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Rusters
Again, and Again.

Again, and Again.

The midnight air was crisp, leaves rustling overhead as a cool fall breeze swept over the area. A quiet yawn escaped my lips, betraying the serenity I had been feeling up until now.

Shoving my hands deeper into my jacket pockets, I let out a deep breath.

My shoes lightly scraped against the concrete sidewalk as I continued towards my destination; it was oddly calming, and I felt myself fall into a simple rhythm as I continued walking.

Having woken up not too long ago, a languid expression adorned my face. I wasn't particularly good-looking, but that was especially so today. My unkempt bed hair settled over my eyes, and being too lazy to move it, I let the brown strands be as I began thinking about how exhausted I had been earlier that day.

"I tried, I really did, but shit, thinking about it has me all sour... tsk." I whispered, my face contorting, before I clicked my tongue and sighed.

Letting my mind wander away from the bitter thoughts that had invaded my peaceful night, I thought back to what I began walking for.

I had been craving some convenience store snacks and thought a midnight stroll would be pleasant. I had a long day and thought I deserved a little reward.

Seeing the corner of the block not too far ahead of me, I unhurriedly zoned in on a pair of feet running close behind me.

Shifting myself to the other side of the sidewalk, I tried to turn around to see who it was, but before I could fully turn and get a glimpse of who was behind me, I felt my body lurch forward as a pair of hands shoved me to the ground.

"Urgh..Fuck, watch where you're going-" I said as I groveled on the ground, trying to recover my wits.

Turning my head to reprimand the asshole who just shoved me, I felt a searing pain flash across my cheek as tears began to well up in both my eyes. Before I could even react, I felt another fist hit me in the same spot. Tumbling back down to the ground, I attempted to cover my face, entering the fetal position as I desperately tried to fend off my attacker.

"Stop, stop! I-I'm sorry! I didn't think it was that big of a deal." I tried asking them to stop, letting out a pained cry in the process.

It felt like somebody was constantly knocking the wind out of me as they kept wailing shots at me at full strength.

Their breathing had grown slightly rough as I heard them urgently dig for something in their pocket. Wiping my eyes and trying to distance myself from them, I looked up to see if I could make out their facial features, but the shadows seemed to perfectly throw my attempt off.

They were wearing rags for clothes, their jacket well worn and seemingly smothered in dirt and what appeared to be ash. Their shirt underneath was not faring much better, and their pants, or at least what was left of them, were extremely dirty. Those were the only distinctions I could make before I locked eyes on the long knife they pulled out of their pocket.

My heart dropped as I frantically tried to pull myself back up, trying to find my footing.

"Ah Fuck! Shit, w-why, what the fuck is wrong with you!?" I screamed out, trying to sprint away. A grunt escaped their lips as I felt a shadow overtake me.

The motherfucker tackled me.

Tumbling back down to the ground, I seriously felt the wind leave my body. They repositioned themselves as I lay there, stuck in some sort of weird daze.

It felt otherworldly, sort of like all my body's facilities were failing all at once, and I was some sort of spectator to the cruel punishment my body was being subjected to.

An explosive pain shot up from my back as I felt cold steel plunge into my body. I felt my muscles spasm as they tried driving the blade further and further. Starting from my lower back, it escaped into every nook and cranny of me. Blinding my senses, it felt like my flesh was being pulled off my bones, and I could do nothing but scream on the floor, rocking back and forth erratically as if that would make it go away.

"AHHHHHHHH FUCK, PLEASE! PLEASE! IM FUCKING SORRY, JUST STOP PLEASE!" 

I let out a bloodcurdling scream as they pulled the blade back out. My body was reeling and tensing as I tried not to pass out from the intense pain that washed over every inch of my being. It felt like an eternity had passed, like time had paused, and I was forced to live through this pain forever.

Shallow breaths were escaping my lips in quick succession as I struggled to stay awake through the pain.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorr...-" I desperately whispered, but it was not long before they plunged the blade into my back again.

And again,

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And again,

And again...

I lost count of how many times they struck my back with their blade. The white, hot pain had blended together a while ago. My head lay still against the cold concrete, tears and snot mixing as it streamed down my face. A large pool of crimson began congregating under my chest, spreading its morbid warmth to the underside of my body.

It felt like God had forsaken me.

It felt like I was his subject, somebody to use as an example, and the attacker was his reaper, coming to take what was rightfully his. The steel, once cold to the touch, quickly matched the temperature of my blood.

Again and again, I felt it enter, twist, and then leave my body, taking bits of flesh with it every time. I couldn't quite feel the pain anymore. I was just vaguely aware that this person was still killing me with all their might. It was like the pain receptors in my body felt some sort of pity and shut themselves off.

