Zelleager Presents:
NEW YORK CITY – 9:30 PM
MANHATTAN
“Leo!” a boy shouted.
“Leon!” a girl yelled.
Slowly, Leo opened his eyes.
A very familiar man stood over him, dressed in a grey tuxedo “You motherfucker!” Leo shouted, trying to lunge at him But—
He couldn’t move
Cold metal restraints held him to the bed
Leo gritted his teeth
Glaring at the man as he pushes his glasses closer to his face The room was icy cold, with eight other kids strapped to beds.
The beds were arranged in a perfect circle
A few dim lights flickered overhead, but most of the room was swallowed by shadows.
A couple of men in white coats moved quietly among them.
A screen on the wall flickered in front of him, displaying a single word:
BLACKSPIRE

“Leo, are you alright?” another kid asked from a nearby bed.
Leo recognized him immediately
Dark skin.
Dreadlocks, black and brown.
“Dez?” Leo whispered.
“Ryan, you asshole!
Do you know who my father is?” another boy shouted.
His bed creaked and rattled as he struggled against the restraints “I’ll sue all of you pieces of shit!” he yelled His voice echoed throughout the room.
The men in white coats stopped walking
Even Ryan turned toward the boy, his glasses reflecting the dim light Calmly, he nodded.
A man in a lab coat immediately passed Leo’s bed The man walked toward the screaming boy Leo can’t see what happens next “Don’t you fu—”
CLANG
A metallic sound rang out, cutting off the boy’s words Silence Suddenly, a girl screamed.
A whirring, engine-like sound filled the room as heavy duty fans roared to life Leo’s heart started to race.
He struggled against his restraints, unable to see what was happening.
“Fuck!
Let me outta here!” another boy shouted
A bed rattled violently
“What did you do to him?” the girl screamed
Everyone around him started shouting and screaming Amidst the chaos, the engine-like sound grew louder Leo could feel his heart thumping against his chest His breathing grew ragged “You know what?
Start the process,” Ryan said impatiently.
The men in white coats moved efficiently toward the kids.
Shouts of resistance were quickly drowned out by metal clangs.
“Ryan, I’m gonna—” Dez’s words were cut off by another metallic clang A white-coated figure approached Leo.
Their face was hidden behind a white mask, black designs surrounding the eyes while the mouth remained bare and expressionless.
CLANG
Something heavy slammed down over his face
The machine above him whirred as the fans spun faster A strange image slowly crept into his mind…
and then everything went white.

Leo gasped for air, shooting upright, drenched in sweat.
He panted heavily, blinking a few times at the dark canopy surrounding him He turned to the right There stood Thomas, his hands ignited, eyes wide.
Autumn stood beside Thomas, her blade aimed at Leo After a moment, they lowered their guards.
“Dude!
What the fuck?!” Thomas shouted.
Leo’s mind reeled from the dream.
“I-I’m sorry,” Leo muttered
Slowly, sunlight began to break through the trees Birds began to chirp Autumn stepped forward “Are you alright?” she asked, placing a hand on his shoulder “Autumn…
does ‘Cross’ mean anything to you?” Leo asked.
She paused, as if lost in thought.
“Now that you mention it, I remember seeing it somewhere,” she replied Leo frowned.
“I’m starting to think we’re here on purpose.”
“Guys,” Thomas called, crouching near some bushes.
They followed his gaze
A village was in the distance, its walls faint but clear.
“Good, now we can get the hell out of here,” Leo muttered, leading the way.
By the time they reached the village, the sun had fully risen, sparkling across the dew-covered grass and trees.
“Halt!
State your business in Harrow Ford!” shouted a guard atop the wooden walls.
The trio froze as two more guards emerged from the gate, weapons drawn.
“Business?
We don’t even know where we are,” Thomas answered, looking at Leo for guidance.
“You don’t know, but you came out of Grimveil Forest like a damn corpse,” said a guard with a long scar over his eye.
“We don’t mean any harm.
We’re just lost,” Autumn added carefully.
“Well…
continue being lost,” the first guard snapped.
“Get outta here!”
Leo grumbled and started to turn away, followed closely by Thomas and Autumn.
“Wait!
They are just kids!” a woman shouted, clutching a basket as she ran toward the gate.
“How can you all be so cold?” the woman asked “Look at them,” she said The guards looked at the trio, muttering among themselves Mira took two quick steps forward, looking each of them in the eyes Leo first, then Thomas, then Autumn.
Leo’s hands were still crusted with darkened blood; Autumn’s jaw trembled; Thomas smelled of smoke and rain.
“They look like my boy did the day he didn’t come home,” she said.
For the first time.
Silence.
Her eyes glistened but didn’t break.
“You think I don’t know what fear looks like?
I buried one son to something like that.
I won’t turn away more children because the world’s cruel.”
The captain, a broad man with a trimmed beard, stepped down from the palisade.
“Mira, you can’t just—”
“I’m not asking,” she cut in.
“I’m telling.
Let them in.
I’ll take them to my house.
I’ll feed them, I’ll put them to work– you can chain them to my hearth if you like, but they don’t sleep outside on my watch.”
A murmur ran through the guards.
The captain looked at the three, then at Mira.
He rubbed his jaw before looking back at the crowd.
“All right,” he said, his voice slow and practical.
“One house.
One guard posted.
If anything happens–if they bring danger to Harrow Ford–your neck, Mira.”
Her reply was a single nod.
They were shepherded through the gate with two wary guards at their sides.
