｢andley｣ Wild Divergence
Prologue
Andy panted as he ran through the thick fog, his hair stuck to his forehead as heavy raindrops fell onto him. Yelling filled his ears as the angry men got closer, their guns in hand. The only thing running in his mind was life and death. He ignored the lightening striking the ground beneath his feet, and the growl of hungry animals. All he wanted was to get back to his "home" safely, with only a few scratches and not a bullet wound. That would be bad.
The boy whimpered at his aching legs, the heavier footsteps and yelling growing louder as he began to unwillingly slow down. He clenched his eyes shut, fearing the worst.
It wasn't long before the thirteen year old's legs gave out on him, and he stumbled onto forest floor, the material he had in his bag and hands falling out. He scurried over to a nearby tree, pulling his knees close to his chest as he breathed heavily.
Tears began to well up in his eyes, fear taking over him. He was scared, and that was expected. A soft whimper escaped his lips, just as one of the men walked past the tree. He stopped, and Andy froze as he held his breath.
"Please don't find me", he thought, eyes wide as he stared at the man. In the light of the moon, all he could really see were the man's hazel eyes.
"Come on, he's not here." The man spoke, sounding unsure himself. It wasn't until Andy released a breath involuntarily, causing the man to snap his head into the direction he had heard it come from. Andy instantly bolted up, taking off into the opposite direction. Tears rushed down his face, hoping to not get lost as he ran from the men. Their yelling returned, the rain still beating down on him. His breathing was labored, broken as he ran as fast as he could.
Through his blurry vision, Andy could see the start of dry land. The dirt was hard, like rock, and cracks broke it apart. Little tuffs of grass and weeds sprouted from the ground here and there, but it was in other words a wasteland. Andy had been running for what felt like hours, and had finally lost sight of the men.
The rain was still heavy, Andy now drenched, and cold. He was freezing. He couldn't wait to get home where his mom and, hopefully, dad were, sitting in front of a small fire at the small camp they had set up.
Andy sighed, remembering when they didn't need to rely on a fire for warmth, and how he didn't need to steal for supply and food. Three years of him living like this, where survival really mattered, was tiring for him. He missed those days where he could just curl up in bed and fall asleep, dreaming of the future, his future.
But his future was nothing now.
With how life was now, his dream for his future was ridiculous. Nobody on this planet cared about music. All they cared about was power, or survival.
Andy began to slow down, sighing at the thought. So much for dream-come-true. He looked up, noticing the small camp that was set up. He smiled weakly, seeing his mother making something in the pot that was above the fire, which was shielded from the rain by a large cloth that was supported by two sticks. They didn't have much, one tent for thw two to sleep in, three for the nights his dad would come home from possibly hunting. Andy frowned when he noticed that his father was not there.
"M-mom," Andy spoke softly as he trembled in the cold rain, "w-where's dad?"
Andy's mother instantly lifted her head upon hearing Andy's voice. She gasped lightly, abandoning the pot and rushing over to him. She enveloped his wet body into her arms, Andy hesitantly hugging her back.
"Christ Andy, you're freezing!" She exclaimed, quickly returning to the still burning fire in attempt to warm her child. Andy simple shook his head, closing his eyes.
"Where's daddy?" He cried, having not seeing his dad in nearly a week and a half. He was used to him not being at the camp, but never had he been gone for this long.
"He'll be back soon, baby." His mother replied, now having said the same thing multiple times. She was sad that her son was so upset about his father not being there, and she understood why. The two had done everything together.
She sighed, rubbing Andy's back as he cried into her shoulder, in the rain. The boy eventually fell asleep, tear stains on his cheeks as his breathing evened out.
"My poor baby." She whispered into nothingness, as she stayed seated on the cold, hard ground, hugging her son's sleeping body as the night took over completely, only light illuminating from the small fire.
