Ray’s vision starts to blur gradually, like a mist settling over his eye. Distant objects and patterns on the floor lose their sharpness, softening into vague outlines. The world becomes a haze as it dissolves into a foggy panorama. His vision, clouded, a persistent and creeping veil of blur that dimmed his view of life. His eye shuts before he opens it again, his vision is suddenly clear again as he winds up in a bright and sterile hospital room, with soft pastel walls designed to sooth. In the center, he spots a labor bed with adjustable sides that hold a dark-skinned woman, sweat beading on her forehead as she grips the sheets. A man stands beside her, holding her hand, his face a mix of anxiety and anticipation. “Wait… is that…” Ray wonders before he fully makes out the man’s appearance, his confusion becoming a scowl; “Why’s my father here? Where the hell am I anyway?”

He glances around once more, spotting a doctor, clad in scrubs and gloves, moving efficiently, monitoring machines and offering calm reassurances. Nearby, a warming bassinet awaiting a newborn, and medical equipment stood ready, adding a clinical contrast to the room’s intimate, emotional atmosphere. “Wait a minute… if that’s my dad, then…” His eye darts around before spotting a calendar; “April twenty-second, nineteen ninety-seven! That’s the day I was born!” Ray realizes; “My life’s flashing before my eyes!” He shouts, shocked. Not a single reaction around him; “This is… fuck, I don’t even… this isn’t right.” He tries processing everything.

Not knowing how to react, he just stands by quietly, watching it unfold. His mother, drenched in sweat and exhausted, breathes slowly as she finally delivers an extraordinarily heavy child, feeling a ton of weight loss. Her strength is completely spent, she collapses back, her body not even able to tremble. The doctor sees the crying child and says while attempting to pick him up; “It’s a boy-” his words are interrupted by the shock of how heavy he is, struggling to lift him off the bed. “Wait, what’s wrong?” Ray’s father asks the doctor; “I… I don’t know. I can’t pick him up, he’s so heavy.” “What do you mean by that?” He asks, confused. “Right… My Octuple-Skeletal Syndrome… I’ve always been curious about how heavy I was when I was born.” Ray thinks while he looks back at his mother, suddenly, his body starts being pulled out of the room; “Huh?!” Ray turns around, on guard, only to see that he’s not being pulled by anybody; “Wait…” He looks at where his younger self is, he’s being brought out to be weighed; “That’s why I’m moving, it seems wherever my past self goes, my own consciousness is pulled to follow it.” He says, putting the pieces together. “But… my mother… Why wasn’t she moving?”

Ray’s brought into a nursery. The doctors carefully weigh him, as he’s put on the scale, their eyes widen in complete shock as one of them reads the number; “F-fifty-six pounds?!” Ray’s eye widens; “Holy shit! I was that heavy?!” Ray shouts in surprise, only to quickly look back at the door of the nursery; “Wait, hold on…” He puts his hand on his chin; “That must be…” Ray trails off as he suddenly sees himself inside a modest apartment. “Wait, this is my old house, and lemme guess, that screaming is from that disease, isn’t it?” Ray turns around, only to be correct as he sees his father yelling at him from when he was five-years old. His father, face red with anger, lashes out, throwing a half-empty beer bottle at Ray’s feet, Ray has zero reaction, his body tense as he stands silently in bewilderment; “Do something! At least have a reaction! You killed your own mother, yet you wanna stand around like you’re some helpless little shit! You’re lucky I’m even taking care of you, if it weren’t for me loving her, I would’ve left you by yourself!” His father screams with anger and resentment.

“Right, I remember hearing that she died, a mix of exhaustion due to carrying my weight around for months on end, alongside that weight having done permanent damage to her pelvis. What an awful way to die, also fuck… I know it was bad, but damn, I was only five-years old. Who the hell says that to their kid? Plus, it’s not my fault she died, I didn’t choose to be born with a genetic disorder, you chose to have a kid!” Ray grits his teeth as he becomes angry from his thoughts. “And I can tell exactly what little me was thinking at this very moment; ‘What did I do?’ I know there are kids who don’t react when their parents lash out, but that’s usually when they’re teenagers, I was FIVE!” Ray shouts internally as he leans his body back against the kitchen counter.

August 5th, 2002. 10:20 AM.

Kindergartners run around, laughing and playing on a playground that’s vibrant and cheerful, with brightly colored play structures, slides, and swings. The ground is covered in soft rubber mats and grass. Plenty of whimsical decorations, sandboxes, and shaded areas for resting. As the kids run around, having a blast during recess, Ray sits down, watching his past self sitting on the ground, far away from all the other kids. Ray slowly extends his hand toward a vibrant green praying mantis perched on a blade of grass, the mantis tilts its triangular head, its compound seemingly studying him with equal curiosity. With gentle precision, Ray nudges the mantis onto his palm, marveling at its spindly legs and its intricate exoskeleton, the mantis remains calm, almost regal, as Ray talks to it; “You’re so cool, I like you. I don’t know why people think you’re gross and scary, you’re an animal, just like any other. I get called gross as well by my dad, sometimes even being called a killer, it hurts, but I know that as long as I just avoid people, I can’t kill anyone.” Young Ray speaks with optimism, but Ray grimaces; “Damn… I forgot how I’d isolate myself from others to the point of talking to a bug. Dad really screwed my social life over from how many times he called me a murderer. I’m sorry, little me, I hate seeing you like this. I wish I hadn’t taken his words so seriously, but then again, I don’t know what to expect when I was just a kid.”

Days go on as Ray watches his old routine pass him by. Waking up each morning with a sense of dread, dragging himself through the motions of getting ready for school. Isolating himself on campus, avoiding eye contact and conversation with his peers. He slips through each day unnoticed, hanging out in corners during breaks and silently enduring the hours in the classroom. When the final bell rings, he walks home slowly, prolonging the time before he deals with his father.

His father’s presence is a constant shadow over his life. The moment he steps through the door, he braces himself, knowing that anything he does will set him off. The apartment is always filled with tension, his father’s anger sharp. Ray walks into his room whenever possible, but even there, he can’t escape his father’s awful outbursts. He spends his evenings alone, nursing the bruises that are both physical and emotional, knowing that the next day will bring more of the same.

Every night at around 12:30 AM, Ray would quietly slip out of his bedroom window, careful not to make a sound. The moon would cast a faint glow as he silently walked through the apartment parking lot, clutching his worn backpack. He’d reach the park, the playground equipment eerily still. He drops his backpack, taking out a sturdy stick and begins practicing swordplay, his movements precise but filled with the untrained enthusiasm of youth. Ray looks at his younger self and begins mimicking his movements; “Right, I would always come here and practice swordplay to calm myself down due to all the pent up anger I’d feel during the day. All this because dad thought it’d be a good idea to call me a murderer…”

September 18th, 2009. 12:20 PM.

“Ok, this has to be the day…” Ray ponders as he sits across from himself in a hallway during lunch at his old middle school. His younger self is quietly eating a slice of school pizza, as he takes a bite, he quickly stops when a girl accidentally steps on his foot. She immediately looks at Ray; “Oh geez, I’m sorry about that! I wasn’t looking where I was going, are you alright?” She apologizes, Ray looks up; “Huh? Oh, you’re good, don’t worry ‘bout it. I didn’t really notice, but I appreciate your acknowledgement.” He responds with a soft voice. “Thank you for not being mad, sorry again, I’ll get out of your hair now.” “Peace.” Ray replies. As she’s walking away, she stops and shoots a glance before walking backwards toward him; “Sorry, quick question, are you waiting for any of your friends or something?” “Hmm? Wait, what do you mean?” “It’s just that I’ve seen you a few times during lunch, every time, you’re by yourself.” She explains, trying her best to not sound rude.

“Oh, nah, I’m just by myself. Kinda sucks, but it is what it is. Why? What’s up?” “Well, I was wondering if you’d like to sit with me and my friends for lunch, that way you don’t have to be by yourself.” She smiles. Ray stands up; “Wait, really?” He asks with a hint of surprise; “Yeah, if you want, I’ll show you where we hang out. Also don’t worry, like half the group is guys, so you don’t have to worry about standing out.” She adds on. “Should I? Eh, screw it, I’ve been isolating myself for eight years now, I should just accept the offer.” “Sure, why not? I appreciate it, oh, and I’m Ray, it’s nice to meet you.” “Cool name, I’m Julia. It’s nice to meet you too, Ray. Come on, let’s get going.” Julia happily replies as she grabs Ray’s wrist and starts walking, Ray follows. As Ray watches himself and Julia, he smiles, but that quickly turns into a frown; “Julia’s always been so kind, the kindest person I’ve known. Being able to see how our friendship formed again, I feel even worse now for how I’ve leeched off of her. She didn’t deserve that treatment, that was just wrong of me.”

“By the way, Ray, what’s your workout routine?” “What’s my workout?” “Yeah, I’m just curious cause I’ve never seen someone my age built like that. Is it steroids?” “Oh, I don’t actually workout. I have this rare condition called ‘Octuple-Skeletal Syndrome,’ so my skeleton is eight times denser than it’s supposed to be-” “I’ve heard of that!” Julia replies with surprise as her eyes widen. “You have?” “Yeah! My dad’s a scientist, he’s told me about a ton of crazy things that people are born with!” “Oh, that’s cool. So I’m guessing you know a ton about my condition then, such as how I’d sink like a rock if I jumped into a pool, right?” Ray asks, showing interest in the topic. “I mean, yeah, but I don’t know if having that condition would make a difference.” Julia jokingly responds, Ray snaps his head, doing a double-take; “What do you mean by that?” Ray responds playfully while having a slight chuckle, Julia laughs from Ray’s reaction; “Oh, nothing.” She laughs while waving; “I’ll be honest, I think you’ll fit right in.” “You really think?” Ray asks with some excitement; “Of course!” Julia reaffirms with her enthusiasm.

The two walk for a bit before they come across Julia’s friend group, a group of ten friends sitting around a lunch table, relaxed and chatting. The table is covered with a mix of half-eaten food and a few drinks. One friend is asleep with his head resting on the table. Another is eating while listening to one of the others telling him a story. Three are playing on their DS’s, racing each other in Mario Kart. Two others are engaged in a side conversation, talking about basketball. The last two are debating about which snacks to trade. Ray takes in the atmosphere, feeling relaxed by the casual and warmth of the table while sunlight streams through a nearby window.

Julia sits down in an empty spot, gesturing for Ray to sit next to her, as he sits down, the kid sleeping raises her head; “Hmm? Hey, Julia, who’s this?” She groggily asks before yawning; “This is Ray, new friend I made just now. Ray, this is Emily.” “Nice to meet you.” Ray smiles as he introduces himself. “It’s nice to meet you too, Ray. You like Pokémon?” “Pokémon? I don’t really have an opinion on it, I haven’t played it or seen the show.” Ray answers bluntly. Emily raises an eyebrow; “Wait, really? What games have you played then?” She asks curiously; “None, really.” Ray replies. “You’ve never played video games before?” One of the kids playing on his DS asks while looking up; “I haven’t.” “For real? Why? Are they just not your thing?” “No, it’s just… my dad doesn’t exactly let me have those. He actually never let me have anything, if I’m being honest. Not even toys when I was younger-” “Wait, huh?!” Julia interrupts him, completely surprised by the bombshell. “Yeah.” Ray responds bluntly, as if it were no big deal.

“Uh-” Julia cuts herself off as she doesn’t know how to process it, as well as the other kids at the table. “D-do you wanna talk about it? Are you alright?” She asks with concern; “No, that’s fine. I can talk about it later, I just don’t want to ruin the mood here.” Ray answers, still blunt. There’s a small, awkward silence among the table until Ray speaks up; “But hey, think about it this way, since I know nothing about these, I’d be interested in hearing about it.” As he says that, everyone at the table just goes back to what they were doing before, Julia taps his shoulder with her elbow; “You’re good, right?” She whispers; “Yeah, frankly, I’m just glad to be here.” “I know that, I meant about your homelife. What you said had me worried.” “Oh, uh…” Ray turns around, facing away from the table; “Let’s just talk about it like this, that way the others don’t have to hear and feel bad.” “Got it.” Julia responds while facing away as well.

“So uh… I’ll just keep it brief, my dad hates me because my mom died shortly after giving birth to me.” “Oh…” Julia looks down as she reacts, feeling bad for him; “I’m guessing it was your condition, right?” “Yeah, and then he’d also beat me when I was younger, called me a murderer here and there-” “Jesus!” Julia interrupts, her tone completely shocked and appalled. She looks at Ray, her eyes widened with sympathy; “And it’s been like this your whole life?” “Nah, but by the time I was ten, he gave up on trying to drive his message home, now he just doesn’t even talk to me. The most he ever tells me is when dinner’s ready. Doesn’t even ask me how school was for me.” Ray explains, his tone sounding slightly sensitive as he’s able to open up. Julia picks up on the sound of his voice, she pauses for a bit, trying to find her words. Eventually, she speaks up; “If you want, would you like to have dinner with me and my family tonight?” “Huh? Wait, legit? I mean, would your parents be fine with it?” Ray asks back with consideration. “Of course, as long as I just let them know ahead of time! Besides, they’re super welcoming!” She gives a smile to help drive her point further.

“Not having to be around my father sounds really nice…” Ray ponders the idea before answering; “I’d like that a lot, thank you.” Ray softly answers, Julia feels a wave of relief come over her. “That makes me happy to hear, just meet me at the stairs by the entrance after school, my dad usually picks me up, so I’ll introduce you to him.” “You’re too kind…” Ray’s voice cracks a bit as he smiles, Julia notices, but chooses to say nothing about it, letting him have his moment of happiness. She turns around and starts talking to one of her friends, which signals Ray to just get comfortable and familiar with the table. Ray watches himself starting a conversation with the kids playing Mario Kart, learning about the game while watching the gameplay, he also listens to them talk about their overall thoughts on the game. He smiles when watching, closing his eye; “Even though I’m on death’s door, I’m happy I at least get to live through these moments all over again.”

September 18th, 2009. 2:30 PM.

Ray follows his younger self around as the final bell rings while looking for Julia. Some groups of students are chatting while others walk alone, earbuds put in. Eventually Ray finds Julia, leaning back against a handrail on the stairs; “Hey Julia, I’m ready.” Julia turns her head to him; “Oh good, you’re here! What took you so long?” “PE’s my seventh period class.” “Ahh, I understand. Well, you’re here now, let’s get going.” She pushes herself off the rail and starts walking down, Ray walks beside her. “So, where is your dad?” “He’s right there in that blue Volvo. He’s really easy to get along with.” “That’s a relief.” Ray replies.

