4-87-73 WARNING: ENTITY DELETION INEFFECTIVE. Unknown Entity anchored to Primordial Plane.
4-87-74 ATTEMPTING PROTOCOL: ENTITY AND PLANAR DELETION. UNIVERSE REMAINING: ~50%
4-87-98 WARNING: UNIVERSE REMAINING: ~25%
4-88-15 WARNING: ENTITY AND PLANAR DELETION FAILED. UNIVERSE REMAINING: ~8%
* Excerpt from Universe 25 Error Report: Series 1.43.611, Log 707.32.02
A dead-end! Some kind of loading bay with a door that appeared to be very locked. The only other way was a brick wall too high for me to jump, unless I could bust out a 15 ft vertical, but I didn’t see that happening anytime soon.
I turned on my heels. Maybe if I was fast I could still get away. But, the 4 men were blocking the exit. Dark shadowy figures, cornering me in a dead-end with nowhere to run. They had me. They knew it. If they had any kindness they would put me out of misery soon, but I could see it in their eyes. They had enjoyed the chase, and enjoyed the capture.
There was no one around. No one to judge or look down on. Men bolstered by unfettered power and like-minded individuals are capable of monstrous acts. Adding some alcohol to the mix would only make things worse.
"Please, guys, I didn't mean anything by it, I was just trying to help someone I thought was in trouble, I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just a tourist from Canada. I'm a student. I just wanted to see your country and saw someone in need. Please, you don't have to do this." I spoke as fast as I could think, desperately trying to appeal to the compassionate part of these men. Their chuckles were response enough. I knew I hadn’t gotten through.
“Listen” I said frantically reaching in my pockets for my wallet. “Here’s my wallet, you can take all the money I have left in it.” It wasn’t very much, but it was all I had on me. I doubted they would be interested in my hostel key or lighter. Maybe I could light some smokes up for them? I stayed holding it out, hoping they would just take it and go.
In the past, when confronted with bullies, I would try and make them laugh to smooth things over. Then things at home had gotten worse, and I had taken it out on one of my bullies. I had gotten suspended and they had never bothered me again. I was so drained from running and so nervous about the outcome that I couldn’t find the words to make them laugh. But, I didn’t like the person I was when I had fought back.
Please take the wallet and leave me alone.
The man with the buzzcut cleared his throat, having finally caught his breath. “First, you take away our bit of fun we was ‘avin.” His accent was much thicker to my ears than others I had spoken with and I noticed that he was clearly the leader. I also noticed he was the shortest, but I didn’t feel like pointing that out.
“Then”, he continued, “you embarrass us, and then you make us chase you all over the damn place. So yeah, we’ll take that wallet and anything else you ‘ave on you. But first, we’re gonna ‘ave a bit of fun with you”. My stomach dropped. I guess it’s option 2.
I dropped my wallet. And shakily brought up my fists.
“Little fuckin' Clark Kent wants to protect a stranger. Jus doin' his duty? Little fuckin' boy scout eh? D'you s'pose ‘e’s as tough as Supermans as well eh lads?” Buzzcut sneered. The one wearing a Manchester United Jersey answered, “only one to find out.”
I hoped this was just going to be a beating, but something in their eyes and smiles told me otherwise. In that moment it wasn’t 4 men, but 4 wolves who had cornered me, and were going in for the kill. No time to think right now, I needed to defend myself.
This is different than last time. This was self-defense. I wasn’t taking out my frustration on those around me. I wasn’t him. I knew where the line was. I wasn’t a monster.
They approached and the expected feeling came.
Fear. An unholy, unexplainable fear. A fear that has existed since the first fish decided land might be nicer than getting eaten by the much larger second fish. The fear that belonged to prey. I had been afraid before, and I had even had the fear of the prey before.
In the past I had overcome it by getting angry in return or laughing it off. But, this time was more difficult. I couldn’t reach that anger. I was so exhausted by this trip, and by life leading up to this trip. I had been so worn down by the past few years. The main source of my old anger was long gone.
I was struck by a brief clarity. Life had been so stressful, so expensive, so confusing. I was busy all the time and never found time for myself anyway. It was unlikely all this work I was doing would mean anything anyway.
Maybe this could be a gentle release, maybe it would be over quick.
No!! Such simple words, but, to me, they were a mutiny. I knew the coward that suggested those thoughts, I knew him well. He had been with me for years. The coward had struck others down. But not me. Never me.
I had fought once before, and I could fight again. This wasn’t the end for me. I wasn’t going out like that. I wouldn’t. I couldn’t.
Closer still, only a few yards ahead of me now, slowly, wary of my own raised fists.
I was …growling? Not impressively. But exhaustion mixed with defiance had finally found its way back to anger. Which escaped as a guttural growl. If I wasn't so focused I might have been embarrassed. Hopefully, it made me look a little unhinged. I could use that.
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A new clarity suffused me, aligning everything I was into surviving the next few minutes. The stress from life, bills, school, anxiety, and rent faded away. It didn't matter. What mattered was survival.
At that moment, the thought of giving up over something so trivial as stress seemed funny. Why had I been so weighed down these past years? None of that mattered, what mattered was survival, and I wanted to survive.
I lurched forward a bit, the purpose filling my body needed an outlet. Whatever was about to happen I wanted to get it over with.
Just kill me or let me leave. An insane thought, but I felt a little insane at that moment.
My body relaxed and I was ready. Whatever happened next. I was ready.
