Chapter 1

Kitty hated the feeling of sand in his shoes.

It was everywhere here. A refuge camp in the middle of the desert wasn't such a great idea, but it kind of worked. No one could stumble upon it by chance, and the military protected it. With these safety procedures, the hybrids who lived here were at peace. They trusted the soldiers to protect them. Things could change for the hybrids with their support. The government could realise hybrids deserved rights and better treatment. It was only a decade ago that supernatural creatures gained the right to coexist with humans. They fought and protested, peacefully and not so peacefully, to be their equals. So it wouldn't be so strange for hybrids to have this right. Kitty hoped one day it would happen. His kind wouldn't be property and enlisted against their will. They could buy their own houses and walk the streets without fear. They could be like everybody else.

But dwelling on wishful thinking wasn't his priority right now. Dinner was almost ready. Their father told him to find his brother Jack before their food got cold, but he didn't know where to start. He must be with his friends. Kitty fought back the jealousy he felt. He didn't have friends, like Jack did. He was popular, cool and strong. People flocked to him and adored him. Kitty was always alone. When they were small, Jack tried to include him when he played with the other children, but Kitty was too shy to talk to or play with them. Instead of having friends and a social life, he was a target for bullies. For most of his seventeen years of life, he was an easy target. The local boys called him names, pulled his long hair and pushed him over. He was feminine, small and delicate, a useless pretty boy. He never fought back. Then again, he didn't have to. Jack would come to his rescue when he could. He'd beat up his tormentors and scare them away. Kitty smiled to himself. Jack was his hero, even though he was a bit envious of him. He wished he could become stronger and defend himself for once.

Lost in these anxious thoughts, he tiptoed along the sand. He hoped this would make him less noticeable to those horrible little vultures in humanoid form. A deafening bang interrupted his worrying, then a scream. His head shot up. What on earth was that?

More screaming and continuous loud noises like little explosions followed. Kitty turned towards where the cacophony had started. At the wired fence entrance of the camp stood about thirty humans carrying guns and sacks. They were shooting at random hybrids, grabbing some and knocking them out before stuffing them into the sacks. Kitty swore his heart stopped.

The first thought that entered his mind was his family. He had to find his fathers and Jack and make sure they were all right.

He spun around, kicking up sand with the rapid motion, and sprinted in the direction he came from, back to the tent he called home. Around him, hybrids were being slaughtered and kidnapped. These were the people Kitty had known all his life. Now, he was witnissing their deaths. Tears clouded his vision, and he desperately wiped them away. He couldn't cry, not right now. He had to be brave. He had to find his family before it was too late.

The wretched sand got the better of him yet again. He ran as fast as he could, and he tripped over his laces and fell face first down into the yellow granules he hated so much. He sat up, sputtering, trying to get the sand out of his mouth. He opened his eyes to see a machine gun pointed right at his face. Kitty stared up at the man holding the gun. He couldn't think. He couldn't breath. He willed himself to get up, but his legs wouldn't move.

The man looked him up and down, then turned to his friends and shouted, "Put it in the sack."

It? Was he referring to Kitty? A scowl, albeit a weak one, broke out on Kitty's face. He wasn't an it, for Christ's sake. He was a person, with hopes, dreams and emotions. His head lowered, the glare dissipating. He was an idiot for thinking things could ever change. Hybrids were objects to the humans, nothing more. They were only taking young hybrids, Kitty noticed. It wasn't surprising if he thought about it. Who would want an elderly slave? Humans deemed them worthless, so they left them to die.

Before he stuffed Kitty in the sack, the man holding the gun received a hard whack on the head with a large stone. His eyes rolled back and he fell to the ground like a cut-down tree. To Kitty's great relief, he recognised the person who hit him.

"Dad!"

Eric, one of Kitty's fathers, stood in front of him with the rock now covered in blood. He glanced over at him with a relieved smile. Eric was a stone-faced man. He wasn't ugly or old, but he had a stern face. Kitty's other father, Gabriel, told him that he had met Eric back when they were both slaves. He instantly developed a crush on him, but was a little intimidated by his grumpy face. He later found out that he was a kind, caring man, and they fell in love. Despite his apathetic countenance, he was the sweetest person you could ever meet.

Giving the body a look-over, Eric dropped his weapon and knelt down so he was eye-level with Kitty. He ruffled his hair with a reassuring expression. Kitty felt his anxiety lower, but not by much. He wouldn't feel at ease until he knew Gabriel and Jack were safe.

As if some higher power had answered his wishes, Gabriel ran over to him and scooped him up in his arms.

"Are you OK? Did they hurt you?" Gabriel frantically searched Kitty's skin for any damage.

Kitty nodded and smiled to calm him down. Gabriel always panicked too much. "I'm fine, father. Did you find Jack?"

Anxiety was evident on Gabriel's face. He shook his head. He then looked into Kitty's eyes, his own filling with tears. He grabbed Kitty into a tight hug. "We'll find him, don't worry. I'm so glad you're safe."

