Damien's background

Damien had always felt out of place, especially during his childhood. He often saw things that weren't there, or so the caretakers at the orphanage claimed. They dismissed it as his imagination, but Damien knew better. One day, one of those things looked him straight in the eye and asked if he could see it-see them. When he didn't respond, the creature said something that shook him to his core: "I'm glad you can't see me. That way, there won't be any witnesses."

The monster then proceeded to tear apart a dozen or so of his fellow orphans including his friends: "Jack", "Ethan", "Mason" and "Olivia" and feast on them, right in front of Damien. He wanted to believe it was a nightmare, but he couldn't, especially when Ethan's eye hit him square in the forehead, then fell to the ground staring right at him, it's blood dripping into his eyes. He wanted to scream, vomit, tear his eyes out, but he knew any unusual movement would alert the creature to the fact that he could see it.

That day, he realized the orphanage staff-Matron Agnes, Matron Clara, and Matron Ruth-knew what was happening and were somehow involved. They acted as though nothing had happened, as if no children were missing. When he asked the remaining orphans, they claimed not to remember any of the victims. Damien began to think he was losing his mind, remembering people no one else could recall. But the memories of his friends, of that day were too vivid—sound of bones breaking flesh tearing, the sickening smell of blood, and the grotesque gnawing on bones. Shortly after, the orphanage gained a mysterious new sponsor, Mr. Jonathan Morrow, who paid for renovations and better facilities Damien was 12 at the time.

It has been 4 years since then and a lot happened in those 4 years. In the first year with his memories of the event still fresh in his mind he had to find a way to distract himself, he tried a lot of different things with kickboxing being the one that worked. Partially due to survivor's guilt and trying to be ready should that thing come for seconds. As if fate was playing a cruel prank on him it happened again. This time, he was out of town for a kickboxing tournament. The creature seemed hungrier, and nearly a fifth of the orphans-mostly older ones aged 12-16 disappeared including his new friends: "Ava", "Grace" and "Aiden". Damien felt lucky to have been absent but was also devastated that all his new friends were gone, but knew better than to ask questions. The other orphans gave him the same blank stares, and he wasn't willing to alert the matrons that he remembered the missing orphans. He wondered if he was special for being able to see the creatures or if other orphans could see them too, and that's why they were devoured.

Determined to escape and live on for his friends who won't get the opportunity, Damien began saving money from his kickboxing tournaments. He had decided to distance himself from the other orphans as he didn't want to have anything to keep him from running away. His goal was to leave the orphanage by his 16th birthday He threw himself into training, going to the gym right after school every day. He needed to be good enough to win the tournaments and secure the prize money. His hard work paid off, and in the March tournament, he barely secured first place. His tenacity caught the attention of his coach, Mr. Martin Brookes, who invited him for a private conversation.

After their discussion, Damien gained a backer. Mr. Brookes agreed to cover all his training expenses- supplies, equipment, and anything else he needed. This allowed Damien to save more of his winnings, but in return, he had to fight in underground matches for his coach. Damien readily agreed. The underground fights offered better pay, and he could fight as often as he wanted. It was his golden opportunity—more money than the regular tournaments could ever provide. His coach had made it clear that he was to do as he was told like throwing matching or being extra brutal against certain fighters. Little did he know Mr Brookes gave those orders as favours to the local gangs.

For the next few years, Damien's schedule was packed. He fought in underground matches once, sometimes twice a week, rested for a day or two, and maintained appearances by going to school and competing in the monthly tournaments. His life continued like this until New Year's Eve-the day he planned to make his escape. By then he had convinced Mr. Brookes to buy an apartment for him in secret where he had already started moving his belongings.

On New Year's Eve, Damien told the staff, including the four matrons at the orphanage-Mr. Jonathan Morrow, Ms. Felicity Kane, Mr. Theodore Bellamy, and Ms. Helena Darren - that he was going to spend two days at the gym, from New Year's Eve to January 2nd, as he had done before. They granted him permission, not suspecting his true intentions.

As fireworks lit up the sky and everyone else celebrated, Damien quietly requested an Uber to take him to his new apartment. When the driver sent him a text that they were 5 minutes away, he told Mr Brookes he was leaving. He slipped away from the party unnoticed, executing his grand escape from the orphanage at last.