Author's Note: Hi. Read. Review. Enjoy.

Rating: PG13

Hidden Enemies: Chapter One

The hallway was dark and damp. It was silent spare the echoes of night, whispering to him. Caden took one step forward, then another, and another. Slowly he made his way down the endless corridor; noticing every nook and cranny of the walls, every chip in the scotch tiled floors.

Every few feet, he would turn around, quick; just in case.

There was little light in the hall; Caden could barely see where he was going.

When he reached then end of the hallway, he opened the moth- eaten curtains, and let an enveloping light burst through. It was as if he was in a different world, not the same old dump he lived in day after day. But sooner or later Caden had to leave; and enter more darkness.

Once the sun went down, Caden began walking out of the old factory. When he opened the iron doors a gust of ice cold wind hit his ears and nose. He shivered. Once used to the atmosphere, he began to walk home, taking even slower steps then he had earlier. As he always did, Caden glanced back every now and then.

"You don't want someone fallowing you." Was his answer to the quizzical look given to him by a raccoon. "Slow but steady wins the race." Quotes were rushing through his mind, one after another, like pebbles being chucked at his sides. Finally at his street, Caden took a deep breath, and forged on.

Caden lived in a small duplex in New York. All he ever heard was the traffic outside of his bedroom window; there wasn't a patch of grass to be seen for a mile or so. This was unfortunate for Caden, considering he was born in the mountains, and loved nothing more than the outdoors. His mother had left their family before he could walk, and his dad was never around. Caden managed, being 16 he could find work, and his father brought home enough cash for a comfortable life.

Caden opened the unlocked door, and was bombarded by heat, thank god. He closed the front door, blocking out the intense cold. He kicked off his sneakers and dropped his backpack by the door. Caden heard footsteps coming closer to the entrance hall. He spotted his CD player, grabbed it and climbed up the stairs as quickly as possible; trying to avoid any human contact. When he reached is room, Caden slammed the door and hopped on his bed, just lying there for a moment.

Blackness filled his eyes, he was being devoured by fear; his whole body was shaking uncontrollably. Caden slowly curled into a ball, still on his bed, rocking back and forth. When his shaking passed, and light engulfed him once more, he calmly walked to his desk, grabbing his laptop and hopping on the bed once more.

When he was settled, Caden began writing. His mind was floating in a sea of words, endless, and beautiful. When he wrote, nothing mattered. All of Caden's worries floated away, lost amongst the sentences running through his brain.

Clunk, Clunk, Clunk, Clunk

His father's footsteps brought Caden back to reality. With a sigh, he closed his laptop, placing it back on top of his desk; without even a knock, in stormed his father, ready for a fight.

"What the hell are doing you here? I distinctly remember writing a post it and placing it on the refrigerator, specifying that I wanted you out of the house at exactly 7 pm." His father glared down at him.

"Well," Caden was as composed as he could be. "The note that you so graciously placed on the fridge, must have fallen, for I do not remember seeing any such indication." His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"I don't have time to argue with you son. I have a date tonight..SO GET THE HELL OUT!" Mr. Densel was turning red from anger.

Caden sighed, grabbed his notebook and walked out of his room. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he hurriedly put on his sneakers and grabbing a hoodie, he trudged out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

Caden decided that since he had no place to go, Central Park seemed like the best place.

What an asshole. Caden's father had always been a jerk, trying to deny the fact that he had a son. He was embarrassed of him, always trying to disown Caden, like one would throw away a ragged pair of sneakers. For his whole life Caden Densel had wanted nothing more than to hate his father, but he couldn't. He didn't know why, but no matter how much he was verbally abused by his father, Caden couldn't say aloud that he hated his father.

Bonk

"Owe! What the hell was that?" Caden sped around expecting to see some jerk kid picking up another stone to throw, but was shocked when he saw an old man walking his dog, completely unaware of the fact that Caden was gawking at him.

"Excuse me sir." Caden was reluctant to speak to a stranger, but curiosity overcame his fear.

"Yes son, how can I help you?" The man had gray hair, that was balding slightly, and a gray mustache as well. He wore corduroy pants, and a thick winter jacket, a little too thick for October, but he seemed comfortable enough.

"Well, I was just wondering...did you throw a rock at my head?" He knew it sounded absurd, but he wondered if the man was trying to get his attention.

"Yes my boy, I did." The man seemed perfectly calm, waiting for Caden to say something more.

"May I ask why?" Caden was absolutely bewildered; a strange man randomly threw a stone at him.

"I was trying to catch your attention; my plan seemed to have worked." Caden waited for the gentleman so say more, but he didn't.

"Why do you want my attention?" He was probing the stranger for answers.

"You are Caden Densel, correct?" The boy nodded, dumbfounded.

"I am Joseph Densel."