired information, he deduced that there were a lot of things unknown about the whole situation.
How were we moved instantly from where we all were to here in the middle of nowhere? I know the outskirts and the forest near our city well, but this is not that forest. There is a lot I do not know, the people are waking up. I know the terrain around here, but I do not know the dangers in these parts I need to be careful of insects and snakes the most in this rainforest. The safest place may be in the clearing itself because I can defend against the people as I know their dangers and their patterns. I can see everyone wearing the same set of shirts, that are not torn and are in perfect condition, and trousers. Huh, I guess I got free better clothing.
The boy thought as he moved swiftly back to where he woke up making the least sound and lying down in the best possible position to defend himself against surprises while also pretending to be unconscious. He perked up his ears and sense of touch to the maximum as he closed his eyes and listened very carefully to every single movement.