A scream echoed through the hollow of the Underground. Piercing the ominous atmosphere, a daily occurrence.
It would have been an unusual sight had it been in any other place.
But this is the Underground.
Cold steely orbs held terrified blue ones.
An 11-year old boy successfully paralyzed a helpless woman into submission as she tossed her pouch towards his awaiting left hand as the other held her at knife point.
As the pouch made contact, the boy turned his gaze away. Perhaps to somehow rid himself of the unease that creeped inside him. It was guilt but he didn't know that.
The boy only ever knew basic emotions. Negative is a more likely term. Those of which he caused on a regular: shock, panic, wariness, unease, fear, and desperation.
Just like the ones he saw flash through the woman's eyes as he robbed her.
Lastly, rage. One he constantly felt himself. Boiling palpably inside him. Whether it be because of the life he was forced to live or because of the person he was forced to become, he couldn't tell.
Levi effortlessly ran through narrow alleys, effectively escaping the scene of the crime. Pouch as the prize in one hand as the other quickly tucked the knife behind him.
Darting through sharp corners, he worked to keep as much distance. He had to go before the MPs arrived or the image of the terrorized woman's face imprinted on his mind.
He doesn't like what he does but it is a necessity in his current living conditions. At his young age, he was starting to make a name for himself.
Kenny left not more than five days ago and Levi is grappling to make ends meet. The absence of the man combined with his blossoming reputation making him a target.
Not that he can't handle it. He scoffed confidently knowing full well he can easily hand a grown man's ass back to him. He may have done so quite a dozen of times since Kenny's departure.
Of course a few more when Kenny was still training him.
They all underestimate his size. A pitiful mistake on their part really.
Nowadays he's been diving headfirst unto any opportunity to keep his mind distracted and body going. Not exactly laying low, one might say.
Either he spends his days running after robbing people or brawling due to pointless reasons.
He refuses to be idle, not wanting to think of the fact he was abandoned or why. Then there's the likelihood of starvation, his mind flashing to the days he spent beside his mother's corpse.
Levi was and is lonely and alone.
The constant rage he knows flooded him full force, the only balm to his vulnerability. Something he detests with conviction.
Shaking his head to rid off the memory, he turned to briefly look behind, checking to see if anyone was following him. He knows there were none but it was instinct and wise to do so.
Hands flexing as he threw the pouch in the air catching it with ease as he leaned on a wall. It was heavy, a tell-tale sign of a fruitful heist.
He pulled on the drawstring and hummed at the sight of the coins, glimmering even in the limited lighting of this forsaken place.
Maybe food wasn't something he would have to worry about for a day or two. But he quickly grew pissed.
Nothing ever comes free in the Underground or cheap for the matter. A mere bread costs more than his lodging. Maybe even a life in desperate occasions, perhaps one day.
Walking to a familiar stack of crates, he hoisted himself up to get up on the roof of a building. Reaching his slender arms and pushing his feet on windowsills to propel himself higher.
He felt like he is on a roll and he might as well take advantage of it.
His eyes scanned the vicinity, trying to ascertain if there were any MPs patrolling in the area. There were 3 on the left, too busy chatting their lazy asses off.
It would be a pain in the ass should they give chase now. But maybe when he's done for the night he might have time to give the bastards something to do.
He proceeded to leap on roofs of lower buildings, his feet light and movements quick. A skill he mastered at a young age. Roofs were great escape routes if one can get by undetected.
And oh boy did Kenny make sure he knew how.
He looked down just in time to see a stout man shove a pouch in his front jacket pocket. Crouching to jump down, he landed silent as a cat.
Stealthily approaching the man from behind, he shadowed him as he walked. Getting close enough to sneak his hand in the man's pocket before pulling the pouch out.
Quickly turning and hiding in the refuge of dark corners. His eyes scanned for more targets, successfully pulling off two more.
He situated himself on a roof once more and was about to jump down for a final heist before calling it a night when he found himself dropping flat on his belly as he heard boots squelching down some steps.
"Fucking idiot," he muttered as he realized he had gone far too close to the stairwell, risking being caught if they just look up.
He usually kept his ventures a safe distance from the stairwells but also not too deep into the heart of the Underground. The forepart was the center of livelihood after all.
