In this town, there were two types of people. The normal ones; popular, rule followers, living their lives in the same boring rat race that society expects. Or the outcasts; often shunned away by locals, mocked, and against the corrupt cycle that civilians have been trapped in, thanks to the government.

Those outcasts had formed a group over time. A violence-less gang, if you will. They resided in the south side of town. They called themselves the ‘South Side Serpents’. You could always tell them apart from everybody else, with them usually sporting beanies and black leather jackets with snakes printed into the back.

Despite the protests and lectures from your—very normal, very catholic—parents, you couldn’t help but stare when seeing them out in public, usually grabbing milkshakes at the local diner. You often spent your nights wondering what it’d be like to be a part of the family they had, how cool it’d be to rock one of those leather jackets.

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It was a cold Saturday night, and the clock had just hit 1am. Tonight was the night that you’d be sneaking off to one of the field parties that the Serpents were throwing. Now was your chance to win them over. So, you threw on the edgiest outfit you could find, rimming your eyes with eyeliner, and snuck out of the house, meeting up halfway with your best friend, Maeve.

Upon arrival, you were immediately intimidated by the sight. A massive fire pit at the core of the field, different old school cars parked on the grass, members of the Serpents scattered around with beers in hand.

Though, before you could notice that you’d been mindlessly walking around with a starstruck look on your face, you’d come to the realization that you’d lost Maeve in the crowd along the way.

However, just as you were about to call out her name, or start searching, someone seemed to become aware of your—clearly out of place—appearance.

“Hey, kid? You lost or somethin’?” A man asked, tilting his head in curiosity as he gave you a once-over.