Infernal Realms

Chapter 1

I was 17 years old.

It was the the night before the 'Cleansing'... And nobody had a clue what a shit-show was about to erupt. In my city, we were circled by a never ending highway to the West. Miles and miles of Forrest followed by a mountain range separated us from anyone to the East. To the North were small towns if I wasn't mistaken. I hadn't personally traveled that way at that time. To the South was our capital city named Smith. I myself had been to Smith and beyond the highway stretches to several of the cities along the way many times. Not often, but sometimes we were able to travel for others. Our city was heavily populated and everyday people were always trying to make ends meet or even find work. If not for themselves, then for their families. Overpopulation and not enough food was already an issue from the lack of guidance from the generations before us. But, I'd learned that there was a posative and a negative to every town or city. Some places had more homeless and drug dealers. Some had more office buildings or law enforcement agencies. Then there was my city, the ugly face of both, or at least that was how we felt about it. We being majority who had to find food to eat every few hours, or a place to rest our eyes every night. Especially when 'home' wasn't exactly the safest for us. Here, the confused, or too weak to help themselves because of traumas or had bad habits were welcome to eat with us. To sleep next to us without the fear of being robbed, killed, or even taken down to the station. But we were a bunch of busy squatters who lived day by day hustling up our next scraps. But I do remember that night.

Sparks had been flying for months when it came to the government and it trying to regulate every inch of every person like me. People that were technically low income. The homeless. The drug addicts. The parents that were barely making ends meet. The runaways between 10 and 18 that didn't want to be abused and literally had no one. We were shit to 90% of our country and there were people like me by the thousands. To them, we were the weakest links in their ever crumbling world of finances. I remember Zane, Sally, and I would try to help everyone we could. Even if Zane got arrested. Even if cops would nearly beat our friends to death in front of us. Even for the people who didn't even know my first name, and I'd help feed them or go steal them food or medicine or anything they needed. Because I was just like them. I didn't have anybody except those I'd done good by and I did it mainly because our community was being tortured regularly by the law enforecement.

On this night, I remember specifically how cold this winter was. Things had gotten so bad that no one cared about the random power outages and sudden food shortages, or that the usual people who supplied the tools needed to survive... Suddenly disappeared. Like shop owners, or even heads of plummeting companies. As if erased form everyone's daily lives. I saw it at school when students I used to know started disappearing. People noticed on the streets. But nothing was ever said. Too comfortable in their ignorant bliss I suppose. I'd never been on this side of town. In my city there were plenty of abandoned areas. Too many lost their jobs or didn't make enough, so they ended up having to leave the city. The outer patches of large town homes and old historic buildings became empty and lifeless. I don't quite remember exactly what drew me that way. I personally didn't have anywhere to go, with mom being gone and dad too busy fucking the neighbors to care about where I was or if I was even alive. It had always been that way.

I carried my heavy backpack, full of all my books and notes and the few clothes that I had. I often crashed in knooks and crannies to keep out of sight of curious officers. Couldn't have them investing my home life, now could I? The icy cold winds blew harshly at my face. I wore jeans, and T-shirt, and my pullover. My scarf covered my mouth from the cold, but the snow and blurring winds made things hard for me to navigate exactly where I wanted to go. I knew I would be safer in an abandoned building than I wouldve been at home and at the time that's all that mainly drove me those long winter nights. I squinted my eyes ahead, trying to see if I could recognize any of the area around me. The wind howled and twirled around me, whipping my hair harshly against my cheeks. I shivered, the cold settling in my bones. I knew I had to find shelter soon or I'd freeze. I eyed upwards, seeing the outline of a building slowly start to form in front of me. I looked down a little and saw a dimly lit light not 20 yards ahead of me. I paused mid-step. No one should've been anywhere near that area. Too many ghost stories kept many away. I shook my worry and took a few more steps foward, trying to identify exactly where the light was coming from.