I awoke with a groan, my body aching in pain that covered almost all of my body. I felt as if a train had run me over, some part of me wishing I was going to wake up from a very vivid dream that I had previously been unable to escape from, almost as if my childhood was repeating all over again. But when the throbbing pain that was the left side of my ribs brought itself to my attention I knew this wasn't true.

  So with another groan I sat up as best as I could, wincing in response as the feeling that resembled a sharp needle

shot through me. A dark bruise had started to cover where I was hurt, flecks of dried blood surrounding it and the other wounds in my body. I wanted to take a shower and get rid of all of it but I didn't think there was a place to do that. I remembered there were bathrooms around here but I doubted that there was running water still, logic pointing towards that simple fact.

  I dismissed that train of thought and instead grabbed another bottle of water to gulp down. It felt refreshing to drink the liquid, even though it wasnt cold in the way that I liked it. But since beggars can't be choosers I didn't complain and finished off the bottle, moving it to the pile with all of my other trash. I began to eye the can of ravioli I had sitting out, contemplating whether or not I should open it to eat but I decided to push it off. For now, anyways.

  Instead I carefully stood up, trying not to lose my balance as another stab if pain went through me. After successfully doing so I had to cover my eyes for a moment, the light coming from outside being a little too much for a moment. After my eyes finally adjusted I slid over the counter that id previously cleared of glass, glancing around at my surroundings to make sure there was nothing to attack me. Nothing stirred but a cold morning breeze that made me shiver, which led to the next thing on my agenda: getting some freaking clothes.

  I went back to the same intersection I took before but instead of going right I went left, the rest of the mall opening up to me. It was much worse here than it was in the rest of the mall, entire stores having collapsed on top of who knows how many skeletons. I could sense something watching me, the feeling akin to the one I'd felt when I'd seen the ghosts. I just ignored it for the most part, although I did tap a little into the pool of power I held inside of me in case I needed it.

  I passed by my favorite video game shop in solemn silence, memories filling my head of when I would shop there on the day's I got paid. It made my heart ache a little along with a pang of home sickness. But those visions id had were a vivid reminder to shove those feelings down and move on. No point in living in the past.

  Soon enough I was at a relatively nice clothing store that was still intact, even some of the mannequins still standing tall. I headed inside and quickly found a set of clothes I changed into. when I was done sliding on the pair of skater shoes that barely fit me I looked at myself in a mirror, the bright design on my shirt that matched the pants reflecting into my eyes. It would make me stand out but it was better than nothing.

  I made a mental note of this place to get a change of clothes later and started towards my next destination, Scheels. If I was going to find something to defend myself with, this would be the place to find it. And while my magic was a good tool to use I couldn't rely on it all the time; that was just asking for death.

  If you've ever been in this particular store before then you would know it was big and brown, consisting of 2 floor with mostly everything you wanted, besides electronics and food. The entire store spread out for a few dozen yards in both directions,. The entrance had two registers on each side but they were completely wrecked, parts of the tall ceiling having fallen on them.

  I cautiously moved forward and avoided the larger pieces of glass, now having shoes to protect me from the smaller ones. I ignored most of the first floor and went immediately to where the destroyed escalators were, parts of them sunk in like a heavy object had fallen through them. Luckily the regular stares were mostly okay so I headed up them, looking around warily in case something wanted to jump out and eat my face. even though i felt safe that didn't mean i truly was, especially since something as incomprehensible as magic was suddenly now reality.

  Nothing did though so I let out a sigh of relief as I reached my destination on the second floor. in front of me was a shop that had its walls collapsed in itself and to my right was completely blocked off, more debris covering the area. To my left was even more wreckage, making the area around me blocked off completely. i frowned, stopping in my tracks while i thought about what to do next. where i wanted to go was on the other side of all the destruction but even with my magic i doubt i could've moved any of it, most of the concrete weighing more than i did by a long shot.

  this made me wonder exactly how this store was still standing, most of the foundation having crumbled from my point of view. and while i didn't know much about building something like a store this didn't look right to me. i just shook my head and moved that thought to the side because if this fell down around me there wasn't much i could do about it in the first. so instead i just moved back to the original problem, deciding to try and find another vantage point i could get to that side of the store from.

  after getting to the bottom of the broken escalator i looked around for some way to get back up, having not been in this store in awhile so i couldn't remember if there was a set of stairs or another escalator i could go up. but all i saw around me was collapsed walls and skeletons, making it almost impossible for me to find something recognizable. all i could see from where i stood was a steel pillar that led up to the exact spot i needed to go, meaning i had to figure out how to climb up there somehow if i wanted to get in.