Things get more vicious the deeper one goes. The heart and rear of the Underground was the den of the more heinous activities.
That's where Levi lives.
Having heard them before they came into view, Levi waited as two MPs descended from the stairwell, eyes accusingly glaring at their mucky boots.
Levi hated when it rains. Not that it ever really does down in the Underground. But the downpour of water from the Surface only made this hellhole worse.
As if the mossy walls or the dank smell wasn't enough. Leaves and trash always came with the water further clogging the place, sometimes to a point it floods. He loathed those days.
"Tch shit's gonna get shittier," Levi hissed under his breath. He might as well stay on the roofs tonight should it flood.
He slowly backed away from the edge of the roof to make a quick escape as the MPs nodded to the thugs manning the stairs. But movement from behind the MPs halted him.
Five people trailed behind them, all shaking as they reached the bottom. Just then another scream pierced the Underground and he watched as they cowered, huddling closer together.
The man in the group held his arms around a woman and a girl. Two boys maybe a couple years older than him scanned the surroundings as they stayed close.
He did a double take as he realized they were two people with the exact same face.
"What the fuck?" He thought as his eyebrows furrowed in utter confusion.
The females shook violently as loud voices surfaced, he turned his head to the right and saw a group of drunken older thugs approaching.
The girl buried her head between the legs of who he could only assume to be her father. After all, Levi didn't really know what a family looked like.
She slightly turned her head but kept her eyes low just as the group passed. The MPs had aimed their rifles in warning for them to stay back.
"This is where we leave you. Try to be safe and keep out of the streets. It would be wise to conceal your identities." One of the MPs spoke lowly as he thrust a bag on the shoulder of the man.
He gave the girl a pat on the head before walking off with his partner.
"Are these idiots lost or something?" Levi thought as he shrugged. He didn't care.
The fact that they looked like they are well off caught his attention though. However, they appeared to be disheveled, dirty, and soaking wet.
Eyes scrutinizing every detail, he noted that they dressed simply but the materials were nothing like the ragged pieces people from this place wear on a daily.
His eyebrows raised as he saw blood glistening in every exposed body part they had. Cheeks, head, arms, and legs for the females.
He knew it was risky to stay up here this long but curiosity doesn't come often to him. It was new and it held him to his place now.
"What exactly brings you people here?" Levi whispered to himself.
The man had loafers and a black suit on. Much like the one Kenny occasionally wore under his long coat. The top of his head was balding but a thin layer of grey hair still lined the sides of his ears and back of his head.
In a few spots Levi could see traces of what looked to be fading shades of brown. There were also cuts of varying depth all over his head.
There was a big gash on the man's right eyebrow. Blood was drying on his rectangular face and bruises were already forming much like the rest of his companions. He looked way worse however.
His eyes were wide and kind. Lines wrinkled around them as well as his forehead. Even in the flickering light the torches gave, Levi easily identified the man's as brown.
Levi thought maybe they could have been warm and wise but tonight they looked wild and wary just like those of the others.
The woman had what Levi thought was probably long hair in a bun, given the size of it. It was parted in the center and is black with streaks of silver, a sign of her age.
She must be the mother. The boys shared the same black hair color.
Her hair was unruly, with a few loose strands framing her small heart face. She had fringes swept to the right side, subtly covering her deep-set, light green eyes.
The woman had what could have previously been a white dress. The cloth fitting her form from the wetness of the rain. It reached up to her ankles and she wore black sandals.
The boys kinda creeped him out. He had never seen such people. "What the fuck are they even?"
They had the same face shape and eye color as their father's but their eyes were deep-set like their mother's. Their hair clinging to their foreheads.
Matching white buttoned shirts and black trousers hang in their lean frames and finished with black loafers as well.
Another movement caught his attention as he focused on the girl who was tugging on the man's hand as she shivered.
Her hair was wet like the others but it was the only one he couldn't pinpoint the color of. It's long and held by a red ribbon in a messy half updo, the ends almost matted.
Though he couldn't see her clearly as she still held her head down.
Levi hadn't realized how long he had lingered until he heard someone yell at him. An MP accosted him at his hiding spot just as he saw four men approach the family.
