"An entire cult wants me dead!" Jack screamed.

"Well, more actually."

....

Summer had finally come, and school had just ended. Pink leaves glided down from tall trees and the sun shone brightly through the blue sky.

Around Jake, all sorts of people pushed and shoved and rushed. One had their eyes gouged out and ears cut off, their noses filled with cotton. Others were covered in strange patterns of tattoos, from head to toe, even their eyes were tattooed. One person hollered and hawked, trying to get attention, but failing, for the posters they held. Another one had a giant pink dildo glued to their forehead and walked with their chest proudly pushed out.

But Jack's attention was solely focused on one person. One beautiful person.

“Hey Choco, I was thinking… maybe you and me could hang out sometime?” Jack hopefully asked, his wide eyes looked at her like a puppy begging for a treat. Jack felt like he’d have a heart attack any second now, he had expected to fumble the words but his tongue had pulled through.

“Ummm…” She looked away.

Jack felt someone slap him on the back. He jerked his face to look, a drop of sweat ran down his forehead, he spotted two eyes looking at him like a wealthy man looks at a beggar; disgrace and pity. It was from Alexander.

“She probably has something else to do, try your luck elsewhere bro.” He grabbed Choco by the shoulder and walked away with her, she smiled.

“Damn you Alexander,” Jack mumbled under his breath, each word drenched in hate.

Suddenly, a sweaty and smelly armpit wrapped itself around Jack’s head. Jack grabbed the arms and tried to free himself but couldn’t.

“Jack, you’ve got a face only a mother can love, I can’t imagine you thought Choco would ever go out with you, right guys?” The two other people laughed. It was his bully, Chad, and his two friends, a fat shorty and a tall lanky shit.

“What do you want?” Jack asked, still being clenched.

“Woah, why are you so aggressive there buddy. All I want to do is show you something pretty cool. Your cat certainly likes it,” Chad said.

“What?" Jack asked.

"Your. Cat. Certainly. Loves. It."

"You touched my cat!" Jack cursed, and jumped, trying his hardest to get out."

“Yup, and you know what? The shitty rodent scratched me,” Chad switched his stance, holding Jack by his arms, “Hit him.”

The lanky kid hit Jack in the stomach and Jack grunted.

“Now here’s the deal. You’re coming with us, or we’re killing your cat.”

“You fucks,” Jack said and received another hit. Chad let him go and Jack fell to the ground.

“Your choice,” Chad said and walked away.

Jack was furious and rushed towards Chad swinging his arm. Chad turned around, jerking his elbow backwards and striking Jack in the temple making him collapse. He walked up to Jack and kicked him.

“Someone,” another kick, “doesn’t know,” another kick, “their place.”

Jack had followed them to an alleyway. A grey puddle on the ground had many cigarettes thrown into it. There was a man smoking a cigarette, red tattoos covered his arm, his eyes glanced over Jack. Jack shivered. Chad walked up and said:

“Dagger. What’s up!” He said with a forced smile.

“Did you bring him?”

“Yup we got him here,” Chad nodded at Jack, the tall kid pushed Jack forward making him stumble.

“Take this,” Dagger said and tossed a ring to Jack and Jack grabbed it.

There was cardboard on the floor, it jumped around, Daggers foot stood on it, weighing it down. Jack heard a meow, it was his cat.

“Put it on,” Dagger said.

There was an ominous feeling in the air, everyone stared at Jack almost expecting something; wanting something. Jack inspected the ring further, it was pitch black, as if sucking the light around it in. He could see something moving in it like a shallowing liquid going around. Jack felt disturbed holding it.

“What are you waiting for pussy, put it on,” the fat kid said.

“Why?” Jack asked.

“Cause I’ll stomp the head of your cat if you don’t, simple as that,” Dagger said, his foot pressing down harder.

Jack gulped and slid the ring down. Nothing happened. Dagger stared at him in disbelief, there was a silence that felt eternal.

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

“What the fuck?” Dagger said, throwing the cigarette he smoked on the ground.

“Didn’t you said he’d die?” Chad asked.

“I’d die!” Jack exclaimed.

“He should have, give me that ring,” Dagger said.

Jack pulled at the ring, it didn’t budge. He pulled until he felt his finger would rip off but the ring wouldn’t move.

“Are you trying to be funny? Give me the fucking ring,” Dagger said, his voice had quickly turned angry.

Jack pulled the ring again, he felt his heart thumping. The attention, the stares, the fucking eyes, the damn eyes, he hated them, it was as if he was burning. The ring didn’t budge.