  "Well that's just fucking great." I said to no one in particular. "What am I gonna do, wrap a ribbon around it climb like Mulan did?"

  "Well that doesn't sound like a bad idea to me." someone said back, their voice light and feminine. immediately i turned around felt my heart leap into my throat, magic coursing through my arms and into my hands. sitting on top of a block of concrete with her legs crossed was a petite girl, about 16-17 years old with brunette hair. she had a thin face that complemented her slender body, her eyes a light blue that sparkled with mischief. she was pretty for her age, something i rarely said since i turned 20 and grew into a different age bracket.

  "Who the fuck are you?" I demanded, my hand thrumming with power to be used at any given moment. she wasn't fazed by me one bit though and instead hopped up onto her feet, walking towards me without any hesitation whatsoever. i brought my mana to an even higher level, ready to blow her away the instant she got within range of me. but still she walked on and soon enough she was within arms reach of me, a large smile on her face.

  "Does it matter? It's not like you'll be alive much longer anyways." She said, giggling a bit before continuing to talk. "You shouldn't be worried about me anyways. What you should be worried about is that."

  she pointed to my right, indicating the spot i first entered the store in with her right hand. i glanced in that direction and immediately felt my face drain of blood, my adrenaline spiking while my heart rate sped up even more. where i'd come from was now completely pitch black, an otherworldly darkness that resembled the red-eyed monster i'd seen from before blanketing the entrance to the store. i could feel the hatred of that thing emanating from the darkness along with copious amounts of magic, the power of it crashing against me like a wave of heat.

  "You'd better figure out something to do before it kills you." The girl said, her voice fading as she finished her sentence. when my eyes snapped back to where she was she was gone, leaving no signs that she had been there in the first place. before i could even question what was going on i heard an otherworldly scream that reached into my soul itself, my magic flickering from the pressure the sound created. Immediately i turned towards the source of the sound and threw my questions out of my mind, my survival instinct kicking in now.

  where the darkness ended stood a tall, human-like monster, it's body resembling the ghosts that i'd seen before. it's skin was almost completely decayed, its eyes completely black, as if they were missing from it's grotesque skull. it looked more like a zombie than anything else, as if was out of a horror movie I'd seen a hundred times over. the terrifying part wasn't that so much as it was that darkness itself seemed to ooze out of it's body, the gaping wounds it had covering its body basically letting out a constant stream of otherworldly-darkness. it seemed to be a liquid but a gas at the same time, leaving the wound to disperse in the air around it.

  i didn't get much more time than that to look at the thing because it immediately screamed again, its jaw stretching out to inhuman lengths before running at me like a psycho maniac. it was fast, almost too fast for me to register in my head as it bolted across the 80 feet or so between us. but since i was expecting it i held no hesitation and immediately let loose a good chunk of my mana into a push of force, the power of it colliding with the zombie-like creature as it got halfway and hurling it backwards. i felt a little out of breath from the exertion but none the worse for wear, instead channeling more power into my hands again while i planned out my next move. i knew better than to assume i'd killed the thing already, my instincts still screaming at me to move.

  and sure enough the creature hit the ground, slid across it a few feet, and then immediately oriented itself to stand back up straight. again it started to run back at me again but this time it moved faster than it did before, getting to me quick enough i was almost unable to react it it. instead of releasing another blast of pure force again this time i tried to make it more concentrated, aiming for his head as best as I could.

  I could see the air distort as the blast went by, another small chunk of my magic leaving with it. The attack missed though and I felt my heart leap from my chest as the thing screamed on, it's steps unfaltering. I began to panic and scrambled backwards while my brain tried to catch up before the thing caught me. But before I could come up with another plan it slammed into my chest, knocking me down onto my back hard enough I thought it completely broke my ribcage where I was already hurt.

  Pain lanced through me but I didn't have time to worry about that, the thing pinning me to the ground with it's cold hands. Its face was so close to mine I could smell it, the odor somewhere between a rotting corpse and burning hair. The darkness that oozed from it's gaping holes in it's body touched my skin and where it did burned with hot fire, the feeling so intense I began to lose my mind. But as the thing roared in my face, it's breath smelling worse than its body did, I snapped out of the stupor that threatened to overcome me.

  I didn't have much time to think so instead I just placed my right hand directly on its side, letting loose another blast into its body. I didn't mean to put as much power into the attack, trying only to throw it off me so I could get up and run. Instead, though, the monster was launched from it's position like a cannonball, flying through the air before smacking into wall with a dull this.

