Chapter 23

"Are we going to die, brother? Like mom and dad? If I get to see mom and dad when I die, then I'd rather die than take another step, brother," a frail, malnourished little girl uttered, her voice trembling with fear. She longed to cry but lacked the moisture to shed tears.

"Don't talk like that, Hone. We're almost there. I can feel it. Just climb on my back, and I'll carry you for a while. But promise me you won't give up and try to walk again soon," her older brother, only a few years her senior, replied, scooping her up gently.

His pace was sluggish, his tracks stained with dried blood, evidence of their week-long flight. War had scarred this world, tearing their parents away from them.

And yet, they were merely two among countless victims of the war that claimed thousands of civilian lives each day.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? Kids wandering alone in the forest? Looks like our lucky day, boys," sneered one of fallen men, blocking the children's path.

They had forsaken their humanity in the desperation of survival, resorting to any means necessary to endure the cruelty of this world, particularly in times of war.

"Hehehe. Let me have a taste of the little girl first, then we'll make a meal out of them. I bet there's enough meat on these children to keep us fed for days," one of the men jeered, his words dripping with malice and lust.

"Go, run, Hone," the big brother whispered as he gently set his little sister down.

"But... brother, I..." Hone began, but she wasn't given the chance to continue.

"RUN!" the big brother shouted. He darted forward, snatching up a nearby branch to wield as a weapon, and charged toward the men.

There were seven of these large, ravenous, crazed men, and he had no doubt he was their target. In a world turned to hell, young boys grew up fast.

"What a delightful day to witness this world draped in filth. More maggots for me to exterminate. HAHAHA!" A sinister laugh reverberated through the scene, followed by the unmistakable sound of gunshots.

It left the men's broken bodies scattered like puppets whose strings had been abruptly severed. The perpetrator then turned to the frozen boy and girl, their faces etched with fear.

"Now, children, would you fancy taking a flight with me into the sky?"