The two approach the car and Julia taps on the window, it rolls down; “Hey, dad!” “Hey, Julia, how was school?” Her father asks with a slight smile. He has short, spiky brown hair and a light stubble covering his jawline as he’s dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans, exuding a relaxed, everyday look. He notices Ray; “This the new friend?” He asks, Julia nods; “Yep! This is Ray!” She gestures her arm to her dad; “Ray, this is my dad.” Ray reaches out for a handshake; “Hi, it’s nice to meet you, Dr…” “Martin.” Dr. Martin answers as he shakes Ray’s hand. “Got it.” Ray replies, Dr. Martin breaks the handshake. “Thankfully, Julia remembered to let me know in advance that you were coming over. She used to have a bad habit of just making decisions last-minute.” “Don’t remind me.” Julia jumps in while laughing lightly. “Well, get in the car, I wanna go home.” “You and me both.” Julia replies while opening the passenger door.

Dr. Martin notices that Ray’s still outside the car; “Well, get in, Ray. What’re you standing around for?” “Oh, sorry, it’s just, I’m worried about accidentally ripping the door off.” “Ripping the door off?” “Octuple-Skeletal Syndrome.” Julia answers while tapping her father’s shoulder. “Wait, really? I didn’t think I’d meet someone that actually has it. I understand then.” He then looks back at Ray; “Just take your time, Ray.” “Got it.” Ray answers, he grips the door handle as lightly as possible and takes a deep breath. He then opens the door; “Oh, it actually wasn’t that hard.” Ray reacts with slight surprise before sitting in the back, he closes the door with little effort, feeling more comfortable with his strength. “Alright, I’m ready.” “Cool!” Dr. Martin responds as he puts the car into drive and leaves the parking lot.

A few minutes pass as Ray sits silently while getting comfortable in his seat; “Hey, Ray, you’re good back there, right? The AC working?” “Huh?” Ray looks up after having zoned out; “Oh, yeah, I feel it. And yeah, I’m good, I’m used to sitting in the back.” Ray adds as Julia lets out a quick laugh. Dr. Martin’s eyebrows furrow for a second before he makes a ‘pfft’ sound; “I told you you’d get along just fine.” Julia comments while looking back at him. “Just be careful to not say that around the dinner table, the wife gets embarrassed from most jokes that she laughs at.” “Wait, really? Why?” Ray asks while chuckling slightly. “She’s a defense attorney.” “Really?” Ray asks with surprise; “Yup! And a good one at that!” Julia replies proudly. “You guys must be loaded!” “You make it sound like we live in a mansion.” Dr. Martin laughs. Present Ray smiles; “He’s a very good man, I wish I could see him again in person, but with what’s gonna happen, I’ll gladly take the memories.”

September 18th, 2009. 6:30 PM.

While Dr. Martin’s cooking in the kitchen, Ray and Julia are on the living room couch, playing Mario Party, Julia has her character swim down to the sea bed, grabbing the largest treasure chest; “Ray, rotate! Rotate! Rotate!” “Rotate? Rotate? Ok, I’m rotating!” Ray starts rotating ever so gently and Julia starts mashing to swim up. “Damn, I’m gonna run out of air-” “I’m rotating as fast as I can-” “I’M DROWNING!” “I’m rotating!” Ray yells while struggling to rotate faster. Julia fails to get out of the water; “No!” She yells as the chest falls and the CPU grabs it; “Come on, Ray, you gotta rotate!” Julia shouts while grabbing a different chest. “Rotate, Ray! ROTATE!” “I’m rotating, Julia!” “I can’t go up if you don’t rotate!” She yells again, they manage to get one of the chests up, collecting coins, Julia then starts mashing fast while swimming to the last chest, racing against the CPU. “Ray, go left!” “I know-” Ray cuts himself off before talking again; “Wait, how are you moving so quick?” “Because I’m mashing for my life out here!” She yells again, Ray starts laughing and Dr. Martin can also be heard laughing from the kitchen. “Rotate!” “I’m rotating-” “ROTATE! I CAN’T GO UP IF YOU DON’T ROTATE!” “I HAVE MY PALM ON THE STICK AND I’M ROTATING AS FAST AS I CAN WITHOUT BREAKING IT!” Ray shouts back, feeling the same stress she’s feeling about the minigame. “ROTATE!” “I’M ROTATING!” “NO!” Julia shouts as she runs out of air again and the chest sinks to the bottom, she puts her hand on her face; “Oh my God, man…” She comments, calming down; “You were smart for not letting Yoshi get that box.” Ray responds, Julia laughs; “Alright, I might have overreacted.” “Yeah, you think?” Ray retorts. “I can’t believe that was the first video game I’ve ever played. That was a mess, but it’s Mario Party, so it checks out.” Present Ray reacts to the whole scene.

“Alright, you two, pause your game! Dinner’s ready!” Dr. Martin calls from the kitchen; “Sick!” Julia sets the controller down and vaults over the couch while Ray just gets up and walks around it. “Grab a plate, Ray.” Dr. Martin says as Ray enters the kitchen, he looks at his plate and his mouth starts to water upon seeing a perfectly pan-seared, juicy steak, seasoned with a blend of herbs and spices, sitting next to a crisp Caesar salad, featuring romaine lettuce, parmesan, and croutons tossed in tangy, creamy dressing. On the slide, a slice of golden-brown garlic bread, toasted to perfection, Ray grabs his plate; “Thank you, this looks amazing.” “I’m happy to hear that, and you’re welcome.” Dr. Martin replies as Ray sits down by the dinner table. He cuts a piece of steak and takes a bite; “Oh, that is good! Oh my God!” “Bro, try the garlic bread!” Julia responds, muffled as she’s taking a bite of hers, Dr. Martin sits down at the table and starts quietly eating, a few minutes pass and the front door opens.

A woman walks in, wearing a tailored dark blazer, a crisp white blouse and a matching pencil skirt. She has long, messy hair, slightly wavy and unkempt, keeping a casual vibe to her otherwise professional attire. Julia looks up; “Hi mom!” “Hi, honey, how was work?” “I won a surprise case, now I’m tired.” Mrs. Martin answers, yawning; “I’d imagine so, I was wondering why you weren’t home yet when I was making dinner. Speaking of which, your plate’s in the kitchen.” “Thank you.” Mrs. Martin replies as she takes off her blazer and sets it on a rack before walking into the kitchen. “Wait, mom, what was the case?” Julia asks; “There was a trial happening in the room right next to the one that I had just finished in, and the lawyer for that case had syncope and passed out from sneezing nonstop and losing oxygen. And since I’d just gotten done with my case, they had me fill in her spot as the defense, and I genuinely didn’t even know what I should’ve said, because the prosecution made too good a point, on top of me not being prepared. The victim found a seven-inch serrated plastic knife baked in his Subway sandwich, so he decided to sue the company, which, yeah, suing sounded reasonable at first, but then I learned he’s trying to sue for a million dollars cause he contracted food poisoning. I winged it and managed to get the claim settled for just five-thousand, so yay for that, but now I’m beat.” She explains as she grabs her plate and sits at the table.

“That sounds ridiculous.” Ray comments while taking a bite of his salad; “You’re telling me!” She replies before looking up from her plate at him; “Oh geez, where are my manners? You must be Ray, it’s nice to meet you!” Mrs. Martin smiles as she reaches over the table for a handshake; “Nice to meet you too. Oh, and don’t worry about it, I lose focus when I’m tired as well.” He shakes her hand. “I see you and Julia were playing Mario Party in the living room. How is it?” “That game’s awful! And Julia’s not helping with it either!” Ray answers while laughing; “You’re only saying that because you didn’t play your part in Deep Sea Divers!” “I was trying not to break the controller!” Ray retorts, Mrs. Martin laughs lightly; “Yeah, she definitely gets her competitiveness from me. Sorry you have to deal with that.” “Good lord, not you too. But in all seriousness, it’s no big deal, it’s just a game, it’s really funny though.” “Poor dad, he’s not much of a video game person, but whenever we end up playing Mario Party together, he always gets screwed.” “Yeah, and then when you two start yelling, it reminds me why I wish I had a son.” Dr. Martin says jokingly. Julia tries not to laugh; “Dad, you can’t just say that!” “Yes, I can! You’re the one who makes me play Mario Party with you!” “Your dad’s right, dear.” Mrs. Martin adds on while she sips her wine. “Such a fun woman, because of her, I always wondered how my own family would’ve been had I not been born with my condition and she survived giving birth.”

September 18th, 2009. 9:30 PM.

Ray, for the first time in his life, walks through the front door of his apartment in a good mood, as he closes the door, he walks by the living room, his dad laying on the couch, watching TV. He looks over his shoulder; “Huh? Oh, you’re back. Where were you?” His dad asks, not sounding concerned, but just confused on where he went. “I made a new friend and was invited to have dinner at her house.” “Oh, alright.” He responds while shrugging his shoulders before looking back at the TV. “The least I can say is he mellowed out. Never really bothered talking to him, but in return, I got some privacy when I was at home.”

January 31st, 2010. 7:00 PM.

Over the past several months, Ray’s mental state had been improving since he was invited into Julia’s friend group as he’d been spending his time mostly away from home, hanging out with friends, being invited to sleepovers, birthday parties, and other antics, only coming everyday after school to go to sleep, even his grades were improving because of the new environment he was in. The process remained the same until he eventually came home and noticed that the front door was locked; “Hmm?” Ray tries opening the door again; “That’s strange, dad usually locks the front door by nine this time of year-” He cuts off his own thoughts as he looks at the peephole, noticing a note attached to it. “What’s this?” He asks himself as he grabs the note; “‘I’m…’ wait, huh?! ‘I’m kicking you out?!’” Ray’s eyes widened in shock and confusion. “...” Ray is left speechless.

He opens the front window and hops inside, seeing his dad in the kitchen, making himself a bowl of fried rice; “Dad, what the hell is this?” Ray asks while holding the note out; “Oh, that? Well, I figured since you’re hardly ever home, you’d be better off with your friends. Even though I’m your father, I’m more so a stranger.” He explains casually, as though it’s no big deal. “Uh- no! No, that’s not right at all! I can’t just be kicked out and then expect anybody to let me stay with them! The hell am I even gonna say?!” Ray yells. His father sighs while pinching the bridge of his nose; “Alright, that’s a fair point. Tell you what; you can stay here until you can find a place to stay.” “I-” Ray cuts himself off, knowing that he’d have a better chance at living if he just took up that offer. “Fine…” Ray responds, looking down slightly in defeat. As present Ray watches that part of his life unfold, he remains silent as he spectates himself walking toward his room.

February 1st, 2009. 12:15 PM.

At lunch, Ray sits silently, not making a sound as he rests his arms and head on the table, unaware that one of his friends is trying to get his attention; “Ray!” His friend raises his voice while shaking his shoulder, Ray looks over; “Oh, Tyson, what’s up? Sorry, I was lost in thought.” “It’s cool, you’ve just been so silent, we were wondering what’s up with you? Did something happen?” He asks, concerned. “Oh, that…” Ray pauses; “How do I even explain this? Shit, I feel a lump in my throat, I might as well just be straightforward.” He takes a deep breath; “My dad’s kicking me out.” Right as he said that, the whole table was dead silent for a few seconds; “W-what?! Ray, huh?!” “Are you serious?!” “Y-you’re not kidding?!” “Repeat that?” “Hmm?!” “C-could you elaborate?” His friends bombard him with their reactions. “Yeah… he told me I can stay, but only till I can find a different place to stay.” “You mean like at one of our houses?” “Yeah…” “Bro, he can’t just do that! That’s literally at the expense of all of our families!” “I know, I even told him that, but he just refuses to listen!” Ray responds.

Ray then puts his hand over his face; “I don’t know what to do…” His voice cracks, tears start to run down his face; “I’ve never been this stressed before, I’m scared, man! If I can’t find a place to stay, I’ll just be kicked out either way, but I don’t wanna leech off of you guys! Fuck!” He shouts as his arm trembles. He sniffles as he tries not to let more tears fall, Julia, who’s been silent the whole time, responds by wrapping her arms around his shoulder and hugging him to offer comfort. Ray tenses up for a split second as he feels the warmth of her kindness before slowly calming down; “I’m really sorry, Ray, it’s awful to hear that your dad did that…” Julia says softly, Ray just takes deep breaths; “Just take some deep breaths, get it out, dawg. We’ll try to figure this out.” One of his friends speaks up, with a few others joining in; “Yeah, what he said.” “I’ll try to see if my parents are able to let you stay.” “I’ll do the same.” As Ray hears that, he decides to just let his tears fall; “Thank you, it means a lot that you’d do that for me…”

February 2nd, 2009. 10:00 AM.

Ray meets his friends at the basketball courts during recess; “Hey, so what’d they say?” He asks as he holds his arms out, being passed the basketball by one of his friends. “My mom said that she’d love to help, but we’re already barely scraping by, so that’s a no.” “Mine just said no.” “Damn…” Ray responds while hopping up and shooting the ball, it bounces off the basketball and rolls along the inside of the rim, but ends up falling out. “What about yours?” “Same thing.” “Tyson?” “No good.” “Well, shit…” Ray gives up, sitting down; “I’m sorry, man.” “It’s cool, man, I’m just bummed is all.” “Yeah…” One of them responds. Ray lays down on his back on the blacktop.

Nearly a minute passes by before Julia walks over; “Hey guys, what’s up? My bad about being late, Mrs. Stevenson kept us in for a minute cause people wouldn’t shut up. But enough about me, what’d they say?” “I can’t stay.” Ray mutters; “Oh, I see.” “Yeah, also, why are you smiling?” “Well, I asked my parents yesterday after school, they told me that they’d be more than happy to let you use the guest room if nobody else is able to help.” She explains. Ray’s eyes widen; “Wait, seriously?!” He asks with excitement and hope, hopping off his back and onto his feet; “Like, you’re not pulling my leg? You’re being for real?!” “Yeah!” She responds, returning the enthusiasm. Ray reels his head back while taking a deep breath, putting his hands together next to his mouth; “Oh my God…” He keeps taking deep breaths, filled with joy and relief of not having to be on his own again. “Wait, when though?” Ray asks after having calmed down; “Oh, Friday.” “Thank you! I cannot stress enough how grateful I am!” “Of course!” Julia smiles, happy to see Ray feeling better again.

