Chronicles of Nox

Running through the busy streets of Solaria Market was a young, vibrant boy, his black short hair flowing in the wind as he ran. Bursting through the midst of people with no sign of stopping, he made his way around a corner and continued to run down the stairs. "Hey, you little thief, stop!" a middle-aged man shouted out from a distance away. He continued to give chase to the boy, who didn't seem to slow down despite running for so long with such a small frame. "_Pants_ I'll get you some other time, you hear me? And you'll pay for what you stole!" the man shouted at the figure of the boy fading into the distance, eventually giving up to exhaustion.

After running for so long, Van eventually got tired but was already at his destination - a local street within Solaria. The buildings were not in the best conditions for living. "Mom, I'm home!" Van said as he pushed open the door to the last house on the right side. Quickly making his way into the kitchen, he offloaded a whole lot of packed food stuff - instant noodles, crackers, and vegetables - which he had stolen from the man from before. "Mom!" He yelled out. "Van, honey, is that you?" A female voice answered from above, and coming down the stairs afterwards was a beautiful woman who didn't look a day over thirty. Her long black silky hair was packed with a band into a ponytail, her skin was pale white and spotless.

Entering the kitchen, she was greeted with a wide smile plastered on Van's face, which warmed her heart, causing a smile to appear on her face as well, until her eyes fell upon the food stuff on the counter. Her smile was quick to change to a frown. "How many times have I told you not to steal, Van? I told you I'm looking for a job, and once I get one, we'll get to eat whatever we -" "And when will that be, Mom? You can see you're already getting pale from lack of nutrients, maa. I can't just sit back and watch you suffer it all alone, and what of Fey? She's just a baby; if not for yourself, think about her, maa." Without knowing it, her eyes were already flooded with tears at how her eight-year-old was speaking. "It'll be fine, honey; within due time, everything will be all fine," she reassured him as she managed to muster up a smile.

The day ended relatively quickly, and night was upon them already. After a nice dinner as a family, Van headed outside with a bucket and a small hand towel with him. The tap wasn't that close to his house, as it was at the beginning of the street, and in no time, he was there. He took off his clothes, all but his underwear, and began to clean himself with the towel and water from the tap. Different marks were all over his back, from being caught stealing and gotten beat up; they weren't exactly fresh, so he didn't flinch when cleaning.

Arrrgggghhhhhh!!!! A scream tore through the night, breaking its silence, and the voice was one he couldn't ever mistake. "Mom???" Quickly running back to his block, he had left all his clothes and the bucket as well and was running as fast as he could. Bam!! He slammed the door and a scream froze in his throat. The scene before him was like something from a nightmare. Blood splattered the walls, and a mutilated body lay on the floor, its eyes frozen in a permanent stare. He felt a wave of nausea wash over him, and his legs trembled beneath him. "That's not Mom, right?" He thought, his mind reeling in horror. He took a step back, his eyes fixed on the gruesome sight, his heart racing with fear.

The air was thick with the metallic smell of blood and the stench of death. He covered his mouth with his hand, as if to hold back the bile rising in his throat. His eyes scanned the room, taking in the sheer brutality of the scene. The victim's clothes were torn and bloody, their face contorted in a silent scream. "Mom, are you there?" He called out in fear. "Oh, what do we have here, another one?" A voice echoed in the room, its origin unknown. He felt a chill run down his spine as he realized he was not alone. That's when he saw it - a figure stood in the corner of the room, watching him with cold, glowing eyes. He tried to scream, but his voice was trapped in his throat. The figure began to move towards him, its pace slow and deliberate. He tried to run, but his legs were frozen in place, unable to move.

The last thing he saw was the figure's face, twisted into a grotesque grin.

Here is the continuation of the story:

"Don't kill this one, would you?" He heard a feminine voice, but everything was already going black as he was losing consciousness.

When he came to, he was lying outside his building, surrounded by people in uniforms and masks. They were shouting and pointing, and he saw flames licking at the windows of his building. "Get them out! Get them out now!" someone yelled.

He followed their gaze and saw a boy, around his age, being carried out of the building next door. He was crying and covering his face, clearly traumatized.

Van struggled to sit up, his head spinning. "What...what of my mom and sister?" he stammered.

"You were trapped in your building," one of the firefighters explained. "We got you out just in time, but I'm sorry, we couldn't find anyone else."

As they loaded him into the ambulance, he saw the boy being tended to by a medic. He was shaking and crying, but he was alive. He felt a wave of relief wash over him, and then everything went black once more.

When he came to again, he was in a hospital bed, surrounded by beeping machines and sterile white walls. The boy was sitting in a chair beside him, his eyes fixed on his face.

"Hey," the boy said, smiling weakly. "I'm Max. I was in the building next door when...when it happened."

"I'm Van," he replied, his throat still raw from the smoke. "I'm so glad you're okay."

Max's eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry about your mom and sister."

Max reached out and took Van's hand, his heart still racing from the trauma they had both endured. "I also lost my dad years ago. I was all alone in that building when it happened, but I know I'm safe now."

"We both are," Max said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Van's mind wasn't there anymore, as he was thinking back to what happened before he passed out. He couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off, that something didn't add up. He made a mental note to ask Max more questions when he was feeling better.