“You cheeky fucker. You won’t return my ring huh?” Dagger pulled out a rusty dagger, there was blood stained on it, and slowly walked towards Jack.

“Grab that fucker,” Dagger barked at the others.

Jack knew at that moment that the last thing he wanted was to be grabbed. When the lanky kid tried to grab him he kicked him in between the legs, not the manliest move but Jack didn’t have any manliness to lose. The second he felt the nuts crush and heard the lanky kid gasp, he bolted down the alleyway. He glanced backwards and saw the three of them chasing him, the fat kid panted loudly.

There were two sketchy figures ahead of him, both of them stared venomously at him, he felt the hair on his skin stand up. He took a right and continued running and trying to avoid others in the alleyway. He took a right, left and another left before ending up in a dead-end.

“I was going to cut your fucking finger off but now I’ll cut your neck,” Dagger said and turned to Chad. “You want to join our cult? It’s simple, kill that motherfucker and you’re in.”

He gave the dagger to Chad. Chad looked confused for a moment, he had a realization and smiled at Jack as he walked forward. He’d beaten Jack up a million times, this one wouldn’t be any different, maybe a bit more bloody.

“Don’t take it personally,” Chad said

Jack heard someone whimper and saw someone shaking, it was himself. As he looked Chad in the eyes he saw the eyes of a predator that of an alligator torturing its prey, but he saw something else. He saw pitying eyes, the same ones Alexander gave him.

Jack felt rage spread through his body, heating it up, his arms didn’t shake from fear but from leaking rage. He thought, “who the fuck DO YOU THINK YOU ARE PITYING,” he had screamed the last part.

As if nothing mattered, he rushed at Chad screaming incoherently. Chad jumped, he had not expected this, before he knew it, Jack had swung his arm wildly and struck him in the face. It made Chad stumble a few steps backwards. He touched his chin in utter disbelief. Suddenly, his eyes burned with fury. Chad felt like a lion that had been bitten by a zebra, completely humiliated. Jack quickly returned to shaking.

“You little pie…”

Suddenly, a door smashed open and a man holding a bottle of whiskey got thrown out. He smelled like piss and his eyes were bloodshot, he tried standing up and tumbled around before gaining his balance. He huffed loudly before laughing.

“Fucking pricks,” he said at the door and looked around.

“Get out drunk fuck,” Dagger growled at the man, he had been enjoying the scene.

“No need to be so aggressive, especially when your hair is so good looking, oh wait, you’re bald,” the man continued laughing.

Chad slowly turned his face to look at Dagger, he was fuming.

“I’ll take over from here,” Dagger commanded and even though Chad was furious he didn’t dare say anything.

Dagger walked up to the man, licking his lips. His veins turned black.

“I’ll have fun with you.”

Suddenly, The man clumsily threw his whiskey at Dagger, it flew through the air, a bit of whisky leaked out, and shattered on Dagger’s face. Dagger stopped and covered his eyes, he screamed in pain. The man stumbled up to him and pushed his palm towards him.

Out of it a ghastly creature with an uncountable amount of eyes grew. It shrieked as it sucked Dagger in, he tried resisting, slashing his dagger at it, but was quickly engulfed. The creature shrieked louder, Jack covered his ears. The creature began shrinking before returning into the man's palm.

Chad was horrified.

“I’m really sorry. I didn’t know him, goodbye!” He said before running away.

The man glanced back at Jack. Jack could barely look the man in the eyes, but he felt as if he had to thank the man. He walked up to the drunk man and waved at him using the hand with the ring. The man's expression changed, his back straightened up, his eyes widened out, his shoulders squared up and the aura he gave changed completely.

Two seconds ago Jack had looked at what seemed to be a homeless man, now he stood in front of a drug lord. He felt suffocated. The man quickly walked up and grabbed Jack’s hand and pulled it out. His head lowered and he stared at the ring.

“Where did you get this?” The man asked.

“They just gave me it,” Jack said, “Why what is it?”

“It’s hell. You really shouldn’t have put it on.”

“Why?” Jack asked

“Because I can’t feel any energy from it.”

“And?”

“Everything has energy in it. Only one thing doesn’t. Things that are so deafeningly powerful that their energy is unrecognizable. This is one of those objects.”

He grabbed the ring and pulled it, Jack screamed as his finger dislocated.

“It’s bonded to you as well, this can’t get worse,” The man said.

Host is deemed… decent.

System will begin the installation period. Host may experience discomfort.

0.1% installed