Built to survive

I thrashed through different alleys, fusing perfectly with the shadows as the sounds of footsteps grew closer and impatient. The gruff releases of breath of my assailants impatient pants only caused my heart to curl and my bare feet to grow even more numb towards the cuts that this unwavering chase had been awarding me for the last two hours.

But this was it, I had it. Might as well die trying. I stopped abruptly and turned, pulling out the piece of glass I kept safely in my pocket.

"Got you now" the large pig of a man yelled as he ran towards me with his arms spread and his fat unhealthy chest on full display. I watched in horror as he came closer and closer until the sound of a bottle hitting somewhere stole my attention. It all happened much to quickly for me to comprehend. The bottle had actually hit his fore hear, opening his fore heads skin in the process as his entire pudgy frame fell to the ground.

A gasp escaped my lips which I tried to plaster shut with my hands and my eyes widened in horror. I was so frozen that I couldn't even feel the cut on my lip.

"What were you going to do with that?" I shrieked and looked to my left where the voice had come from. It was squeeky and small. It belonged to a boy who seemed my age or a year older and I was only 8. He had long blond had and hard blue eyed. They looked like diamonds. So unbreakable. He seemed to have seen a whole lot of death during his days. Which were pretty countable I guess.

"Answer me" he asked, it was hard to take note of any emotion on his stiff face. He had on a long black jacket, hands were stuffed in his pocket. He also wore some sort of surf shorts or something. I couldn't tell.

"What-t this?" I asked as I moved the glass from my chest area, I didn't even realise I was giving it such a bruise giving hug. Good thing it couldn't feel pain or get any bruise. I on the other hand was bleeding.

"Never mind" he said as he gazed towards the now groan filled body. "Let's go, he'll be waking up soon." He turned around and the nights wind began to blow his jacket and his hair as he walked towards the open side of the two buildings

"But where?" I asked apprehensively. As I took a few steps back.

He only stopped to walk but he did not turn back to look at me as he said. "I don't know about you but my old mom wouldn't truly be happy if I told her or she heard that I left a vulnerable outside without even a giving a single meal and a place to sleep for the night."

Old mom?

"How'd you know I was a vulnerable?" I asked still apprehensively, but a little bit serene I mean this guy did save my life so he wouldn't harm me yet. Vulnerable were what they called street kids, specifically those that lost their parents to the lead mines fall.

"I knew your dad, they all did." He said pointing towards the closed windows that probably had people watching the whole ordeal in fear or pretended to be ignorant towards the matter. Only to voice out their opinions on how I died after I died. Yes we heard her scream last night. Poor girl even her screams sounded young.

"My dad worked with him too." He said, his voice sounding less of a void and slightly human as unwelcome emotion seemed to seep through it. "Even on that one fateful day" his last words merely above a whisper. "The day that ruined our city our lives." His words left him curling his palms into fist.

"I'll rebuild this city, even if its the last thing I do." He lifted his gaze towards the coal black sky with shimmery dots on it. As if he signed an oath with the stars and I was honored enough to be a witness.

"Come on" he reached his palm out towards, but I only stared at it. Listening to the inner battle between my curiosity and self protection.

"Come on" he sighed "i don't bite"he said again as this time he turned fully and looked me in the eyes with his cold blue ones, chilling me to the bone and turning me into a mannequin and then his puppet as my hand joined with his.