Broken 💔

Chapter Three - Don't Leave [UPDATED VERSION]

Elias's Pov

  I wandered silently through the dark streets of the city. I haven't heard my brothers for about an hour now so I'm hoping they went home for the night. I'm honestly surprised they haven't slowed down their search yet. I'm not entirely sure how long I've been out here but it feels like forever. 'Why aren't they giving up yet?' I thought. I was pulled away from my thoughts and onto my stomach when it started growling reminding me why I was even out tonight. 'Right, I need food. There's got to be something around here that's edible.'

  I haven't had a proper meal for at least a week now. The last real meal I did have had to be bought with stolen money though I don't feel bad. The men I stole it from were just some petty thieves, the money likely not even being theirs. Unfortunately, it only got me so far though so now I'm back to doing what I've been doing, surviving off of scraps and old trash like some stray dog nobody wants.

  I continued through the city checking dumpsters and seeing if I could break in to any of the nearby restaurants that had long since closed. After a long search, I barely found anything worth eating. 'Gross, how do people stomach this stuff?' I thought looking at an old half-eaten burger I'd found. Just looking at it make me want to gag but I knew their were sadly people in this city who couldn’t afford to be as picky as me and would be grateful for even this much food.

  I hesitantly picked up the burger and put it in a bag I'd found a while ago. I really hoped I didn't have to eat it but I'd be a fool if I didn't take it anyways. I continued my search for food which took me further and further into the city. I wasn't paying attention to where I'd wandered to until I felt a presence nearby like someone was watching me. I turned around looking for whoever it was but I didn't see anybody. "Who's there?" I asked now highly alert.

  "Hey there, sweetheart" a male voice said followed by someone moving in the shadows. They stepped out letting me get a good look at them. He had tan skin with freckles and strawberry blond hair, the bangs almost as long as mine. He had heterochromia like Jay with his left eye being a vibrant green and the right being a coral red. He had identical piercings on both ears, two black hoop earrings on the helix and two silver ones on the lobe with a chain connecting them. The most prominent of his earrings were the ones on his lower lobes which were shaped like daggers.

  The man slowly approached me, his smile sending a chill down my spine. "What do you want Baxter?" I asked knowing better than to have my back to him. "Oh, so you know me! Does that mean I'm famous now?" he asked stalking around me likely seeing if I'm armed or not. I kept my distance and ensured I was always facing him. I didn't know Baxter personally but I knew through others what kind of person he was and it wasn't the kind you wanted to be alone with.

  As I watched Baxter, I noticed the clothes he was wearing. He had a crimson red hoodie with holes cut out around his elbows. It had a black hood and a black hem as well as a large white star on the front and matching stars on the side of his shoes, the shoes in question as well as his choker being a shamrock green. During the day, clothing like that would be normal but it became strange and concerning to wear something that bright after dark. You'll typically see people wearing dark clothes to blend in and hide from danger. If someone doesn't, it's usually because they didn't need to.

  His blatant disregard to hide himself sealed it in my mind, I was in danger. "Aww, you're shaking. Do I scare you?" he asked seeming amused. He stepped toward me assuming I had no way to defend myself. "Hey, you kind of look familiar. Where have I seen that pretty face before?" he asked reaching out to touch me.

  Out of instinct, I bit him like some rabid dog but he pushed me to the ground barely reacting to the attack. He tried to grab both my hands but I stabbed him with a piece of broken glass I had hidden in my pocket. This time, he screamed and pulled away having wrongfully assumed I was unarmed. When he jumped back, the glass cut his skin more causing blood to splatter on Daniel's white hoodie I was wearing.