In the middle of the night, a boy can be seen entering an eerie building somewhere within the slums. He tip-toes inside the house as if afraid waking someone up.

Creaak

The stairs creaked as he made his way up them.

"Is that you..Adam?"

A small fragile voice echoed from the second floor. Quietly, the boy went inside the room which the voice came from. Inside the room, laid an old haggard woman on the floor covered only by a thin blanket. Just with a look, even a fool could tell that the woman is very tired and have health problems.

"It is me, mom." The boy said as he move to sit beside the old woman. "It's okay. Just lie down."

The old woman tried to get up but her son push her back down because he afraid if his mother gets much tired than she already is.

"Where were you, Adam? I was worried if something happened to you." The mother asked.

"You didn't need to worry. I'm alright, look." The boy moves his body to show that he's fine.

"Thank goodness. I do not know what I would do if something happened to you." The mother let out a sigh of relief. "Did something happened? You look like you want to tell me something."

Call it mother's intuition, but she felt like something is different about her son today. Unlike before, her child would always try to fake smile to make her not worried of him. But today, she could feel that he is genuinely smiling.

The boy reveals a broad smile, "..I got a job, mom."

"What?" Her mother asks again in disbelief. 

"A job! A legitimate job at a restaurant!" Happily, he said.

The boy starts to tell his confused mother the whole story. From the man who brought him to Jones House to how he got his job. Of course, he left out the bits where he was chased by the two thugs to not worry his mother.

"Is everything really fine? You are not forced to do anything, are you?"

No matter who, mothers would always worry of something bad happening to their child. Listening to her child's story, she couldn't help feeling happy and worried at the same time.

"Everything is fine, mom. Here, look how much Mr Jones gave me."

The boy took out the envelope he received earlier and show his mother the 15 copper coins.

"Just wait, mom. Sooner or later, we can leave the slums and live a comfortable life." The boy holds his mother's left hand and put her hand on his forehead. "So..please wait for a little while longer.."

The mother felt proud, sad and also concern. She is proud of having such a strong child. But also sad for burdening him with herself and concerns of his future. As a mother, she would always want the best for her child, but unfortunately, she is powerless to do anything for him.

She reach out her right hand and gently rubs her child's hair. 'What if I weren't here?' She thought. Since Adam was much smaller than now, she had always thought herself as a chain binding her son from having a good life. Even now, she felt that she is only making her son suffer.

Ktaang

Both mother and son were startled by the sudden noise from downstairs. They could hear faint voices below. 

"Shh."

Adam put his index fingers on his lips signaling her mother to not make any noise. He then slowly went to the stairs and peek at the floor below.

"Be quiet. If the brat hears us, he might get away!"

"I know. I know."

The boy trembles when he saw the one who came into the house. It was the two men who chased him after he tried to steal something from them this afternoon. He quickly went back to his mother's room and close the door. Without asking, he already knew why they are here.

"Mom. We need to go." He whispers to his mother.

"What happened?" Her mother started to worry.

"Don't ask! Lets just go."

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

While the boy is helping his mother to get up, suddenly the door to his room opened. Standing at the door is a man in black outfit.

"Oho, what do we have here? An old woman and her thieving son." The man smirked. "Hey, Bob! The brat is here!"

He shouted. In just a minute, another one of the men arrived. On his right hand is a small knife.. When the boy saw the two men infront of him, he started to sweat profusely.

"Who are you? What do you want with my child?" The mother asked.

"Hehe. You do not need to feel scared. We..just want to talk. Yes, talk."

The men started to move into the room. They grins when they saw both mother and child's fearful expression as they step backwards.

When the boy and mother's back touched the wall, the men laughed.

"Where do you want to run now? There is no one that could help you right now."

"Grr..Why did you follow me?! I have already returned the ring to you!" The boy spoke.

"Yeah, you did. But our pay got cut more than half because a certain boy interrupted with out work. "

"..B-bu-"

Suddenly, the old woman stepped forward.

"Please, let my child, go." She said. "I don't know what he did. But please, let him go."

"Mom!"

"Oh, my. What a tear-jerking scene. I can't take this anymore." One of the man pretends to wipe his eyes. "Lets just kill the mother and sell the boy." The man with knife walk towards the mother.

"Adam!" The mother rush towards Adam and push him out of the windows.

"MOM!!" Adam shouts as he fall from the second floor.

"Fuck! This bitch is crazy! Quick, get the brat!" The one with knife orders his friend. After his friend got out of the room, the man turn towards the mother. "Oh..Now that I take a closer look, your body is pretty nice."

...

Boom

The boy fell on top of a pile of boxes below the windows. He got up as he graps his sides to endure the pain. He raises his head and look at the second floor. He panicked as the last sentence his mother said resounded in his mind. 'Live, Adam!'.

He is conflicted. To save or to leave his mother behind. He wanted to save his mother but he knew, even if he went back, he would only go into the tiger's den. Before he could even reach an answer, he saw one of the men running down the stairs. He didn't realize. That his legs had already start moving. Towards Jones House.

...

"What?!" A loud voice reverberated throughout the building. "The fucking brat got away? What the fuck are you doing?!"

"He was already gone by the time I got down."

"You.. Oh forget it." The man with knife sighed. Then he turns behind. "Why don't we have fun for now?" The men licks their lips as they look at the tied-up half-naked woman.

...

