A horn echoed in the distance. A voice played over the blaring horns accompanied by high pitched ringing.

"What are you doing? You're gonna be late for..." The voice drowned out into incomprehensible mutters.

The voice sounded familiar, a voice I had heard often. The memory of the voice's owner was fleeting as the wind, I could feel it but not grasp it. Words escaped my mouth, I had no control over them.

"Another gruesome day awaits".

My memory was trying to recollect where I'd heard that before. I felt like a passenger as I was whisked slowly away from my currently blurred surroundings, I could only see my legs moving but I wasn't moving them. The light in the surroundings suddenly intensified, but it only brightened the blurry image surroundings. If anything, it became harder to see. The brightness suddenly dimmed again, I smelled gasoline faintly, and I heard more indistinct chatter. The legs moved further before stopping. I could slightly feel motion, but I looked down at the legs and they weren't moving.

'FOLLOW FOLLOW FOLLOW'

Further indistinct chatter rose, I could faintly hear the soft purr of an engine almost drowned out by all the chatter. The surroundings soon started to slowly resolve, I noticed the colors became clearer. The legs soon moved once more, and I could already minutely perceive shapes and forms. Some dialogue filtered into my ears.

" How's it going…" They were still fading.

I felt a familiar weight pulling on my shoulders. Pieces formed, I could already make out the floor along with other people's feet. I was on some kind of pavement, I still had no control of my legs. I then noticed them climbing onto an elevated flooring which was vastly different in contrast to the concrete pavement - it was tiled. 'White tiles?' Realization slowly dawned upon me and horror engulfed me as the memories came rushing back. The environment suddenly cleared up faster as my breathing hastened - I was back at highschool!

'NO! NOT THIS PLACE, WHY AM I BACK HERE?'

I was terrified and confused. The hallway lighting, the bright awful lights, the echoes of many people talking. So many people around me, but as usual, I was alone.

"Move out of the way, weirdo!" A feminine voice came from behind.

She wasn't even pretty; she was average at best, with faint freckles. Yet she also treated me like the rest of them. I was standing still at the entrance.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said and moved aside.

"Ugh! save it." She said and walked away proudly.

I sighed as I looked around. It was high school alright. I remembered the pain of this period of my life. I dragged my feet across to the notice board - I couldn't remember my class schedule. I looked at the board and my eyes rested on the first subject of the day, the other subject looked like they were there but I couldn't make any sense of it no matter how hard I tried.

'OH, JOY, PHYSICAL EDUCATION AKA GYM CLASS AKA CLASS OF TORTURE.'

I groaned inwardly. Why today, of all days? I reluctantly walked towards the locker room. It reeked of sweat and fungi.

'WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THEY CLEANED THIS PLACE?'.

The odor seriously offended my nose, it was so thick, I could almost taste it, which nauseated me instantly. It was a mandatory class or I would have quit a long time ago, only the athletic shine here, those who aren't are kicked to the curb. Such a wonderful and cozy curb where I can feel safe, trash belongs in the trashcan and thus I belong.

'RINGING, A BELL, BELLS, COLORS… PAIN!!'

I would never dare to wear the gym clothes provided by the school. I had a pair I bought myself. Don't misread me, I once saw a guy nutting into the basket where the clothes are kept - disgusting! I was very sure that it wasn't the first time. I would have told the others but they would never listen to me so instead I bought my clothes.

I walked into the sports room, basically the indoor basketball court used for other indoor activities like the dreaded Dodgeball. I stood in the corner waiting for my demise, silently hoping I wouldn't be noticed. Students lined up in rows on both sides of the court. One side filled with the weak and scrawny ones and the others filled with meatheads. It was a massacre, the strong preying on the weak. I tried very hard not to be noticed.

"Hey! You! Line up with them!" the coach ordered. Whispers arose once more.

'LIGHTS…METAL…FLESH'

He didn't even know my name. I sauntered across the court to the other end. I joined the row of death. I heard snickers from the other side, obviously preparing themselves to bolster their over-inflated egos by hurting others. A bucket full of balls of death stood before me, it was filled with soccer balls instead. The others went ahead and took the balls and returned to the row. There was no hope of leaving here without bruises.

Everything suddenly slowed down. The coach's hand slowly reached for the whistle. I looked at the people on my side; they were cowering in fear. All the boys on the other side smiled in anticipation.

The teacher sucked in a deep breath and held the whistle to his mouth. The sharp shrill noise that followed signaled our demise.

Balls flew at speeds dangerous to my weak constitution, I heard pained cries on both sides. Suddenly my heart skipped - A ball was heading towards me. I tried hard to move but my feet were glued to the floor; the ball headed towards my face with unstoppable momentum; I was powerless to resist. It smashed into my face, breaking my nose instantly, and left the metal taste of blood in my mouth. I was dazed instantly, my vision blurred, I could hear the mocking laughter through my ringing ears. Anger rose inside me, anger from all the years I was mistreated and insulted that I accepted it without resistance. My body trembled with rage.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

'KILL…. PAIN… REVENGE… WINDOWS.'

A sharp pain assaulted my head and those strange voices appeared. The surroundings suddenly warped, becoming nothing but a flurry of colors.

'PAIN! PAIN!! PAIN!!!'

"No! Leave me alone!" I covered my ears screaming. It rocked back and forth, coming with greater intensity. Suddenly, I heard no more. I looked around, no one seemed to hear the voices, even my outbursts just now, their eyes were all focused unnaturally away from me.

'WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?'

I took another glance at all of them before picking up the inconspicuous looking ball, my gaze set upon the one that broke my nose, I noticed he was looking at someone else. I took the advantage and threw the ball with all the enraged strength I could muster. It flew towards him in a cyclic path. I looked at it silently as it carried all my frustrations towards him.

'IT’S GOING TO HIT ITS MARK, IT WILL HIT'

But despair filled my heart as a hand rose and caught the ball squarely. It didn't matter how hard I tried, no matter the effort I put in, it would amount to nothing. Nothing can come from nothing - it was the gruesome truth I realized as the dodgeball came hurling towards my stomach and sent me reeling to the floor. They wouldn't have mercy at my condition, instead, they launched more projectiles towards me, inflicting injury after injury while the coach idly stood by as they pelted me.

'GLASS, GLASS, SHATTER, GLASS!!!'

Whispers echoed in my head and my environment suddenly warped violently. There was ringing somewhere...

I was in pain but no one cared, not even the ones on my side. Why would they care anyway? I'm just an insignificant nobody. Hot tears flowed from my eyes as I cried in the realization of my worthlessness. After thirty more minutes of pain, gym class ended. I could barely move and no one bothered to help me out. It was an uphill struggle to get up. My body ached all over, but they were nothing compared to the painful realization of my nothingness. I was hurting inside and outside, but the pain hadn't ended. I went back to the locker room with my body aching all over, I suddenly felt a chill as I stepped through the door.

I looked forward, and a group of about six people stood before me.

'THIS IS A SETUP.'

I looked around the room; it was empty.

'LOOKS LIKE THEY PUT IN SOME WORK'

"What do you want?" I asked, breathing exhaustion through my words.

"Well, aren't you a cocky little bloke, having the balls to throwback, it almost hit me," He said with a wicked grin, I couldn't bother to describe his features. Fiery chestnut hair was all I could remember.

They surrounded me quickly. I couldn't even be bothered to find an escape route.

"What do you gain from all of this, to fill up your over-inflated egos, why waste your time on something so meaningless," I said with a sigh.

"To teach losers like you to learn their place," He said, cracking his fingers.

They closed in on me and sealed my fate, suddenly mixing into the surroundings. No shape, no forms, only a mixture of colors. A fist suddenly materialized, flying towards me, I instinctively tried to evade instead, I was greeted with a blow from my behind; They held me down immediately. The chestnut-haired ringleader suddenly flashed in the color riot with a disembodied fist forming, smashing into my face, sending my sight into disarray.

I refused to cry, I couldn't give them what they wanted. A kick landed in my stomach and my body went limp, my nether region wasn't spared as he raised his knee-high into it, my body shook violently from the pain, I was on the precipice of losing consciousness, tears that I held back in were threatening to burst forth. They battered me from all angles. I tried to shield my face with my arm, but it got kicked into my mouth, dislodging a tooth. Until my breath became ragged and I was thoroughly bruised did they walk away in laughter.

'DESPAIR, DEAD DEAD DEAD!!! DEAD!!!'

The whispering voice screamed. Everything rattled violently.

'YOU'RE DEAD! KILLED BY THE LIGHTS'

It died down again, everything immediately still.

'I can't go there, not again!'

I thought as my breath seized, contemplating it. I couldn't risk it, I limped towards the classroom trying very hard to conceal the pain I was experiencing. Everywhere hurt, all my body parts were pelted, even the gray area was not left out. I winced as I sat down as a groan forcefully escaped me, but I quieted it down immediately. I couldn't concentrate on the lesson, I was busy trying to deal with the raging pain. It was better than going there - I couldn't; I had to avoid there at all costs.

'JUST ENDURE IT FOR NOW AND TEND TO THE INJURIES AT HOME'

My face was bruised like a peach, I put my head down to avoid attention. I brought out the notebook for class. The pain wouldn't let me concentrate, so I skipped to the back page and doodled all sorts of oblong and dimensionless monstrosities. I heard my name being called.

"Huh", I said confused as I noticed the entire class staring at me, I could hear suppressed laughter.

"It seems to me, you're not following,", The scruffy-looking teacher said.

"What? No!", I lied immediately.

"Then why don't you come up here and answer the question on the board."He said, looking me in the eye.

I didn't listen at all in class but I had already lied; I felt like I had to go forward. I stood up, my body slightly quivered, not in fright but at the excruciating pain, the process of getting up caused me. My sight rested at my feet. If I looked up now, I would expose my bluish pink face. I painstakingly avoided classmates’ noticing. Not like they'd care. I just couldn't go back there. I was so lost in thought that I didn't notice someone had set his leg to trip me and I readily but unknowingly tripped over it.

'RUNNING… RUN…. RUN! TIME IS RUN!!'

They sent me sprawling to the ground, evoking treacherous pain all over my body, I wriggled and twitched on the floor in pain, I couldn't even groan it was overwhelming. My teeth clenched, I curled up into a ball as the pain assaulted my senses. Everything drowned out. Sounds seemed to come from all sides, but I comprehended none.

In the myriad of incoherent sounds, grave words erupted.

"Take him to the school nurse"

'NO, NO!!!, PLEASE NO!!'

I attempted to scream, but my mouth was sealed shut, the pain overwhelmed my mind as everything slowly faded away.