Alive in the Snow

1. The Beginning

Deep into the night, loud, fierce winds moved swiftly, shattering the windows it passed. The crescent moon glowed brightly, slightly illuminating silhouettes of the skyscrapers; in contrast to the sky which appeared dark and sinister. The snowflakes danced elegantly as they drifted to the bottom but turned dull black immediately after settling. Soon the city's ground was covered in a blanket of muddy-coloured snow.

Apart from the winds screaming as if, vengeful ghouls were passing by, the atmosphere felt serene until it was disturbed by the footsteps of a policeman walking down the deserted streets. He rubbed his finger along the cracks between the bricks and murmured to himself about how dirty it was. This resulted in leaving a coal-black, powdery stain on his fingertips. Observing the surroundings, he caught a glimpse of his co-worker, Yuvan, across from him.

"Ay Yuvan, ova ere!" - the police officer yelled, in an attempt to catch his attention.

Yuvan turned and started walking in the officer's direction. They both paused under the dim-lit lamppost when they reached proximity outside a post office. The posters on the office walls stated, 'Careful, spies! Government is always watching.'

"What's up Arch? I just spoke with the orphanage down the road." - Yuvan stated as he placed his black leather gloves on.

"Wot at almos' 10? I was down there yeste'day with Sky. Y'know him. Apparently, the orphanage is gonna be 'nocked down to build more of 'em factories." - Archie stated, his southern accent rich.

"What will happen to the kids there?"- Yuvan asked in a sincere tone. He shuffled side to side, in an attempt to warm himself up.

"Who cares man? N'one. They jus' end up on the streets like the rest of 'em." - replied Archie whilst he pointed to an alleyway a couple of feet away.

Yuvan looked in the pointed direction. It was too dark to see anything and the weather made it more difficult. He questioned what was in there. Archie replies that the alleyway was where a few homeless men stayed during the night: all huddled together.

"Who can blame them? You can't find work here easily.''- Yuvan replied, turning his attention back to Archie.

"Yeah, I know. Don't ya feel bad? It's bloody freezing! " - Archie exclaimed.

"Indeed it is. You down for a drink?" - Yuvan added, still shuffling his body.

"One sec, lemme see da time." - said Archie. He rolled up his sleeves and looked at the watch around his wrist. It revealed '9:37'.

"Mate, gotta go, alwight? It's gettin' late, cya!" - Archie yelled as he waved goodbye, walking in the opposite direction.

Yuvan, still in the cold, waved back.

Now Yuvan was left alone. Thoughts of the orphanage appeared in his head. He always wanted to be a father: raising a family was something he dreamed of. Knowing that the orphanage is in debt and is going to be destroyed because of it, he planned to adopt a child the next day.

END OF CHAPTER 1 - The Beginning

NEXT CHAPTER 2 - Unexpected Approaches