  I didn't even bother with trying to wail on the thing until it died this time. I doubted I could do it on my own anyways, the thing like something out of a nightmare. Panic made my body move faster than normal, my magic pulsing through my body in tandem with my heart. I rolled over to my right side and started bolting towards the pillar I'd spotted from before.

  There was no hesitation in my mind as I ripped my shirt off my body, tearing it in half as best as I could before wrapping it around the cold metal. I started climbing up as fast as I was able, my instincts screaming at me to move faster. And as that creature roared again I felt my adrenaline kick in even harder, my breathing labored from all the effort I'd put in during the last minute or so.

  I didn't let it slow me down though and I didn't even look back, knowing death itself was on my heels. And before I knew it was near the the top of the structure reaching out to grab the ledge to pull myself up and over. I barely succeeded in doing so before I felt something collide with the metal pillar, my eyes darting down to look at the source without even meaning to.

  The monster had run straight into the base of the pillar, trying to get to me but being too stupid to. Where it had hit bent the steel, almost completely breaking the thing. This made a chill go down my spine when I thought about what would happen to me if the thing caught me in it's arms. I shook that thought clear from my head, instead turning around to find something I could use to fight.

  I didn't have much time before that monstrous creature caught up to me so I started searching quickly, the terrible screams from behind me showing it's frustration at me getting away from it. Again I just ignored it's yells and continued frantically looking around, the area as much as a mess as the rest of the store.

  The reason why I picked this place to go to was because this was where Scheels kept their guns and other objects you can use to harm or kill someone. But where they stored most of the guns was buried under rubble, my heart so sinking with despair at the prospect of this being a fools errand. Suddenly I felt something shudder behind me, my body whipping around to see a zombie-like hand reach up and rip the railing from it's foundation.

  Immediately I went back to looking, trying to find at least SOMETHING that could help me. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the glint of metal reflecting some of the sunlight shining through a crack in the ceiling. Without any hesitation I bolted towards the object at full sprint, a roar echoing behind me that sent shudders through my body.

  Directly next to a decayed skeleton sat a gun, one that I'd probably seen before but didn't recognize. It was bigger than your average handgun. Which, if you'd never seen one before, they weren't that big to begin with. At least, not until you get into the larger bullet casings. This one looked to be a revolver of some sort but I had no time to figure out what this type of gun was, or if it was even loaded at all. Maybe the person couldn't get a single shot off before they died. Or maybe they shot all of the bullets before they did.

  In which case, I'd be joining them soon in an early grave.

  I felt a presence behind me, the creature hot on my heels as I threw myself to ground and pick up the gun, unable to get a good look at it to figure it out before I turned around to aim at the monster with both hands holding on. It was almost upon me, my thumb cocking the hammer back on the heavy weapon before pulling the trigger. I'd fired guns before but definitely nothing like this, the recoil far more than I expected.

  But I just held on as best as I could as the loud bangs that emanated from the barrel threatened to rupture my eardrums. I continued to fire without stopping, three bullets hitting the creature before it even began to slow down. When they hit it's chest darkness puffed out like smoke instead of blood. My arms started to throb from the exertion I was putting them through but still I kept firing, pulling the hammer back twice more before the gun clicked empty.

  I started to panic, thinking this was the end of me before the thing stumbled forward and fell on the ground. It almost fell on top of me but I scrambled to the side so it didn't, my heart still thudding inside of my chest. As I stared at the corpse, my instincts still raging inside of my head, I watched as it dissolved into shadow, sinking into the ground before disappearing like it had never been there.

  I didn't move from where I was sitting, straining to hear for something else that was going to try and kill me. But I didn't hear anything but my own blood rushing through my body, the last bits of my mana had inside mimicking the sound. After five minutes or so I finally relaxed a little, letting out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. Immediately I felt the exhaustion hit me, deciding to just like down before I continued on my way.

  A part of me was still terrified of what was going to happen to me and with what had just happened but the rest was exhilarated, the feeling kin to excitement. Not only had I found a gun (without bullets, but still) but I'd also survived something supernatural that I just couldn't explain. And not only had I survived but I did so WITHOUT coming to the edge of death.

  I wanted to hoot and holler about my victory but I felt a pain lance through my side, my ribcage throbbing from where I got tackled. The bruise that was already there had gone from a dark red was now purple and nasty looking, one of the bones almost assuredly broken at this point. I grunted in effort as I stood up, deciding I'd had enough rest at this point. I didn't know how safe I was being here but all things considered I doubted I was safe at all.

