Forgotten

Never Forgetten

It was a cold winter night in the town of Ember, a fresh layer of snow covered the ground. The city was normally quiet around this time of the year. Many of the small businesses had up and moved out of the town. The town hadn't seen very much traffic for years, which led to the decline of shops around town. The biggest building was an old warehouse at the end of town. It was the town's crown jewel, The staple that kept the town alive and thriving. However, it too had shut down due to the lack of business. After closing its doors, the town all but up and left. However, there were quite a few that couldn't afford to leave. They took refuge inside the abandoned warehouse. It was big enough to house many of the now homeless people. Some would say they made it into a small hotel.

Every so often, a girl who lived in the town would stop by the warehouse and try to help with whatever money she could. It wasn't much, but that was just her nature. If she could help, she would, even if it meant not having enough for herself. Everyone knew her by name. One day after leaving the warehouse, she took a walk through the woods. She heard something moving in the distance. Not able to make out what the sounds were, she kept walking; maybe it was just the wind.

That was until she heard it again, but it sounded ever closer. She started to panic and started walking faster and faster until she was nearly at a sprint. Just then, something caught her eye, and it was heading right towards her. Ember's heart started beating faster and faster as the adrenaline coursed through her body. Just then, she came to a clearing, and the sounds stopped. She looked around to see if whatever it was that was chasing her was, in fact, still there, but she saw nothing. She turned around to keep heading out of the woods, but she froze in her tracks. Before she stood a large black wolf, it didn't even make a sound. Before she knew it, a few more wolves appeared around her. "Am I going to die here?" She thought to herself as she tried her best to keep eye contact with the black wolf. The wolf just kept staring at her as if looking into her soul. It took a small step towards her and almost seemed to nod its head. Like it was trying to communicate in some form. Ember didn't know what to do. She was still frozen with fear.

The silence was broken by a man screaming and hollering at the wolves, trying to scare them off. The black wolf looked into Ember's eyes once more before turning around and running into the woods; all the others followed. The old man ran up to Ember, panting and wheezing from running. "Ar-Are you okay? What are- you doing out here." the man asked, trying to catch his breath. Ember, still slightly petrified with fear, muttered. "I just want to go home..." The man looked at Ember, slightly confused since she was nowhere near any housing.

The man put his arm around Ember and walked her out of the woods. He leads her to a small cabin. A roaring fire in the fireplace made the place glow a soothing red and orange. The warmth could be felt through the entire cabin. "Where do you live?" The old man asked Ember. The truth was Ember didn't have anywhere to call home. Her family couldn't afford to keep their home due to the rent costs.

Ember looked at the man. He appeared to be in his thirties. Wore flannels, jeans, tennis shoes, and a baseball cap. " Well, I used to. My parents could afford to keep our house and we lost it. I stay at the warehouse in town when I am not out trying to earn money to bring back to help out when and where I can." The man nodded in understanding. "Yeah, it's been hard everywhere these days.