The slums of Gunter village were quiet, the only sounds were the occasional meowing of cats and the barking of rabid dogs.
Several homeless men and women lay either on the floor or benches serving as makeshift beds.
The air was heavy and the scent of alcohol was strong.
These were the unfortunate people who had fallen on hard times and could no longer afford to live in the city.
They were a broken people, a lost generation.
But amidst the gloom and despair, a man stood tall, oblivious to the horror around him.
His face tired and clothes torn in some places, but his eyes remained bright...a certain joy in them as he neared where he called home.
He walked through the alleys, his eyes darting around.
The alleyways were dark and gloomy, the only source of light coming from the occasional street lamp.
But Zayne did not fear the dark.
His steps were steady and his gait confident.
He was a man on a mission.
After a few minutes of walking, he stopped in front of an old, run-down apartment complex.
The walls were covered in graffiti, and the windows were boarded up.
It was a depressing sight.
But to Zayne, it was home.
He walked up the stairs, his feet creaking on the old wooden floorboards.
He stopped in front of a door and took out a key from his pocket.
With a click, the door opened.
He stepped inside, and although he was greeted by the smell of mildew and stale air, Zayne was instantly focused on the small body cuddled atop the bed which lay on the floor.
The sound of the door opening had already alerted the little human, and Zayne saw his head pop up.
"Zayne!" The small voice shouted, his little feet jumping off the bed and his short arms spread wide.
Zayne hosted him up into the air by the shoulders deliberately avoiding bringing him close to his chest.
"You're late" the boy complained
Zayne smiled, ruffling the boy's hair.
"Yeah, I had a bit of a rough night"
"Are you hurt? Do you need anything?" the boy asked, concern evident in his eyes.
"No, no, I'm fine. Just a bit tired" Zayne set him back down on the floor.
"Look I got something for you
The boy's eyes lit up, his curiosity piqued.
"Really?! What is it?"
Zayne smiled and brought out a chocolate bar from his pocket.
The kid's eyes lit up instantly and he swiftly swiped his hand attempting to grab the bar.
Zayne raised his arm, preventing the boy from snatching the candy.
"If I give it to you now you'll definitely have a sugar rush and be a pain to put to sleep later. So you won't be getting this till morning"
The boy pouted, his lower lip jutting out.
"Aw, come on, just one piece"
Zayne shook his head.
"Nope, not happening."
"Pleeease, I promise I'll be good"
"Nice try, but the answer is still no"
The kid was relentless.
He continued pestering Zayne, even resorting to physical assault, but his efforts were futile.
Zayne simply smiled and ignored the attacks, which were not harmful anyway.
The kid was no match for him, and eventually, he gave up.
"Fine, I'll go to bed. But you better give me the chocolate in the morning."
Zayne chuckled, his eyes filled with amusement as he ruffled the boy's hair.
"We'll see. Now, off to bed with you."
The boy rolled his eyes, but obeyed.
"G'night"
"Night"
As the boy crawled back into bed, Zayne made his way to the little bathroom.
The apartment was a one-room place, barely enough for the two of them.
It was cramped and uncomfortable, but it was home.
Zayne stripped off his clothes and stepped into the shower, turning on the water that barely trickled.
As the cool liquid ran down his skin, he sighed, the tension leaving his body.
After a few minutes, he turned off the water and stepped out of shower.
Rid of all the blood, Zayne made his way towards his bed.
As his eyes landed on the boy sleeping soundly, a smile formed on his lips.
The kid was the most precious thing to him, the reason he fought every day...the only thing he had left called family.
As he watched him sleep, his heart filled with warmth.
And in that moment, all the worries and fears from the night melted away.
He slowly climbed into the bed, brought the pouting kid close and wrapped the blanket around the both of them.
"Goodnight, Aiden" he whispered, as his eyes closed and his consciousness drifted off to a land of dreams.
.....
"Zayne! Zayne wakeup" A tiny hand slapped Zayne several times.
"Ugh, stop" Zayne muttered, his eyes still closed.
"Zayne, get up, you're going to be late for work" the kid said, poking his cheek.
"Work? What work?" Zayne slowly sat up, his mind still fuzzy from sleep.
"The one you told me about, the new job"
The words finally registered in his brain.
"Ah, right. That...."