February 5th, 2010. 3:00 PM.

Dr. Martin opens the front door for Ray as he steps inside, carrying his duffle bag, as well as his blanket and a plastic box; “Thanks again for letting me stay here, I don’t know what I’d have done if I couldn’t find a place.” “Yeah, no problem, Ray, really. You’re a hard worker, so we don’t mind you being here.” “Dad’s right, and besides, now you don’t have to ask to come over to play video games anymore!” Julia adds, enthused. “Oh, and that reminds me, Ray, we got some of the stuff from the guest room cleared out. Not all of it, but it shouldn’t take too long since it’s the weekend. I’m sure you know where all the junk goes, right?” “Yup!” “Alright, good! Anyway, Julia’s coming with me to run some errands, do you wanna go with us?” “I’m good, thank you. I think for now, I just wanna clear out as much of my new room as possible.” He answers. Dr. Martin raises an eyebrow; “Are you sure?” “Yeah.” Ray answers, assuring him. Dr. Martin nods; “Alright, then you take care. You know where food and drinks are if you need any. We’ll be back in a few hours, cya!” “Bye, Ray!” “Bye guys, thank you again!” Ray smiles, they smile back before heading out the door.

As the door closes, Ray takes a deep breath; “Well… guess this is it. Better get started.” He tells himself as he sets his stuff down before walking toward the guest room. He opens the door to see that the room is cramped and messy, with stacks of old magazines, mismatched furniture, and random boxes piled high. Dusty shelves are crammed with knick-knacks, broken appliances, and tangled cords. Clothes and linens are tossed haphazardly on a sagging bed, and the closet overflows with forgotten items. The air is musty and the floor is barely visible under scattered junk. “Jesus Christ! You’d think you’re in a different house with this room! Well, I better just get this done!” Ray makes his way over to the kitchen sink and grabs a pair of rubber gloves, he puts them on and takes his shirt off, tying it around his head, as if it were a bonnet before making his way back to the guest room.

Ray starts by grabbing a trash bag and filling it with a bunch of old, broken stuff, as well as a faded poster, he then takes all the clothes and puts them in a pile, checking each of them for any mold, he sniffs one of the shirts, immediately turning his head; “Oh, oh God, that was awful! Fucking rotten egg air of death, that’s definitely going in the trash!” He comments before tossing the shirt away. After organizing all the clothes, he puts them in a hamper and takes them to the laundry room to put them in the washing machine, putting in the detergent and pre-wash, he turns it onto the max and goes back to the guest room, he starts dusting off any books he finds and puts them in a box.

February 5th, 2010. 6:15 PM.

Hours have passed and the room is finally starting to clear, as Ray had finished washing and drying the clothes before putting them in a box for donation. He starts wiping down a desk in the room, sweeping the floor, and opening the window for fresh air. Mrs. Martin walks through the front door; “Huh, it smells like Febreze in here.” “Hmm?” Ray overhears her and pokes his head out the door; “Oh, hey Mrs. Martin!” “Oh, Ray! I didn’t know you were here, I thought you went with Julia and her father.” “Nah, I decided to stay behind to clean out this room.” “Really? Lemme have a look.” She says as she sets her purse down and walks to his room. “Woah! There’s so much space! You did this by yourself, Ray?” “Yup!” He answers with his arms crossed and a thumbs up before continuing; “I was actually just about to start putting my stuff in there as well and then go to sleep.” “Well, ain’t that just nice of you?” She smiles, proud to see that he’s worked so hard after just arriving. “Why don’t you go put your stuff away, then after that, I’ll take you to get ice cream to celebrate, alright?” “Oh, hell yeah! I’d like that a lot!” Ray responds, wiping his sweat. “Alright then, I’ll go get changed while you do that.” She says before walking towards the master bedroom; “Got it!” Ray responds, Mrs. Martin closes the door, Ray takes his shirt off of his head and dabs his forehead to get the sweat off. “I should probably change as well, my clothes are all sweaty from working nonstop.” Ray grabs the plastic box and drags it into his room.

February 5th, 2010. 10:00 PM.

Ray walks into his room and closes his door after saying ‘goodnight’ to everyone, he takes in the clean space before looking down at his mattress. He crawls into bed, his body immediately sinking into it, the mattress cradles his muscles as a wave of relief washes over him. The cool sheets brush against his skin, soothing and soft, as his head nestles into his pillow’s gentle embrace. His limbs feel heavy, yet the tension melts away in favor of comforting stillness. The quiet hum of his room, the soft rustle of fabric, and the slow rhythm of his breath all blend into a cocoon of peace. He feels as though every bit of worry and fatigue has dissolved into the softness beneath him, leaving nothing but the pure, blissful release of rest. “I look so comfy. That might’ve been the best night of sleep I’ve ever had in my life. I’m really thankful to have been taken in by them.” Present Ray watches, smiling down at himself.

April 27th, 2012. 8:45 PM.

Ray and Julia walk out of a movie theater; “All in all, yeah, I liked The Pirates. Could’ve done without the theater clapping at the end, but yeah.” “Ray, you know they always do that. You can’t just drag down every film you see from what the audience does, that’s just not fair.” “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” “I am right, objectively!” Julia retorts while laughing, Ray smiles as he grabs the straw from his cup and flips it upside down. “I get it, I get it. In all seriousness though, I’m glad that I got to see that on opening night. I get why you pretended to forget a birthday present for me, those tickets must not have been cheap.” He then uses the other end of the straw to get more of what little he has left of his slushie. “Aye, no problem. Anyway, you down to grab something to eat before we head back?” “Nah, you don’t have to do that. Plus, mom told us we need to be back by ten.” “Hmm, fair enough.” Julia shrugs as they keep walking.

Several minutes pass as they keep walking through the crowded streets of Violet Paradise; “I’m surprised you hadn’t told Emily yet-” “Julia, all I’m saying is I’ll tell her how I feel after I get my driver’s license-” “That’s still another year from now! Besides, we just walk everywhere anyway, just do that until you actually get a car!” “I know, but like… what about curfews? We’d hardly be able to go anywhere if we can only walk places while having curfew on top of that. You see what I’m saying?” “Shit, that’s a good point. Alright then, if that’s what you’ve decided on, I’ll drop this debate.” “Cool.” Ray responds. “By the way, what grade did you get on your report?” “Oh, I got an A-” Julia cuts herself off as she feels someone’s hand on her shoulder.

Ray quickly looks over and sees a young Indian man with a medium complexion and short black hair, he’s wearing a sleek black tuxedo and polished shoes; “Who the hell are you?” Ray raises his voice while glaring at him. He notices five other men with him, all of whom look the same age. “Get off- don’t touch me!” Julia shouts, shoving the man’s eye away from her, quickly getting behind Ray. Ray keeps his glare on him, the man feels offended, his pride hurt; “You know very well who I am-” “No, I don’t and I couldn’t care less, stay the fuck away from my sister.” Ray barks back, shutting down anything else he says.

“Do you need any help with this punk?” One of his friends asks; “No, I’m fine. I just hate having to deal with idiots.” He responds back, frustrated. He takes a pair of brass knuckles out from his pocket while approaching, Ray glances behind him to Julia; “Julia, get back.” “R-right!” She says hesitantly, worried about his safety, but doing what he says. She makes her way back, moving towards a small crowd of people, but avoiding getting too close. “Good, she’s not too far away from me, and not too close to them-” “AHHHHH, FUCK!” Ray shouts, his thoughts interrupted as he gets decked in the face by the man while he was off guard.

“Ray!” Julia shouts in fear; “Oh shit, that was a clean one!” A bystander comments, invested in the scene, Julia immediately shoots a glare at him; “Are none of y’all gonna do something?! That’s my brother who just got hit!” “No way! I’m not getting involved with Advik Khatri! Your brother’s just gonna have to take it-” “Fuck you, fucking coward!” Julia yells at him. She runs toward Ray and pulls him back; “Ray, are you alright?!” “Julia…” Ray responds with surprise. Julia looks at Advik; “Please, don’t hurt him! Just… he’s been through so much in his life, I don’t want to see him hurt again…” She pleads, leaving Ray in surprise, he then changes his face back to a stern one as he looks back at Advik.

Advik looks with irritation before letting out a chuckle, he smirks; “Well, if you don’t want me to hurt him, I could make things very easy for you around here-” “No.” Ray coldly interrupts, his gaze lethal. “Excuse me?” “Ray, please! I don’t care what happens to me, I just want you to be alright-” “I don’t care!” Ray shouts at her angrily. Julia immediately flinches and is left speechless, Ray takes notice and immediately looks down, feeling bad for scaring her. “Julia… I’m sorry that I did that. I just… you’ve already done more than enough for me. You gave me the time of day, invited me into your friend group, always had my back, and you convinced your parents to give me a place to stay when I was almost about to be homeless. I’m already happy that you did all that for me, you don’t have to do anymore, especially not something as reckless as this. You don’t want me being hurt, but regardless, I’d feel hurt knowing what you’d go through if I let you listen to this jackass. You’re my sister, but most of all, you’re my best friend. Let me do something for you for once, let me be the one to not let you get hurt, alright?” “Ray…” Her eyes widen, seeing his genuine conviction and desire to protect her. She swallows; “Y-yes.” “Thank you, now go back over there. I’ll take care of this high-class criminal.” He commands softly. Julia nods before stepping away.

Ray looks back at Advik and his friends, he takes off his shirt and gets into a wide stance, staring them down angrily; “I was planning on showing mercy by not fighting, but after what you tried to ask my sister, I can’t let this slide.” He states, waiting for Advik to approach. As he does, he goes in for a right hook straight to Ray’s face, only this time, his attack is stopped as Ray catches it effortlessly. Advik feels an intense, searing pain radiating through his entire arm; “Wait, let go of me-” He gasps as he feels an immediate, sharp pressure, followed by the shock of his ulna and radius snapping and grinding. His nerves fire off in every direction, creating a mix of burning, stabbing, and throbbing pain, time feels slower as the agonizing pain sinks in. Ray lets go before using his strength to lightly shove Advik back, knocking him down several feet back, tumbling and receiving minor injuries in the process.

All six of Advik’s friends react in shock upon seeing Advik be hurt so easily, and so greatly. “That’s it, this guy needs to go down!” One of them shouts as they all decide to surround Ray, closing in to attack. Ray dodges the first swing, countering with a sharp elbow to the man’s gut, knocking him over instantly. Another lunged with a knife; Ray twisted, catching his wrist and flipping him over his shoulder, disarming him, breaking some of his bones with one swift motion. One of them kicks Ray in the side, which does more harm than good as he feels his foot in pain, as though he just kicked a wall, Ray turns to drive his palm into his ribs. Ray ducks under a wild punch, grabbing the next guy’s arm and pulling him closer, using his free hand to jab his shoulder, fracturing it before knocking him down. Finally, Ray spins around, delivering a fast kick, sending the last man toward the crowd of people.

Unknowingly to Ray, the crowd of people had taken out their phones and begun recording the fight. As he gazes at his surroundings, he starts walking toward Julia; “Ray, behind you!” “Huh-” Ray whips his head around to see Advik using the last of his strength to try and stab him as he charges forward. In less than a second, Ray sees the knife heading directly for his face, and in less than a second Ray grabs his good wrist, knocking the knife into the air before letting go and catching it. He does a quick spin and without realizing, tears into his neck, ripping from the right end, all the way out the left end, the flesh being torn sounding like velcro. His blood instantly gushes out in a sudden burst, splattering forward in a messy, uncontrolled flow, with droplets scattering in every direction, glistening in the bright lights of the city.

The entire crowd is in shock, the majority frozen stiff as they try to process the murder that just happened, a few run away, not wanting to be part of the scene. Julia gasps as her eyes widen in utter horror, putting her hands up to her face before feeling lightheaded; “Ray-” She cuts herself off, feeling a lump in her throat, not knowing how to react. Ray, covered in blood all over the front and breathing heavily, looks over, noticing her reaction, along with the crowd. “Wait…” He looks back at Advik, his eyes greeting him to the sight of his mangled body, laying lifeless.

“...” Ray’s eyes widen as he realizes what he’d just done. He drops the knife as he feels himself hyperventilating. His blood violently pounds his ears as his heart thuds in his chest. His hands shake as his feet tingle, his vision grows disfigured, as though he were staring through a fish-eye lens. “Murderer!” That was the only word that crossed his mind as he remembers his childhood trauma vividly. The world around him swiftly becomes inaudible to him as everything happening within his body and the constant idea and fear of his father right about calling him a murderer begin to work in tandem at an ever-increasing speed. He feels Julia try to help him through gently touching his shoulder, only for it to backfire as his body kicks into overdrive, making him immediately run away, faster than he’s ever moved in his life, completely leaving her behind.

The thoughts keep repeating themselves as Ray’s own body forces him to move faster, pushing far beyond its limits to get out of everyone’s sight, his breathing going from deep breaths to lightning quick, frantic breaths, breathing out more air than in. He rounds a corner, into an alleyway, getting out of sight by jumping inside of a dumpster and laying on top of heaping piles of trash, the pungent and foul odor becomes a completely minor thing for Ray. He slowly rolls onto his side, clutching his stomach, his hands arms wrapped around so tightly, his nails burying into them as he desperately breathes for air. His breath hitches as he starts to cry, his chest growing tight as bile rises in his throat. “Why did I have to do that? They were already outmatched, why did I act stupid and screw myself over even more? I’m sorry, past me, I shouldn’t have done what I’d done.” Ray ponders sadly as he continues to watch himself cry.

April 30th, 2012. 3:00 PM.

Ray, though stressed out, waits patiently in his dad’s apartment, keeping track of news reports about his crime by watching TV; “Furthermore, authorities have launched a manhunt across the West Region of the US for Ray Steel. A fifteen-year old boy who recently assaulted and brutalized six politicians, murdering one as well, that being Advik Khatri, husband of Nasuka Khatri when he was violently gashed through the throat. Multiple people who witnessed the event had recorded it, which we will be playing right now.” The anchorman reads before the station cuts to the footage. It cuts off right before Ray’s about to slash through Advik; “Just an awful, awful tragedy.” “You said it, Gordon. To add, law enforcement agencies are urging the public to stay vigilant and report any sightings of Ray Steel. The motive behind the attack seems unclear, but we have reason to believe that he was trying to protect a lady who was in an uncomfortable situation. Yeah, I bet it was worth it, well news flash; this isn’t a fairy tale. You could have just walked away, Ray.” The anchorwoman says with a smug grin.

