The Pit was a hole in E'na's belly, a world apart, swallowed by rust and misery.A place where light was a rare luxury, a distant dream barely whispered.Beneath the rubble, between cracked pipes and sweating walls, they lived.
The children of the Pit.
Their thin bodies clung to damp walls, hands caked with cold dirt, eyes burning with a hunger never satisfied.In this world of grime and silence, they were each other's only family.Not brothers or sisters by blood, but bound by survival, by fear, by the vast emptiness in their stomachs and hearts.
There was the Mute, who never spoke. Not because he didn't want to, but because words had broken somewhere in his throat.That was his name or rather, his nickname down here.A boy whose silence weighed heavier than any word.
His face was hollow from hunger, his eyes sharp like a wild animal's.He moved with the speed of a feral cat, always alert.He looked like the youngest and weakest, but no one dared provoke him.When he struck, it was with dry, swift violence.
Around him were a dozen others.
Lina, the unofficial leader, a girl with filthy hair and clenched teeth.She had taken the lead after the last one died.She rarely smiled, but everyone knew their lives rested in her hands.Her strength wasn't just in her fists but in her iron will.
Jem and Rash flanked her like a personal guard.
Jem, the sarcastic one, always grumbling, cracking jokes to ease the pressureEven though his hands were cracked, dirty, nails chipped.
Rash, the silent mass, broad shoulders and hard gazeAlways on the edge of exploding, but also the first to protect.
The Mute was the last link in this fragile chain.
That morning, they had woken up in a damp alley, barely lit by the dim flicker of a dangling bulb.The air was thick with dust and the stench of rot.Only the steady dripping of water broke the silence.
Plok… plok… plok…
A monotone sound, almost soothing in this chaos.
The Mute sat in a corner, back against the cold wall.His stomach had screamed for days, but he didn't move.He watched. Always. Everything around him.Every shift. Every sound.
Lina approached, dragging her weary frame.
- Nothing againn?
She asked, her voice hoarse but firm.
The Mute nodded slowly, as always.
Across from them, Jem chewed a broken nail.
- We're gonna die if this keeps up,
He muttered.
- We have to move.
Said Rash, standing up.
- There's nothing left here. We need to go.
- We can't just walk out like that,
Lina replied.
- The gang's out there.
The Mute finally stood.He grabbed a piece of rusted metal and gripped it tightly. Ready.
- Screw it.
Lina whispered, locking eyes with him.
- Tonight, we move.
The group rose in silence, ready to leave their fragile refuge.
Their frail bodies slipped through shadows, huddled close for warmth. Fear clung to them an animal lurking behind every glance.But so did a strange strength that made them invincible together.
They knew each other by heart. Each one's secrets, hidden pain, invisible scars.
Jem wiped a tear before he could stop it.
- You okay?
Lina asked, surprised.
- Yeah… just hungry.
He answered, voice tight.
Rash clapped a hand on Jem's shoulder.
- You're not alone.
The Mute took it all in this broken, exhausted family that still refused to let go.
They reached the gallery's exit: a rusted grate leading into the Pit's grim alleys.
Misery was everywhere.
Walls covered in faded graffiti, garbage piled up, rats scurrying beneath their feet.Rough voices. Stifled cries. Blows.
A small boy ran past them, chased by an angry man.The Mute moved fast, grabbed a stone, and threw it hard. The man stopped, startled, then stormed off swearing.
- We need to be careful.
Lina said.
- Patrols are out.
They crept along the walls, avoiding hostile groups.
The Mute's muscles tightened, ready to protect his family.
A cluster of starving kids huddled around a makeshift fire.
- Share.
Lina murmured.
The Mute stepped forward and placed the piece of dry bread he'd stolen the day before.
A fragile moment of peace.
But night was coming.
They needed shelter.
They slipped into an abandoned shack, huddling together against the cold.
The Mute pulled out a scrap of cloth, wiped the dust from his face, then looked at his makeshift siblings.
He didn't say a word.
But in his eyes burned the promise of an endless fight.
Ready to do anything for this family.