"Tch."
He hoisted himself up and broke into a run across the roof he was situated on. Looks like the MPs will be up for a fruitless chase again tonight.
The family looked up as they heard the MP but saw nothing. Levi's movements were blink and you'll miss. The MP ran and was soon followed by two more.
Not an hour into the Underground and they are already given a taste of the norm.
"Mr. Fords? I'm your contact. Follow me." A man with a brown bowler hat spoke. His voice was low and slight hoarse.
He was somehow short and stout, clothed in shabby clothes like his men. His face round and he looked sweaty as he puffed a cigar.
The family eyed him warily but followed anyway. The three men with him held back to trail behind them.
"These are my men, don't mind them. They are just to assist us till we reach your lodging."
Claire was kept sandwiched between her brothers and parents. She meekly walked, mindful of the eyes that followed their every step.
But her curiosity was overpowering the fear she felt.
To her surprise, the Underground City was just like the Surface in the sense of the structures that comprised it.
It was big.
Buildings just like she was used to up in the Surface towered over her, going so far back she couldn't see anymore. There were also stores and bars.
Only this place was darker and dangerous. The streets were pretty much desolate and undeniably dirty. But she could feel eyes watching them from dark windows and corners.
A hustle and bustle just like in Mitras hung in the air by the area with stores but it was clouded by the menacing atmosphere that came with the reputation that precedes the place.
They passed a huge establishment with a pitiful red cross painted on top. A hospital much to her relief. But it looked pretty much deserted save from a man who must be a doctor sitting by the door.
It wasn't a long walk but to her small feet it felt far enough from the stairs they came from. Soon enough they stood in front of a two-story building.
The building wasn't that big, it had a overhang balcony and it reminded her of Nana's library back in the Surface.
Still, she appreciated it. She felt lucky to even have it.
Her eyes hadn't missed the homeless figures huddled in the dark as they passed streets and alleys.
Agnes quickly but gently shoved Claire inside as soon as the man opened the door. Eager to keep her daughter out of the streets and the men's sight.
Practically dragging her daughter up the stairs situated to the right from the entrance. They quickly entered a door at the end of the narrow hallway on the second floor.
"Stay here sweetie. Keep away from the windows. I'll be back soon." She kissed Claire on the forehead before shoving a bag of sweets into her hands.
It should be good enough to keep Claire occupied knowing her daughter wasn't fond of the dark. Turning on her heels, she pulled the rickety door closed.
Claire's heart raced a little. There was tension in the air that made her feel uneasy. Her hands absentmindedly felt around the bag.
She took a treat out and shoved it in her mouth. Relaxing slightly at the familiar taste as it melted on her tongue.
Eyes squinting, she saw figures in the corner of the room, giving her a slight panic. Recognizing them as luggages, she stared in confusion.
Before she could stop herself, she fumbled in the dark as she made her way to it. Reaching for what seemed like a handle, to acquaint her with the object.
It was Alec's suitcase!
Feeling more baffled she reached for the others on the floor and just then she heard the window being opened.
Levi had confidently slipped through the window of the building, he knew it to be empty and so he was beyond caught off guard when he slammed into something.
Or someone as he heard a muffled gasp from the shadows.
"Tch."
Hands instinctively pulling out his knife, he grabbed at his unwelcome companion, dragging them to a wall before holding the length of his knife to the person's throat.
They landed on an area that was partially illuminated by the light of the torches outside seeping through the window. His body harshly trapping hers, a silent warning of what's to come.
Levi saw the blade cutting through flesh deep enough just to draw minute amount of blood but inflicted pain nonetheless.
He then heard her whimper before he looked up.
Levi and Claire both heaved as their eyes met.
To Claire, the boy's eyes were livid and threatening.
But if it wasn't for their close proximity, she was sure she would have missed the slight way they widened as recognition crossed them.
"Does he know me?"
To Levi, the girl's eyes went from being shut in pain to surprised to panicked to frightened then to something he couldn't read.
It caused him absolute reluctance and so he hesitated.
Something he never felt or did before.
Then he realized it was her. The girl from the stairwell.
Levi snapped back to himself as he heard footsteps approaching.
How ironic his night should end with an encounter much different from how he started it.