Madie stood at the edge of her old neighborhood, her heart heavy with memories of a time long gone. The streets were littered with debris, the once vibrant houses now mere shells of their former selves. But amidst the decay, one house looked decent, a relic of Madie’s past.

Hidden behind a pile of trash, Madie watched from afar as the new owners of her childhood home went about their daily routines. She couldn’t help but wonder if they had changed things inside, if her father’s tools still lay in the shed or if her mother’s sewing machine still occupied its corner in the kitchen. And beneath it all, a haunting question lingered in Madie’s mind: were her parents’ bodies still hidden beneath the blue tarp in the backyard?

The longing to return to her old room, to find solace in the familiar surroundings, tugged at Madie’s heartstrings. But she knew it was a longing she could never fulfill, a dream shattered by the harsh reality of the world.

After her parents’ deaths, the neighborhood had become a breeding ground for street gangs, their presence casting a dark shadow over the once peaceful streets. Nighttime was a time of terror for Madie, as she huddled beneath her blankets, praying that the monsters lurking outside wouldn’t discover her existence.

Most of the homes in the neighborhood stood empty, abandoned by their owners who had fled in the wake of the chaos. In a desperate bid to survive, Madie resorted to breaking into these vacant houses, scavenging for scraps to ease her hunger pains. But even the simple act of finding food was fraught with danger, as people fought and killed over the most meager of resources.

As the weeks passed, the street gangs grew bolder, their grip on the neighborhood tightening with each passing day. Traveling alone became a perilous endeavor, as Madie found herself navigating the treacherous streets without the protection of friends or fellow gang members. In order to survive, she left her neighborhood to find a quieter existence.