  Now since I was (hopefully) not in any imminent danger I was able to get a good look at my surroundings. After picking up my gun and putting in my waistline (no ammo, no danger of shooting my nuts off) i observed the area. The place where most of the firearms we're normally was completely buried under rubble but if I got lucky enough I would be able to scrounge up some more weapons to use. For now, though, I decided to just look gather what I could without having to move all of the heavy rocks.

  Plenty more skeletal corpses littered the floor around me but none of them had another gun or even a knife around them. I even went through all of their pockets, trying to find at least SOMETHING else I could use. And before I decided to move on somewhere else I spotted, underneath some of the fallen debris, the hilt of a sword that made my heart flutter.

  Reaching down with tentative hands I moved some of the rocks aside, exposing the black sheath of a katana. I grabbed it as carefully as I could, hoping that it wasn't damaged in any way. And when I slid the sleek blade out of its casing I let out a sigh of relief, the steel unbent and in almost perfect condition. I stroked my thumb across it's sharp edge, the metal dull, but that was to be expected.

  Most of the swords here were decorative ones, unable to be used in a real fight, but it didn't matter to me if this was one of those at this point. Something was better than nothing. And since magic was real I had some ideas I could try, the boundaries of what was normal being pushed into the realm of fantasies. I stared at the blade in my hands, thoughts running through my mind at the possibilities of what I could do to make this sword better.

  Before long I shook my head, a bemused smile on my face while I slid my newfound sword back into it's home. I tucked this in between the belt I was wearing and my pants, making sure it was secured without getting in the way of my movements as best as I could. Next I began to look around for ammo, unsure where the management would keep it, or if they even had it in the store. If they didn't I would have to travel to Walmart, something I wanted to avoid if I could. and who knows what would be outside waiting for me?

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  it took some work but a few minutes later i found a backpack big enough to carry what I figured id need, along with a door near the back of the store, where i presumed they stored everything they didn't have on display. it was blocked by a large chunk of rock, almost large enough i wasn't sure i could move it. but since i had a little bit of magic left in me i figured i'd try anyways. i didn't need to pick it up, just needed to move it over enough i could get the door open and walk through. so i channeled power into my arms, grabbing the rock as best as i could and pushing it to the side. it barely moved but it was just enough i could slip by, and luckily the door was unlocked.

  I entered a short hallway with a few doors on the sides, one of them being the room for the ammo I needed. And after trying a few of them (with one having the roof collapsed and the others locked) I finally found it. Inside was rows of shelves that contained boxes of ammo, the room large enough it might take a few minutes to search through everything.

  "No point in waiting, I guess." I mumbled to myself, pulling out the gun and looking at it to see if I could find out what type it was. And there, are on its side, was it's name: A Ruger GP100 .357. so no wonder the damn thing felt like it was going to blow my arm off. That also explains why it hit so hard, the power behind such a tiny thing immense.

  And so after putting my gun back I began to search for the ammo boxes that I needed, spending about five minutes looking before I found what I needed. With no hesitation I began to put the ammunition in the backpack, stuffing as much as I could inside of it. And before long I was back where id killed that freakish monster, trying to think of a way to get back down.

  It took longer than I thought it would but eventually I found a rope long enough to carry me down, tying the end of it as tight as I could to a side of the railing that seemed strong enough to hold my weight. The backpack I was wearing was heavy but not heavy enough I thought I would rip the metal from it's base. I dropped it over the side as soon as I thought it was secure enough, looking down below to make sure i wasn't going to hurt myself, either on the way down or when i finally reached the bottom. and once i got that out of the way i made my way down the rope as best as i could, inching my way down while pressing my feet against the wall to basically walk down it.

  and before i knew it was was standing on solid ground again, letting out a sigh of relief. i contemplated moving the rope somehow but i was too tired to think about it at that moment, instead just choosing to go back to my little living area and get myself situated. but as i went by the pillar that i'd somehow climbed up i had to pause, the stone different than it was before. where i had previously stuck my hands deep inside the structure was now a different color from the rest of it, as if i had changed the substance of the metal itself. it wasn't drastically different, just a lighter color, as if i'd replaced whatever it was that was originally there with something else.

