𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 ༄

one

Fuck. That. Place.

Tommy imagined the whole building bursting into flames as he ran in slow motion, hair whipping in the wind, a shit-eating grin on his face.

In reality, he was sneaking out back along the trash bins, avoiding watchful eyes in windows and street lamps that might expose him. He cursed as he tripped over garbage bags, scowling at the stench. Tiny glints of scrap metal caught his eye as he maneuvered his way out the back of his shit foster home. It was by no means a cool escape, but he was doing his best. This home had been far worse than any others he had experienced. Constant bullying from the other kids and blatant ignorance from the administrators was the reason he was leaving this hellhole. Tommy glanced at it one last time before crossing the highway into the woods. He honestly could care less if something ate him alive in the forest- anything was better than waking up in one of those cots again. He shivered, the wind picking up around him. His simple red and white tee didn't do much to keep him warm, but he didn't even own a fucking jacket. Tommy almost laughed at his current situation- a sixteen year old boy escaping practical prison with nothing but the clothes on his back and a half-empty backpack at half past two in the morning.

Yea, it was funny, in a sadistic sort of a way. His tennis shoes crunched on the forest floor as he hopped over the highway barrier into the gloomy woods. He had no idea where he was going, and in hindsight, it might have been better to stick to the road. At least that would lead to some sort of sane civilization.

Dark oak trees rose high into the cerulean colored sky. It was late enough to show stars but early enough for the sun to begin peaking above the horizon. The rising sun's glare was soothing to his ice blue eyes as he trampled through the underbrush. Tommy was exhausted, bone-tired, but he had to keep moving. He was not going to die to a fucking coyote in the woods. His stomach rumbled, reminding him he hadn't eaten anything in quite a few hours. The food at the home was shit, so whenever he could he snuck out to the nearest store to snag some decent food from the shelves. Sure it was stealing, but as long as he didn't get caught it was legal, at least in his eyes. Tommy had always had an affinity for illegally borrowing things anyways. He was never caught, no matter how much he took or how many times he visited the same run-down 7/11 at the end of the block. It was kind of his superpower, which worked out great in his favor as a poor foster kid.

Tommy had been in the system for as long he could remember. His childhood memories were filled with peeling yellowed wallpaper and carpet stains. He got no birthday or Christmas gifts, replaced by dead rats in his shared room and frequent hunger pains. It's not that the people that ran the place were shit, it was that they were the scum of the earth. Tommy thought he had never seen less compassionate people in his entire life, and that was saying something. He used to piss them off on purpose, just to see how evil they could become. The worst punishment he had ever faced was a two week isolation in his room- he went fucking insane. Tommy had never really ran away before, not like this. He has escaped past homes, managing to make it to a corner store or down the block before getting caught. Each time he accepted defeat, being dragged into a fancy car only to be dropped off at the same dirt place every time.

Tommy wasn't stupid. He knew the way the world worked. Some people got what they wanted. Some people got a nice childhood and nice families and nice houses. But the universe clearly held a vendetta against him, so he had to accept it. He just wasn't meant to have the good parts of life. The sparkly green of the plants around his feet calmed Tommy down, even for just a moment. His body felt heavy with his years on this earth, but he was determined to survive. That was the thing though, wasn't it. Tommy was constantly surviving, never living.

The stars slowly disappeared and the sky got lighter, revealing more of the woodlands Tommy was trudging through. He had no way to tell the time, but his legs ached and sweat was pooling on his forehead, despite the cold. He was beginning to grow weak, his head pounding with dehydration. Tommy honestly didn't know which direction he was heading anymore. Every tree and leaf looked the same. For all he knew, he could've been walking in circles.

Tommy rubbed his eyes, clearing the spots from his vision. He rolled his shoulders back, hearing cracks and pops. Feeling slightly reenergized, he spun in a circle with his eyes closed until he stopped, landing on a random direction in the woods. Taking his chances, he started walking again.

God this sucks. He had been walking for hours now, as it was nearing morning. His legs shook with exhaustion, his vision cloudy. Tommy was quite literally ready to give in and pass out on the forest floor.

His mind continued to wander as the trees stretched onwards endlessly. Tommy was young, too young for some of the things he had experienced, probably. But his instincts and survival skills were honed to perfection. His whole life had been one massive battlefield, and he had no allies. It was pathetic, but Tommy just wanted a family. People he could rely on. Was there something so wrong about that? So unattainable? He sighed, the cold wind biting his throat. It was getting warmer, a sign of the hours crawling by. It made Tommy think of sweltering summer days outside his old foster home, banging on the doors to be let inside. Yea, not good memories to say the least. His throat ached from the memories of constant dehydration, and he swallowed, suddenly grateful for the canteen of water in his backpack.

Tommy still hadn't found a glimpse of human civilization. This forest was oddly silent, he noticed. In the entire time he had been walking, he hadn't seen a single sign of animal life. His feet padded softly on the forest floor, the only sound for miles. Tommy was suddenly uncomfortably aware of his body in this nearly silent space. Blood roared in his ears as they perked up, keen to hear something else than his own fucking heartbeat. His breath came in short gasps, and his thoughts ratted noisily in his head. Suddenly he hadn't a clue where he was.

The plants seemed to grow with him as he walked, tickling his ankles and snatching at the hem of his pants. Bright spots of white light trickled at the corners of his vision, making him blink in confusion. Tommy heard a sharp crack to his left, turning sharply with wide eyes and a beating heart. Of course he had to be lost. Of course he was alone in the woods. His luck was rare, and it almost always ran out. Tommy was beginning to regret running away from the home, but then he remembered just last week having to fight off older kids for food and his cot. He also knew if he showed his face again there the admins would most definitely crucify him or some shit. Tommy was convinced they were a bunch of witch nuns. He sighed, running his hands through his unkempt hair. Tommy adjusted the straps on his backpack as he walked, focusing back in on his surroundings. The forest looked the same, he realized. Every part of the forest he had seen so far he had recognized, which seemed impossible. As far as he knew, he had never crossed the highway from the foster home. Something itched in the back of his head, a thought he couldn't quite conjure or place. Tommy physically shook it off, swaying his head from side to side. He was getting tired, and there was still no sign of life at all. Tommy's forehead scrunched up with worry, trying to remember his path through the mystic woods.

He had been walking straight, right? He had spun in a circle and chose a direction, surely. Surely he was going the right way... what was the right way?

Everything turned on its head as Tommy became acutely aware of his pounding headache, stemming from hours of dehydration and hunger. His vision was cloudy, the sunlight streaming through the trees burning his eyes. His backpack thudded to the ground, shocking him with the loud noise. The trees seemed to loom before him, their gnarly branches reaching out to grab him. Tommy was on the verge of collapse. His thoughts came in quick bursts, refusing to aid him in this situation.

If he could just start walking again, he would find something, someone, in no time. If he could just-

Tommy stumbled forwards, weeds entangling with his legs as he crashed to the ground. Tommy's consciousness slowly dissolved, leaving a lost boy's body in the open woods.