Jason shivered, pulling his thin jacket tighter around him. It offered little protection against the biting Gotham wind, a constant reminder of the cold that seeped into his bones. He’d lost count of the hours he’d been wandering, his stomach a gnawing emptiness. His parents' fights had escalated again, the shouting louder than ever, culminating in the familiar slam of the front door. He was alone again, abandoned on the streets, another night adrift in the city's unforgiving embrace.

Tears welled up in his eyes, blurring the already fading light. Where was he supposed to go? He didn't have any money, no phone, nowhere to turn. Parents were supposed to protect their children, weren't they? A bitter laugh escaped his lips. He knew the answer to that question all too well.

His feet, numb and aching, carried him deeper into the encroaching darkness. He stumbled off the main road, the city lights disappearing behind the towering trees of the forest. The silence was deafening, the only sounds were the rustling of leaves and the distant howl of a stray dog. Fear, cold and clammy, gripped his heart.

Then, through the skeletal branches, he saw it – a dilapidated cabin, its windows dark and menacing. It looked like something out of a nightmare, the kind where unsuspecting children wandered in and never came out. But the cold was biting, his hunger gnawing at him, and the thought of spending the night out here, exposed and vulnerable, was unbearable.

He approached cautiously, his breath misting in the frigid air. The cabin creaked ominously with the wind, every groan and sigh sending shivers down his spine. With trembling hands, he pushed open the door.

He found a corner, the floor cold and hard beneath him. He shivered, pulling his jacket tighter, wishing for warmth, for anything. The forest sounds – rustling leaves, snapping twigs – kept him awake. He was alone, scared, lost.

Then, a sound. A floorboard groaning, a faint thump. Jason froze, his eyes wide with terror

Someone was there.

"Who's there?!" He snapped,