Children in alleyways peeked out, and an old woman crossed herself.
Mira’s home smelled of broth and old wood.
When she set down plates before Leo, Thomas and Autumn, her hands shook only a little.
“You’ll not leave until the council decides,” the guard reminded them.
Mira met Leo’s eyes.
“You’re safe here for now.
But don’t do anything stupid.
Promise me.”
Leo, still staring like a boy who’d smelled his own blood too many times, swallowed and nodded.
She wrapped a faded shawl around him as if she could stitch him back together with thread and soup.
Outside, the wooden gate closed with a solid, suspicious thump; inside, the small fire burned steady and human.
“You all look so dirty,” she said
With that, she led them to her “bathroom”.
There was a large basin inside, and a polished silver plate hung in the wall, serving as her mirror She grabbed a pail and headed outside to fill it at a nearby stream Afterward she laid out one of her dresses for Autumn and some of her son’s clothes for the two boys They all washed up one after the other, and now it was Leo’s turn When he stepped into the basin, he poured water over himself and watched as the dirt washed away.
Coloring the settling water
He washed his hair, finding clumps of dirt and a few bugs tangled in it After drying himself and stepping out of the basin, Leo couldn’t help but notice his reflection in the polished silver plate Apparently, all that dirt had been hiding just how much of a clown Leo looked like His hair was almost shoulder-length and ridiculously messy.
A few stubborn strands of hair poked out beneath his chin, while an uneven patch covered his jaw and a few hairs sat above his mouth He ran his hands over his face, half amused, half annoyed.
Soon he tried on the clothes Mira had given him He wore a simple, slightly loose tunic, a belt around his waist to hold small things, and wool trousers He walked out of the washing area and into the kitchen area When he rounded the corner, he saw Thomas and Mira eating warm porridge Thomas, busy eating the porridge, glanced at Leo for a split second Then he looked again— and burst out laughing.
Even Autumn couldn’t help but laugh
Leo took a seat in front of the third bowl of porridge and immediately dug in
…
“Where’s Mira?” Leo asked
“She went out to collect corn”
Leo nodded before continuing to drink
After awhile, they heard the front door open
“Mom, I’m home!” A boy about their age stepped into view He had short orange hair and dark eyes
…
He walked through the house, calling for his mother “Mom!?” he shouted When he reached the kitchen area, he came face-to-face with the trio A long silence followed as they stared at one another, too shocked to react “Uh, hey?” Autumn said awkwardly “What the—”
Instantly, the boy pulled a knife from his pouch Aiming it at them “Who the hell are you?!” he shouted “Who the hell are you?” Thomas shot back “What do you mean?
T-this is my house!” The boy’s voice cracked
He swung the knife wildly, aiming at all three of them.
Autumn slowly stood, raising her hands where he could see them “Hey, we don’t mean any harm.
Um…
Mira.
You know Mira, right?”
“That’s my mom,” he said
“We are in a tough spot, so she offered to take care of us,” Autumn said, as reassuringly as she could “What?” The boy asked, confused “I thought she said her son was dead?” Thomas asked Autumn jabbed her elbow into Thomas’s side The boy slowly lowered his blade “He is.
my brother is dead.” he looked down for a few seconds before looking up again “Sounds like my mom…” He put the knife back in the pouch “Sorry about my behavior earlier,” he said, scratching the back of his head “I’m Frederic”
“Autumn,” She said with a warm smile
“I’m Thomas,” he said with a reassuring grin
…
“Leo,” he said, as everyone’s gaze fell on him After that, everyone settled in and waited for Mira to return Mira returned with corn later that evening and began making dinner She explained that the council would arrive in two days to decide whether they would stay or get them the help they needed.
They then got dinner—boiled corn, loaves, and fish.
The air was filled with a sweet smell as they all gathered around the table.
After that they went to bed.
The boys were in Frederic’s room and Autumn was in Mira’s Frederic got some spare mats and gave them to the boys Leo dropped his near a corner, while Thomas was closer to Frederics bed “So, what your story?” Frederic asked, sitting up “You wouldnt believe a thing I say,” Leo said, staring at the ceiling “Try me.
I’ve seen some things too,” Frederic said.
A faint glow pulsed from under Frederic’s shirt “Whats that?” Thomas asked, sitting up “Oh, this?” Frederic took off a small necklace from around his neck.
It had a stone with a small rune carved on it “Found this yesterday in the fields…
looks valuable, so I’m gonna sell it,” he said, playing with it “It’s never glowed before, though,” he added Thomas peered at it with keen interest.
Frederic placed it around his neck
“If this goes missing tomorrow, I’m coming for your head,” he said Thomas laid back onto the mattress “I have no use for such things”
Silence filled the room as everyone drifted off The only thing that could be seen was the bright moon shining beneath the curtains.
And the necklace glowing brighter
…
It was early in the morning when a loud scream echoed from some nearby houses Startled, Thomas jumped up along with the boys “What the hell was that?” Leo asked, flipping off the mat A few more shouts could be heard from the village as the screams grew louder and more frequent.
The boys hurried towards the living room
Mira and Autumn were already there, both fidgeting “Mom, whats happening?” Frederic asked Before she could answer, a loud bang rattled the door “Mira!?” Someone shouted “Mira!?”
Mira opened the door
A man with a pitchfork stood at the door
“It’s the Wilsons.
come quickly,” he said abruptly before running off Mira ran out of the house leaving her slippers Behind, as she followed the man End