Within a dark decrepit trash covered alleyway that lay within the landscape of New York City, during a fierce thunder storm, sat a homeless young man with dirty disheveled black hair that appeared as if it hadn't been washed in years.
Wearing battered and torn soiled jeans, a tattered sports jacket and a faded black under shirt that were covered in all manner of rips making it look as if it were torn into by a pack of rabid animals.
The young man in question, who looked barely in his mid 20's he sat on the ground wedged between two rusted dumpsters. Faced down in his arms that were resting on his raised knees, trying to shelter himself from the bone chilling turbulent winds and raging rain that surged over head.
This man's name was Ethan Glade. Someone who's life seems only able to be delt a bad hand.
As he sat, Ethan felt a monstrous surge of pain erupt from the center of his body, as if his very lungs were being torn to shreds. An experience that had sadly become all to common for him. So much so that he has become accustom to the pain.
"Well, I guess this is it, as fitting an end as I can hope for I suppose"
Ethan acknowledged with a weak and scratchy voice, looking at his current situation. Some how sensing that his existence was reaching its end.
And in the face of that end he showed neither sadness or fear, but resignation.
"Maybe this is for the best, after all from my earliest memories my life has always been one that any sain person could only call a joke. Haha! really why should my final minutes be any different. It shows that my life had some consistency at less, right, hahaha!"
"Kaff!!! Kaff!!"
Ethan tried to find some silver lining in his bleak existence, using a deprecating laugh to some how sooth and hold together his crumbling spirit.
But some after as if to deny him even that he began to cough violently, quickly raising his hands to cover mouth. With each erratic cough a harsh unbearable stinging pain assaulted his chest, causing him intense pain.
After enduring several seconds of continues coughing Ethan finally managed to get reprieve from his fit, and moved his hands away from his mouth while whizzing greatly.
He soon noticed a warm and metallic tasting liquid on his tongue, that then began to stream down the corners of his mouth along with the rain droplets that likewise slid down his face after landing on him.
It was a taste that he had likewise become all too familiar with. A taste he first experienced a few months ago, and have start experiencing more and more frequently as time passed.
He could easily tell what this was. The taste of blood.
Ethan weakly, with little to no strength left in his body raised his head from his arms, and looked straight up into the raining sky. Listening to the bustling sounds of the city night life.
The endless sounds of passing pedestrians walking by as their shoes splash on the wet sideways. The boisterous ravings of car engines as they speed by.
Ethan could even make out the flapping of a nearby flock of pigeons franticly seeking shelter from the weather.
"Ha ... ha ha... ha"
Ethan lightly chuckled with warm tears sliding down his eyes.
'I wonder would my life have turned out any different if I was born normal. You know, no different than anyone of those people walking by. Or was I always meant to live and meet my end like this'
Ethan thought as he raised his hands and placed them on his face just below his eyes which were a dull blank milky white.
Ethan was a man who was born blind.
"If...if I had been born normal maybe, just maybe..."
"Sob...!"
"I could have lived something of an actually somewhat decent!"
Ethan yelled resentfully, pondering on such a different life.
As his hands that were previously gently touching his face started to tightly grip it instead.
His nails looking as if they were mere seconds away from piercing his skin, ready to dig into his flesh.
His face contorted into anguish, but this was not from the pain he was inflicting on himself, but from the self loathing emotions directed at his own existence.
*******
(Flash Back-Beginning)
Before Ethan was born lets take second a peer into a story that came before his own.
A young boy called Eric and girl named Flora, the two an ordinary teenage couple, who began dating each other at seventeen in the middle of high school.
Eric was an Ace runner for their high school's track and field team. He was highly evaluated as one of best of his generation, and was sought after by many scouts from various universities. He was even on the fast track to receiving a full sport scholarship for college.
Flora in turn was talented a painter, who despite still being in school often had the pieces she created during her art classes in school, be displayed in professional art galleries. Some pieces even being put up for auction.
Truly life for the two of them were near perfect, and the fact they both came from well off high to middle class families only helped solidify their bright futures.
That is until one day Flora suddenly started showing clear signs of pregnancy.
After a quick trip to the doctor to confirm it was discovered that the young girl was actually pregnant.
Hearing the news both Eric's and Flora's families adamantly pushed for the two to have an abortion, claiming the two teens would be ruining their futures if they tried to raise a child right now at their age.