The guy with a nasty neckbeard threw the first punch and I almost jumped into the alley wall.
Too ready.
But, I dodged the first punch, and then the second one from the final guy wearing a plaid coat. That was all I could manage as I didn't dodge the kick from Buzzcut. Or the follow-up punch from Manchester U Jersey.
A few seconds in and I was already feeling dazed and wanting nothing more than sleep. But, it was my turn to throw some punches. I threw some wild hooks and jabs whenever I got the chance, trying desperately to stay mobile. The only benefit to us all being inebriated is that my body was pretty loose, and took hits better than if I was sober. It quickly got a little blurry as I threw punches and kicks back as fast as I was receiving them, with some of them even connecting.
One thing they never show in movies is how much punching and getting punched hurts. If not for the fear and adrenaline I think I would've been curled up on the floor crying in pain.
Regardless, I was getting to the end of my rope, and a solid right hook launched me into the alley side, through a couple rusty metal pipes. They didn't soften my fall much, but did break apart as I fell through them.
At that point, all I wanted was to stay down. The ground was cold and gritty, but felt like a down-filled mattress. I had hoped that if I put up a good fight, gave them some sport, they would leave. Opening my swollen eye I could see them still there.
Laughing.
They were laughing. I knew what happened next. I had been here, I had seen this before. The kicking and the ridiculing. They wanted to be sure. I could probably take it. I should probably just take it. Then it would be over.
Coward! Tha voice from deep within. It’s not cowardly to know when you’re beaten.
Quitter.
That one did it. I needed to end this, I was sick of being these jackasses’ punching bag. They were still laughing. I had a second to think, a second more to catch my breath. A broken pipe, just within reach.
No time to think.
I slowly started to get up, then grabbed the pipe with my right hand and struck as hard as I could with my bleary vision and aching body at Plaid Jacket’s chest. And somehow hit him square in the chest.
He fell backward, wheezing for air. Faster! He wouldn’t be down for long. Neckbeard lunged at me while Buzzcut lunged backwards. I struck Neckbeard hard, angling towards his shoulder instead of his large head. Then swung at Buzzcut as Neckbeard fell to the side. Buzzcut was slippery and dodged one swing, then another.
Too slow! Too long! I saw his eyes glance behind me and swung wildly without thinking. It was Manchester U Jersey, coming in for a grapple. I didn’t have time to adjust my swing, my pipe was aimed at his head.
I could see what would happen before it happened. I could feel the shattering of bones, and the hollow thwock of metal on flesh. I would finish him off and then finish Buzzcut and run to safety.
Time slowed and I met his wide, horrified eyes with my own. Those eyes. Horrified eyes begging me to stop, but I had been so angry. Those eyes had haunted my dreams for years, and here they were again.
I stopped mid swing, an inch from his horrified face. I couldn’t do it.
Then I was tackled to the ground.
Buzzcut!
Buzzcut had taken his chance to tackle me, knocking my weapon away in the process. I rolled and struggled, but to no avail. Neckbeard and Plaid Coat were also back.
The fight was over, they had me, and they knew it.
“Pull him up, pull him up!” Buzz cut said and I felt arms wrap around mine and lift me to my feet. I struggled, but they had my arms held tight, and I was so tired. My head lolled slightly, exhaustion finally creeping up on me.
“Alan. I think he’s had enough, eh? We got him in the end. Let’s call it a night” I heard ManU Jersey say.
What the? I supposed the prospect of a steel pipe blasting apart his head had sobered him up.
“Oh, turning into a little chickenshit now are ya?” Buzzcut, or Alan I supposed, yelled at ManU, “I’m pretty certain Bruce and DannyBoy would like to take a piece out of this asshole? Would be pretty rude if we just let them take all the beating and not be allowed to return the favor, don't you think?” Plaid Jacket and NeckBeard grunted their agreements. I don’t know why, but I guessed Neckbeard was Bruce. A plaid jacket seemed like DannyBoy behavior.
“Yeah, but what else can you do? Look at him, no fun to be had with this one.” ManU Jersey continued. Still didn’t know his name. I didn’t care much, but he was the only one making sense and my last lifeline so he had my full attention.
“Oh, I’ve got a few ideas,” Alan responded. My eyes shot open to the sound of spring-loaded metal scraping filling the loading bay. A switchblade??? I had worried about knives, but to actually see him pull out a knife, especially the human-stabbing kind, put my body into overdrive. I was in trouble. It wasn’t funny anymore, it never had been. This couldn’t be happening. It wasn’t real.
“Come on man.” my last defendant urged, “ you don’t have to do this”.
“Fuck you!!” Alan exploded at ManU Jersey, but kept his eyes on me. This was it. Alan approached with the knife.
"Shit, shit, shit," my stomach dropped, trying to get out of the way and I braced for the end. I pulled back to no avail as both men held me firm.
The knife approached and time seemed to slow.
I waited, expecting my life to flash before my eyes. Thinking of every stupid thing I had done that led me to this moment. I’m sorry Kate, I’m sorry Mom. I’m sorry…the knife had now stopped altogether, a mere finger's width from ending me.
Was I dead? The knife hung there, my assailants and I hung there, but I could feel that I wasn’t moving.
I was frozen in place and all was frozen around me.
Then, beginning in the distance and approaching blindingly fast, an all-consuming blackness enveloped the sky.
Then it consumed the buildings around us.
Then the street.
Then my attackers.
And finally me.
And all was darkness.