Chapter 1 [Faded silver]

The necklace hadn't been worth stealing. It wasn't that the necklace itself was hard to get- it was- but he couldn't see what the big deal was. To George, it was a regular old lump of gold. However, as he continued staring, a slight pang began to form above his stomach. "Ah, jeez, what's this?" he asked. But nobody answered. Which wasn't odd, not to him.

George carelessly set the heart-shaped necklace on the coffee table, unable to rid himself of the sensation. He ruffled his hair as he made his way to the kitchen.

Dirty plates cluttered the sink. He recoiled at the greasy stench as it slithered its way into his nose. "Ugh, I'll get to it later." He never did. There was always an excuse to not do it.

The fridge hummed softly. His stomach grumbled in response. He let out a soft sigh as he reached for the rusted handle. Damn, I should probably eat something. George frowned as he stared at the bare shelves. The fridge light flickered silently.

Then out of the corner of his eye he spotted something, a mouse, food. His stomach gurgled with glee as he mercilessly stomped on the small mouse. Blood dripped from the heel of his raggedy sneaker. Maybe I should find new shoes. He thought as he picked up the small corpse, his stomach let out another soft rumble.

~

The streets of St. Henry were a sight to behold. Car horns blared in the distance, only to go silent moments after. Streetlamps flickered, briefly illuminating the road beneath. The wind whistled through the vacant department stores and the glass from their empty display cases lined the sidewalks. Rats the size of cats chased after colonies of cockroaches. The joints of abandoned mannequins creaked as their once hard plastic coats melted in the harsh, moldy sun.

Chapter 1 [Faded silver] end.