"I can't believe you forgot"
"Sorry, it was a long night"
"So, did you get the job?"
"Uh, yeah. I got it"
"Really?! That's great!"
Aiden jumped onto the bed and hugged him.
Zahne was taken aback but accepted it nonetheless.
The two embraced for a moment before Zayne felt a row of teeth on his neck.
"Aiden what are y- ow!" Zayne was interrupted by an extremely sharp pain in his neck and he swiftly removed Aiden from his embrace.
"Arrgh!" Zayne groaned as he clutched his neck, blood seeping through his fingers.
Aiden grinned, his eyes shining with a dark red color.
"What the-?!"
"Thank you for the meal, big brother" a warped voice came from the little child's mouth.
Zayne stared at him in shock.
Aiden's appearance had completely changed into an eldritch horror.
Eyes appeared everywhere on his face, replacing all significant features except the mouth which now dripped with thick saliva.
His mouth had grown several times larger and his teeth were like fangs, dripping with fresh blood.
His hands had elongated, growing claws, and his skin had turned an unnatural pale color.
The boy had transformed into a monster.
A monster that had attacked him.
"A-a-aiden...?" Zayne muttered, his eyes wide and voice weak as he quickly lost blood.
"Zayne, I'm hungry...let me feed"
Aiden's distorted voice was full of malice and sometimes plea.
He slowly moved toward Zayne, his claws extended, ready to strike.
Zayne tried to move away, but his body wouldn't listen.
It was paralyzed, frozen with fear.
He could only watch helplessly as the creature approached him.
"Let me feed...let me feast"
Aiden's words echoed in his mind as sharp claws enlarged swiftly turning his vision black.
Boom!
A voice like the echo of wind chimes resounded, dispelling all that was untrue.
"Pity...you have suffered his corruption" The voice echoed.
Zayne jolted up upright, his chest heaving as though he had been submerged underwater for too long.
His eyes were widened as he struggled to see, but the abounding darkness paid his efforts no mind.
"Aiden!" Zayne shouted as he hastily scrambled to his feet, his hands trying to feel around in the pitch-black space.
"Aid-"
His voice was cut off as a cold, almost bone chilling sensation enveloped his body.
"Calm yourself..."
The voice, calm, soft, and ethereal, whispered.
The space lit an eerie green glow as the whisper resounded.
But the whisper was like a hammer blow to his mind.
His eyes bulged, and his mind reeled.
Zayne felt as if he was being suffocated.
He collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath.
The feeling was indescribable.
His heart raced, his blood pumped, his lungs heaved.
From the little light he could see his own hands and feet beginning to enlarge.
The bones in his arms and legs started to shift, breaking and reforming, elongating and contracting.
His flesh morphed, growing several tiny arms, each covered in mouths that gnashed and drooled.
In his chest, a large eye opened and stared at him.
It was a terrible sight that Zayne couldn't even begin to comprehend.
His couldn't breathe as panic swept away his being.
"What's happening to me?!"
He cried out.
But no one answered.
The darkness was silent.
Then, the whispers returned.
"A pity..."
The words echoed through the space, surrounding him, enveloping him.
Zayne was helpless.
He was trapped.
And then, the darkness disappeared.
A bright light flashed, and the space was suddenly filled with an ethereal glow.
And then, there was nothing.
Everything had vanished, and Zayne found himself floating in a vast sea of endless white.
It was peaceful.
He was alone.
But it was not for long.
From the vast expanse of whiteness, a figure emerged.
Her formed seemed almost timeless as though shaped by something greater than nature itself.
As she moved with quiet grace, new life seemed to spawn from the very place her feet touched, creation that spoke praises in chants incomprehensible to Zayne.
He was frozen, unable to truly understand the magnificence of what his sight beheld.
As the woman neared, his ears filled with sounds that had no origin, voices that belonged to no mouth.
Her hand held his head and her thumb rested on his forehead.
This touch, it was a warmth that Zayne had never experienced.
It was like the touch of a mother.
A mother who cared, who loved.
Her touch was a comfort, a solace.
She gazed down at him with eyes that spoke of boundless compassion.
Her lips curved into a gentle smile, and she spoke.
"Find my people"
These words seemed to contain a forced that imprinted itself into Zayne's mind forcefully and his world blacked out