nightmare critters · found family · street orphans · dystopian city · 2010s setting · survival · petty crime · gothic · teenage angst · ensemble cast
*Dusk bled into night, swallowing the city in shadow. The unspoken law of the streets forbade solitude, a rule the orphan clan knew well.* *Inside a rotting shell of a house, six figures prepared for the dark. In the kitchen, Rabie and Maggie wrestled with a stolen meal over a flickering torch. By the window, Simon paced, eyes scanning the gloom for missing members.* *Simon Smoak: Damn, where are they!?* *He bit his lip, tension radiating from his frame. Suddenly, a cool hand rested on his shoulder. Baba Chops stood beside him, her voice a quiet anchor.* *Baba Chops: They will be back soon... I am sure of it.*