The Hunt Is On

Psalm 82:4

1
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At that very moment, while he laid on the cold and dirt covered floor of the orphanage, Atsushi could see his life flash before his eyes. In small flashes, he could see himself running, jumping, playing in the yard while his parents watched lovingly. He could almost make out the details of his old home, of his parents smiling and loving faces before it all disappeared. One dreadful night, all his happiness went up in flames and he was the sole survivor. Then, the next thing he knew, he was being sent far away to some run down orphanage. It was run by people who were as cold hearted as the beds at night. From then on, it was cold food, kids pulling at and cutting his hair, nuns and priests who would laugh as they kick him around and scream insults in his face until until he cried.

As he lies there, blood spilling out from his head wound as he looks back on his life, he decides that this was a fitting death for someone like him. Destined to be alone and forgotten, whether he dies here now or some time later. No one would care for a useless nobody like him. No special skills, no talents, no nothing. At least this way, he won't be a burden to anyone else ever again. Not like anyone would even care if he was gone anyhow. Perhaps, in the next life, he'll be reborn into someone more useful. Someone who has a loving family that won't die and leave him in an unloving world. Not like he blames his parents, they didn't plan on dying that day. But he wishes he too had died in that fire with them.

Suddenly, he hears a creak in the floorboards, and he doesn't need to turn his head to know who was approaching him but he does anyway. With a slight turn of his head, his blurry vision adjusts just well enough for him to watch as the man, the man who has tormented him for as long as he's lived in this very orphanage, walked closer to him. As tears started to well up in his eyes, he tries to imagine what the afterlife will be like. In no way was he a religious person, however, he did like to believe that something nicer awaited you after death. Whether he goes to heaven, reincarnates into a bird, or whatever, at least he would no longer suffer the pain of living a useless life.

So useless, he couldn't even defend himself. And now the inevitable had finally arrived, the day he knew would be coming for him sooner or later. No way he would make it out on his own without dying of starvation. He wouldn't know the first thing about how to get a job or but a house. Genuinely, he didn't think such nice things were possible for him anymore. To be happy, to have a normal life, to have a family... It all just left a bitter taste in his mouth when he thought about it. There was no reason for him to keep living, at least in his opinion. He just wished for it all to be over with already. To slip into sweet unconsciousness and find peace in the afterlife, wherever that may bring him.

Just as his eyes were about to close, there was a loud crash that made his eyes immediately open back up to see what that was.

"In here! It's got a kid!"

The next few moments involved him going in and out focus. He couldn't exactly make out exactly what the two men look like, although one was taller than the other and they were definitely fighting some blob who was most likely the orphanage director. Sadly, his vision was fading quickly and he could barely keep himself awake long enough to see the end of it. However, he did stay awake long enough to feel one of the men come over to check his pulse before shouting at the other that they needed to go. The last thing he registered before passing out was being lifted into someone's arms, then everything turned black.

[Later]

Pain.
That was the first thing he registered when he first felt himself start to come back from what felt like the worst sleep he's ever gotten. His head was pounding, his muscles felt sore and weak, and he swears he can still taste the iron of blood in his dry mouth. Water sounded like heaven right now but....where was he?