It quickly grew silent, and I could feel myself mouthing, begging for forgiveness. A stifled cry escaped from my lips, and it was quickly followed by a guttural scream as the pain set back in for a split second. My world was then cut to black.

It was so...quiet.

It felt as if there was no time and no sound. It felt like an eternity had passed, yet it also felt like I had just gotten here.

I don't know how long I spent like that. Is this what it feels like to die? If I were to wake up, where would I be? Would they be there, waiting for me? Would they even care...? 

These questions ate at me as I imagined all types of scenarios. It was wishful thinking, and I knew that, but I still let my mind wander.

The silence in my head came back, drowning out any other useless thoughts I had. That was until I regained my senses, with my touch coming back first. I felt my arm twitch, and I felt the coarse earth under me scatter from my touch. I felt a shirt clinging to my skin, my hair stubbornly sticking to what I could only assume to be my face. Then I smelled it—that stale, earthy air entering my nose, quickly followed by my sight and other senses.

I had laid there in some sort of trance for what felt like hours. Was I in the hospital? Who saved me? Who was it that attacked me? And for what reason?

A billion questions began pouring into my head, the cogs of my brain de-rusting and spinning faster and faster to try and make sense of them all.

"Ah, I feel like shit."

I pushed on my elbows, coming to an awkward pose between lying and sitting. I briefly gazed over my surroundings. I was surrounded by stone walls to my left and right. They were battered and worn; they looked as if they had seen better days many, many years ago. Moss and vines were breaking through the cracks, pouring over until they met the dirt floor. I looked up, trying to gauge the size of the walls, but...they appeared to be endless.

Looking up even further to see where the roof was, all I could make out was that some sort of light was pouring down from high above, but with no obvious source. Oddly enough, the light was bright enough to keep my surroundings well lit.

Releasing a grunt from my body, I struggled to get off the ground. Standing up, I dusted myself off and took a better look at what lay around me.

A bunch of bodies.

To be more precise, it appeared to be a lot of kids.

"What the fu-" I muttered before turning around to see if they were behind me as well. And sure enough, all around me, fifty or so kids were strewn about on the dirt floor. They were all wearing the same monotonous gray shirt, gray pants, and dark boots that I was wearing.

"Huh...weird."

They all looked to be about the same age, but weirdly enough, not a single one of them was awake.

I seemed to be the only one.

I walked to one of the walls, a decent distance from where I woke up, and sat with my back against it. A figurative nausea swept over me, and I felt my brain kicking into overdrive to better understand my situation.

The air here was stale, with a lingering earthiness that emanates from slightly moist soil or the smell right before it rains.

‘It doesn't seem to be anywhere near where I was living beforehand.’ I thought.

It didn't help that the floor was made of dirt. Grabbing a clump of it, I watched as it fell through the cracks in my hand. Not to mention the walls; they seemed...ancient, like some prehistoric bones that were left for Mother Nature to reclaim.

I shifted my attention to myself, or more accurately, who or what I was. Looking down at both my arms, I took note of how pale they were; my arms weren't gaunt, but rather far from it. A little after I woke up, that initial feeling of weakness left my body, and I've felt fine since. My mind felt clear and, surprisingly, refreshed. As if I got great sleep the night before.

Peering under my shirt, I saw the same sight as my arms. I was pale, but I had a healthy amount of fat on my bones.

It was then that I started to freak out, a cold sweat dripping down my back.

'No, please...Surely not.' 

My hands slowly reached down to my pants, shakily pulling them up until I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, at least I still have you." I reassured myself, flashing a smile.

I relaxed and slowly recounted what had happened to me before this.

Was I dead? And if I was, where the hell was I? Or if I'm still alive, then...Who the hell am I?

I had way too many questions, and there was not enough stuff around to help me answer them.

I sat there for who knows how long and just replayed the scenario in my head over and over. My breathing grew rough, and my chest tightened at the thought of how I died.

I seemed overly powerless, completely overwhelmed by my attacker. It was...

Embarrassing.

I was never much of a fighter, preferring to fight via other means and resolving most conflicts through words, but that did not mean I was weak by any means. Quite the contrary. After that incident, involving her and my family, I focused on myself and my health.

I was an avid gymgoer, so strength was not an issue. Rather, that person’s strength just seemed otherworldly.

As if to break my thoughts away from what happened previously, a noise resounded in the silent hall. Turning to see what it was, my eyes widened...

A kid, one of the kids, was waking up.

---

End of Chapter 1.

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