It wasn’t long before the boy discovered a city. He was a few days older and felt a few inches taller when he had first started experiencing these intense pangs of abdominal pain—not like getting kicked or being frostbitten. It was more of an aching sensation. And then his stomach growled so loudly he knew…

It was hunger.

What he’d initially thought of as being his first sunrise turned out to be an incredibly large but brightly lit city just beyond the rooftops of the run-down motel. Seeing that in the distance, common sense told him to go. There was probably food over there—restaurants, food stands, anything to fill the emptiness inside.

He picked up a torn bed sheet from the desolate motel curbside and pulled it across his shoulders. It wasn’t warm; it was like wrapping himself in ice cubes. But it was common sense. Or maybe instinct? It didn’t really matter what it was. He made his way towards the towering skyscrapers with only the thoughts of food on his mind…

After having trailed through the outskirts of the city, he finally saw more people. They were shuffling through the bustling city streets in attires he’d never seen before. But this time, his skin remained butter smooth. No hair-raising reactions, no dangers in sight.

From a distance, the boy could finally make out a source of sustenance—an old, almost decrepit bakery that didn’t seem to match at all with the highly technological appearances of all the other neighboring buildings. As his mouth salivated at the corners, he wondered what kinds of food would be there. A bakery… It could only mean one thing. Bread. And cake! Lots and lots of cake!

But that hope was short-lived.

Dressed in flashing, fluorescent lights, a strange woman stood between him and the bakery. She looked like a lamp post. Or a construction worker? A receptionist? A disco ball from the 1970s? He started internally reciting from his records like an alarm clock, constantly beeping with new information. His mind never seemed to slow down with the unrealistic explanations.

Her clothes flashed on and off, changing obnoxiously unlike herself. She stood there, staring out into the barren horizon as if half asleep. He was sure that’s what it looked like; he’d experienced lack of sleep just a few hours ago. She could’ve passed for a statue if it weren’t for those eyes. They followed his every move; her faint smile elicited a familiar bodily response—

Goosebumps.

He could feel the hairs rising all across his arms, and a nightmarish memory flashed by—pain worse than the cold, kicks worse than hunger. And a single thought rang in his mind again—

Danger.

He had felt this before. Back near the motel. He recalled from his records of an emotion that incited this sensation. An emotion that caused him to feel weak at his knees, that made his stomach churn like a whirlpool. He could even feel a scream trying to claw its way out…

Fear.

His legs moved first, taking small steps back. He needed to get away quick! He needed to get out of here! It was taking over his mind; he could only imagine the pain, the stomping of hard boots, the faint smiles, the laughter… But then he stopped. And he stared back at those dull eyes, unblinking, almost glazed over.

He saw the bakery in the corner of his eyes. He could vaguely make out the shapes of various breads on display—the cakes, the taste of sweet, creamy confectionaries. His stomach growled; the aching pain returned in full force. He couldn’t take it. It was all too much. It hurt too much! So he made a decision—

No.

He stood firm in his resolve, steeled his nerves. He came here for a reason—food. As much as fear was a vital emotion in avoiding dangers, he had yet to be kicked, stomped or even trampled. There was nothing to be afraid of if he hadn’t yet been hurt.

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The boy decided then and there that his goals of finding food far outweighed his instincts. Right now, he’d do anything to get rid of this lingering pain, so with a newfound sense of courage, he inched forward. And with each and every step, his determination grew; he confidently confirmed that she wasn’t going to move. He would make it past her; he would fill his stomach! But—

He smacked face first into something too solid for him to have not noticed before. An unknown feeling shot through his skin—another sensation he’d never felt before. Was it fear? No, it was different. More of a jolting sensation. Dread? No, it was startling, shocking, but didn’t hurt. It overwhelmed his senses like a thunderstorm.

And then it was gone.

Surprise? Was he… surprised? Was this what surprise felt like? It had to be. That was the only explanation. But the feeling was only momentary as confusion swiftly took over. He peered over towards the bakery. It was right there only a few steps away, just shy of his reach. What had he banged his head on?

Slowly, he reached out. His hands alarmingly grazed something solid but invisible. Nothing was there, but something was there. Something hard and sleek, flat. Smooth as ice but not too cold to the touch.

A glass wall? But it didn’t feel like glass. It was more… intangible? He pondered for a moment, rummaging through his inner records. Then what? An invisible force field? According to his records, that wasn’t tech that should’ve existed.

He pushed a little harder on the wall, and it started glowing dull pink around the points of pressure. Then he felt an abrupt chill run down his spine. As if somebody was watching. He glanced over his shoulders and saw the woman had shifted her neck his way. Her wide, unwavering eyes stared back.

There was a feeling of unease that settled at the bottom of his stomach. Still trembling—was it from the cold or from fear, he didn’t know—he managed to say a single word. “H-hello?” But it was immediately met with a monotonous string of words that didn’t seem to make any sense.

“Access denied. Move back,” the strange woman spoke for the first time.

Access? Common sense dictated that there was no door. How could access be denied when there was no entrance? He didn’t understand, but his stomach was still growling. He was running out of options; he was absolutely famished. In a flash of haste, he grabbed the woman’s sleeve and begged.

“Please, let me in.”

“Access denied,” she repeated. “No identification.”

As much as he didn’t understand what it meant to be human, he instantly thought that she didn’t sound human enough. But none of that mattered. He wanted food. Just a small slice of that bread on the other side of the invisible wall. He could even see it—the rows of pastries and sweet, fruity cakes.

“Please…” He pulled harder. Saliva had already dotted the asphalt below. His stomach kept growling louder and louder, ringing in his ears like ancient television static. The sound engulfed his mind. All he saw was that loaf of soft, puffy bread…

“Warning. Force imminent.”

Force?

And before he could react, she violently shoved the boy to the ground.

He quickly recoiled, scampering away from her reach. But the woman returned to her original post as if nothing had happened, seemingly more invested in acting like a rock than anything else.

It was baffling. How could she act so cold? It was common sense to have empathy, was it not? But then the incident at the motel triggered in his mind, and he realized that maybe empathy was not common sense after all.

It was just a byproduct of the weak.

Overwhelmed with a sudden surplus of intense emotions, he brushed aside any nonexistent dust from his dirty linen wraps and readied his hands.

I’m not weak, he told himself. He was going to push through with all his might. He was going to get that bread no matter what. And with bated breath, he waited for the right moment. Just when she turned away…

Now!

He rushed forward and slammed his tiny torso against the invisible barrier. It lit up. A red outline shined around his fingers in an alarmingly threatening glare. Even the people across the wall started to notice. His arms burned, and his muscles ached. The woman started to move, walking almost robotically towards him with every flicker of her flashing clothes, but he kept up his hands and pushed. He was going to get through. No matter what. Nothing would stop him from getting to that bakery!

Cracks formed.

It spread from the edge of his fingers and funneled out into fractal webs. Thin lines stretched across the clear surface, spreading farther and farther until…

It exploded.

The wall shattered into a million pieces. Shards flew past his eyes, scattering in every which way, but the only thing on his mind was…

Bread!