Chapter Text
The boy walked along the gravel road, the thin soles of his mismatched shoes allowing the varying pebbles to be felt against his small feet. The man walked alongside him, only a few feet ahead.
Every once in a while, on the days when the ache in the boys stomach reverberated through his frail body and clouded his mind, he would see the man in the corner of his eye and his gaunt face would transform into that of his father. On those days, he would shift his eyes to the road that stretched into the horizon and squeeze his small hands into fists. Then, when they would stop to rest for the night, he would squeeze his eyes shut to keep the tears from spilling down his small cheeks.
This day, however, was not one of those days, they had found cans of food in the back of a toppled semi on the side of the road, the grief often ebbed with the hunger and the tinny tasting beans helped to keep it at bay. They had stuffed what cans they hadnt eaten and weren't damaged into their backpacks, which sat bulky and swollen on their bowed backs, concealed by layers of various dark and torn fabrics.
The two travelers continued on the road for several more hours, not wanting to rest quite yet, lest they be caught found by others who would kill them for their cans of beans and vegetables.
Eventually they stopped next to a stretch of land concealed by trees and thick shrubbery. The man, breathing strained, said to the boy "It's hidden, we'll be safe here". The boy nodded and followed the man as he navigated around the branches and stepped over bushes.
The man stopped before a small dip in the dirt beneath a large tree. Together they gathered branches and placed them around the tree, propping them against the thick trunk. Then, they stripped the leaves off the branches and spread them on the dirt, creating a thin layer of cushioning and warmth.
The boy set his pack down on the leaves, close to the tree, and turned to the man, saying "I saw some berries as we came in, I'll be back". At that, the boy disappeared into the tangle of trees and bushes. The man watched him go, sighing and setting his own pack next to the boy's before sitting down to wait for him to return, as it was growing dark.
The boy kept his eyes on the bushes as he stepped carefully amongst the shrubbery, eventually, he spotted a pop of color in the undergrowth a few feet away. Keeping his eyes on the berries, he continued towards the bush.
His attention diverted, the boy didn't notice an exposed root that stretched across his path, it was gnarled and half hidden by the shadows of the forest and the darkly colored dirt. Suddenly, the boys foot snagged on it, his too big shoes causing him to lose his footing and sending him toppling towards the ground.
The boy closed his eyes and held his arms in front of him as he prepared to collide with the patch of thorny bushes and damp soil underneath.
However, instead of dirt and leaves, he felt himself continue falling, cold air rushing past his ears and stinging his exposed skin. The boy panicked, eye's flying open as he realized that he had been hurled into some dark hole that seemed to stretch on forever, he flailed, gasping, his hands reaching for what should be a dirt wall, grasping only air as he continued to fall helplessly through the dark.
After what felt like an eternity to the boy, the dark opened up to light. He squinted his eyes as his pupils contracted, seeing a grey sky, then grass, then grey, and then grass again as he flipped aimlessly through the air. The grass approached quickly as he realized he was much closer to what appeared to be the ground than he had previously thought.
The boy exclaimed before squeezing his eyes shut and curling in on himself as best he could. His thin body hit he hard packed earth, rolling down a small hill before coming to a stop.
After a few moments of laying on his stomach, the boy rolled himself over, his breaths coming in gasps as he stared up at the grey sky. His ribs ached, though so did the rest of his body, and he found it difficult to breathe properly.
The boy lay there for some time, catching his breath and staring at the sky as swollen clouds drifted slowly across it, the sun hidden somewhere behind them. Finally, the boy sat up slowly, pain shooting through his body in protest.
Despite the pain, and with much effort, the boy got his legs under himself and stood up, scanning his surroundings. He seemed to be in a field, a few yards from a road, though this one seemed to be less littered with cars and in better condition than the ones the boy was used to traveling on.
In one direction stretched more length of road and more grass, which, upon closer inspection, was mostly dead.
But, in the other, the skyline of a city could just be made out against the darkening sky, it looked almost muted, the boy thought, though he couldn't tell if it was because of the distance or something else.