However, the young couple just as strongly refused their families demands. Eric and Flora know their families wanted the abortion not because they wanted what was best for the two of them, but because they didn't want the scandal of teen parents to stain their family name.
Eric and Flora deeply believed that this child was a sign. A sign that they were meant to be together and the two were determined to raise it with as much love and care as they could give.
Unfortunately their families did not share their feelings on the matter. In fact seeing that the two planned to go against their wishes only sparked an even stronger rejection from their relatives.
Unwilling to accept the couple's decision the two families effectively disowned the young couple, refusing to provide them with any shelter, support or aid.
So the two found themselves effectively homeless.
Only on the condition that the two get rid of the child would either of them be allow to return home to their families.
With no familial help available to support them, the couple were forced to drop out of high school and seek employment so that they could provide for themselves and to prepare for the new life they would need to care for in the not-too-distant future.
Lucky however the two both had their own individual stashes of money hidden away long before they were kicked out of their homes. Due to them being form prominent families they often received high allowances regularly, and both were smart enough to open independent checking accounts. Completely unaffiliated with their parents, and have been feeding into them little by little over the years.
Over the next few months, the teens would manage to get some stabile ground under their feet, using their saved money as a buffer to buy time and find work.
Eric found full time employment as an assistant fitness instructor at a small local gym he often trained at. While the Flora worked at a Starbucks as a barista.
Despite neither job paying high wages the combined income allowed the Eric and Flora able to rent a mid size apartment at a reasonable price, and while not living a lavished life the two were always about to meet their needs.
And when times grow tough they found comfort in each other. While at the same time still looking forward to welcoming their newborn child into the world.
That is until a tragic twist of fate would play its hand.
******
Several more months later the couple were on their way by taxi to the gynecologist office for Flora's last check up before the due date of the babies birth as she was now nine months pregnant. Due any day now.
While waiting at a redlight that stopped them a disastrous accident would occur as a speeding garbage trunk coming in from behind suddenly blow a front tire, causing it to start swerving out of control.
It quickly closed in on the couple's taxi from behind and slammed into them. The resulting Collison would send the now partially compressed taxi harling thought the streets. Smashing into several parked empty cars. Only finally stopping in a turned up state after hitting the side of a brick building.
On lookers after witnessing the horrific scene rushed to all the two heavy damaged vehicles to see if they could help the likely injured occupants.
They would regrettably discover that both the drivers of the taxi and garbage trunk had appeared to have died from the impact.
As for the couple in the back of the taxi they both by some miracle managed to survive the crash, but were in critical condition with near fatal injuries all over their bodies. And signs of the them rapidly losing blood could be seen, as liquid life was pooling beneath them.
As people tried to careful remove them from the wreckage, ambulances and police sirens could be heard in the distance approaching the scene.
The couple were rushed to the nearest hospital and received emergency surgery in an attempt to save their lives. Tragically however, despite the surgeons' best efforts Eric and Flora succumbed to their wounds less than an hour later.
However, by some saving grace the surgeon was able to save baby within Flora's womb via a c section at the last minute.
The following day while caring for the newborn boy him was kept under close observation encase any side effects or trauma from the accident started showing.
During those tests the hospital discovered the shocking truth that the new born baby was blind.
At first it was hypothesized that blindness was simply the results of genetics, from either of his parents.
But after extensive testing it was diagnosed that the child's blindness was the result of a minor infection the newborns mother contracted from a deep embedded piece of shrapnel she caught in her lower abdomen near her womb during the car accident.
The trunk in question turns out was transporting a few canisters of chemical waste, meant to go to a disposal facility. When the accident occurred the canisters were crushed and a sharp fragment was launched and ended up embedded in Flora.
The hospital contacted the now deceased Eric and Flora's families to inform them of the couples passing and of the new born birth as they were the next of kin.
However when they were made aware of the situation either out of grief of losing Eric and Flora. Selfishness or from lingering malice at the fact the two defied their wishes to the bitter end neither family were willing to take the child in.
Instead they moved quickly arranged to have the newborn sent to a cheap rundown orphanage located on the edge of the city.
Most likely because they blamed the baby for the fates that befallen their children. Wanting absolutely nothing more, than to have nothing to do with the child, and erasing it completely from their memories.