Ray’s eyebrows furrow, he stands up from the couch; “Oh, fuck you! If you were in Julia’s situation, you’d have wanted my help just as well, pretentious ass bitch! You’re only saying this because you’re paid to!” He shouts angrily before sitting down, taking a deep breath. “Shit, gotta rewind cause I couldn’t hear what was said after that.” Ray grabs the remote and rewinds it, he then hits play; “The other five who were assaulted are receiving medical care for their injuries. Lastly, security has been heightened around political figures across the region, with Violet Paradise politicians being guarded by three upcoming, yet powerful superheroes of the Emerald Faction. We’ll be back to report more upon further investigation.” The anchorman closes out the report, and Ray decides to turn off the TV and groans as he lays down on the couch. “I need sleep, I’ve been at it for three days…” He mutters, his mind goes back to that night; “Julia, I’m sorry… you must be traumatized after seeing what I did. Your parents must be in hysterics right now…” He thinks before closing his eyes, drifting off quickly.

April 30th, 2012. 4:30 PM.

Ray quickly wakes up as he hears footsteps approaching the door; “That’s weird, I never leave the blinds closed.” A faint voice from outside comments as he unlocks the door, when the door opens, Ray sees that his father entered the house, walking in with his tool kit. His father notices him as he sets down his tool kit; “Ray, what the hell- get out of here!” He yells as he’s in shock. “Dad…” Ray gets up, his voice becoming a pleading one; “Dad, I know you don’t like me, in fact, you hate me, and I’m well aware of that. But please, just this once, I need your help, I’m more scared and confused than I’ve ever been.” He begs as he locks his fingers together. “No, get out! I don’t want you here, leave!” “Dad, please! I’m screwed over, I can’t go back to the Martins, I don’t have anywhere to go, I don’t know what the hell I can do!” He cries out desperately

His father grabs a clawhammer from his tool kit; “Ray! I’m not saying it again! Get out of my house!” “Dad, I’m sorry!” “Huh?” His brows begin to furrow in confusion; “Sorry about what?” He asks, skeptical. Ray’s eyes start to water as his voice becomes raspy; “You were right! Right about me… being a murderer… that’s all I am. I admit it, after what I did to Advik, I admit that I shouldn’t be around others.” Ray sobs, hoping that admitting could at least convince his dad to help him. He approaches his dad; “Why the hell would I want to help out a murderer then?! Get out!” He yells as he holds the hammer close. “Go!” “Dad, please-” Ray’s cry for help is cut off completely when his dad strikes him with the hammer, leaving a horrible, deep gash across his left eye in response to Ray getting too close.

Ray’s dead silent, trying to process what just hit him, he feels blood gushing out from his face profusely before slowly raising his hand up and tracing blood on his fingers. He takes one look before placing his entire hand over his eye, he feels what happened, his eye is deflating as blood begins to clot. The adrenaline wears off and Ray lets out an agonizing scream at the top of his lungs, his father glares; “Go!” He demands once more. Ray looks at him one last time before booking it out of there, he jumps off the second story, hitting the floor with a loud thud and getting up as fast as he can, he keeps sprinting, repeatedly shouting ‘ow’ as he holds onto his face, looking down while running; “Fucking sicko! Who the hell does that to their own kid?! God, it hurts! It feels like my brain’s on fire!” He thinks to himself amidst all the screaming. “And that was the last time I ever saw my dad. My mind wanted to think he didn’t call the police because he’d have at least repaid the favor of me admitting to him that I was a murderer, but no, I’m well aware he did that so then he wouldn’t be investigated. Unfortunately, every time I looked in the mirror… I’m reminded of him because of this scar.” Present Ray quietly mutters to himself as he puts his hand up to his scar, closing his good eye.

April 31th, 2012. 12:10 AM.

Ray sneaks inside an abandoned warehouse, his face having torn fabric from his shirt wrapped around his eye to stop the bleeding from getting any worse. He looks around, taking in the large, dilapidated structure with rusted metal walls and broken windows. Its roof is partially caved in, exposing twisted beams and patches of sky. Weeds and vines creep through cracks in the crumbling concrete floor, while stacks of forgotten crates and debris are scattered throughout. The air inside is thick with dust, and a faint musty odor lingers. Flickering light filters through the gaps, casting eerie shadows that dance across graffiti-covered walls. The silence is only broken by the occasional drip of water from a leaky pipe and the distant echo of creaking metal.

“This place is abandoned enough… it’ll do.” Ray starts walking, slumping his arms forward, feeling like he’s about to pass out, he finds a dark corner to lay down and curl up in. His unkempt hair falls over to the side, partially obscured by shadow. His eye, dull and distant as he stares at nothing, lost in thoughts that weigh heavily on him; “I just wanna cry, but I can’t even do that, my tear duct is completely empty. I feel dehydrated from how much I cried and screamed earlier…” His clothes, worn and rumpled, clinging loosely to his frame. The dim light shining through the broken skylight remains just out of reach of him, only emphasizing his isolation. The silence around him feels suffocating, broken only by his slow, heavy breaths. He finally passes out.

July 20th, 2015. 8:15 AM.

Ray’s eyes begin to flutter open, his vision a blurry haze; “This light… It's so bright. This… isn’t the warehouse that I’d been living in…” His eyes close again; “Whatever I’m laying on, it’s so soft, it feels so… familiar…” He relaxes, taking deep breaths; “Wait! Is this… is this my room?!” Ray’s eyes open like blinds being pulled, quickly noticing and recognizing the person sitting in his office chair; “Julia! Is that- is that really you?!” Ray asks in surprise, Julia turns around, she gasps as she sees Ray awake; “Ray!” She screams joyously as she gets off of the chair and hugs him with every fiber of her strength; “Ray…” She says in a soft, quiet voice as she tears up. “I-I don’t understand, I thought you’d be scared of me-” “Don’t be stupid! What happened was scary, but I’m not scared of you. I was scared for you…” Ray’s eye widens when he hears her. “Scared for me…? All those years, I’d ghosted everyone because I didn’t know how I’d be able to face them, and yet here I am, back in my room.” Ray thinks as he embraces the warm reunion; “I’m sorry, Julia… I didn’t mean to scare you like that.” “It’s ok…” She responds softly as she breaks the hug and looks at him with her hands on his shoulders; “I’m just so happy to see that you’re alive and kicking.” She sniffles as tears run down her face, a grateful smile shown as well.

Ray smiles back before making a confused face; “Wait, hold on. How did you even find me? How’d I get here?” “Oh, that?” Julia responds, wiping the tears from her face and sitting back on the chair; “Well, in a stroke of luck, when I decided I’d go out searching for you, I ended up finding you in a dingy alleyway. It was awful to see, I had to call dad immediately for him to come help me get you somewhere safe.” “Somewhere safe? Where was that?” “We took you to a Plutonian hospital. They were really nice, didn’t even care about your criminal record. They just wanted to help you.” She explains. “Wait, but how exactly does that make it safe? I know there’s some people who are happy with what I did, but how does that apply to safety?” “Plutonian chips. They have access to their own private technology that prevents any and all data from being tracked.” “I should look into that then. Though wait, what exactly happened to me that made me need a hospital?” Ray asks, still lost.

“You were dying from too much alcohol. When the Plutonians scanned you, they could see that you were completely unconscious, dehydrated, your heart rate was slowed, skin was grey and clammy, your breathing all screwy, your reflexes were dulled almost completely, and your body was extremely cold. You were really close to dying…” “Oh… I really hadn’t been treating myself kindly then… I started drinking heavily to try and cope with my situation, I didn’t think it’d bring me so close to death.” He looks down, processing everything. “Wait, I’m curious, what was the procedure that saved me?” “Dad saved you. You know how he’s a scientist, right?” “Well, yeah. Why?” “He never mentioned this, but he specializes in manufacturing Power Serums.” “Wait, seriously?” Ray leans forward with intrigue. “Yes, and in order to save your life, he took an incredibly rare and expensive power serum, the Toxic Serum.” She answers calmly; “‘Toxic Serum?’ Wait, hold on, I don’t remember much from biochem class, but don’t those have literal parasites in them?” Ray asks, his mind racing as he tries to remember.

“I’ll explain it as quickly as I can. Yes, they have parasites, more specifically, Coding Parasites. They’re made when the coding parasites are exposed to a specific thing for long enough periods of time, adapting to the point of being able to harness and control whatever it was that they were exposed to. Due to their small, bacterial size, as well as their almost liquidy bodies, they’re put in syringes and injected into superheroes, where they then alter the body by reprogramming the DNA system to grant the host the same ability that they’ve developed. Though that’s at the cost of the host having to fight to keep its body in control, if one’s antibodies aren’t strong enough to fight off the coding parasites, they’ll lose control of their brain and lose all consciousness, effectively becoming a zombie. They do this as the host they’re possessing is able to serve as ideal protection for them, but if the host is able to fight them off, then the coding parasites die and the host is able to use those new abilities freely.” She rambles.

Ray grimaces at the part about the host becoming a husk with no thought; “That’s horrifying. How the hell did I beat the parasites though? With the state you described me being in, I should’ve been a goner!” “The Plutonians prepared before dad came back with the serum. Take off your shirt and look at the thing strapped around your chest.” “Huh?” Ray asks as he gently taps his chest, feeling a piece of metal over it. “I didn’t even notice this.” He takes off his shirt and sees the sleek chest-wrapping device, made of a flexible, lightweight material that contours snugly around his torso. Its surface is smooth and matte black with subtle, glowing green lines indicating its active zones. “What is this thing?” “It’s an automatic defibrillator. It has sensors implemented in order to detect when the heart rate is low, that way it can deliver electricity to the heart to either stimulate it or depress it, depending on whether the heart rate is too low or too high, setting it back to a normal rate.” She elaborates. “I see, so this essentially jump started my heart, keeping my blood pumping before and during the procedure.” “Exactly right, Ray.” “I understand now. I’m very grateful to have all of that done just for my sake. Though, could you help me get this thing off, please?” “Oh, yeah, of course!” Julia answers enthusiastically as she gets off the chair to help get the device off.

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As the device comes off, Ray looks back at Julia; “By the way, you said it was called the Toxic Serum, right? What exactly am I able to do, considering that I have powers now?” “Well, the name’s self-explanatory, but what you’re able to do with it is conjure and become toxic liquids and gasses. Oh, and that includes acid as well.” She answers. “I guess that was kind of a stupid question…” He trails off before he looks down at himself; “Wait, does that mean I’ve also developed some kind of resistance or immunity to toxic substances? Cause that would explain why I came back from alcohol poisoning.” He comments as he puts his shirt back on; “That’s correct!” “Wow… you two went through all that, just for me…” Ray replies, his tone low, yet still surprised as he lets it all sink in. “Thank you, I appreciate it, truly.” He says with a slight smile.

“Of course, Ray!” She smiles before her eyes light up; “Ooo! I know what’d make this better!” “Hmm?” “Come on, let’s play some video games, for old time’s sake!” She suggests, excited by the thought. Ray feels a wave of nostalgia wash over him; “Yeah… that sounds fun.” His smile grows wider in response, he then gets up off the bed, following Julia to the living room; “It’s strange… I’m happy to see my sister again, but… I can’t shake the idea out of my head. ‘Toxic Serum,’ ‘injected into superheroes,’ could a murderer like me ever really qualify for that? Dammit, I need to just take this opportunity to relax. I’m stressing myself out when I shouldn’t.” Ray ponders, unaware that Julia’s been repeating his name in the living room. “Ray!” “Huh? Oh! Sorry, I was lost in thought.” “It’s cool, I was just asking you what game you wanted to play.” “What game I wanna play?” Ray looks up for a second; “Uh… Double Dash sounds fun right now.” “Got it!” She responds as she rummages through the drawer, finding the case for the game and popping the disc in. She grabs a pair of controllers and plugs them into the GameCube, handing Ray a controller.

July 20th, 2015. 9:20 AM.

Time passes as the two play games, as Julia smiles, being able to play games with Ray again, the latter remains lost in thought, unable to immerse himself with the race. Julia notices on Ray’s screen that he’s driven into a wall, but isn’t moving; “Hey, Ray, are you looking at my screen or-” She notices Ray staring down at the floor; “Ray? You alright, man? That’s the second time you’ve zoned out on me. What’s wrong?” She asks as she sets down her controller and puts her hand on his shoulder. “Huh?” Ray glances over; “Oh… I don’t know, to be honest. I’m happy to see you again, but I’m just confused now, like I don’t know what to do.” “Could… Could you elaborate? I have a feeling that I know what you’re getting at, but just in case.” “I just don’t know if I should really be here. I know that technically, I’m in the right cause I killed Advik out of self-defense, but…” He trails off.

Julia waits a second for him to continue, but ends up asking anyway; “But what? Come on, Ray, you can tell me anything.” She says softly, patting him on the back; “I still see myself as a killer.” “What?! Why, though- sorry, that was insensitive of me.” “No, it’s fine. It has to do with my dad.” He confesses. Julia’s eyes widened in worry; “What do you mean by that? Did…” She puts her hand up to her mouth; “Did you kill him?” “What?! No, no, I didn’t kill him. I’m sure he’s still alive.” He assures her, Julia sighs in relief; “So then what was it?” “I don’t remember if I ever opened up to you about this, but before I was in elementary school, he not only abused me physically and emotionally, but psychologically as well by trying to put images into my mind, and he called me a murderer. That word stuck around because I didn’t want it to be true, he called me that since my mom died due to her giving birth to me.” He explains. Julia’s eyebrows furrow sadly and twitch slightly, she looks down; “Oh… that’s just… that’s fucked up.” Her eyes widened slightly in realization; “So, that’s why you think you’re a murderer. When Advik died and you snapped to your senses, that word kept crossing your mind, didn’t it?” She asks.

