A little girl, only six years old, lied awake in her bed. The other orphans slept through the constant sound of the city. Mary however, could never get used to it.
Watching the drops of rain slide down her window, she was mesmerized by their individual casting of reflected light from the lamppost in the alley. Each drop carried with it a soft glowing orange hue. Even at six, Mary's young mind wondered how such beauty could fall in a place like this.
Breaking a momentary thought of peace, the trembling pleas of a man begging for his life grew louder. Puddles sloshed and beating footsteps echoed amongst tightly placed buildings. Mary sat up. Living in the orphanage the longest had its perks. She got a bed by the window. A front row seat to Malum's horrors.
The pleading man came running into view. While looking back, he tripped over a pile of garbage and smacked his chin on the asphalt. Temporarily dazed, he rolled over on his back. Shrouded in darkness, Mary couldn't make out his face, but knew the terror that must be fleeting his eyes.
Two hunters emerged from the shadows. Standing over their prey, they began kicking. Their victim shrieked in pain, feeding their hungered lust for harm, bloodshed, and death. The fear exuding from panicked tears fueled a one way trip toward humanity's ultimate failure.
Mary's heart quickened and her throat tightened. If only a ray of hope could shine in such dire times. A final dying plea ended with a gunshot that woke the entire orphanage. The harbingers of death fled off into the depths of darkness. A body lied dead in a back alley, unceremoniously bleeding into a sewer drain.
The lights in the bedroom went on, and the scene outside disappeared, leaving Mary a reflection of herself.
This little side story is a bit of a prequel to my eBook, "A Hero's Rise." I hope you enjoyed it.
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