Chapter 1: On My Own
"So your sure they were Insurrectionists?" The cop asked.
I sat in front of a desk, with no doubt the saddest look on my face, at the police station being interrogated by the sheriff.
"Yes sir," I replied, "I've seen that black armor enough times to know it by heart."
"Do you know why they attacked you?" The sheriff asked.
"My family is a proud supporter and rich funder of Project Freelancer," I answered, "No doubt the Insurrectionists wanted to weaken the Project's support by attacking people like my family."
"That seems logical. Look... Uh, what's your name again, kid?"
"Ryan. Ryan Bellator."
"Look Ryan, seeing as you don't have a mansion to live in anymore and the money your family deposited in the bank has just vanished. Do you have any place other than the streets to stay?"
"No sir. My grandparents are long gone, and I have no aunts or uncles."
He sighed, "Well then, I don't know what to tell you son. Your too old to go to a foster home, but if I just let you go-"
"It's alright."
"Huh?"
"I can go out on my own. It'll be okay."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"Well then, Ryan, I wish you luck."
As I got up and walked out, I heard him mumble, "You're gonna need it."
XXX
And just when I thought my life couldn't get worse. In hindsight, I should never have told the police I would be fine on my own. I sold the pistol I had kept with me since the incident and only got a couple of dollars off of it. I realized just how tough it was out on the streets.
Growing up, I never had to do everything by myself. Sure, I wasn't completely spoiled. I was punished for things just like any other kid would. And I always did my part around the house... That being said, I never have had any outside experience. Other than the occasion play outside as a kid, I've never been out in the city on my own. I have no guide or anything.
I managed to use the money I had to buy enough food to last me a few days. But after that, I was screwed. Even still, I don't have anywhere to stay. So I spent the night on the streets all the time I was homeless. It sucked, needless to say. The nights were cold, and I had no way of getting warm.
'So this is it, Ryan,' I thought one night, 'Rock bottom. I went from being in the richest family on the planet to homeless in less than a day. My life sucks right now.'
After about a week, a thought occurred to me. My mansion had a basement! My dad took me down there once and showed me a safe behind a painting (cliche, I know). I knew for a fact that it had extra cash in there.
With the idea in my mind, I raced off as fast as my hungry body could carry me towards the ruins of my house.
XXX
When I arrived, I stopped and shuddered, not just from the cold, but the awful memories of that day. I walked onto the ruins and I could notice the small details telling me where to go. I walked through the pile of burnt rubble that used to be a staircase and heard a creak under my feet.
I dug through the rubble and found a small trapdoor. It was definitely beat up and burnt, but intact nonetheless. I opened it and the trapdoor immediately fell apart. I walked down the stairs as carefully as I could, so that the stairs wouldn't break either.
The basement was a wreck. I guess the house's collapse did quite the number on it. I walked over to the painting and ripped it off the wall. Behind it was a simple door with a lock. I picked up a nearby wrench and busted it open.
When I opened the door, I was a bit disappointed. Apparently, it wasn't really a safe. It was basically just a hole in the wall. A hole in the wall that had also been caved in. I noticed smoldered pieces of wood in the rubble and quickly dug through it. I luckily found about a hundred and fifty dollars in cash. The rest was either burnt, or I just didn't dig enough.
I dug a bit more and noticed a hand-sized piece of paper. I picked it up and noticed that it was actually an old photo. I smiled sadly as I saw a younger me, mom, and dad in front of the mansion. I tucked the photo away and walked back up the stairs.
As I began to head back towards the city, rustling through a pile of rubble, I heard a strange voice call out, "You there! Who are you?"
XXX
And now we get slightly different conflict! Till next time guys!