Our Newfound Paradise

A Familiar Stranger

A bright lantern illuminated the inky darkness. The smell of decaying leaves mixed with the smell of fresh dirt to create a stale, earthy aroma that could only be found in the depth of the forest. The moon was nowhere to be seen beneath the thick veil of clouds. 

The dry leaves cackled as a heavy boot trampled over them. The sound reverberated through the hollow forest, crushing the powerful silence in the air. There was a rustling sound in the shadows. Other creatures were picking up on this sign of life, and it was stirring them to life once again. 

A figure in a black cloak held the lantern out in front of them until the chittering of the creatures started to fade away once again. There was a a sharpened axe in the figure's left hand and a bundle of firewoood tied to their back. 

The dim light of the lantern illuminated the girl's pale face and her dull brown hair.

There was a crackling sound behind her. Something moved like a shadow, immediately darting behind the next tree. 

"Who goes there?" the girl asked, turning the lantern in that direction. She took a step closer towards it. "Show yerself!" 

There was silence. These darned forest spirits sure love foolin' with ya don't they? Mercy thought to herself. One minute everything's peachy and the next minute they're buryin' you alive.

She shook her head disapprovingly and started to make her way back home once again.

Then she heard a groaning noise from an unknown location. Eh? Mercy thought. Where's that sound comin' from? She stretched her head around this way and that until she finally saw something lying near a bush. It was a bloody human foot. 

Well, I'll be...Mercy thought. She moved her lantern over the space where the foot was and little by little it revealed a short boy, dressed in strange grey clothing lying unconscious near a bush. His entire body was covered in cuts, as if some savage animal had clawed into his skin in every direction. His eyes were closed and is dull orange hair was matted in blood. 

"Hey kid, you alive?" Mercy asked. The question was met with a half groan. The boy feebly tried to open his eyes. "I'll take that as a 'not for long'," Mercy assumed. She tied her axe around her waist and placed the firewood by a nearby rock. She placed the lantern on the ground for a moment and hoisted the boy onto her shoulders. He was much lighter than she was expecting. 

This kid ain't nothin' more than skin and bones, Mercy thought. How long has he been out here for?

She picked up her lantern again and started to press on ward, with the boy still hanging on lazily to her back.  A wooden house placed perfectly between the trees greeted them in the middle of the forest. By the time they finally arrived at the door, Mercy was so exhausted that she nearly dropped him right there. 

Oh, boy that was a lot harder than she thought it'd be. She was sweating bullets. 

When she opened the door, a small voice greeted her. "Hey, Mercy, did you get the fire wood?" the voice asked. 

A second later, Mercy dragged the unconscious boy into the middle of the room. 

"I got something even better," she said with a smirk. There was a gasp on the other end of the room. 

Mercy placed the boy down on the floor. His plain gray clothing was plainly visible. There was a small rectangle on the right side of his chest with a four-digit number on it.

A small girl with white hair stepped into the light and stared at him with longing in her eyes. "Another one like me," she said breathlessly.