As the night casted its embrace over the city of Ashton, a subtle wind blew from its outskirts.
Within these outskirts stood a shabby looking shack, and standing by its entrance were two bold burly men of uncanning physical resemblance. Both of these men wore a matching set of linen shirts and black trousers.
Inside the shack's enclosure, three figures could vaguely be discerned. One of the figures was that of a fat man of short stature wearing a black three-piece suit, a white shirt, and a top hat. The other figure was that of a skinny girl around ten years old who was forcefully being dragged by the man, and the last figure was that of a thin boy around sixteen years old who was desperately clinging onto the fat man's left leg.
The girl possessed long and messy black hairs that reached beyond her back. Her once vibrant grey eyes were now red due to crying. Her usually pale skin could barely be distinguished from the filth covering her body. She wore ragged clothes that could hardly conceal her from the cold.
The boy possessed short and disorganized black hairs. The most distinguishable feature of the boy seemed to be his unfocused grey eyes that seemed to stare at nothingness. The boy's clothes were in a more sorry state than that of the girl, which gave the coldness of the night more leverage to ravage the boy's pale skin.
******
The boy cried out in despair. "I am begging you, just take me instead."
"Do you know how much such fine merchandise sells in the market?" The fat man scoffed. "Just considering her age, I will most probably make at least 3 Isen cents."
The tears flowing across the girl's face picked up speed after hearing what fate awaited her beyond the door of the shack. "P–Please, sir. If you let me go , I will be a very good girl."
A sinister chuckle was heard from the man. "How cute and naive of you. Honestly, I spared your brother not because I am benevolent but simply because he is a damaged good."
The fat man stopped and shifted his gaze downward at the boy. He then shook his head at the boy's fatal efforts. With one fluid motion, he delivered a punch at the boy's face without a hint of remorse. The punch seemed too much for the boy since he immediately lost consciousness and with it freeing his hold around the fat man's leg.
The fat man continued to make his way towards the shack's entrance. The girl watched the motionless body of her brother, not knowing whether he was alive or dead.
As the figures of the fat man and the girl emerged from the shack, the two burly men immediately bowed their heads slightly as if to show respect to the fat man.
The fat man ignored them and looked around. "Where the hell is the carriage?"
One of the burly men stepped forward. "We sent Flathead to fetch it, Mr. Steward."
Mr. Steward let out an audible grumble. "Aaaah, yes. You just had to send the Flat-headed one to do the job."
"And what is your name?" Mr. Steward threw a scrutinizing look at the burly man standing in front of him.
The burly man replied without delay."Spearhead."
"Come again."
Spearhead puffed his chest and repeated."My name is Spearhead."
Mr. Steward groaned and threw a glance at the burly man still standing at the shack's entrance. "And you?"
"My name is Roundhead." Roundhead puffed his chest in a similar fashion to Spearhead.
Mr. Steward sighed and turned to look at the girl. "Looks like you will have to keep me company little one."
The girl did not reply to the man's comment and simply to stare ahead with lifeless eyes as she stood motionless as a statue. It seemed that she already understood that her fate was inescapable.
Mr. Steward did not get angry from the lack of reply and just gave the girl a knowing smile. He then waved at his men. "Let's just walk. It's getting dark anyway."
With Spearhead leading the way and Roundhead protecting the rear, Mr. Steward departed.
The girl spared the shack a last look and lifted her head to face the black sky.
If there is a higher existence up there somewhere, please spare the life of my brother.
A single tear spilt from the girl's left eye. In her heart, she swore that was the last time she would ever cry. She shifted her gaze ahead, wondering what fate had in store for her.
******
Back inside the shack, the body of the boy remained motionless even as the darkness of the night retreated and the rays of dawn shined over the city of Ashton.
It was past noon when one of the hands of the boy twitched. Just like a chain effect, the whole body of the boy squirmed. A groan was heard as the boy tried to get up only to fail miserably.
Following that was the sound of someone crying. "Luna, I failed to protect you."
******
The life of Duncan and his sister was not always so miserable. It all started to go downhill when they were orphaned. Their parents died from chemical poisoning when they were working in a textile industry.
The news of their deaths hit them hard, and the problems that followed hit them harder. They had to abandon their old home and seek shelter in a shack a shack they built with whatever garbage they could find.
They became a sort of power duo with his sister acting as his guide while Duncan performed tasks she couldn't accomplish.
They did every job they could find. If they found none, they could always resort to begging the passing rich folks.
Some days, they had to starve in hunger. Some days, they had to snuggle closer to each other to preserve the little heat our body could generate. Some days, they had to steal for their hunger was like a beast willing to kill them from the inside.
For four years, their life in the outskirts was good. At least as good as the life of a street child could be. After all, they always had each other to seek comfort from when everything seemed bleak. That all changed when a man grew interested in Duncan's sister.
The man first tried to rope them in with the promise of a better livelihood. But Duncan knew that if something felt too good to be true, it was most probably a lie. With his sister's safety in mind, Duncan politely refused his offer. That was when the man showed his true colours by snatching his sister away from him.
Considering Duncan's disability, the best he managed was to throw himself at the man before he could increase the distance between them. Despite being blind, he managed to grasp one of his legs.
Duncan cried desperately at the man, only to get a merciless rebuke. That was when he heard his sister's plea that made his stomach churn. The man then reprimanded his sister with the harsh truth. That was when Duncan felt something heavy hit his face, and his consciousness slipped away.