The Puppeteer

Chapter 15 - The Old Shopkeeper

The cold basement is the same scenery he saw each time he open his bruised eyes, the same damp floor, the same dark atmosphere. The same emptiness..

He could barely heard anything from the upstairs or outside world, even if he could, that would need a really loud noise or a very loud scream.

Oh he heard something..

That was the sound of his grumbling stomach, it has been five days now.. Not a single spoon of food was given to him. William knows that he could take soo much more, after years of starvation of course he could adapt to it. Zylen know how to keep his energy, and surely how to survive. So William started to put more pressure to him. Now he able to sense, he felt something crawling on his skin, the movements stop at one of his wounds on his shoulder. With his laying on his side position he could grab the moving small creature. He took a glance as he shove his hand to his pale eyes

..Food..

It was a cockroach, disgusting for most people, but for the hungry Zylen it was a fortune as he shove it to his mouth, bite slowly to enjoy the taste of eating and soon he swallow the crunchy insect. He wish he could have more to fed his body, he know task will be given to him later and he needs energy to get things done nicely to avoid punishment. With all these thinking in his slow mind he decided to move to a certain places at the dark basement. He search the edge and behind some stuffs, boxes and tools.

..Food..Food..

But before he could find any, the footstep already reach the door. And the only thing that reach the boy is harsh good morning 'greeting'

"Oi, platform right now" The shadow was soo tall from the door entrance he is standing, Zylen find himself looking at William quietly as he felt soo small and weak in his crouching position, it would be good if he did not feel this way anymore someday. "What are you doing over there?" The man questioned Zylen again, the blonde boy reply with shakes by his head hoping that William would not get mad for nothing.

The damp cloth was landed to the floor, and later a pair of wounded thin hands placed on the top of it, Zylen slowy crawls forward to wipe the floor. His eyes was fixed to his work but he knows William is watching him from his couch. Not to look for him of course, he did it to punish Zylen whenever he did something wrong. The blonde try his best to keep his momentum in his hunger when he saw a cricket at the lawn, but he must be patient. He finally saw an opening when William leave for a while to refill his coffee, in desperation he quickly jump down the platform to chase the cricket, Zylen was good in hunting even with little energy he left. He manage to catch the cricket with his hand and later eat it quickly, bugs is as crunchy as ever, it feels like eating nuts, not from William of course but from one of his customer when he was younger, he does not even know it was called nuts, he just ate it when the woman offered it to him seeing how starving he is each time he served her.

He saw another one by the corner of his emerald pale eyes, and he stay still for a while, when the cricket is close enough, he catch it and shove into his mouth. He heard William footsteps and quickly climb the platform and proceed his work.

"Hey, what's with that trouser?" William asked as he took his first sip at the couch. Zylen froze in his crouching position, he turns his head to look at his knee to realize it was stain with dirts from the ground at the lawn. Zylen quickly turns to William to explain himself "I--" he suddenly cough, the cricket legs was stuck at his throat. He does not chew it properly in his rush. Plus the legs was too thin. William walk to him in his gasp, he was too close when Zylen manage to stop himself

"You fucking filthy brat" He took the pail beside Zylen which was filled with dirty water as Zylen used it to wash the cloth he use to clean the floor, the water was poured to Zylen. Zylen sit to cover himself. He was wet, the stinging pain reach him as water contact with his wounds all over his body, the water smells bad, and he felt dirty, he felt like running to the toilet to clean himself right away.