Its quarter past twelve right now. Despite it being so late, the lights in Jones House is still open. The sound of cooking came from the kitchen.

"Have a taste of Jones House's special by Jones himself."

Jones said proudly as he place the plates on the table.

"Heh, I am going to sue you if it tastes bad." His friend jokingly said.

With fork and spoon on his hand, he swallow down the dish prepared by Jones.

"How's it? Ya gonna sue me or pay me?"

"I'll pay, I'll pay."

They joked around as the man eat. Suddenly, the bell that signals someone entering Jones House sounded out.

"This place has been re-.. Adam?"

Jones was about to chase off whoever it was thinking it was a drunkard since it is midnight. However, he stopped midway when he saw the small figure beside the door. It was Adam, Jones House's new worker. The boy's body is filled with scratches. The boy, with a despairing expression, rushes to the man who saved him yesterday.

"Please, save my mother! Mister"

 ...

"So that happened.."

The boy told his new boss and his savior what happened after he left the restaurant. During the whole time, Jones had been listening attentively while his friend kept eating the food on his table.

"What are ya gonna do now?" Jones asks.

"..I don't know.." The boy replies. He clenches his fists, disappointed in his actions and his weakness.

Suddenly, the man who had been eating stood up. Because of the sudden action, both the boy and Jones have their eyes on the man.

"I am going to smoke for a bit outside." The man said as he walk to the entrance.

"M-mister! Pleas-"

"Do not go out. Cigarette smoke can give someone illness."

With that, he left the restaurant leaving both the boy and Jones alone.

"Why.. Why doesn't mister help me..?"

The boy's eyes filled in disbelief. He felt betrayed. He thought the man would at least give him a little help since he saved him yesterday, when he didn't even have a reason to.

"Why..Why.."

Suddenly he felt something heavy yet warm on his shoulder.

"Ya don't need ta worry." Jones pat the boy's shoulder.  "That guy just don't like to do things openly. He'd rather do something while giving others credits, leaving none to himself."

Jones glance at the pitiful boy next to him. Seeing that the boy is still in a state of despair, he shook his head.

"Don't ever say what I'm about to tell ya infront of him." Jones crouches infront of the boy. After confirming that the boy has his attention on him, he start to speak.

'Ten years ago, that man had a wonderful family. A loving wife, and a cheerful son. They were so happy that the neighbours even felt jealous of their relationship.'

The man walks into the room. The man scans the inside of the room. His eyes laid on a woman behind the two men infront of him. When the two men saw him, they started to tremble in fear. The lazy look the man had on his face is gone. What they saw is anger.

'However, reality isn't kind. One day, a band of thugs were taken aback by the wife's beauty. They wanted to have the woman but they were afraid of her husband who is famous for his heroic deeds.'

"..Greed. Is a selfish desire for something. While lust is a desire for something sexual." The man start to speak. "True, humans can't escape from either one. Just having one of them is already bad." The man spit out the cigarette on his mouth and says, "But, if both greed and lust is combined, aren't you just an animal?"

'So, when her husband had to leave the city for a mission, the band of thugs, unable to control their desires, went to the man's house in the middle of the night.'

The two men fall on their butt as the man starts to get near them. They didn't know what to do. Their hands got weak while their legs had already lost all of its strength.

"P-p-please forgive us! W-we will not attack the boy ever again."

"S-spare us. W-we have realized our mistakes."

The two men could only beg for forgiveness from the man, no, the monster infront of them.

"What did you do when the woman beg you to stop? Did you stop?"

'When the band of thugs broke into the house, they used force on the woman and her son. They raped her again and again while taking turns for hours until the woman turned crazy. After finishing their business, they then proceed to kill her and her son before leaving the house.'

"We ask for forgiveness!!" The two men started to push their head on the ground until it bled.

"I ASKED YOU WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO WHEN SHE ASKED FOR YOU TO STOP!" The man yelled.

Anger. No, wrath is most suited to what the man is feeling. Memories of his family which he had sealed started to came up. From the bottom of his heart, he wanted to kill the two animals infront of him. Unfortunately, he couldn't. He wasn't willing to break the promise he made during that fateful day.

"SCUM LIKE YOU SHOULD JUST FUCKING DIE!"

'When the husband got home, he felt despair when he saw the bodies in the living room. He cried rivers of blood. He promised to get revenge for his loved ones. For five days, one by one the members of the thugs went missing. Until finally, the band of thugs disappeared without anyone knowing the reason.'

Ding Dong

Jones House's bell sounded out. It was the man. After entering the restaurant, he quietly walk towards Adam.

When the boy saw the man, he quickly asks, "Where is my mother, mister? Where is she?"

"..."

"No.." The boy noticed something was up. Although he knew the answer, he refused to believe it. "No, no, no, no.." Tears starts to fall from his face.

The man grabs the boy's hands and crouches infront of him. "Look at my eyes, Adam! Calm down."

"My mom..my mom.."

"ADAM!"

With a shout, Adam snapped out of it and look at the man's eyes.The man look back at Adam's eyes and slowly says each word clearly,

"Your mother is dead."

Hearing this, Adam started to cry waterfall. 

"But..I-I only have h-her.." He keeps wiping his face but it was futile. "I have no one else.."

"No, Adam." The man pulls Adam to his chest. "You still have Jones, everyone from Jones House and there's also me.."

"..."

"You are not alone, Adam."