“Yeah… it still hurts me to this day…” He then puts his hand on his eye scar; “And this scar’s a reminder of it that my dad gave me.” Ray puts his hand down as Julia grimaces at the scar, knowing how he got it now. “Then when you mentioned the part about power serums being injected into superheroes, it has me lost, as though I suddenly have this burden of responsibility, now that I have these powers…” “I don’t even know what to tell you about that. Do you mean like you have to protect the people with your powers now? Or do you feel as though you need to clear your name? Which one is it?” She asks as she leans forward, looking him in the eye. Ray looks away slightly; “I-” He pauses as Julia grabs him by the chin, forcing him to look at her; “Look at me when you give your answer.” She raises her voice, Ray closes his eye, taking a deep breath before opening it again; “I don’t know!” He answers quickly; “Oh…” Julia lets go of his chin, her tone becoming soft again. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have pried like that.” “It’s ok, I think, I think I just need to figure this out.” He replies, standing up. “Where are you going?” “I’m gonna go back to my hideout. I’m not gonna leave you behind again, but I wanna figure out how to use my powers, and that’s a safe place for me to test them out.” “Alright…” Julia looks down before looking back up at him; “But, Ray, what do you think you’ll do after you learn to control them?” “I don’t know yet, but hopefully I’ll know what to do by then.” He answers, making his way toward the front door.

Before he makes it to the front door, Julia stands up; “Wait!” She shouts, Ray turns around, as he does, Julia wraps her arms around him, hugging him tightly once more; “Be safe out there…” She says quietly. Ray gently hugs her back; “Of course…” He matches her tone, deciding to let the hug drag. After a while, the two break the hug; “I’ll be back in however many hours or days it takes for me to control my powers, if that’s alright.” “Yeah, just promise to come back when you finish it, alright?” “I promise.” “Thank you. I’ll be waiting till then.” “Of course. Well… bye then, Julia.” Ray waves while opening the door. “Take care, Ray.” She waves back, forcing herself to smile. “I wish I’d just done what I said, rather than trying to do more…” Ray ponders as he sees himself leaving the front porch.

July 20th, 2015. 5:30 PM.

Within the warehouse, Ray stands with his eye squeezed shut as beads of sweat trickle down his temples. His hands tremble as he holds them out in front of him, fingers twitching slightly as he tries to focus. The air around him develops a sweet, gasoline-like odor.

“Come on…” Ray concentrates, grinding his teeth. He can feel the energy coursing through his veins, wild and untamed, like a caged animal desperate to break free. It pulses with every beat of his heart, threatening to spill out and wreak havoc. He inhaled deeply, trying to steady his breathing, but the power surged, and a violent wave of poison came crashing out of his palms, soaking the wall he had aimed at, knocking himself over in the process. “Woah! That was benzene!” Ray shouts upon getting up before looking at his palms, realizing the sheer power he has within him. “Wait, I need to focus.” He states, determined.

With another deep breath, he tries again, feeling the energy coil tighter, more responsive this time. The air grows dingy with a toxic odor, charged with potential. Slowly, steadily, his palms began to drip, the droplets began to spawn and fall to the floor faster. His palms began to start slowly pouring out poison, the pressure changing with uncertainty, but it kept going. Ray closes his eye, as though leaving it open would shatter his fragile control.

The pressure grows stronger, the sweet scent becoming more potent. He could feel the power stabilizing, the rushing poison now flowing in sync with his will. His power doesn’t feel like a storm waiting to be unleashed, but now an extension of himself that he could learn to command.

“And…” Ray mutters as he aims his palms higher; “Now!” He shouts, firing another wave of poison, the stream hurling towards the real target, an empty soda can on a railing. The blast thuds against the can, sending it flying straight into the wall behind it, Ray also remains standing up, having successfully kept balance. “I did it! I got it down!” He shouts triumphantly as a sense of relief passes over his face. He knew he was far from mastering his power, but at that moment, he was just happy to learn how to control his power in some way. His smile fades as the shock wears off, immediately clutching his stomach; “Oh God…” He falls over on his side, feeling nauseous and writhing in pain. “Poor me, had to learn that the power only keeps you from taking permanent damage and dying from different poisons, and that you have to build an immunity over time. It’s like a vaccine that works properly each time.” Ray chuckles at his younger self’s unfortunate discovery, subconsciously holding onto his stomach as well.

July 26th, 2015. 8:50 AM.

Ray slowly opens his eyes, blinking at the soft morning light streaming through the broken skylight. He stretches his stiff limbs, feeling the soreness in his muscles. His hair tousled, and his face shows faint creases from an old pillow. As he sits up, he yawns deeply; “I should probably get back home, I think I’ve made decent enough progress on working my powers. Let’s see…” He begins counting his fingers; “Ochratoxin, Benzene, Formaldehyde, Botulinum, Cyanide, and Alkaloids. Damn, I wish there’d be more, but living through the process of being poisoned just to adapt to it has worn me out.” He comments before standing up. “Yeah, I’m going home. I’ll try out more in a few days.” He says as he starts to leave.

July 26th, 2015. 9:20 AM.

A strong gust of dry air rustles along the leaves of the park as Ray strolls along the sidewalk, humming quietly as he steps off the main path, going down a slope and making his way inside a drainage tunnel. The water sloshes with each step, a rhythmic splash and squelch, echoing softly like muffled, rippling waves underfoot, the sound bouncing off the walls as he pays no thought to the acrid smell. Ray quickly stops, detecting the faint sound of wading from behind; “Who-” Ray thinks before turning around, he takes in the presence that had followed him. A loose, reflective outfit, Ray immediately recognizes who he is; “Mind explaining what you’re doing down here?” Guerilla asks as he moves closer.

Ray’s stance tenses; “I was just going home-” His explanation gets cut off immediately as Guerilla palm strikes him in the mandible, making him stagger as he steps back; “Huh-” He pauses as Guerilla quickly draws his rifle and holds it right against his chin; “Ray Steel.” He says coldly. Ray stares in shock and confusion, wondering how he even figured him out; “What gave it away?” He asks; “Your voice may be a little deeper now, but I recognize that voice from the recording, that one where you killed Advik. Not just that, your appearance and build are too similar to the recording for you to be anyone, but. No more to explain. Now come with me, or I’ll just have to bring you to Nasuka in a body bag.” He explains bluntly.

A silence dwells upon the two before Ray reacts by quickly raising his fist, Guerilla doesn’t hesitate and immediately fires a round right through Ray’s chin, making it fly directly to his brainstem. Guerilla’s eyes widen as he sees Ray’s fist hurl toward him; “WHA-” He shouts before being nailed in the face by his punch, sending him flying. He hits the floor, tumbling rapidly until slowly coming to a stop, a faint groan can be heard from him as he slowly stands up, breathing heavily as blood gushes down from his nose. He looks toward Ray; “Where’d he go?! More importantly, how did he move after I shot him dead?!” He shouts, dumbfounded and confused as not a trace of Ray is left. He taps his earpiece; “Mig! Gastronaut! Come in, I found Ray, but he disappeared after I killed him. I don’t know where he is, but I have a feeling he might have lived, despite me shooting his brainstem. He’s likely going to die soon, but I need help finding him. I’m in the drainage tunnel entrance at Sunset Park. I’ll wait right here to ensure that he doesn’t escape the same way he came in, once you two get here, we’ll search through.” He finishes and taps his earpiece.

“Come on, just hold it in…” Ray frantically thinks to himself, now a puddle of botulinum, silently swims along the surface of the sewage, blending right in with the environment. He eventually gets out of sight before making his way toward a sewage pipe and falling down into a lower part of the sewer. As his liquid body hits the sewage below, he swims toward a walkway, slithering on it before solidifying again, becoming flesh and bone once more.

Ray breathes heavily, his chest expanding and puffing out with each breath as he rolls onto his back; “Fuck… I can- I can barely think! Not being able to breathe is already detrimental enough of a drawback for changing into liquid, but… That was… holy shit, that was too close!” He stops thinking, trying to keep himself together as he keeps breathing as though he’d sprinted a marathon. “I saw death itself for a second, I’m glad young me thought of that before I got shot. I kept the shape of my head intact when the entire thing was turned into liquid, avoiding all damage done to my body.” He reflects while looking at himself hyperventilate.

After a while, Ray’s breathing calms down, he stands up, looking up from where he fell from. “That’s not good. The shortcut that takes me back home was just to the left before the fall. I wish I could’ve taken it, but my breathing would’ve caught his attention.” He reflects, looking around. He takes in the atmosphere of the large, spacious sewer, dimly lit by sporadic, flickering lights casting long shadows on the slick, moss-covered walls. Advanced architecture shows in high, vaulted ceilings and arched steel bridges spanning the slow-moving, murky water below. The air is heavy with humidity, and the constant dripping of water echoes through the labyrinth of tunnels. The acrid smell of decaying waste and stagnant water stings his nostrils, making it difficult to breathe without gagging.

“I better start looking around before they show up.” Ray tells himself before beginning his trek through the sewers, instinctively pulling his shirt up over his nose. As he approaches a fork between a tunnel and a bridge, his eye shifts its gaze from left-to-right repeatedly; “Crossing that bridge would just lead to another tunnel system, so I should just go to the one right here first to save what little time I might have…” Ray starts walking inside the tunnel while putting his hand on the wall; “And besides, theoretically, if I just go right over and over, I’ll eventually come across the right path. I have a photographic memory, so I’ll be able to memorize where I am after looking around for a bit.”

July 26th, 2015. 9:50 AM.

Ray continues to trek through the sewers, he notices a strange figure walking across a bridge, wearing bright colors; “Huh?” He asks himself, taking a closer look, realizing that it’s just an orange work vest. “Wait, an employee! That’s perfect! I can ask him for a way out of here!” His face lights up with excitement, he starts running over; “Hey!” Ray calls out, the worker watches as Ray rushes onto the bridge; “Huh?” He asks, confused. Ray stops in front of him, panting heavily; “How’d you even get down here?” The worker asks, his tone is relaxed, but surprised; “Someone… pushed me down… And I’ve been trying… to find my way out of here for almost thirty minutes!” Ray exhales.

“You serious?” “Yeah…” “What a dick, glad to see you’re alright though. Come on, I’ll take you out of here.” He beckons, walking off the bridge and making his way toward an elevator in the wall, Ray follows close behind. “Thank you so much, I can’t stress enough how glad I’ll be to get out of here.” “Yeah, no problem. Trust me, you sound like most of the people here when their shifts are done.” “I can’t imagine why.” Ray sarcastically responds. Suddenly, a familiar voice shouts from the sewage pipe; “HEY! DON’T LISTEN TO HIM! THAT’S RAY STEEL!” The worker’s gaze shifts to him. “What-” His words get cut off as Ray lightly shoves him out of the way, rushing toward the elevator.

“Gastronaut!” “Right!” Gastronaut nods before using his jetpack and zooming through the air, he slings his arm toward a pillar, turning sharply and letting go, deactivating his jetpack and hurling towards Ray. He charges, kicking Ray straight in the back and knocking him into the elevator with him, Ray grunts as he hits the floor, getting up quickly and elbowing Gastronaut in the gut; “How the hell?! How’s he up?! That should have snapped his spine in two!” Gastronaut’s mind races as he clutched his stomach, unaware that Ray pressed the button to go up. As the elevator begins rising upon its doors closing, Ray lands a spin kick, striking him in the side; “He hits like a truck! But this is good, he made contact with my skin!” Gastronaut thinks; “Ray, what goes up…” He trails off as he makes Ray weightless, causing him to float in the air.

Ray’s eye widens as he enters zero-gravity; “What?!” He yells; “Must come down!” Gastronaut finishes as he slams Ray down repeatedly, the floor below eventually breaks due to Ray’s density; “Oh shit!” Gastronaut reacts quickly, keeping himself afloat before making Ray float back to him. Right then, the sound of the elevator door is forced open on the floor they came from, Mig steps inside, noticing the floor of the elevator had fallen down. “Gastronaut! Do you have him?!” “Yeah! Let’s play a game, see how high of a rally we can get!” He shouts back before throwing Ray down.

He plummets, falling at high speed; “Why’s Mig not moving out of the way?! He’s gonna get crushed-” His own thoughts stop as he suddenly bounces off of Mig, flying back up towards Gastronaut. As he gets closer, Mig strikes him, sending him back down to Mig, Mig sends him back, as they begin their rally, as though they were in an intense game of volleyball. “This is bad! What I can gather-” Ray coughs from one of the attacks; “What I can gather is that Gastronaut can manipulate gravity, while Mig has some sort of reflective power! He said they wanna see how high of a rally they can get, which buys me time on getting out of this!” Ray ponders, slowly tucking himself in. Several hits later, and Gastronaut kicks him back to Mig, unaware that Ray had fully tucked himself in, forming into a ball-shape, Mig notices; “Gastronaut, look out!” “Huh-” He notices Ray flying back towards him at a significantly higher speed than before; “Is this just a game to you, bastard?!” Ray shouts angrily as he flies right into Gastronaut, dragging him way up and making him crash into the walls of the elevator shaft.

Gastronaut uses his power to leave them both in place, as they stop, he sucks in air, blowing up his stomach and increasing his weight, bouncing Ray off of him and sending him flying through the stone wall. As Ray’s back hits the wall and it begins falling, he increases his gravitational pull, making him fall faster; “Shit! I can’t just fall down, that’ll have enough force to break my bones, and I can’t turn into liquid, as I’ll just keep falling, and then I’ll end up in the same spot, but I’ll fall beneath the rubble and I’ll have more trouble slipping away! What should I do?!” He thinks frantically, as the rubble hits the floor, Mig steps outside the elevator shaft; “Where’d he go?! He’s not in the rubble!” “WHAT?!” Gastronaut shouts back. Mig jumps onto the rubble to investigate; “Yeah, he’s not here!” He confirms; “But that can’t be right! I know he’s still somewhere, I can still feel him under my control!” He retorts. Ray, who’d turned himself into carbon monoxide, looks down at Mig; “Perfect! He’s in position! By turning myself into gas, I was able to mask my presence, slowing my fall, and now…” Ray turns solid again, falling at high speed and lands directly on top of Mig, his reflection kicking in and sending Ray skyward once again. “You idiot! He was above you-” His scream gets cut off as Ray lands a flash kick, sending Gastronaut right to the ceiling, the impact forcing his own head to get stuck.

Ray falls back, plunging toward the sewage below, Guerilla watches carefully from the sewage pipe, aiming at the wall with his rifle; “Mig!” “Yeah?!” He responds, Guerilla fires a bullet, it zings through the air, hitting the wall and ricocheting off and zooming towards Mig. Mig’s eyes quickly follow the bullet, as once it hits him, it bounces right back toward the wall, but due to near-perfect timing, the bullet grazes Ray. Mig leaps toward Ray as he gets grazed, grabbing onto him and falling into the sewer water, but to his surprise, upon hitting the water, they plunge deep, sinking like stones, descending rapidly with no struggle or buoyancy, vanishing into the depths.

