"Mommy, where are you?" the boy asked out loud, his words were drowned by a penetrating noise coming from outside of his home. The shouting, radio's blazing, cursing, and violence fresh upon the morning breeze.

She had told him she would be home soon, those words had played upon his mind. The boy looked at the door. He had fallen asleep yet again, waiting, and here he lingered. The sun's gaze fell upon his house, its rays illuminating his filthy cluttered conditions.

He hugged himself, waiting while looking at the door. Waiting with great expectation, but nothing came and the time slowly slipped away. He watched the beautiful colours of the sun and the shadows it made on the ground going and coming.

His tummy roared. His body ached. Yet the boy still looked on before he knew it. It was dark again. The moon peeked at him through the window facing him.
His lips were dry and had cracked. He stood himself up as he clawed his way to the makeshift kitchen for water from the sink.

It ran brown muddy drops with a rancid smell. The boy knew better than to drink that, and so he looked in the old fridge and found a bottle of water. Placing it to his mouth and before he knew it, its contents were gone, lost to his thirst. He scanned the contents of the fridge realizing it was almost bare.

"Mommy, where are you?" He clenched the bottle as he wondered to her whereabouts.

A knock came on the door, and then another.

"Martini," the voice shouted, "it's time to work."

The door slowly opened and in front of the man stood an adolescent boy. They both stared at each other for a while, almost expecting the other to immediately answer.

"Where is my mom!?" the boy shouted, his eyes piercing the man.

The man was startled for a moment by the boy's sudden outburst before he chuckled."Is she not here, boy?"

The boy stood silent.

"If she is not here and I don't know where she is. That means she either abandoned you or something bad happened."

"My mom would never abandon me."

"Don't be so quick to say that after all you're only a little keep back. What are you going to do now to survive kid? How long has she been gone?"

The boy's face was puzzled, he didn't know if to tell the truth or to tell a lie.

"She was gone last night, she said she had to work, and she said she would be back soon. She never came back."

"Ah, I see kid, that wasn't too hard to say your mom and I are friends therefore as friends, that means I can take care of you too. Right?"

The boy thought about it for a while before just simply nodding.

"All right then, I will bring you food to eat and take care of you until she returns. My name is John. What is yours?"

The little boy did not respond.

 " Fine, I am sure when she does she will repay the favour." He held a smile on his face as he placed a hand on the boy's head, slightly patting him.

He turned to leave, and the boy noticed protruding letters on his back XI the rest seemed covered by his vest.

***

It was dark when a thundering knock came upon the house, waking the boy from his sleep. His eyes weighed down as he staggered to the door.

"Who is it?" he asked, but there was no reply, just silence. So the boy called again in his squeaky voice, "Who is it?"

There was silence again and swiftly followed by another knock.

"Who is it!?" he shouted, this time fully awake and alert.

"It's me."

"Mommy!?" the boy shouted as he opened the door and there before his eyes was his mother. She stepped inside oddly, looking around seemingly as though it was the first time. Her hand touched the boy's face as though examining an item before moving on to the rest of the house.

"Mommy, are you okay?" the boy asked, holding the open door.

"Yes, I am fine Hunny, don't worry at all, mommy is finally home."

There were a few footsteps that could be heard as a man walked into the house.

"Well then your back, took your time, are you ready to work tonight?"

There was a malice smile etched upon her lips as she looked at the boy and listened to the words coming from the man.

"Work yes, I will be there soon, wait for me by the car while I get changed."

"Ok," the man said as he left.

The boy remained standing in the same position, waiting as he heard the shower and his mom change. He watched her entered back to the compact room.

She placed a hand upon the boy, kissing him on the forehead. "Don't worry, this time Mommy promises she will be back on time and soon."

A smile was on the boy's face as he watched them leave. He slowly closed the door. Waiting for her to say something his mother this time turned and waved him.

It made him smile as he closed the door.

The man watched her enter the car as he drove off. The last mistake he would ever make. If only he knew at the time the hell that would be let loose upon him.