Night did not slowly arrive.
It collapsed.
The light inside the small forest was peeled away layer by layer until only shadows clung to the tree trunks. The distant glow of the city was blocked by dense branches, leaving only a faint gray-white edge high above the canopy.
Cold wind pressed down from above.
It carried dampness with it, slipping through the cracks of the broken wooden shack's walls. The air circled once inside the room before leaking out again through another gap.
Seven sat in the deepest corner of the shack.
His back rested against the wooden boards, his legs drawn in naturally.
He was not deliberately tense. Yet his body had not completely adapted to the presence of other people nearby. The muscles along his shoulders and back remained in a half-idle state—not tightened, but not relaxed either.
Footsteps sounded outside.
Not one person.
The first thing he sensed was the pressure change in the ground.
The soil beneath the wooden boards carried different rhythms of impact.
One was light.
One was heavy.
The lighter one moved quickly, the steps short and flexible. The heavier one dragged slightly, each landing of the foot accompanied by a dull pause.
Two children with noticeably different body weights.
Bushes were pushed aside.
Rat climbed in first.
The entrance of the shack opened, and a gust of cold air rushed inside. The dry grass on the floor shifted softly.
"We're back."
Rat stepped aside.
Another child entered behind him.
This boy was about half a head taller.
His movements were clearly half a beat slower.
Not fatigue.
Delayed response.
After entering the shack, he stopped for a full second, as if confirming the structure of the space. Only then did he raise his head and look toward Seven.
There was no hostility in his gaze.
But there was no real curiosity either.
It was more like simple focusing.
Rat raised a hand and pointed at him.
"This is my little brother. His name is Bones."
Bones froze briefly.
As if his brain had only just received the instruction.
Then he slowly nodded.
"...Hello."
His voice was quiet.
The final syllable stretched slightly longer than normal.
Seven glanced at him.
Bones' shoulders curved inward. His back bent slightly forward, center of gravity leaning ahead. The thinness caused by long-term hunger showed clearly beneath his loose clothes. His collarbones protruded sharply like two ridges beneath the fabric.
His breathing rhythm was slow.
His eyes wandered without settling on a fixed focal point.
Seven looked away.
Rat pointed toward Seven next.
"This is our new partner. His name is Seven."
Bones reacted even slower this time.
Two seconds passed before he nodded again.
"Seven."
The pronunciation carried almost no change in tone.
Seven did not respond.
Rat was already used to this kind of silent treatment.
He crouched down and pulled a plastic bag from inside his clothes.
The bag had been folded many times.
The edges had turned pale and fuzzy from wear.
He placed it on the wooden board in the center of the shack.
"Got these from the bakery today. Bread edges."
Plastic scraped against wood with a dry sound.
The bag was opened.
Inside were several uneven pieces of bread crust. Some had hardened already, while others still carried a faint oily sheen.
"Come on. Let's eat."
Rat divided the bread pieces.
He handed the first one to Bones.
Bones grabbed it immediately and began chewing without hesitation. His movements were quick, almost frantic, as if the food might disappear if he slowed down. His jaw moved repeatedly, grinding hard. His teeth produced faint scraping sounds as they tore through the fibers.
Only then did Rat take one for himself.
The thinnest piece remained.
He pushed it toward Seven.
Seven lowered his eyes and looked at it.
He said nothing and reached out to take it.
The bread had already cooled completely.
Its hardness was close to dried rations.
He bit into it.
His teeth clearly felt the resistance as the fibers snapped apart.
The taste was faint.
Almost no sweetness remained.
Only the slight bitterness of flour residue.
Bones ate quickly.
Soon he reached for a second piece.
Rat did not stop him.
Instead, he broke his own portion in half and handed part of it over.
Bones paused.
Then took it.
And continued chewing with his head lowered.
Rat leaned against the wall. As he chewed slowly, he began to speak.
"An old man used to live here."
His gaze moved to the patched section of the collapsed roof.
"He was the one who took me and Bones in."
Wind slipped through the cracks of the wooden boards, stirring the dry grass on the floor with soft rustling sounds.
"Later he got sick."
"Stayed lying down for a long time."
Rat paused.
"Then one day he just didn't wake up."
Bones' chewing slowed slightly.
But he did not raise his head.
Rat continued.
"Now it's just the two of us."
"We're not really brothers."
"We just both happened to be unwanted."
Seven finished the bread in his hand.
He did not interrupt.
Rat seemed used to speaking to himself.
"The old man knew someone at the bakery."
"So sometimes they leave us scraps."
"Other times we go out and ask."
His tone remained calm.
Like someone describing the weather.
Only then did Seven speak.
"I used to live in an orphanage."
Rat turned his head toward him.
Seven's gaze rested on the floor.
"My eyes suddenly stopped working."
"I graduated early."
He said it simply.
"Been on the streets for a year."
Rat made a quiet sound.
"Oh."
He did not ask further questions.
Bones lifted his head and looked at Seven once.
Then lowered it again.
Night continued to press downward.
The forest outside the shack sank fully into darkness.
They lay down where they were.
The dry grass was thin.
But softer than concrete.
Bones fell asleep quickly.
His breathing grew heavier, his body occasionally twitching.
Rat turned onto his side, facing away from the entrance.
Seven lay against the wall.
He did not close his eyes.
Wind.
Insects.
The distant sound of passing vehicles.
Each layer separated clearly in his perception.
Water dripped slowly inside the drainage channel.
One drop.
Then another.
Sometime in the middle of the night, Rat turned over.
He opened his eyes briefly to confirm that Seven was still there.
Then he closed them again.
Seven remained awake.
Until the sky began to turn pale.