“Wait, this is good! I’m guessing their plan was to have Mig grab me, swim up, and hold onto me so Guerilla could gun me down! But due to how dense my skeleton is, I lack any buoyancy!” He realizes as they soon hit the bottom, Ray breaks free from Mig’s grasp. He sees Mig attempting to swim back up, due to his bone density and musculature, his arm is able to move through water just as swiftly as it would on land, grabbing him by the leg; “My hand wasn’t reflected! Whatever the reason, I have to capitalize on this!” Ray turns around and slams Mig onto the floor. Mig accidentally gasps, immediately swimming up to the surface as fast as he can. Ray decides to take the opportunity to get away by running at the bottom, getting a good distance away.

Several minutes pass, as Ray continues to dart along the floor beneath the sewage, he stops as he feels his lungs giving out and needing to breathe, knowing he’s at a safe distance, he turns himself into a methane bubble, his size allowing for him to float to the surface quickly. Ray climbs out of the water, gasping for air at an unsteady pace; “Fuck, I just wanna get out of here!” He closes his eye briefly before opening it again, he notices a tunnel; “Huh?” He asks curiously before walking closer. “Wait… am I seeing this right? That’s… OH MY GOD!” He smiles in joy; “A ladder for a manhole! Yes! Thank God! Get me the hell out of here!” Ray rushes to the ladder, climbing his way out.

Ray soon emerges from the sewer, his clothes wet, dirty and torn, his face smeared with grime. He climbed out, using both hands to hoist himself up, his muscles straining, but determined. As he steps onto the street, he pauses, blinking rapidly against the bright sunlight that floods his vision. A wide smile spreads across his face, his eye shining with relief and joy. He takes a deep breath of fresh air, savoring the warmth of the sun on his skin. Finally, he’s free from the dark, damp tunnels below. “Time to go home!” Ray tells himself, putting the lid back on and beginning to run back home.

July 26th, 2015. 10:40 AM.

Ray, drenched in sweat and dried sewer water, leans heavily against the front door, his chest heaving as he gasps for air. His face is flushed, and beads of sweat run down his forehead as his legs temple slightly, and he puts his hands on his knees. He knocks on the door repeatedly until the door opens, he stops and sees Mrs. Martin in the doorway; “Ray…” She says in disbelief as she looks at him, seeing how messed up he appears. After what feels like an eternity, Ray yells with joy; “Mom!” He runs up, wrapping his arms around her; “Ray!” She returns the energy, hugging him in a tight embrace with her hand on the back of his head. She begins to tear up; “It’s really you, you’re ok…” “I’m really sorry, I shouldn’t have scared you, dad, or Julia like that. I shouldn’t have left before you two got home-” “It’s ok… I’m just glad to see you again. I was so worried for you, it hurt, seeing that you’re safe feels me with such great relief.” She cuts him off, breaking the hug.

Mrs. Martin takes in Ray’s appearance, realizing just how much of a mess he is right now; “Your eye! What happened to it?! You poor thing, are you alright?” She asks with concern, Ray just smiles out of happiness; “It’s a long story, I’ll tell you, but before, could I shower first?” “Oh, yes, please do! I’ll do the same, this smell is awful!” She responds, stepping out of the way so he can come inside. As he steps in, she closes the door; “I’ll just use the outdoor shower.” Ray states; “I appreciate it, I’d hate to have to clean the carpet from you walking all over it just to get to the bathroom.” She jokes, Ray has a light laugh from it. Ray walks into the backyard, as he steps outside, Mrs. Martin walks out, holding out a towel; “Don’t forget this.” “Thank you, I almost did.” “You’re welcome.” She responds as Ray takes the towel, she then walks back inside.

Ray steps inside the shower, not even waiting for the water to warm up, his desire to get cleaned off keeps him from even registering the cold; “Holy shit, this feels so good! I’m glad Julia didn’t see how dirty I was, she would’ve said I look like a Smash player! I’m just so happy to be back though. Mom’s as kind as ever, all I need now is to just see Dad again, he’s the reason I’m even alive today.” He thinks, his mind racing from the nostalgia of being able to see his whole family again. The water gets warmer, cascading over him, dislodging clumps of dirt and grime from his skin. Mud streaks and oily residue swirl down the drain as he scrubs vigorously, his clean skin comes out. Suds from soap lather up, turning a completely greenish-brown color as they work to cleanse the layers of filth. Slowly, the water runs clearer, and his hair and skin emerge fresh and rejuvenated, the final traces of sewage and dirt vanishing under the steady stream of the shower.

July 26th, 2015. 11:00 AM.

Ray, having dried off, steps inside his room, changing into a fresh pair of clothes, a simple forest green t-shirt and black pants, after he hangs up his towel, he walks into the living room and sits on the couch, slumping far forward, letting out a massive sigh of relief; “I think I’ve burned more calories than one person needs in a lifetime…” He comments tiredly. Mrs. Martin walks from the kitchen, handing Ray a cup of ice water; “Here, you look dehydrated.” “Thank you.” He replies softly, taking a big drink, exhaling; “That’s just what I needed.” Ray relaxes. “So, Ray, what exactly happened?” She asks politely, Ray takes another drink before answering; “I’ll put it shortly. A few days after I ran away, I had no idea what to do, and out of desperation to find an answer, I went to my real dad’s house.” “Oh…” “And then I waited for him to come back, after he got inside, I begged for him to help, but he wouldn’t help at all. Then I got too close, and he struck my face with a clawhammer.” He finishes explaining quickly. “I’m sorry that happened, Ray…” Mrs. Martin reacts, hugging him from behind; “That’s just awful, nobody should have to go through that, especially not a kid…” She continues in a soft, soothing manner. Ray rests his head on her arm, closing his eye while embracing her comfort; “Thank you…” He mutters softly.

Soon afterward, Ray’s body and tiredness succumbs to the comfort, as he falls asleep from sheer exhaustion, Mrs. Martin smiles gently, taking the cup from Ray’s hands and bringing it to the kitchen. She returns, setting his pillow on the couch and carefully making him lay down, propping his head on it before setting his blanket over him. She puts her hand on his head, kneeling down to his level; “Sleep well…” She says quietly before giving him a gentle kiss on the forehead, as she stands up, Ray shifts in his sleep, curling up slightly. Mrs. Martin smiles at him before walking away. Present ray frowns sadly; “I miss her… even if she isn’t my real mother, when that word comes to mind, all I can think of is her. I wish I could see her again…”

July 26th, 2015. 6:30 PM.

Ray slowly stirred awake, his eyelid fluttering as the weight of sleep clung to him like a heavy blanket. His muscles stiff and unresponsive, he felt the dull ache of immobility seep through his bones. His breaths were shallow at first, growing deeper as his senses gradually sharpened. The air around him felt thick, almost foreign, as if he had been asleep for centuries. He blinked, his eye adjusting to the light, and slowly stretched, feeling the tightness of his limbs begin to ease. The world around him felt new and distant, every sound and sensation amplified as he reawakened from his prolonged slumber.

He sits up, yawning as he slowly moves his blanket, his vision becomes clear as he notices Dr. Martin standing in front of him, smiling widely; “You’re finally up, big man. Feeling better?” He asks with enthusiasm, putting his hand on Ray’s head and lightly ruffling his hair before moving it away. “Dad!” Ray looks up, smiling; “Oh my God, dude, I don’t know how to thank you, you saved my life! I’m so glad you’re here!” “Yeah, you gave us a scare! I’m glad you’re alright, Ray. Julia told me about how you left to train your powers, I was worried something had happened to you. You were gone for six days, you know?” “Hehe… yeah, I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean for it to take so long, but I kept passing out with each new poison I tried working with.” Ray explains, Dr. Martin nods understandingly.

“Hey, Bruce, Julia’s heading back from the store now, you wanna get started on grilling the steaks?” Mrs. Martin asks while taking care of work on her computer; “Of course, Lily.” Bruce answers before looking at Ray; “Come on, Ray, I’ll let you do some grilling as well.” “Oh, hell yeah!” He stands up, following him to the backyard. Dr. Martin turns on the grill, waiting for it to heat up; “So, Ray, how did your training go? You said you kept passing out from each new poison?” “Yeah, what I didn’t know at first was that whatever poison I create, my body will experience the pain of it, but due to my DNA and how it is now, it prevents it from causing any bodily harm or death.” “That’s awful, I’m sorry to hear that that’s what you had to do just for your training.” “I’ve gotten pretty used to it, don’t worry.” “That’s exactly why I said that’s awful. You’ve poisoned yourself so much that you’re used to it. It’s sad for me to hear, personally.” Dr. Martin explains as he starts to clean the grill.

“Oh… Shit, I’m sorry, dad.” “It’s alright, Ray, you did what you had to do. Besides, you’re here, and we’re all happy because of that. I just want you to be careful, alright?” “Yeah… thanks dad. I’m glad you understand, and yeah, I’ll definitely be more careful. I had a run in earlier in the sewer this morning with those three Emerald heroes.” Ray responds, casually dropping that bombshell. Dr. Martin’s eyes widened; “W-wait, are you being serious right now?!” “Yeah, it was frightening.” “Do… Do you want to talk about it? I’m worried.” “Think we can save it for dinner? I’d rather everyone know it, please.” “Yeah, of course. If that’s when you want to tell us, then by all means, when you’re ready.” Dr. Martin nods. “Thank you.” “You’re welcome. Now lay down those steaks, I’m getting hungry.” “Got it!” Ray replies, grabbing the tongs and setting the steaks down on the grill, right before he takes the bag inside, Dr. Martin looks at him; “Nope, you’re forgetting something.” He glances at the bag, Ray notices; “Oh, right!” He walks back, pouring the unmixed marinade onto the steaks for extra flavor; “There we go!” Dr. Martin nods approvingly.

Ray nods back before walking inside to throw the bag in the trash, while waiting for it to be time to flip the steaks, he sits on the couch and decides to watch TV, letting himself relax and enjoy the moment. He leans his head back; “Hey, mom?” “Yes, Ray?” “What channel’s South Park on again?” “Oh, 1140, I assume you want the HD one.” “You got it, thanks mom.” “Of course.” She replies as she keeps typing away, as Ray changes the channel, immediately pinching the bridge of his nose; “Oh no…” He says, laughing silently. Mrs. Martin sighs; “Which episode is it?” She asks curiously; “The cat piss one.” “Oh no! That one’s hilarious!” “Just… it’s everyone’s reaction to seeing Kenny and Gerald fighting in the sandbox, I can’t-” Ray sneezes into his elbow; “Bless you.” “Thank you. But yeah, just, this shit’s funny as hell.” He comments, going back to watching the show.

Dr. Martin walks back in the house; “Hey, bud, in a bit, I need you to check the grill. I gotta use the bathroom.” “You got it.” Ray replies. Ray goes back outside after a few minutes, opening the grill and grabbing a steak with the tongs; “Hmm… yeah, this looks perfect.” He comments, flipping it over; “Let’s see, how are the others doing?” He asks himself, analyzing each of them one by one, the slider door opens; “There you are, Ray!” Julia shouts happily; “Julia!” Ray smiles as he flips the last steak. “Sorry, I didn’t mean for my training to take as long as it did. I passed out a lot when learning how to get used to each toxin.” “Oh, well that explains it. I’m just glad you’re back, I was worried, I know you said it might take days, but I didn’t think it’d be that long.” “I have a habit of scaring others for my well-being, it seems.” “No shit!” Julia retorts playfully, Ray laughs, just happy to see her.

“By the way, what did you bring home from the store?” “Well, for dinner, I just had to grab a loaf of French bread, and just some extra parmesan, but I also decided to grab some snacks, also, I grabbed some kool-aid bursts, and yes, I got you an extra pack for you since you have zero self-control.” She says with sass, leaning in and poking his shoulder. “Better not have been grape.” “Of course, I didn’t give you grape!” “Yeah, cause I hate that flavor.” “You know why you said it! I know you don’t like grape, but we’d make those jokes with each other all the time, you’re not fooling me!” “Alright, you caught me.” Ray holds his hands up before looking back at the grill.

“Hey, you’re back!” Dr. Martin says while walking out the slider; “Hey dad.” “How was your trip to the store?” He asks, Julia grimaces; “It was fine for the most part, but there were those annoying kids out front of the store, selling those shitty chocolate bars for their fundraisers.” “Oh…” Dr. Martin and Ray respond in unison, matching each other’s energy of surprise, yet also disappointment. “Those are never fun.” “Yeah, but I made sure to just lie about not having any cash on me. When I was in the bread aisle, this one lady told me that she wishes she did the same as me, saying ‘I shouldn’t have responded. That’s the problem, I responded, heard them talk, and it made me cave.’” “Yeah, that’ll do it.” “Like, I get that they’re just kids, but still, they need to go away. Talking about a ten-dollar deal for six chocolate bars, who’s fatass is buying that?” Julia rants. “You know, I was about to say that you’re exaggerating, but nah, that’s actually ridiculous.” Ray comments while checking the steak again; “Exactly.” Julia responds, Ray then looks at Dr. Martin; “Hey, you think these are done?” “Lemme check.” He holds his hand out, being handed the tongs; “Yep, they look just about done. Julia, you wanna run in and grab a tray for us?” “Yeah, sure.” She walks inside.

A few minutes pass, everyone’s at the dinner table, eating their food; “Hey Ray, so do you wanna talk about it now?” Dr. Martin asks, his wife and Julia both glance at him before looking at Ray; “Talk about what?” Julia asks. Ray takes a bite of his steak and downs his water glass, wiping his face; “Alright, so earlier, when I was heading home, I ended up being confronted by Guerilla-” “Wait, are you serious?!” Mrs. Martin interrupts, sounding concerned; “Yeah, I am. And what happened was I got attacked, I got away for a bit till all three of them showed up. The reason I smelled so awful earlier was because I had to go through the sewer to escape, and not without a fight first.” “Wait, you fought them? And you escaped?!” Julia butts in, completely dumbfounded.

