Zero only has one goal, to be human. Escaping from the cell that once contained her, the outside world, which she longed to see for so long, is filled with more darkness than she expected.
She is faced with a world that is determined to label her a...
Under the pitch-black cover of the night, a dark figure swathed in clothing far too big for them wandered through the empty streets. The streets were lit by the faint light emitted from the moon. The streetlights were painted with brown rust from not being used. There was not a soul in sight, for the area was ruled by crime. No one wanted to end up as collateral damage to the territorial gun fights the gangs would have.
Two streets ahead in a dark alley filled with the putrid stench of rotting garbage. A team of five people were beating up an unarmed man. They hoped to add his lifeless body to the garbage heaps behind them if he didn't cooperate with their demands. They were armed to the teeth with guns and knives but had opted to use their fists to teach him a lesson.
The man was curled up in a ball, his teeth gnashed as he held back his screams of agony that welled up in his throat. He would not give them the satisfaction of showing his emotions.
'Look at this, The great Kim Namjoon is lying on the floor like a useless baby', each sentence was accompanied by a kick to his stomach.
'Bugsy sends his regards'. Even when beaten up, Namjoon still mustered enough energy to roll his eyes at the mention of the petty drug lord who ran the Mines.
His breath came out in laboured gasps.
'You guys are a bunch of worthless cowards', his voice was muffled against the blackened pavement he lay on that was grey once upon a time. He didn't even have the strength to raise his head.
They roared with malicious laughter like it was the most comic sentence in the world.
Namjoon stifled the groan that sat at the tip of his tongue. Their grating laughter would make anyone want to rip out their eardrums. But he had to distract them for long enough to escape.
'Oh Namjoon, you are nothing but a petty thief pretending to be a big gangster', a voice mocked.
Although the words struck a chord, they were true.
The world wasn't sunshine and rainbows. Being from the Mines meant you either had to sell your labour to collect gold or become a gangster, no in between. He just chose the highest-paying job. He didn't want to live on a merge paycheck to paycheck until his muscles couldn't take it anymore and died alone like so many others before him.
He created a gang but on his terms. They weren't going to be shedding unnecessary blood or committing malicious crimes. They would steal from the rich and give to the poor. Their message had made them the pride of the people but the thorn in the side of their rival gang.
'At least I'm not a killer', he retorted in a childish tone.
That resulted in a pair of hands making their way to his silver hair in a painful grasp.
'You act so high and mighty now but one day you will have blood on your hands', the voice spoke harshly.
'I'll make sure it's Bugsy's filthy blood', he teased and received another blow to the ribs in response.
'All you need to do is return the shit you stole from Bugsy and disappear from the face of the planet'.
'Not a chance in hell'.
Namjoon steeled himself as he waited for the third barrage of fists to rain down.
A pained scream echoed through the air. It wasn't Namjoon. Their chatter died down as they tried to decipher what was going on.
The nasty squelch of bones being cracked echoed through the night. It was too close. Namjoon's body began to shake in fright. He was in too much pain to move a muscle. He covered his ears to drown out the gory sounds coming from whoever was attacking them.
The rushing footsteps that resounded past him indicated that the rest had fled. They were still screaming as they wandered the streets. An action that would undoubtedly cost their lives, if they were on the wrong turf. At least they had the option, Namjoon was completely frozen as he sensed the figure crouching beside him. As if pretending to be a statue would make him invisible.
'Kim Namjoon', he was surprised when a hesitant female voice reached his ears.
'Why are fellow humans attacking each other?', The question was bizarre. Namjoon thought that some kind of death angel must be here for him for all the sins he had committed.
He mulled the question over in his tired mind, his eyes skimming to the dazzling city that shone like a pearl in the distance. His place in the world is what led him to that alleyway.
He thought of the thugs who had been close to beating him halfway to death, their boss with a stupid name who had enough wealth to feed the starving masses but kept stealing from them instead.
He thought of the rich who lived in the golden city, gorging themselves on delicacies while people starved, he thought of the poor who led their lives in the Mines, working for less than they deserved.
The only way to end the perpetual state of suffering was the one thing he had been working hard to gain. He needed more power.
'They attacked me because I'm a threat to their safety.'
Namjoon sat upright and reached into the darkness to find his small black bag. He clumsily put on the sweater that was twice his body size.
He had a small smile on his face as he wiped his bloody lip with his thumb. His plan had successfully been set in motion.
A/N
Vote and comment or else🙂
Bugsy can catch these hands
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
