Morning sun rose behind thin, gray clouds that barely lit up the quiet streets of the small town. The wind was soft, cool, and carried the smell of fresh rain. Birds chirped low and lazy, and the world felt calm. Inside a neat house on a quiet lane, fourteen-year-old Adam Kim sat at the kitchen table, eating cereal. He smiled a little as his mom, Mrs. Kim, hummed while making breakfast.
"Big day, huh? Science project due?" she asked, placing a sandwich into a lunchbox.
Adam nodded. "Yeah, I finished it last night. Should be good."
His dad walked in, adjusting his tie. "Proud of you, son," he said, giving Adam a pat on the shoulder.
Life seemed normal. Peaceful, even. Adam had always been a quiet kid, did his homework, stayed out of trouble. His grades were good, and his parents were proud. They lived in a decent neighborhood where the grass was trimmed and the houses all looked the same.
But things weren't the same at school.
When Adam reached Lincoln High, the air felt different. Dark clouds covered the sky now, and wind tugged at his jacket. He walked past the front gate, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. A group of boys stood near the lockers, laughing loud. Adam's heart sank when he saw them.
"Look who's here," one of them sneered. It was Kevin Jang, tall, loud, and always with a cruel smile. His friends, Mike and Brandon, laughed as Kevin walked over.
"Still wearing that lame hoodie, huh? Doesn't your mommy buy you new clothes?"
Adam didn't answer. He kept walking, his eyes on the ground.
Kevin shoved him. Not hard, but enough to make Adam stumble.
"Say something, freak."
Adam said nothing. He never did. Not when they pushed him in the halls, or threw paper at him in class, or called him names. He didn't fight back. He just held it in.
Three months of this. Every day. It started small, just teasing. But then it got worse. They started waiting for him after school, stealing his homework, once even throwing his backpack into the school pond.
He told no one.
Not his teachers.
Not his parents.
He thought it would go away.
It didn't.
One cold Friday afternoon, the sky was dark with storm clouds. The hallway was mostly empty after school. Adam had stayed late to finish a lab. He turned the corner and there they were again.
"Hey, loser," Kevin said, cracking his knuckles.
Adam froze.
"You think you're better than us, huh? With your little science projects? Think you're smart?"
Mike shoved Adam against the wall. His head hit the locker.
"You think we like seeing your face every day? You're a waste of space."
Something inside Adam cracked.
He saw red.
His hand went to his bag. He didn't plan it. He didn't think. His fingers closed around the scissors he kept for class. Before he knew it, his hand moved.
And then Kevin screamed.
Blood.
On his shirt.
On the floor.
On Adam's hand.
The hallway fell silent except for Kevin's cries. Mike and Brandon stood frozen.
Adam dropped the scissors.
He stepped back.
"What the hell did you do?" Mike shouted.
Adam ran.
He didn't stop until he reached the school gate. Rain started to fall, cold and heavy. He kept running.
Police came. An ambulance took Kevin to the hospital. It wasn't deadly, but it was serious. The news spread fast. By the time Adam got home, his parents were waiting.
"Adam," his father said sharply. "What did you do?"
Adam stood wet in the doorway. "I—I didn't mean to—"
"You stabbed someone!" his mother yelled, her voice shaking. "What were you thinking?"
"He was bullying me," Adam said. "For months. Every day. I didn't mean to—"
"Why didn't you tell us?" his father shouted.
"I thought it would stop."
"Now you've ruined everything," his mother said. "You've destroyed your future!"
Adam felt the words hit like knives.
No one asked how he felt.
No one asked what happened to him.
They only saw what he did.
That night, Adam couldn't sleep. Rain tapped on the window. The house was silent. He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
Something inside him broke. Not like the quick snap of anger earlier. This was slower. Colder.
He got out of bed, quietly. Put on a hoodie. Took his small backpack. His phone. Some money he had saved. No note.
He walked to the front door.
Opened it.
And stepped into the rain.
The streets were empty. Water pooled along the sidewalks. Streetlights flickered in the dark. Adam walked fast, his hood up. He didn't look back.
He didn't know where he was going. He just wanted to be far. Away from the house. Away from school. Away from everything.
After what felt like hours, he reached the edge of town. The buildings were older here. Some abandoned. He found an alley behind a closed bakery. It smelled like garbage and wet cardboard.
But it was quiet.
He sat down, knees to his chest, shaking.
He was alone.
But for the first time in months… no one was yelling.
No one was laughing at him.
Only the sound of rain.
Only silence.
He didn't cry.
Not yet.
He just waited.
For what, he didn't know.
The night swallowed him, and Adam Kim disappeared from his old life.
Somewhere in the dark, something else began to wake up inside him.
The wind grew colder as night deepened. Dark clouds hung low, and the alley remained silent except for the slow dripping of rain from the broken roof ledges. Adam huddled behind a stack of crates near a half-broken wall. His hoodie soaked through, and his teeth began to chatter.
He hadn't eaten. He hadn't slept. His legs ached, and his eyes stung. But he didn't move. He was too scared. Too tired.
Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked. A siren wailed briefly and faded.
Then, footsteps.
Fast. Heavy.
Voices followed.
"Yo! I saw him go this way!"
Adam's heart jumped. He pressed himself tighter against the crates.
A group of four boys came into the alley. They were older, rough-looking, with chains and knives hanging from their belts.
"What's a kid doing here alone?" one of them said.
"Might have something worth taking," another chuckled.
They spotted Adam.
"Hey, kid!" one barked. "You deaf? Stand up!"
Adam stayed still. Fear locked his muscles.
One grabbed him by the hoodie and pulled him out.
"Please… don't," Adam whispered.
The biggest one punched him hard in the gut. Adam collapsed with a gasp.
They started kicking him. Laughing. Taunting.
"Cry, little boy. Let's hear it."
"Let's see what's in his bag."
Adam tried to cover his head, but pain bloomed across his body.
Then—
Thwip!
A sharp sound cut through the alley.
Something whizzed through the air.
A pen.
It struck one of the boys in the neck.
He froze.
Then dropped.
Blood poured out.
Dead.
The others backed up, eyes wide.
"What the hell?!"
"Where did that come from?!"
They looked around, panicked.
Adam could barely keep his eyes open. Blood trickled from his mouth.
He tilted his head, just slightly.
Above.
On the roof of a half-built structure next to the alley.
A silhouette.
A figure stood tall, cloaked in black.
Lightning flashed behind him.
For three seconds, Adam saw his face.
Young. Pale. Sharp eyes like glass. Calm. Cold.
Then everything turned black.
Adam fell unconscious.
The alley was silent again.
But nothing was the same.