Ray gets up to refill his water cup; “Yeah, I was surprised myself, I’m honestly still having a hard time processing it. Julia, remember our talk on Monday, when I said that I didn’t know what I should do?” He asks, filling his water while also nabbing an extra piece of bread from the counter. Julia nods; “Yeah, I have a hunch I know what you’re getting at, but in case I’m wrong, go on.” She answers, Ray sits back down; “Well, I was thinking, after the encounter I had, as well as having these powers now, I want to try being a hero myself, one who has the power and skill to fight against the evil that those Emerald heroes protect.” He states, his tone completely serious, the whole table looks at him, silently as they try to come up with a response. “This is a side I haven’t seen of you, Ray,” Dr. Martin speaks up; “...are you sure that’s what you want?” “What do you mean?” Ray asks; “It’s just… you’ve been through more than enough as is, are you certain that you’d put yourself through more stress? I know you’re a really kind person, but I just don’t want to imagine you hurting yourself more. I know what superheroes go through, and I don’t wanna see you jumping to a decision that countless people regret.” He explains, remaining calm.

“Oh…” Ray looks down slightly at his plate, acknowledging his point, Mrs. Martin puts her hand on his shoulder; “He’s not discouraging you, he just wants you to be sure of your decision.” She softly assures him; “Exactly. I know what you’re getting at, you want to help people, but I want you to still take care of yourself. The people are important, yes, but you’re another person, you’re just as important, alright?” Dr. Martin adds, his concern showing for him. “I- hmm…” Ray pauses, trying to come up with a response, but blanks. “Yeah, I'd definitely think this over before going through with it if I were you, Ray. Besides, it’d be best if you continued training your abilities before making the decision.” “Fair point, Julia. Alright, I’ll think it over, I guess I was being a bit brash.” Ray says calmly, going back to eating his food; “We’ll support whatever your decision is.” Dr. Martin adds, reassuring him; “Thanks.” Ray replies before going back to eating his food.

July 27th, 2015. 12:30 AM.

Ray and Julia sit together on the couch, the living room dimly lit, illuminated only by the soft, flickering glow of the TV. The gentle hum of the Playstation 2 fills the room as shadows dance on the walls, and faint rays of moonlight seep through the curtains, casting a bluish tint. A few snacks are scattered on the coffee table, along with the scent of popcorn and an open box of chocolate doughnuts lingering. “Hey, Julia, I think I have it figured out now.” Ray speaks up; “Oh, really? What did you decide on?” “I still want to go through with being a hero, but I at least want to be ready, as well as being able to spend time here when I can. And I’ve decided I’ll do training for five days a week, and then I’ll come back here on weekends to relax and spend time with you guys.” He explains, his voice quiet as to not wake his parents.

Julia sits quietly, thinking of what he said and how to respond, not even focused on the game; “So, that’s the decision then? I don’t know what to make of it myself, but I trust that you know what you’re doing. I really don’t know what to say on it, other than just be careful.” “I know, and I’m gonna try to be as careful as possible. I even thought of an idea earlier after I went back to my room.” “What’s that?” “In case I encounter those Emerald heroes again, I’ll have notes written down, based on my own experiences. I don’t have much right now, unfortunately, but I’ll write some stuff down when I have more info.” He explains further; “Well… I guess that makes me more confident in what you’re planning. Just don’t go out of your way to run into them.” “I know, I’ll keep tabs on them, but mostly, I’ll try to avoid them.” “Good, cause I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.” Julia replies softly.

The two keep playing games for a bit before Julia decides to speak up again; “Hey, Ray?” “What’s up?” “You said you’ll be gone during the week and only back during weekends, right?” “Yeah. If you’re wondering about that, I’m gonna at least stay here for the next week.” “Oh, good! That makes me happy.” Julia smiles. Ray can’t help, but smile back; “Glad to hear we’re on the same page.” “Yeah…” Julia says quietly before yawning; “Shit, it’s so late. I might go to bed after this.” “Alright.” Ray responds as they keep playing for the night.

September 16th, 2015. 2:50 PM.

Ray, after the course of over a month of training, had gained a worse reputation throughout Violet Paradise due to him beginning to commit a crime spree against those in power. His first case, on August 14th, he broke into a politician’s home and stole The Hope Diamond Necklace and had it sent back to the Smithsonian Institution after holding said politician hostage and promising that he’d spare him if the artifact was sent back. His second case, on August 20th, he doused a campaign car in hexanitrodiphenylamine, waiting until after people escaped before he lit a match and set the car on fire, creating a fiery explosion, mysteriously, he disappeared before police could open fire. His third case, on September 7th, he failed a casino robbery after having bit off more than he could chew when being cornered by not just the police, but also Guerilla, Gastronaut, and Mig, all of who had been studying him, just as he’d been studying them.

Unable to see a way out of his situation, Ray decides to surrender, soon being arrested and held in jail for an upcoming trial. Now, inside the courthouse, the courtroom was oppressively silent as the judge, a severe-looking man with a sharp jawline and piercing eyes, took his seat. Everyone in the room knew who the man was, Judge Lawrence Stanton, a judge who plays favorites with those who lined his pockets.

Ray sat at the defense table, his hands completely still as he held a stack of organized papers. His defender was none other than his mother, Lily Martin, who pressed tirelessly in order to give Ray a chance to speak his side of the story, but every objection led to it being overruled. After what feels like hours, the prosecutor raises his voice; “Your Honor, the evidence is clear…” he declared, flashing a triumphant smile; “The defendant’s guilt is beyond dispute.”

Mrs. Martin stood up to cross-examine, she tried pointing out the inconsistencies, but Judge Stanton interrupted repeatedly, overruling objections with a dismissive wave. “Move on, Mrs. Martin.” He barked. “The court has no time for these irrelevant distractions.” Mrs. Martin was losing her patience, her attempt to establish an alibi was met with outright hostility. The judge rolled his eyes, tapping impatiently on his desk as she went through her series of questions. Witnesses blatantly contradicted themselves, but Stanton allowed it all, nodding approvingly at the prosecution’s every move.

When it came time for the jury to deliberate, they barely left the room, returning in minutes with a verdict of ‘guilty’ on all counts. Judge Stanton didn’t bother to hide his satisfaction, as he nodded and announced the sentence of execution by lethal injection. He banged his gavel with a loud, final thud, sealing Ray’s fate. Ray slumped in his seat, Mrs. Martin apologetically wraps her arms around his neck; “I’m sorry, Ray…” She sobs, the idea of him being publicly executed is too haunting for her to bear. Ray has no reaction, he just keeps looking down; “I want to tell her that it’s fine because I’ll just build an immunity to it, but if I do that, then it’ll let people know what my powers are, and this whole thing will just keep happening. But, if I just wait it out, I can make it back home, and then we can just be a happy family once more.” He ponders, though present Ray shakes his head; “I wish it were that simple. Nothing was the same after this…”

October 1st, 2015. 12:05 AM.

Ray is brought to the Maut Altar, where he lies strapped to a gurney in the very center of the execution ground, surrounded by politicians, prison officials, and medical personnel. His arms are secured, and IV lines are inserted into both arms, connected to a series of syringes filled with lethal chemicals. Ray, blindfolded and wearing an orange jumpsuit, breathes slowly as the executioner signals to begin, he’s not even given the drugs that are typically used during the process. No sedative, paralytic, or drug to stop the heart. The cameras roll on TV screens across the city, and to Ray’s knowledge, possibly the whole country.

Ray closes his eye, as the injection begins, he writhes on the gurney as his face contorted in agony. Sweat pours down his brow and his breaths come in sharp, ragged gasps. His muscles spasm uncontrollably, and he lets out a guttural cry, his eye opens wide with pain. His body twists and jerks violently, snapping the straps that kept him bound to the gurney, his fingers claw at the floor. The pain crescendos until his movements slow, his eye closed shut, and he collapses into unconsciousness, body limp with minor twitches.

October 3rd, 2015. 11:20 PM.

Ray’s eye opens slowly; “Huh?” He asks himself, wondering why he only sees darkness, the darkness was thick enough to press against his eye. “Why’s everything so dark? Why’s it so stuffy here? Why’s everything so…” He tries to stretch his arms and legs, but his limbs get stopped by walls; “...crammed…” His eye widens as it takes a moment for his senses to register the stifling, suffocating space around him. “Wait… was I…” He reaches up, feeling something not even a few inches away from his face above him; “I’m buried alive! Shit!” He realizes, his breathing hitched, chest heaving against the unyielding wood above. He thrusts his arms out in a blind panic, fingers scraping against the smooth, cold surface of the coffin.

His heart thundered in his ears, drowning out every rational thought. He kicked, punched, clawed at the lid, splinters digging into his skin as he fought for every inch of freedom. The air was thin, heavy with the scent of damp earth and decay, and every breath felt like a battle against the darkness that threatened to close in around him. Sweat poured down his face, his clothes clinging to his body as he gasped, his lungs burning with every ragged breath.

He pounded the lid harder, desperation fueling his strength. The wood began to give, cracking under his relentless assault until finally, with a splintering crash, it gave way. Dirt cascaded down, filling his mouth and eye, but he didn’t care. He clawed upward, his fingers numb and bleeding, the weight of the earth pressing down on him. He could feel his strength waning, but the thought of staying buried spurred him on.

Finally, he broke through the surface, gasping as fresh air flooded his lungs, he scrambled out, dirt clinging to his skin, every breath still a struggle as he collapsed onto the ground. Even free, the terror lingered, a deep-rooted panic that left him trembling. His eye darted around the dark, open space above, half-expecting the earth to swallow him back up. His chest heaved, his heart racing as he tried to calm the chaos in his mind, but the fear clung to him, cold and unyielding, a reminder of the dark, suffocating tomb he had just escaped. Ray breaks down on the ground, his fists pressed against the floor as he begins to start sobbing when the shock wears off; “Dear God…” He breathes heavily and unsteadily as more tears begin to fall from the horror he just escaped.

October 4th, 2015. 1:15 AM.

An hour after Ray’s mental breakdown, the shock had returned to him, as the only things on his mind were the other politicians who were with Advik, Judge Stanton, and the prosecutor who was in cahoots with Stanton, Victor Blake. “They all know Advik was in the wrong, he tried to attack me after I told him off when he tried to come onto Julia, who was a minor at the time, and he was in his early forties! It’s not enough, I need all of them dead.” With resolve, Ray set out on his vengeful mission.

The first, was a man named Alexander Trenton, who was swiftly killed and sprawled out in a living room with a large knife wound to his abdomen. Blood splattered on the cushions.

The second was Marcus Hale, who was killed in the park when Ray ran and snuck up behind him while he was out with his wife, slamming his forehead down once on a railing and causing a dent that warped the shape of his head, killing him slowly from the trauma. As Ray booked it out of there, he could hear the man’s wife scream.

Third was Jonathan Prescott, dead in his armchair with his eyes hanging out of their sockets. His neck with noticeable finger markings on them, but no prints, as Ray had strangled him while putting on gloves. The pressure was so great from his strength, it caused his eyes to pop out.

Fourth, Vincent Langford, lying lifeless on the floor in a building with the top half of his head sliced off, his blood pouring out of him like water from a tub spout.

The last politician, Philip Carmichael, was hung to a wall in his house when Ray grabbed a spear decoration and skewered him with it, pinning him to the wall and letting him bleed out.

Victor Blake was killed when Ray dragged him into an alleyway and pinned him to the floor before stomping once on his ribcage, shattering it and causing shards of his bones to pierce his heart. He died from internal bleeding.

Now, after two hours, he’d found the last target, Lawrence Stanton, sleeping peacefully in his bed. Ray wakes him up, as his eyes open, they widen with horror upon seeing him; “W-what?! You can’t be!” “Oh, I am. You tried to sentence me to death, without any sedatives or paralytics. That was the worst pain I’d ever been in my entire life. And what was I greeted with after I survived? I was buried alive! The coroner never checked, it seems. His lack of care saved me, and I could not be happier!” Ray glares at him, leaning in closer. Judge Stanton’s face shows nothing but fear; “Stay away from me!” He shouts pathetically, as he kicks Ray in the face, but Ray’s head fails to budge once, he grabs him before taking a syringe out from his pocket. “This is Pancuronium bromide. The same chemical that causes muscle paralysis and respiratory arrest. This is what I was given when I was ‘executed,’ so it’s only fair you take the same.”

Before he can react, Judge Stanton feels his skin get pierced as the syringe gets injected in him. Ray watches him soon die the same way that everyone thought he himself did, watching his body jerk in agony as he screams from the depths of his lungs helplessly. Soon, he collapses, dead.

Ray stands still, having finally achieved the revenge he’d sought, feeling a hollow emptiness, a cold, sinking void where satisfaction should be. The anticipated triumph is replaced by a heavy, aimless weight, as if the purpose that fueled him has vanished, leaving only a lingering sense of futility and loss. He looks at his hands; “I guess my real dad was right…” He tells himself; “This time, I really am a murderer… I can’t be mad at anybody else, but me. Advik was out of self-defense, but here… I did so intentionally…” He says calmly, as the shock fully wears down. Ray leaves Judge Stanton’s house; “I can’t be a hero… not after what I did…” He thinks to himself, a frown falling onto his face, filled with regret.

October 4th, 2015. 4:35 AM.

Ray stands outside his house, taking deep breaths, bracing himself in hopes of not scaring his family from the shock of him being alive; “I might as well just go in and hope for the best…” He thinks nervously. He opens the front door, and he hears the sound of someone rolling over on the couch; “Ray…?” A soft mutter comes from the living room; “Julia…” He responds, his tone tired and lifeless. Julia gets up from the couch and sees Ray, there he was, hollow-eyed, but unmistakably alive; “Ray!” She shouts with happiness, running over and hugging him; “I’m so glad you’re safe!” She expresses her joy.

She breaks the hug and calls out to the hallway; “Mom! Dad! Ray’s back!” Her voice reaches the master bedroom, after a few seconds, Mrs. Martin walks out of the room, Dr. Martin follows shortly behind; “Oh my God, you’re home!” Mrs. Martin cried, rushing toward him as a sob of pure joy escaped. As she wraps her arms around him, Dr. Martin smiles, putting a hand on his shoulder; “We were waiting for you to come back, are you alright, Ray?” He asks supportively. “So, it wasn’t them that buried me, it makes sense. I can’t die from lethal injection, so my body was passed off from the higher ups. The coroner must not have cared, and that’s why I was buried alive…” Ray shivers from the thought.

Mrs. Martin notices the way his body shivers, immediately pulling away; “Ray, what happened? Are you ok?” She asks, concerned. But Ray just sank to his knees as tears began to stream down his face, shaking as she clung to him; “I can’t do it…” Ray said tiredly. His breathing hitched; “I can’t take it, I don’t wanna do this shit anymore!” Mrs. Martin knelt beside him, cradling his head in her arms, whispering; “Shhh, it’s ok, it’s ok.”