The fear Kitty felt didn't go away. He embraced Gabriel back, trying to put his worries to the back of his mind. He had a terrible feeling that they weren't going to survive this.

"I'll go look for Jack." Eric said, picking up a plank of wood from a burnt out fire to use as a weapon. "You and Kitty get to safety. I'll meet up with you later once I find him."

"I'll find Jack. You take care of Kitty." Gabriel pleaded. "I don't want you going out there. It's not safe."

"It's not safe for you, either."

Gabriel pursed his lips. He couldn't argue with Eric. "I don't want you to go." He whispered. "I want to find Jack. I don't care if I die, but if any of you..." He trailed off, eyes averted from Eric's.

"I won't die. I promise I'll come back to you." Eric smiled. "If you want to find Jack, that's OK, but I don't want to be idle and I don't want to let everyone die. I'll help them. Make sure Kitty's in a safe place, then search for him."

Gabriel nodded with a nervous face. Kitty knew he didn't want to let him go, but right now, sticking together wasn't an option. "Be careful. I love you."

With a gentle smile, Eric kissed Gabriel. They pressed their foreheads together, a gesture of affection that they had with each other for as long as Kitty could remember.

"I love you, too." Eric pulled away. It was obvious that he wanted to stay like that forever, but he had other matters to take care of. He held Kitty's face and stroked his cheek with his thumb. Tears gathered in Kitty's eyes once more. He didn't want him to go, either. Who knew what could happen to him out there?

Despite their pleading to whatever deity that would listen for him not to, he left them. He promised he would be back soon and everything would be alright, but Kitty wasn't so sure. He wished this nightmare would end, even if it ended in his own demise. The terror that he felt was unbearable.

Gabriel inhaled, blinking the tears from his own eyes, and stood up with Kitty in his arms. They made their way back to their tent. Kitty couldn't look away from the horror around him. Death and destruction surrounded them. He felt like he was going to be sick. The corpses scared him. Some lay with their eyes still open, feigning the illusion of life. A nauseating fear that they were still alive and in need of help washed over him. Whether they were dead or clinging to their last remnants of life, he didn't know.

They ran for a few minutes before returning to their home. Gabriel put Kitty down onto the ground. The scent of burning meat hit him. He glanced over at the pot of stew on the fire. It was burnt by now, judging by the smell, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore.

Unzipping the tent, Gabriel ushered Kitty inside. "Hide in here until I come back. No matter what happens, no matter what you hear, don't come out until I return."

Kitty nodded and did as he told him. He entered the tent, and Gabriel closed it behind him. "Don't worry," Gabriel told him from outside. "This will all be over soon. I'll find Jack, dad will come back, and we'll all be safe again."

The tears in Kitty's eyes finally fell down his cheeks. "Don't die." He begged, trying to suppress the sobs aching to escape from his throat.

For a moment, Gabriel stayed silent. Then, he answered in a shaky voice, "I won't let any of us die. I promise."

Footsteps on sand signalled that Gabriel had left. Kitty sat alone in the tent, the place he had felt safe in for all his life. Now, everyone he'd ever known were getting slaughtered and captured. He could feel a panic attack coming on. Calm down, he told himself. Calm down and don't panic. But how could he stay calm in a situation like this? Not even Buddha could stay calm in the midst of this massacre. Bile gathered in his throat. Oh God, he was going to vomit. He couldn't vomit in the tent. He had to go out, but he couldn't. Not yet. He swallowed down the sick in his mouth, which made him even more nauseous. A repulsed shudder tore through him. He felt dizzy.

After half an hour, the sounds outside stopped. He stayed still for a minute more, gauging whether it was all over. Again, he heard nothing. He crawled over to the zipper and slowly pulled it down. Popping his head out of the tent a smidge, he searched for danger. When he found no humans out there, he decided to it was safe to come out.

He left the safety of the tent and entered the aftermath of a massacre. Dead bodies, covered in blood, guts and brains, littered the landscape. The awful sand seemed even more horrible, dyed red with the blood of the innocent. Kitty wandered out of the tent on wobbly legs, silent tears pouring down his cheeks. Why the hell had this happened? Why did they do this? How could they do this? It was beyond evil. The adults weren't the only victims. Young children and babies, too young to be slaves, lay dead in their parents arms. Kitty wished he could have replaced them. They didn't deserve this. No one here deserved this.

As he stood in the wake of devastation, he could hear footsteps coming up behind him, closer and closer. He realised he wasn't alone. He turned to see a group of humans coming over to him. A face filled with disgust and contempt greeted them. If they didn't have those guns, they wouldn't be so bold. But since they did, he knew he had no choice.

A woman came over to him with a cloth in hand. She put it over his mouth and nose. He didn't fight it. A strong smell of chemicals overwhelmed him, and he blacked out.