Chapter Text
Your footsteps echoed through the empty street, water dripping from pipes being the only other remaining sound.
It was... quiet. Unsettlingly so. Usually, the streets had some sort of man-made noise- arguments from condos, bangs of pots and pans, and even the lack of dogs howling had settled into your bones.
Nothing was wrong. It was a weekday, right? Everyone went to bed early for tomorrow. Even the dogs needed to rest.
Your footsteps sped up unconsciously as you counted the cookie-cutter doors to your own condo.
134, 135, 136...
137.
There it is.
The key trembled in your hand ever so slightly as the key jammed into the keyhole, missed, and re-inserted a second time, the lock turning and a resounding click assuring you that the door was now opened.
Panting, you slammed the door behind you and clicked the lock shut, staring at the closed door for a moment before turning around and exhaling.
You were being silly. This wasn't the first time this had happened- twice, first three months ago and again only a week ago. You had scared yourself out of your wits, and for what? A quiet neighborhood? If anything, you should be glad that there was finally some rest from all the hubabaloo. You had constant migraines from the noise, so maybe tonight you could get a solid night of sleep and clear up the aching.
The house was quiet as well- now that wasn't abnormal. Mom wasn't home four times out of five when you came home, and if she was, she'd be locked up in her room.
Away from you.
Now, she wasn't a bad mom- she kept a roof over your head and tried to keep the fridge stocked- but... she wasn't necessarily a good one either. She hadn't given you lunch money for a week straight, and she practically ignored you whenever she was around. You had essentially raised yourself.
It was better than a parent who beat you, you supposed, but it would be nice if she said she was proud of you, or showed up to school events, or even spoke more than five words to you- anything to show that she cared. At all.
Sighing, you hefted your bag to the floor, and wandered to the kitchen in search of a snack. There wasn't too much homework today, and you were an average student- B's and an occasional C- so doing well in class wasn't super important. Not much motivation to do well, anyways.
So, homework could wait.
Feet dragging against the floor, you peered into the cupboards- spices, breadcrumbs, canned tomatoes- not exactly snack material.
Your eyes landed on an opened bag of chips. Probably stale, but they couldn't have been there that long. You grabbed the bag and made your way up to your room, crunching on the orangish, off-brand chips as you hopped up the staircase and flung open the door. Shuffling in the room made its way into your head, but you disregarded it as Mittens- a silly name for a cat, but she was yours.
You didn't notice him until you threw yourself on your bed.
You dropped the bag.
And everything went black.