Ray’s body trembled, overwhelmed by their happiness, unable to hold back the flood of guilt and trauma rushing through him. “I’m tired… I wanna go to sleep…” “Ray, what happened?” Julia asked with concern. “I don’t wanna talk about it right now, I’m tired…” Ray answered, his tone depressed. Julia closes her mouth, holding herself back from repeating the question, putting her hand on his back for comfort. “Come on, let’s get you to bed. You can tell us when you’re ready.” Dr. Martin speaks softly, Ray listens and stands up, though he chooses to just walk to his room without their support. He enters the room and closes the door behind him, staring at his bed before flopping onto it, not even bothering to get under the covers, he closes his eye and drifts off.

October 4th, 2015. 3:40 PM.

Ray sits at the table, his posture slouched as his hands rest heavily on the surface. His brows are furrowed, eye distant and shadowed with emptiness, staring blankly at the table. The room feels still, almost oppressive, his thoughts weighing down the very air. “Wait, when did you get there?” Julia asks as she walks into the kitchen. “Huh? Oh… I’ve been here for about an hour.” “I didn’t even hear you leaving your room.” She responds, sitting down in the chair next to him; “I’m sorry if I sound like I’m prying, but what happened?” She asked, concerned.

Ray groans, knowing that he should just get it out instead of waiting any longer; “Julia… I… I was buried alive…” Julia sat frozen, her eyes widening in shock as the words hit her like a wave. Her breath caught in her throat, and her hand instinctively rose to her mouth. The color drained from her face, her mind struggling to process the revelation. She remained silent, utterly dumbfounded, as if the gravity of what she had just heard stole her ability to speak. “But worse…” Ray speaks up; “I proved my father right…” “Ray, tell me it’s not what I think-” “No, it is… killed not just another man, but seven. Those other guys who were with Advik, and the prosecutor and judge who humiliated mom in court by working against her completely. I killed them all…” He confesses.

Ray lowers his head; “I wanted to be a hero, I wanted to be different from the ones in the Emerald Faction, but when I acted on my own accord, I went out of my way and slaughtered them. I’m just a murderer…” Julia puts her hand on his shoulder; “I’m sorry, I don’t even know what to say, nor could I even imagine how awful you must feel. For that to happen, after being buried alive, that’s… that’s just terrifying.” “Yeah… also, Julia, I’m curious.” Ray looks up. “About what?” “Those boxes, are we moving?” He asks, pointing at the boxes by the hallway. “Oh, yeah, we’re moving.” “Where? Why?” “We have to move because ever since that rigged case, mom’s had zero clients coming to her since her reputation here was basically ruined. Dad found a place in Florida where he can still work, and mom was able to find a place that wants to hire her.” She explains, Ray looks down; “I’m not surprised by that reason… I saw it myself, they were ruthless to her.” Ray said, sadly.

“It was awful when she came home, I’d never seen her more heartbroken in her life. Even after dad and I explained to her that you’d live because of the toxic serum, she was still crying, so we just let her let it out.” Julia explains further before taking a deep breath; “Ray, we’re just really glad that you’re back here, safe.” “Thanks, Julia. I appreciate it, but… I don’t know if I’d even be able to go with…” “What are you talking about-” Julia cuts herself off, quickly understanding before speaking again; “Right… if people saw you walking around, despite you being broadcasted, it would only draw trouble to us.” “Yeah…” “Well, shit, I don’t want you having to be on your own again. There has to be something we can do…” Julia trails off as she crosses her arms. She speaks up; “Let’s just wait for mom and dad to get back from the post office, alright?” “That works for me…” Ray answered, tired as he slumped forward again.

October 4th, 2015. 4:30 PM.

After coming home from the post office, Ray explained the situation as to what happened with Dr. and Mrs. Martin, as well as his reason for wanting to stay behind. “I’m fine with staying behind, I’ve been on my own before, and I’m stronger now, so I’ll manage.” Ray comments, trying to make his situation seem less severe than it is. “Well, shit, this doesn’t help, but I’ll try to see if there’s anything that can be done.” Dr. Martin answered, perplexed by the new situation. “Hey… so, I was thinking of something, it might sound far-fetched, but I don’t know what else to really do. I’ve been thinking about the idea for a while, but wanted to wait till you two got home.” Julia spoke softly, getting everyone’s attention. Their gaze letting her know to tell them.

“One thing that came to mind is that there’s tons of people online who are fans of serial killers, people like Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, or even Richard Ramirez, all of them have fans. It might sound fucked up, but given that people like them have fans, I wouldn’t be surprised if Ray himself had fans, given that the people he killed are widely hated by younger people.” “Wait, are you saying that on the chance I have fans, they’d be willing to let me stay with them?” Ray asked, his eyebrow raised, dumbfounded. Julia cringes; “Yeah, I know, it’s stupid…” She looks away, embarrassed by the thought. “Well, it couldn’t exactly hurt to try.” Dr. Martin comments; “It’s not like we have any other ideas right now.” Mrs. Martin adds. “Alright, but how do we even go about it then?” Ray asks while leaning forward; “I could probably just go around the city, asking people what they think. I’ll pretend that I’m doing a college report on psychology and how different people feel about serial killers. I’m bound to find some people who support you.” Julia suggests. “You know what? That doesn’t sound bad.” Ray answers; “Alright, then I’m out of here! I’m gonna go look around!” Julia walks toward a shelf, grabbing her keys and walking out the front door.

October 7th, 2015. 8:50 AM.

Ray lays in bed, peacefully sleeping until he feels someone shaking him; “Ray! Ray, wake up! I got good news!” Julia says excitedly. Ray groans from being woken, slowly opening his eye; “Huh? What’s up?” “I found someone who’d be happy to give you a place to stay!” She announced. “Wait, seriously?!” Ray shouts in surprise as he sits up; “Who?!” “You know that one Mexican restaurant I work at, Cocina del Rey?” “Yeah.” “My boss, Carlos, told me that the restaurant has an attic that’s never used.” “An attic?” “Yeah, cause the restaurant used to be a house before it was renovated. He hates people like Advik, so not only does he support you, but told me that if you need a place to stay, you can use the restaurant’s attic.” She explains while smiling.

“Julia…” Ray says before hugging her; “Thank you. I’m so glad to have someone like you to have my back.” “Of course, Ray.” She responds softly, hugging him back. “I’m gonna miss you.” “Hmm? Oh, I’m not moving, actually.” She tells him, Ray breaks the hug and looks at her, confused; “Wait, what? What do you mean?” He asked. “Originally, I was gonna transfer colleges before moving, but because you chose to stay here, I figured I might as well stay too. I’m looking online right now for a cheap apartment I can rent, so I won’t be that far away from you.” She explained. “That’s nice to hear.” “Yeah! Also, I’ll do my best in my freetime to try helping you with whatever you need! Help you get back up on your feet, y’know?” She replied, enthusiastic about the situation. “So, I’m guessing I should probably box my things up?” “Yep! Cause once I find an apartment and get settled in, we’re gonna help you move in. After that is when mom and dad are gonna be driving out to Florida.” “Well, I better get to it then.” Ray responds, getting out of bed.

October 19th, 2015. 12:45 PM.

The attic of Cocina del Rey, once a forgotten space thick with dust and cobwebs, had always felt gloomy and cluttered. Layers of grime coated old, mismatched boxes, and the musty smell of long-forgotten memories hung in the air. Every step stirred up dust, and the dim light barely pierced through the grime-coated window.

Now, it has been fully transformed into a cozy, welcoming bedroom. The floors glean, newly polished, and the walls, freshly painted, give the room a sense of openness and calm. The once cluttered corners are now filled with thoughtful decor and organized storage. Small rays of sunlight gently seep through a window blocked by a curtain, showing off Ray’s bed, a soft rug, and tidy shelves. “Well, what do you think, Ray?” Mrs. Martin asked, her tone sentimental; “I’m impressed with what we got done! It’s hard to believe this was ever the same room!” Ray answers, his tone thankful.

“We’re glad you like it,” Dr. Martin comments; “...by the way, Ray, we got something for you.” “Hmm? What is it?” He asks curiously. Dr. Martin reaches inside his jacket pocket and takes out a box with a cellphone in it; “Oh my God! I haven’t had one in so long! Y-you’re not pulling my leg, right?” Ray reacts, dumbfounded. “Not just that, since you didn’t want anybody tracking you, I also got you this from the same Plutonians that helped you survive the toxic serum.” Dr. Martin takes out a chip and holds it out for him to take. “A Plutonian chip! No way!” Ray shouts, smiling as he takes both of them. “I can keep in touch again…” He says softly, feeling some nostalgia. Dr. Martin smiles as Ray sets them down on his desk.

Julia sits on the bed, leaning back as she props her arms behind her, taking a deep breath; “Well… I guess this is it. This feels so weird.” She says quietly. “Yeah…” Mrs. Martin responds, a small silence comes upon them, clearing when Dr. Martin speaks up; “Well, we better get going. Come on, you two.” He said as he walked over to Ray, hugging him. “Bye, dad.” “Take care, champ.” He pats him on the back twice before breaking the hug; “Thank you for the phone and chip. I’ll be sure to call you two whenever I can.” “Of course, buddy.” Dr. Martin nodded. As he goes to hug Julia, Mrs. Martin hugs Ray in a tight embrace; “I’ll miss you, Ray.” “Mom…” Ray says quietly. He closes his eye and rests his face on her shoulder; “I’ll stay safe, I promise.” He mumbles. Mrs. Martin smiles; “I know you will.” She responded in a soothing tone, extending the hug and only waiting for when he’s ready to break the hold.

After what feels like an eternity for Ray, he finally lifts his head up; “You two have a safe drive, alright?” “Of course. You two stay safe as well, we love you both dearly.” She says softly before breaking the hug. “I love you too, mom. And I love you too, dad.” Ray responds, smiling back. Mrs. Martin feels a tear come from her eye, Dr. Martin puts his arm around her; “Well, we better get going before she becomes too emotional to drive.” He says lightly. Julia lets out a small chuckle to help lighten the mood; “Yeah, that sounds like it’s for the best.” Dr. Martin nods. “Alright, we’re off then.” He starts walking her down the attic; “Bye, Julia! Bye, Ray!” “Bye, mom! Bye, dad!” Ray and Julia shout back in unison. Mrs. Martin looks behind her; “Call us every chance you get, alright? I love you!” She called out. Both wave at her, letting her know they’ll do just that.

After their parents leave, Ray sits down in his computer chair; “Bro, Julia, this is so fucking weird…” “Tell me about it.” Julia responds, sounding exhausted as she flops backfirst onto the bed. The two remain silent, letting the knowledge that they’re both on their own sink in. Ray breaks the silence; “I might as well get this installed now.” He stops leaning back and sits up straight, grabbing the Plutonian chip and takes off the case to his computer. “Hey, Ray? My phone’s on the desk, could you toss it to me real quick?” “Yeah.” He grabs her phone, handing it to her.

Julia takes her phone; “Thanks.” She said before looking at the time; “Oh, shit, it’s past one.” She sits up; “Hey, Ray, I’m gonna head back to my place. I need to get ready for work, also I left my time card at home. I’ll be seeing you around, if you need anything, call.” She said, getting up and putting her phone away. She grabbed her keys; “Got it. Bye, Julia.” “Bye, Ray.” She looks at him one last time before leaving the attic.

After she left, Ray closed the attic and went back to installing the chip. After having put it in, he puts the case back onto his computer and gets started on setting up his phone; “It’s not where I imagined I’d be, but it’s fine. It’ll be a slowburn, though I know I’m gonna get better. I owe Julia for bringing me into this family, and I wanna repay her someday. Maybe when I get back on my feet.” Ray thought. “But that day never came, nor did I get better. I got worse, I let the trauma of what happened the night I got buried keep coming back every time I felt motivated. I spent almost three years wasting away in that attic, only coming out every few days for fresh air. I got lazy, I became a degenerate, looking at weird shit, originally out of curiosity, but then a way for me to cope with my boredom and unwillingness to do anything. Worst of all, I hurt Julia by making her lose hope in me…” Present Ray pondered, having remembered everything.

June 7th, 2018. 8:05 PM.

As Ray’s mind comes back to the present, remains slumped forward, depressed about the memories he just suffered through. The first thing he hears is Elio, making his closing speech; “Together, we can forge a future where the dream of peace is not just a hope, but a reality for every child, every community, and every nation. Thank you, and may we continue this journey with renewed purpose, knowing that peace is within our reach, if we dare to believe in it. Now, before we continue on with the finale of this show, I’d like to speak a few words to Ray Steel. Thank you.” He finishes. As he steps away from the podium, the crowd gives a roaring round of applause and cheers.

As he approaches Ray, Ray’s expression saddens; “Mom, dad, I’m sorry… I’m so sorry that you have to watch this broadcast once more. This neverending nightmare, I can’t stand it! And Julia… Julia… I’m horrible. I leeched off of you for so long, just for this to happen. Nearly three years, gone to waste because I’m going to die for real this time…” He thought, completely heartbroken. A quiet sob comes from him as tears begin to fall from his eye.

Elio hears his sobs get progressively louder and heavier, he stops right in front of him, standing above Ray. As Ray looks up, Elio smiles upon him, reaching his hand to his eye and lightly grazing it; “Hold back those tears for now, let them fall when the time is right.” Elio said with a soft, gentle voice. The heat from his hand evaporated the teardrop. Ray has a look of bewilderment on his face; “W-what…?” He asked. Elio spoke; “Ray, I was a coward for doing what I did. I betrayed you when you were cornered. I don’t care if you don’t forgive me for what I did, but keep up the fight. I learned what you’ve been through, Julia told me everything. You wanted to be a hero, one who goes against the law itself for what is right, that’s true justice in my eyes. Let me use true justice to save you.” Ray’s eye widened. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

Elio’s smile slowly morphs into an insane grin as he clasps his hands together, slowly raising his arms up high as heat flows toward the hands. The people all over watch in anticipation, as they believe Elio is about to strike Ray himself. With a deep breath, Elio exhales steam. In one swift, powerful motion, he swings his arms down with force. The impact is devastating, metal bends and shatters as the chair breaks into pieces, split cleaning under the immense strength of the blow.

Elio shouts; “I won’t just save you, I’ll fight this whole system with you!”