  i reached out a tentative hand towards the nearest spot, where i'd originally put my hand through the metal . i could practically feel the mana coming off that spot, my hand tingling from it. other than that, though, the material didn't physically feel any different than the rest of it. i shook my head and let my hand drop down to my waist, though, and went back to walking towards the exit of the store. I wanted to figure out what it was that had happened to me in that moment, considering since i was pretty sure that was the same thing that had happened to me when i'd seen the ghosts earlier, but there would be time for that later. maybe after i took a nap.

  which is what i did after i got back to the my little area i made for myself, emptying out the ammo and lining it up next to my food that was along the back wall. I didn't bother taking my clothes off (since i might need to get up and move quickly, so putting clothes on would probably get me killed) and as i laid down on the cold, hard ground, using my now-empty backpack as a pillow as best i could, i began to wish i was laying on my bed again. i could feel my emotions growing inside of me, tears threatening to break free from my eyes. but i just forced it all down inside of me, taking a deep breath before forcing myself to let my exhaustion take me over into the land of sleep.

  waking up after what i would presume was a few hours after i fell asleep i felt groggy but refreshed, letting out a yawn as i sat up and scratched at my head. my neck was a little sore but altogether i felt a lot better than i had before, the mana i'd previously used up having come back by a decent amount. the pool of energy was only about halfway full but that was better than nothing, and considering since i now had a stash of ammo along with a gun i could effectively use, i was ready for almost anything that was going to come my way.

  and speaking of my gun, i felt a little bit of excitement overcome me as i grabbed and ammo box and pulled my weapon out from where i'd put it before. it took me a minute or so but i quickly found a button next to ammo chamber, popping out the cylinder and dumping the empty shells into my open hand. i tossed them over the counter and tore open the ammo box i had, excitedly pulling out the bullets and putting them in my gun. they fit perfectly but since i'd never loaded a handgun before i didn't know if that mattered or not, but honestly it didn't matter. if i somehow got the wrong ammo then all i would have to do is grab a different caliber from the room i was in before.

  i would find out soon enough anyways, though, grabbing my sword with my left hand after stuffing a handful of bullets in my pocket. i stood up with a stretch and let out a yawn, forcing that sleepiness out of me as best as i could. there would be time for more sleep again later, when i was done with training myself. i could have as powerful of a gun as i would want and as strong of magic as i would want but that doesn't mean anything if i couldn't use any of it effectively. so i walked over to the ice rink and stepped through a panel of broken glass into one of the areas on the right. this spot was set aside for the hockey teams or ice skaters if they needed a break, the spot directly connected to the ice. putting my sword down on top of one of the benches there i stretched a bit, my muscles still sore from earlier. i kept my gun in my hand though, knowing that it would be dumb to set that down where someone (or something) else could grab it.

  i needed target practice for shooting so i hopped back up through the broken glass, stepping over a few skeletons before i could grab one of the overturned tables. it was heavy, but not heavy enough i needed to use magic to carry it. my muscles strained a bit but it felt good as i set it down on the far side of the ice rink. i made sure to lay it on its side so the top of it was facing me, a perfect target for my amateur shooting. I walked back over to my original position and took a deep breath, calming my nerves and concentrating on the table in front of me. i cocked the hammer back, remembering what i was taught about shooting a gun, letting out that same breath as i squeezed the trigger slowly.

  the sound was just as loud as it was before, perhaps even more so since i was concentrating on it this time around. but i didn't jump at all, keeping my arm as steady as i could before repeating myself and shooting off another shot. i didn't want to waste much ammo but i knew that shooting only a few shots wouldn't be helpful compared to firing off two whole magazines. and so that's exactly what i did, shooting the gun as accurately as i could with my minimal experience. and so about five minutes later, after reloading twice so my gun had a full mag again, i stuck a finger in my right ear, the loud ringing i heard barely tolerable. next time i would have to make my own makeshift ear muffs. if i didn't want to go deaf, anyways.

  i walked across the concrete and stepped in front of the table, looking at my horrible accuracy with a sigh. i was aiming for the center but none of my twelve shots even made it, half of the circling the outer edge while the other half was in random spots. i shook my head and just moved on with my day, knowing that if i keep practicing ill be good soon enough. as i moved back to where i put my sword i found the safety button and turned it on so i wouldn't shoot myself at some point, setting the gun down in a spot where someone would have to walk right by me to get to.

  i set my sword next to it too, even though i wanted to started practicing with that now but there was something i wanted to confirm first. so i stood still and closed my eyes, going through those moments before i climbed up the pillar in my mind. i recreated the situation in my head as best as i could, drawing in the same feeling i felt before. the panic, the frustration, the pure fear i felt as death came for me. and as i continued to replay that moment in my mind i felt something on the edge of my senses. no, that wasn't right...it felt like it WAS one of my senses, as if it was a part of me just as much as my other five were.

