A/N: I have a bit of this already written out, so I'll be posting it as I have time while I write the rest. Unlike my other stories I know what I'm going to do with this.

Pueri Perierat

Shadows drifted quietly along the darkened alleyway. The only light at the time came from the thin beams of moonlight that shone between the clouds; the power was out and the street lamps had gone dark. It was cold outside around this time of year. A strong breeze tore through the alley, making the shadows shiver and sway.

One of the hidden figures wheezed helplessly.

"It's okay, Mikey," a boy with fiery red hair reassured. He had his arms around the smaller figure and was trying to rub some warmth back into his arms. "Jerry will fin' us so'ewhere warm soon."

"I'm really trying, guys," the eleven year old whispered apologetically. His blonde hair whipped into his eyes with the next gust of wind, and he futility tried to shield his eyes with his thin and worn jacket sleeve.

"I-I can't-" the blue eyed boy choked out and his knees weaked beneath him.

"Mikey!" The six year old cried in fright and struggled to hold him up through his own shivering. "Jerry! It's happening again!" The two boys helped the eight year old sit against the wall.

"No! We n-need more time!" The green eyed boy chattered, the cold finally getting to him as well. "There aren't any shelters for at l-least a mile, and w-we still can't go after l-last time!"

"W-what do we do?" The brown eyed boy questioned in terror. He pleadingly grabbed the eleven year old's sleeve.

"We..." The blonde stared at the wheezing brunette in concern. "We h-have to keep him warm!" He quickly hunched down at the eight year old's side and wrapped his arms around him. The blue eyed boy clutched his chest, giving breathy cries of pain every so often. The six year old nodded and huddled down on his other side.

The green eyed male made no protests when the other boys fell into a light sleep. They needed a break after days of wandering through this cold weather. He had hoped to find some kind of shelter first, maybe find something to trade for some medicine. But this was okay too.

As the oldest, he was the leader and protector of the group. He would do anything to keep his boys safe. So he decided to stay awake and keep watch. Every few minutes he would rub Mike's arms or squeeze him closer. The poor brunette had absolutely terrible health issues, and he was always catching something.

More than once Jeremy had considered taking him to an orphanage just so he could get the medical treatment he obviously needed, but then he remembered why the three of them were on the streets in the first place. The thought would fade fairly quickly after that.

They sat there for what must have been hours. Jeremy was just starting to fall to the clutches of sleep when a strange figure appeared at the end of the alleyway. It was unnaturally tall and thin, like a monster from the horror games they sometimes saw in Game Stop windows. It cast a long, skinny shadow that sent chills down his spine.

"Guys," Jeremy whispered worriedly and tried to shake the other boys awake. "Guys, you gotta get up." Mike made a soft sound of pain and fell deeper asleep. His face was flushed with illness, and his heated skin burned wherever Jeremy touched. Fritz sleepily opened his eyes, murmuring about his mother.

The eleven year old glanced back to the figure. It seemed to be watching them, and Jeremy held back a shudder. Instead, he urgently turned back to his friends. "Mike, Fritz, please, you gotta get up. We have to go!"

At the panicked words, the creature screeched at them and lunged. Jeremy and Fritz screamed and quickly ran to safety. The being crashed into the brick wall, and a terrifying crack rang through the alleyway. The monster howled, seemingly in pain. It was still standing over Mike.

"Fritz, run!" Jeremy ordered and pointed to the other end of the alley.

"What about you and Mike?!" The redhead worried, tugging at his sleeves.

"I'll take care of it! Just- Go!"

Fritz nodded quickly and started to run as fast as his long legs would carry him. Jeremy watched until he had disappeared around the corner before turning back to the dark creature.

"Hey, ugly!" He shouted, thinking back to the glimpses of television heroes he had seen. "Over here!" When a pale, haunting face furiously met his eyes, he took off running in the opposite direction of Fritz. He'd let anything happen to him if he could keep Mike and Fritz safe. Even if he ended up getting eaten by some kind of porcelain monster...

A shadow constantly loomed over him as he ran, making him stumble over stones he couldn't see. Just as he knew would eventually happen, two thin, cold hands wrapped around his arms and dragged him backwards. He kicked and fought all the way, but the pitch black body of the beast seemed to absorb any attacks.

Two thin fingers found their way to his neck and gently pressed. It triggered some instinct deep inside him, and he felt himself falling asleep. Still, he struggled as well as he could, even muttering every curse word he knew just to get the point across.

Jeremy wanted to cry when the monster took him back in the direction they had come from. His last moment of consciousness was of a wiry hand pulling Mike's limp body away from the safety of the alley.

-{[(•)]}-

For those first few months, it had just been Jeremy. He was a strong, independent ten year old and he could take care of himself. He couldn't stay in that house a moment longer.

So he left.

It had been difficult for a while. His meager money only bought a couple meals' worth of jerky at the convenience store, and finding a warm place to sleep was harder than he thought. He had been smart enough to bring his own blanket and an extra hoodie, though, so he had a way to carry his few belongings and stay somewhat warm at night. He washed every once in a while in the creek behind the old toy store, and his clothes were cleaned in the leftover water from the ancient lady who liked washing clothes the old fashioned way, with a clothes line and everything. When he ran out of beef jerky, he managed to snag a few odd jobs around town, mowing lawns and cleaning up garages.

His life on the streets was fine until he almost got dragged back to that place by a police officer.

Jeremy fought all the way until he finally managed to kick the man where the sun didn't shine and make a run for it. After that, he used the last of his savings to hop on a bus to the next city.

-{[(•)]}-

A/N: *listening to Les Choristes* Oh, is it over? Okay...

QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: If you ran away, what would you do to keep yourself alive?