Thin fingers graced the wall as Oliver walked down the near-empty street, his destination completely unknown even to him. As always, he was just aimlessly wandering around.
His bandaged feet dragged across the pavement that was chilled by the cool air. The young boy, no older than eleven, was already living on his own without the assistance of family members and friends. After all, everyone he could consider family were already long gone and allies were something that had never been within his grasp, along with many other things. However, the loneliness did not bother him as much as it once did, having grown accustomed to it. By no means did he welcome it, but he had learned to cope with it. He had no choice anyway. It wasn't pleasant and the feeling still persistently trailed behind him wherever he went, leaving an unpleasant emptiness in his chest as he struggled through each day.
A drop of rain fell upon him, his response being a tilt of the head towards the sky. Another drop greeted him, this time near his single visible eye. He tightly closed it for a mere second, bringing his head back down before reopening it, his gold hue sweeping the area in search of some form of shelter. The light drizzle would surely pick up soon; he had no desire to end up soaked to the bone.
Spotting a very old but somewhat stable looking building, he bolted towards it. Better than nothing! Ducking a bit underneath the low hanging roof in front of the entrance, he made it just in time before it started pouring.
He turned to the gray scene, watching the water begin to pool and form puddles. A couple of unfortunate passerby hurried along, using a bag or a coat as weak protection against the heavy rain. The wind sent the occasional spray of wetness in his face and teased the strands of messy blond hair that framed it. He hugged himself, bitterly wishing he owned a coat of some sort. It was quite cold after all! Just a simple long-sleeved white shirt wasn't going to do him much good. His dark blue shorts and lack of footwear didn't provide him much warmth either. He was rather ill-prepared for the weather but that couldn't be helped for a poor street boy such as himself.
A sigh. Alone, hungry, and tired; it was safe to say he was miserable.
He took a seat on the concrete and pulled his knees closer to himself to conserve his body heat, leaning against the door. It groaned in protest but faithfully held firm. The thumping of his heart in his ribcage and the rhythmic pitter patter of the sky's tears against the ground created a tranquil atmosphere. Exhaustion from having little to no sleep eventually caught up, creeping up on him and embracing him. His breathing steadily slowed, eyelid slowly concealing his iris. Within moments, he had entered a peaceful rest.
When the orphan finally awoke, he was abruptly hit by an eerie feeling that greatly contradicted his previous one of serenity, sending a chill up his spine. Something was definitely off.
The rain was no more, the pools it left behind now drinking the soft light of the pale moon. Stars twinkled up above and illuminated the otherwise dark sky. A few street lamps flickered, casting shadows. There was not a sound to be heard, except for the squeaks of a nearby rusty swing.
The silence was not what set him on edge, however, but rather that dark figure hunched over not far from him. It was as if it wanted to be seen, for Oliver had noticed it simply by gazing straight ahead.
Who were they? Were they even human? Maybe it was an animal. Well, whatever it was, it was motionless.
That was when it began. First as a soft rasp before gradually amplifying, permeating the once quiet night. It was alive, that much he was sure of! Perhaps they were in need of help, as it seemed that they were having difficulty breathing.
The blond youth scrambled to his feet and dashed over to the shadowed stranger.
"Hey, are you alright?" With the intention to touch the person's shoulder comfortingly, he reached out only to have his wrist grabbed by a bony hand that he assumed belonged to them. He froze, uncertain of how to react. The grip only became tighter and tighter, causing him to panic a little. Did he make a mistake? He attempted to draw back.
The creature decided to choose that moment to show its face. Oh, how he wished it never had.
Oliver's heart practically stopped, breath hitching in his throat at the grin that literally split its face into two. Was that really a smile or was it permanently plastered on that way? Its eyes as big as saucer plates bore into his own, staring into what felt to be his soul. A substance that appeared to be blood ran from its head and dripped down as its body shook with laughter. That sound it had been making earlier was made not because it had been struggling to breathe, but rather because it had been laughing.
Grotesque. Possibly the only word to accurately describe the disgusting thing. He couldn't take his sight off of it as much as he wanted to. Everything that happened next was a blur, ending in darkness.
A/N: Yeah, this is going to be one of those multi-chaptered stories. Unlike all my other stories, however, I actually have an ending in mind so as long as I don't lose the motivation to continue, there is a high chance I'll finish. If you're wondering where I got the title Crushed Mary, look up the song sung by Kaai Yuki. The idea of this story was partially inspired by a roleplay I tried to do a while back but due to lack of plotting, it was never finished.