District 23 underworld door watcher

Shen Yu looked around the house, which was covered with a thin layer of dust after being abandoned by its owner for nearly a week. Except from his room, he had barely stepped into anywhere else in the house since the funeral. It was the same house he had lived in since he was three, but draped in an eerie uncomfortable silence, it suddenly became unfamiliar and cold. Shen Yu looked around with deep, black eyes. He made sure all the windows were tightly closed. Although he didn't know why. It wasn't like he was coming back. After that, he turned off all the lights. At the door, a black bag of trash stashed in a small c***k between the shoe rack and the wall caught his eye. It stood out like a sore thumb. Not wanting to leave it like that, he grabbed it on his way out. The cold evening breeze swept over his face as he walked out of the building. One hand holding the trash bag and the other tugged on the neck of his hoodie, subconsciously. Trying to preserve warmth. Thick, gray clouds hung in the sky, obscuring the tiny moon that was just starting to rise. The weather was about 10°C. It wasn't chilling but also not too friendly. Shen Yu noticed that the old people who normally set up a table to play games at the entrance of the old neighborhood building were absent, perhaps afraid of catching a cold. He breathed out in relief. Not wanting to put up with all those condolences that sound the same each time they see him or eyes full of pity that always linger on him. After taking a turn to the left of the gate, one could easily smell the foul odor lingering in the air before even seeing the large green dumpster. There were two standing side by side. One was already filled, and the other was just half filled. Shen Yu didn't expect to run into someone here. The person also noticed him and shrank back. Eyeing him wearily. It didn't help that he was fully dressed all black this late. The little boy held the bag he was about to dispose of in his chest, until he saw that it was a familiar face which he often saw. He then walked closer. "Uncle, can you help me with this?" With his height, which wasn't up to the bin itself, he couldn't push the trash bag in. Shen Yu didn't say anything. He grabbed the bag with his other empty hand and trashed both bags. He then shot the little boy a look. "It's late. Hurry up and go home." The kid nodded, immediately running off. "Thank you uncle." Shen Yu wanted to correct him that he wasn't old enough to be called uncle, but the kid was out of sight in seconds. He traced his step back but didn't return hope. Instead, he took the opposite road and towards the busy street. The streetlight shone dimly, and his shadow stretched out besides him and into the road. There was not much car passing and a spicy aroma of hot dumplings drifted from a stand tucked in a small alley. His stomach stirred, letting out a faint grumble in protest. It was then he remembered that he had not eaten anything since the night before. Shen Yu increased his pace, not planning to make a stop with a destination already in mind. He took a number of turns to shorten the distance, which led to him passing the back of a familiar fence. It was newly reinforced, but one could see a hint of the old, greyish black walls that stood there just some months ago. After half of the wall collapsed during a heavy storm. Iron rooster, their vice principal, almost turned bald-headed overnight as all the school delinquents unanimously started to regard it as their own school gate. For the month before the wall was repaired, he stood there like a soldier with a broom for a riffle, wacking all the unfortunate beings that dared to cross before dragging them to the assembly to melt out the real punishment. Shen Yu could imagine the field with slightly overgrown green grass just over the wall, which was just being the abandoned science building. His parents moved here to the west of Yinfeng city when he was three, and he has started attending school here since then. He didn't remember when it started, but the other kids started alienating him and even the friends he made drifted away. It was okay at first, just a bit lonely. But the hearts of children were either good or totally evil. They started to pick on him, and it got worse after his father died when he was in fifth grade. Now he was in the eleventh grade. Shen Yu himself knew he was resilient, he just had to endure it for one year. Just one more year. He could go away to a new place. Somewhere free of these people who were worse than demons. Then he got a call about the car accident. A drunkard truck driver had hit his mother. She died on the spot. Shen Yu's world fell apart at that moment. The only person he lived for was gone. So why should he keep on living? By the time his thoughts settled down, he had arrived at where he wanted. He leaned against the guardrails of the bridge, staring at the Waters that reflected the moonless skies like a dark abyss without a bottom. If there is no reason to live, then why not just end it all?