Chapter 1: Chapter 1

8 Years ago
Archilem Sewers

*Tip tap*
Liquid blood dripped down the rusted pipes that seemed to twist and turn infinitely within the putrid sewers. Chunks of meat lay sprawled about, their texture indistinguishable from the human waste that floated on top of the muddy water. The smell of blood and shit clogged the air, suffocating anyone stupid enough to find themselves here.

Amongst all the carnage sat a child -sobbing, as he clung onto the head of a woman, her eyeballs gouged out and her teeth gone. Her only distinguishable features were her white hair and fair skin, however, even those were soaked crimson.

Tears streamed down the young boy’s face, with every breath his hands would wrap tighter around the dismembered head, as if trying to squeeze the non-existent life out of it. As he rocked crazily, back and forth on the wet slimy sewer floors, he began whispering a tune in between sobs.

“Down by the river where devils walk, where souls lament and children weep, has god forgotten us? Down by the river where Angels sing, but not for us, but not for us.*♪♪♪*” The child’s tune, lonely and cold echoed throughout the dark tunnels. And his reply? The squeaking of mice that had come to feed on the minced corpses.

***
“The job’s done, kid. God, you really are a butcher.” The man fought back his urge to hurl as he said this. In front of him stood a kid, holding a massive butcher knife, its blade covered in blood. At his feet lay several dismembered body parts, cleanly cut, not a chunk of meat out of place.

“You killed him, I just chopped him up. Now… the payment.” After wiping his blade and hands on his tattered shirt, the boy held out his hands. The man handed him several folded bills, pushing back the burning liquid that rushed to the back of his throat as the rancid smell of rotting flesh attacked his senses.

A few flies circled around the boy as the man stared at him, his hair a matted disheveled mess. Although the surrounding street looked dirty on its own, the boy was filthy even by its standards.

“You said 200 Carnz, this is only 150.” After quickly counting the money, the boy looked up at the man, a menacing gleam in his eyes.

“The extra 50 was used for transport, our deal was that you cut him up where I killed him, but you were too afraid.”

“Too afraid to cut him up in the center of the slum districts? What do you th- Okay, never mind it’s good enough. Give this to Pabloz, tell him that I’m moving out.” After giving the man a 50 carnz bill, he turned to go on his way.

“W-Wait, where do I throw this? You can’t just leave me here with these- these pieces.”

“First time, huh. Throw it into the sewers, the mice will eat it.”

As the boy walked along the dark streets, the cold wind blew through the holes of his shirt, covering his body in goosebumps. The soft meowing of nearby cats played an almost mesmerizing tune as he looked up at the moon- shining in its crimson radiance.

{So what now? You’re just going to start playing ‘normal’ after butchering all those people?}

“Stop talking,” whispered the boy as he continued on his way.

{Why?}

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“Because you’re not real.”

After walking for a few more minutes, the boy reached a part of the slums where the shack houses were lined up in an almost terraced manner, making it look as if it were some massive shanty complex when in reality they were individual houses. With a quick step and a hop, the boy jumped onto the roof of the first shack, climbing his way until he made it to his.

“I can’t wait to be rid of this.” As he walked into his shack he was greeted by the purring of a black cat that nuzzled at his leg as he sat on the floor.

*Meow*

“Don’t worry, I’m taking you along. You wouldn’t survive a day without me anyway.” With those words, the cat jumped on his lap before making itself comfortable to fall asleep. Meanwhile, the boy stayed awake, staring at the moon as he waited for the hours to pass by.

“School, huh?”

***

The boy hadn’t slept at all, in fact, the bags under his eyes hinted that he hadn’t slept for a while. The sun’s rays seeped through his open door, blinding him as he stared at the sky. The cat that had been sleeping on his lap was now gone, not a wisp of fur left in its place.

After taking one last look around his shack, the boy walked to a corner and removed one of the pieces of zinc that formed its wall. Behind it was a stack of folded-up bills, after grabbing it and storing it deep within his pants, the boy left, never once turning to look back.

The walk was long and strenuous, passing by thousands of shacks on his journey. After walking for a few hours he finally reached a bus stop. There he took out a wad of cash that he had already counted and gave it to the clerk working at the booth.

“A Ticket to Geneviv.”

The clerk silently handed him a blue ticket before he left to find a seat amongst one of the benches. Not a lot of people were around, and although this was a bus stop, it looked more like an abandoned market. The benches were all rusted, and piles of rubbish were littered about.

A few more hours and a small, old bus pulled up to the stop. There was no driver, no passengers, just a large machine at the front, prompting him to insert his ticket.

[Confirmed, one ticket to Geneviv City. Expected travel time: 3 days. Class: Economy. There will be no stops along the journey. Bathrooms are provided within the shuttle however food preparations are the passenger's own responsibility. Thank you for cho…] The boy didn’t even wait for the automated voice to finish before walking toward the back of the bus.

*Meow*

“Oh, you’re back. I don’t have any food for you though, looks like we’re going to be hungry for the road. But we’re used to that, aren’t we?” After saying that, the black cat that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere jumped on his lap, purring as it snuggled against his body.

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