Dawn

I don't know how long I walked the streets or even where I went, with the past occupying my present mind.

'What did I ever do to deserve losing everything? What cosmic being did I piss off.'

By the time I came out of my thoughts of self-pity, the sun had set and was about to rise. I had somehow wandered into an area of abandoned warehouses I didn't recognise. As much as I hated my life, I'm not naive to think walking around the stabbing capital of England at this time was smart, especially in an area like this.

As I turned on my phone to navigate my way home, I suddenly heard sobbing from one of the warehouses.

"Uncle Samuel, please, I don't know where they are. I promise I don't have the gem or my daughter," a young male voice begged whilst crying. "I have nothing to do with this. You have to believe me, Samuel. I only left because I was scared you would think I was the one who had taken my daughter. I would never go against you or the Golden Dawn. My family has been in your service for generations; please, you have to believe me."

"Jack, my boy, you disappoint me and my intelligence if you think I will fall for this charade. You truly believed we wouldn't find you here and that you could lie to me?" an older male voice said with laughter hanging at the end of every word. "I have lived in this disordered world since 1854. I have been betrayed and lied to in more ways than your primitive mind could ever invent. Don't presume to be on a level to even inconvenience my plans."

There was a pause before the older voice, who I presumed was Samuel, addressed another man. "Joseph, make sure it hurts and be quick. We need to find the Drop of Dawn and the child for the ritual to work. We can't afford any more delays as it is almost first light. Tell the men to search the surroundings. I know Jack; he wouldn't have hidden them far. Do not harm the child, but you have permission to kill anyone who may get in our way. Soon, the culmination of over a hundred years of breeding and our most prized possession will allow the hermetic order of the golden dawn to come out of the shadows and control all within the light. Our dreams will be reality, Aurora Aurea!!" Manic laughter followed by screams of pain and 50-plus people chanting "Aurora Aurea" flowed out of the warehouse doors.

I quickly moved behind a broken-down car I could see in a side alley. With the distance gained, the chanting faded to an almost chilling whisper.

'What the fuck is going on? Did that guy say he was born in 1854? What the hell is the golden dawn? Are they torturing someone? It's probably just some weird cult, right?'

Hundreds of different questions were rapidly firing through my brain. I was so confused and shocked at what I had heard.

'I can't do anything. I need to get out of here as quickly and quietly as possible before those nut jobs see me. This has nothing to do with me.'

As I turned to carefully leave the area and get as far away as I could, I suddenly heard movement coming from the boot of the car.

'It's none of my business; just leave it alone Ambroise, and carry on with your life; maybe you can finally move on and reach out to the people that care.'

That's what I should have done, but I'm an idiot filled with curiosity. I moved to the boot, and with a heavy push on the rusty handle, it opened. Only to have a small child jump out and punch me in the nose.

"Ouch!! What the fuck, kid? That hurt. What is your problem?" I whispered harshly in pain whilst holding my nose.

I looked up from my hands to give the offender an additional bollocking but quickly calmed down when I saw that the child in question was shaking with cuts and bruises and had wide golden eyes filled with fear.

I had surprisingly received a broken nose from what seemed to be a 3 or 4-year-old half-Asian girl. She was dressed in beige monk-like robes covered with holes and grim. That would've been the most noteworthy part of her ensemble if not for her glowing gem necklace that eerily matched the colour of her eyes.

Instantly I knew that the necklace and the girl were what those freaks were after.

'Shit, I can't leave her alone to be some form of sacrifice to a weird cult. Why does my life have to be so complicated? I'm a fucking cripple; give me a break, universe.'

"Hey, kid, I'm sorry for scaring you. I'm not a bad guy, I promise; I just wanted to see what was making that noise." I said gently to calm her down whilst cleaning up the blood on my face. "That was one hell of a punch for a three-year-old, who taught you to hit like that."

"My daddy showed me, and if you come near me, he'll beat you up." the young girl whispered with false bravado hiding the apparent fear on her face.

"I'm sure he would. Do you know where your daddy is?" I asked whilst looking around to ensure the freaks hadn't come out.

"N-N-No but-t-t he said-d-d he would be back, and d-d-daddy never lies." She replied with hesitation and a trembling lip.

I had a feeling that the man I heard screaming was her father. But I wasn't going to tell her that.

"Why don't you come with me somewhere warm, and we can leave a message for your father here." I said quickly, noticing the sounds of people in the distance.

"Ok-k-k, but if you hurt me, I'll hit you again." she said hesitantly.

I was a bit worried at how easy she agreed but decided to ignore that for now and held out my hand to help her get down from the boot. "So what's your name, kid." I asked her once she was on solid ground.

"I'm Dawn, and I'm four, not three!!" She said grumpily with a smile in reference to my earlier assumption.

"My bad, Dawn; it's nice to meet you." I chuckled whilst surprised that she didn't seem fazed by my scarred visage.

"My name is Ambro.."

A loud bang and a sudden sharp pain in my chest stopped me from finishing my sentence.

I looked down to see a spot of red growing in size on my shirt.

'Huh, did I have ketchup today?'