Unfortunately, in the aftermath of losing immortal heroes, life demanded that the boy carry on. Although this seemed impossible at times, it was required. In those days, there was still chemical escape to deal with or not deal with, whatever he chose.
He did not think too far into the future. Shortly up ahead, that road contained a thick fog, and seeing beyond that was not permitted. He did not care. A tremendous pressure had been lifted, and living the life of a transient was much more like a home than anything else.
Since he had left Ann's Island, nothing felt like home unless he slept in the place that made him feel like he could be returning at any moment. Not long ago, he met someone who was tempting him with a rich lifestyle he never thought he could know. The man, however, was cunning and convincing. Slowly, the boy changed his image; he dared to dream what that life could be like. Being what the status quo thought was upstanding and respectful felt good. Especially after the tornado that flung everything he owned everywhere in the past few months.
That continued in this new life. The girl who let him think he was making the decisions allowed this to continue, but you could tell at any moment that she would cut it off like only she could. As the days got warm, everything seemed to be getting better. But, an unplanned journey came up, and of course, the boy was always up for something like that.
To this day, I am still amazed at how he could take great journeys with no resources and somehow win. Not that this was not tense and scary at times, but it was still remarkable. This journey became the mold for many to come. His expediency, tenacity, and resourcefulness were all exercised in esquisit ways.
It was a strange journey as well. The people had dynamics that the boy did not understand. The girl appeared injured and retreated with whatever she had, lying in a fetal position in the back of the room. It looked like one thing, but it was far worse. The boy, alone at the wheel, found the peace he always found when he was alone.
Upon his return, his tether broke. Here, he began to float. Last year, he had jumped from burning piece of shipwreck to another. He tried that again, but he kept falling into the water. He looked for numbness, and everyone turned against him as he did everything. He was used to the girl allowing precision pain to be administered to him; he was used to that. This was different. Behind eyes that seemed neutral, there was an elation in the boy's new level of pain. What did he do? He did not know. It should have been obvious, but he could only think as far as she wanted him to.
The seemingly random assaults increased. Something was missing—an outlet to inflict destruction, and now he was falling into that role. Something had changed. This only allowed him to damage himself even more. He had no purpose, and those who did not amount to anything lifted themselves into lofty dominance over him, coveting anything that was his, leaving him no integrity, no wisdom, and absolutely no self-respect.
In the light of day, gravity pushed hard down upon his head. All he could feel was shame, and there was nothing but disgust around him. He was mocked and ridiculed and treated as though he were a homeless vagabond. Not a word could come out of his mouth correctly. He was only nothing.
There is an old saying: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." If not for an ancient, twisted history that I would never want to know about releasing an explosion in the compound, the boy would not have made it out alive. Because it was the only card the girl had left, she pulled back on the subliminal torture she was applying and quietly looked to the boy to pull something off.
He did what he did best. He rushed through the house as if there was a meteor entering the atmosphere and headed straight for them. He grabbed the belongings that seemed essential to them in seconds. The wagon was already moving, and he jumped on board as it escaped. The villagers were screaming in rage behind them, shooting flaming arrows at them. They always thought they could bury them beneath their communal meeting place. But today, that boy and that girl were escaping. They would need to tear someone else apart.
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