  without any hesitation i grabbed onto that feeling, letting it fill me like i did with my magic. and when the feeling bubbled over i felt it fuse with me, as if i'd finally accepted a part of me that was always there. the similarities to how i felt when i first discovered my magic was almost disconcerting but i didn't let it affect me. instead i just slowly opened my eyes and watched as the world changed around me. but it wasn't anything like before, my body beginning to shake from the scene that i saw.

  around me was completely covered in blood and body parts were strewn about like confetti. the ice rink was an area of death, blood dripping from the ceiling in large globs that pooled around me. i could feel the world around me as if i was a part of it, nothing but a feeling of pure disgust and pain beginning to slowly overcome me. but i forced it down as best as i could, taking in everything as best as i could. around the rink was almost nothing but pure darkness, tendrils of it seeming to reach for me. i could feel something on the edge of the darkness begin to take notice of me, a growl emanating from a pair of red eyes that appeared from where i was looking.

  immediately i closed my eyes and shut down that part of me that could sense these things, my mind grinding to a halt as the the world snapped back to normal around me. i almost didn't want to believe it but the feelings that i had before were now gone, my breathing beginning to slow down back to normal. i took a few deep breaths and then opened my eyes to the ice rink the way it was before. nothing was around me and the monster that i had witnessed from multiple times before nowhere to be seen. i could feel myself begin to shake from fear at the thought of meeting that thing again, not wanting a repeat of earlier in the day. at least not so soon, anyways.

  which brought me back to the whole reason i was here: training. whatever it was that i just saw could wait for later, when i could actually think about it without thinking i might get attacked by a monster that could rip my head off with two fingers. so i picked up my sword and drew it from its sheath, drawing my finger across the dull blade to make sure that it really was dull.

  "Okay." I whispered to myself, reaching into my magic and formulating what i wanted to do in my mind. as soon as i got a clear image and feeling in my head i channeled it into my sword, my mana coursing through me and into the blade. visually nothing seemed to change so i drew my thumb across the edge of the blade again, this time almost slicing it open to bleed all over the ground. i smiled in satisfaction as i let the spell go, the blade going back to the way it was before.

  so now i knew that i could not only make myself stronger by using magic but i could also do the same on the objects around me. this gave way to a lot more ideas i could test out, thousands of them forming in my mind. but i pushed most of them to the side and instead concentrated on just one, thinking about the science behind how you make yourself more physically fit. every time you do some sort of strenuous workout to make your muscles stronger you tear them little by little, forcing them to compensate for the damage done by repairing itself to be better than it was before so it didn't happen again.

  this made me think of an anime i used to watch all of the time, where a particular character would sit inside of a chamber that multiplied the gravity around him so he would get stronger. so i attempted to recreate the same thing, gathering my energy in my body until i felt it was good enough to do what i wanted. when i got to that point i activated the spell, increasing the pressure on my body little by little until i felt like there was wearing a weight training suit, my body already straining to just stand up. but i kept the spell going, bringing up my sword vertically in front of me. then i began to swing as hard and fast as i could, which wasn't very fast at all in this situation. and even as i started to sweat i didn't stop, swinging the katana around with as precise movements as i could.

  this only lasted about ten minutes but at the end of it i was drenched in sweat, my mana almost drained completely while my body felt like it was hit by a train. i flopped down onto the cold concrete, the area free from blood stains so i didn't feel nearly as gross about what i was doing. the ground felt cool and i almost wanted to take a nap but i knew it wouldn't be safe to do that here so instead i just laid there for a few minutes, getting my breath back before standing up (albeit a bit wobbly) and picking up my gun. i immediately wanted to go to sleep but i didn't, instead getting back to my little hovel and eating as much food as i could.

  i stuffed my face for the next few minutes or so, scarfing down as much canned food as i could before gulping an entire water bottle down. i could feel my body screaming at me to just lay down and rest but i refused to, standing back up from behind the counter as my muscles strained in pain. i left my sword this time and made sure my guns safety was off and i had extra ammo in my pocket, taking my new backpack along with me as i went back to the clothing store i was at before. i needed more clothes because even though i couldn't take a proper shower i still needed to change my clothes as often as i could. i may not be as clean as i would want to be but dammit i would be as clean as i could be. that and i needed a damn pillow and blanket because i would be damned if i didn't have that tonight.

  after i was done with that, though, i made sure to get to sleep and dream good dreams.