1 Bad Luck

In a dimly lit alley, on a bitterly cold day, Stood, a thin youth surrounded bit several figures in aggressive posses.

"Don't you... have a better place to be?... I have nothing... I promise.." reasoned the youth.

A sneer came from the leader of the group. "You didn't think it was that simple. Did you?"

Shortly after, you could hear some muffled yells and beating sounds coming from the alley, Dissuading anyone from intervening, followed by the hoodlums coming out carrying new goods.

"This is the worst day," Muttered Lucas as he winced in pain while crawling to his feet and making his way home.

Stumbling his way home, nobody looked at him. Just another nobody in the crowd. Earlier that day, he was laid off from his low paying job, followed by a mugging by the previous homeless thugs, and while Lucas is thinking nothing could get worse. This dark day doesn't end just yet.

Lucas arrived home and pushed the door open. The dimly lit and dusty house presented itself.

"Ellie, I'm home!" yelled Lucas as he limped in, Waiting for that precious sunshine in his life. His sickly little sister. Both of whom are orphans after hearing a bearly audible response from the bedroom, a small, sad smile formed on Lucas's face. It is followed by Lucas starting to prepare dinner for the siblings.

He was pushing the bedroom door open. You could see two beds on either side of the small room. In the leftmost, one lay a little girl with a sickly pale face. But in the presence of her big brother, was the biggest smile that Lucas almost had to cover his eyes from the brilliance!

Walking over and sitting next to the bed. Lucas started telling his sister about his day, Not forgetting to avoid mentioning the two issues about finding a new job and having what little he had stolen on him. "Brother... Where did these bruises coming from?!" Ellie asked with a worried frown on her face.

"Brother was just working extra hard today, Sis" Lied Lucas, as he tried better to cover the few more significant bruises.

As Lucas was helping his sister eat, she seemed to realize something. "Have you eaten already?.." She asked. But she was already knowing the answer. They could hardly afford to feed the pair together. So Lucas always gave His sister most of the food, so her condition doesn't worsen.

As the day progressed and the sun dipped into the horizon. Lucas could hear a few muffled voices outside the window.

As Lucas closed in on the window, Hiding below the edge, he could hear the whispers outside. "Is this rundown thing the place?" Asked one of the men. "Shush, keep your voice down... We don't want to startle the rabbit too early. Boss said he only wants the girl. As for the boy, he should have known what's good for him. If he still doesn't... Hmph!" followed by the thug spitting on the ground in a boastful manner.

Lucas wasn't surprised. This was precisely the reason he was fired from his job earlier in the day. Several days ago, Ellie was feeling particularly good. So She came to visit her brother at work on his break. The Boss's son, Ben. Had seen her and had malicious intentions, Going so far as asking her brother to hand her over while acting righteously like a good future brother-in-law. But who was he fooling? Anyone could see the evil intentions of the poor actor.

Lucas started to connect the dots and realized the mugging from earlier today must have also been arranged by his boss as well.

Lucas quietly made his way over to his sister's bed. Gently waking her, "..Mm.....Brother... What are-" Lucas quickly covered her mouth. "Shh" with a finger to his lips and then started pointing to the window, trying to signal her.

Ellie gave a light nod, Not knowing the circumstances. She lightly held his arm and followed him.

As Lucas closed in on the window, his awareness heightened. Not hearing anything, He quietly peeked his head over the window sill and saw nothing but soon heard noise coming from the front door a second later.

Lucas quickly crawled out the window as quietly as he could before lifting Ellie out behind him. Unfortunately... Was his luck ever good this day? As she was being pulled out, a big hand came out of the darkness of the room and grabbed her Ankle. With a shrill scream followed by a kick, the hand let go.

"Hey! They're escaping out the back!"

Lucas put Ellie behind himself as he glared at the man in the window. The thug gave a snort as he tried climbing out the window, but Lucas kicked him back in and slammed the window closed as Lucas didn't have time and could hear footsteps closing in on them. He lifted Ellie close to his chest and ran!

Twisting and turning through the alleys. Lucas soon realized he would run out of breath before the goons while carrying Ellie as he turned the next corner. Lucas quickly spotted a box near an intersection a homeless person must have used in a dark spot. He promptly put Ellie down, Kissed her forehead, pushed her in the box "Stay here. I'll lead them away. Love you, Sis. Stay safe." Holding back her tears with all her might, she wished her brother safety. "Love you to brother, Come back soon!"

Running to the next corner, Lucas waited for a second. Just as one of the thugs glanced around the corner, Lucas bolted away again.

"He's this way! Get em!"

Lucas ran with all his might. He didn't look back. He was only focusing on running as fast as he could. He was turning as many corners as he could through the winding Alleys.

Unfortunately, he soon found himself at a dead-end. Looking around for a way out and not finding one!

The voices of the thugs' echos in the dark as they closed in on him, but just as all was looking bleak, An earthquake hit. Rubble and trash shook about. Windows broke... cats and dogs cried out into the night first, Followed by human screams. The world shook. The ground split! Some places rose, and others fell. Endless pits formed unfortunately, one just happened to be beneath Lucas as he vanished into the darkness followed by his screams.