CAZADO: BOOK ONE (WATTYS 2023)

Chapter 1

It had already been more than one thousand years since the Spanish-speaking government had
taken over. Where once there stood a beautiful and robust continent, now there was nothing but rubbish and overgrown trees. The only memory of what the city looked like were the pictures that were still in some of the old shops.

Most of the buildings were now broken down and turned to dust. Only a few stood the test of time. As for this old city, it was not safe to visit for most humans since that was where the gangs now resided: The Mangosta Negra and the Pandilla Voladora. The Pandilla Voladora were a much
smaller gang, but they knew how to fight.

The Mangosta Negra consisted of greater numbers, but they were not as efficient in their fighting prowess. The Mangosta Negra wanted to take over the world. The Pandilla Voladora only wanted to survive the atrocities that this government had created. From what I understood about the history of Toronto, this city was once an incredibly beautiful place. There was so much to do here before this country got caught up in some unnecessary war. In the distant past, there were rumors of wars brewing and people were afraid that powerful weapons would be used.

At some point in history, there was a council meeting and it was decided that they would not use these weapons. Every nation was afraid of the conceivable impact. Even the most ruthless ruler was unable to pull the trigger. At some point a group called the United World Village or U.W.V was able to bring "peace" to these nations for the first time and it seemed like the world would become a nonviolent place once again. However, there was one man who still desired power.

 His associates had created a weapon that was devastating in its destructive capacity. It seemed neither he, nor his associates knew the consequences of their new weapon. From what my father told me, the armies were planning on using these weapons that would form a sort of mushroom cloud when it impacted the earth. However, when the U.W.V heard about this, they
were against such a monstrosity being used. The man soon learned he would not receive any funding. He eventually created another warhead without the help of the U.W.V, although his government was not completely against the use of it.

This man decided that even without funding he would go on to create the weapon through less honorable means. This new weapon was meant to be used on some groups that had decided to fight against the man's regime. This weapon that killed so many, but also somehow changed
many people and gave them unexplainable power. The Pariah. You must be wondering what part I play in all this? Well, my name is Jared "Pequeno Dragon" Graves. And I do not have a part in this. I stay as far as I can from trouble. My father, whose family had begun training in martial arts before the war, taught me enough that I could protect myself from harm.

I stayed as far away as I could from any problems, from any Pariah. I did not want what had happened to my mother to happen to me...

It was a cold day in November. My father had made some cornmeal with okra and fish sauce; Coucou as it is called. It was a bright-sunlight color, and I loved its creamy texture that matched well with the Okra; slightly slimy, but good. I am sure if my siblings were still around, they
would have loved it. I was glad for this place my father had found. If it were not for this house that we had "commandeered", we might have not survived the many winters outside of the city.

It was a decent sized house further up north. Not many people came up here. My father only chose to live closer to the city to buy products at one point so that we could survive. Not that we needed them as much now. For everything else he had farmed himself and he would often sell or trade foods closer to the city so that we could sustain ourselves, and for the benefit of surrounding villages. We owned a few goats, some sheep, chickens and a few other animals we ate and sold that we kept in an old barn that constantly needed repairs.