1 "Happy Birthday."

In an aged, run-down house, there sat three people huddled around a table. A quiet old man, a woman in her early thirty's, and a young boy.

On the table, there sat a single candle, surrounded by half a potato, a lump of stale bread, and a small bowl of vegetable soup.

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you," The women and old man sang, "Happy Birthday dear Alexis, happy birthday to-"

Just as the clock struck midnight, making it now his 14th birthday, a loud knock came from the door.

Tic tic tic, the only sound left in the house was the sound of the clock ticking away on the wall, never slowing, always moving at that same steady pace.

The knock comes again, like a bucket of cold water had been thrown on them, the three people realized they still had not answered the door.

The woman was the first to move, slowly edging towards the door, creek, the old floorboards keened when the woman stepped on them.

Bang! At that moment, the door was forced open by two large men in black, silver accentuated, military uniforms.

There were three men in total, each wearing the official military uniform of Hassin. A man wearing ornate fake gold rings and a crooked smile spoke first,

"Hassin National Military, Lutendant Murphy Ganes," The man said, still smiling, "I'm here for an Alexis Wood?"

"That would be me… sir…" Mumbled the small boy, careful not to provoke the man.

"Ah great!," The man's odd smile instantly disappeared, "Throw 'em with the rest."

When the shorter man finished, the two more intimidating men grabbed both of the young boy's arms and dragged him away from his helpless mother and grandfather.

They brought the tired boy to a black reinforced military truck, opened the trunk and just as they were about to throw him in, the round man turned to Alexis, his chilling smile back,

"Oh, and Alexis?" That smirk only got wider and wider, exposing an otherwise covered silver tooth, " Happy Birthday."

With that, they threw him in and locked the door. Plunging him into endless darkness.