[ WP ] The Grey Man walks the train yards , covered in rags , slipping through the shadows . You though he was just a legend ... until now .

Steve never believed in the legend of the Grey Man. A man in grey, dirty rags that would be the an omen of ruin to whoever locked eyes with him. 
 
 Until he met the Grey Man. 
 
 He was on the run from the cops, having been caught red handed shoplifting. He ran through a hole in the fence and disappeared in the sewers. He was lost in the strange maze that the sewers formed. That was the fourth time he'd ran into that dead rat, which meant he had to be walking in circles. 
 
 A door had suddenly swung open, and a yellow light had shown out. The smell of freshly fried chicken made Steve's mouth water. He had n't eaten all day, and some chicken was something he could use right now. His mind was n't so sure that going inside was such a good idea. Boys like him tended to disappear in sewers like this. Some say that they were drowned by sewer crocodiles. Some say they were eaten by cannibals. Most of the time, they had starved or been shanked for some food they had on them. 
 
 Steve did n't want to end like these people. But he was really hungry, and his stomach was overriding his good sense. He went into the door. 
 
 It was an ornately dressed ballroom of sorts, red drapes all along the wall with chandeliers that shone like a thousand stars. Murals had been painted on the walls between the drapes with craftsmanship he had only seen in the big church he'd gotten food from a couple weeks back. It showed 4 men riding horses, one was white with robes and had flies around him that consumed plants, another was red and bright, wielding a burning sword with which he cleaved a poor man and a richman in half. A pale horse with skulls adorning on the horse's saddlebags and the last one on a man in black robes and carrying a syth and an hourglass. The last one rode a white horse and carried an aura that made people grow large zits and weird bulbs on people's faces. Above them all were bright white people, simply looking at what was happening down below. It made Steve anxious, but he pushed his anxiety out of his mind when he saw the large gilded table with a freshly made meal. Steve did n't hesitate a moment and strided straight to the chicken, picking it up and stuffing as much of the tender chicken breast into his mouth as he could. 
 
 Clang. The door had shut. And the Grey Man stood there, watching him. 
 
 He indeed wore grey, filthy rags as clothing. His skin was grey, as well as his eyes. A small, gaunt man whose skull seemed to simply wear his wrinkled face without muscles. His arms and legs were simply skin and bones as well. Steve looked into the Grey Man's eyes, and saw a hunger there. Not the hunger for boys he'd seen before, the hunger that would hurt him. This is the hunger that would consume you until you were nothing but bones and ash. 
 
 A smile crept up the Grey Man's face as he shuffled up the boy, took a seat and sat down. He had n't said a word. Did n't mother warn him about people like this? 
 
 `` Eat all you want, boy. It's yours, for a price'', a dusty voice said that came out of the Grey Man's mouth. His teeth were as grey as his robes, but his breath did n't smell as bad as it looked. 
 
 Steve ate as much as he could until his belly was full. A loud belch and a good rip later, he ate a little more. He might not eat again if the Grey Man let him go. 
 
 `` Thank you for the food, sir. I'm full now. Can I go? ``, Steve asked as politely as he could. 
 
 The chuckle that came rattling out of the man's poorly maintained was as empty as space. From under the table, the Grey Man pulled out a set of bronze scales and a set of old, rusted coins. 
 
 Muttering to himself, he added coins to one side of the scales, which unbalanced it. 
 
 `` You are in debt to me, young man. Do you know that means?''. 
 
 `` Yes, but you let me eat your food. You gave it to me''. 
 
 `` Nothing is ever given, boy. Everything has a price. Including your food. You will pay me with something''. 
 
 `` I have no money''. 
 
 `` I do n't want money. I want your servitude''. 
 
 `` And what if I do n't want to do this'servitude' of yours, sir?''. 
 
 The Grey Man's hand shot out and wrapped his thin fingers around Steve's throat and squeezed so hard, he saw stars in a matter of seconds. He tried to pry the fingers loose, but they were so tight. So tight. The blinking stars turned into darkness as Steve could do nothing more than try to gasp and stay awake. 
 
 Author's note: need sleep. Will continue as soon as I can, give me 11 hours. 

