It hurts
It hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts! it hurts!
The words looped endlessly in my skull,
hammering louder than the crackle of fire or the roar of the ship beneath me.
I screamed until my throat shredded, until the sound no longer felt human but something raw and broken. The fire chewed its way through me mercilessly. I felt my fingernails burn away. First curling, blackening, snapping off like shells before the flames reached the skin beneath. They peeled it raw, leaving my nerves naked. Ash and nail dust scattered over my blistering flesh as I clawed at the air.
The sleeve of my red coat ignited in less than a second, turning fabric into fire. I screamed, pulling my arm free from Rapidash's flaming skull, but it was already too late. My skin stuck to the charred wood, then tore as I pulled loose. The pain followed me down as I collapsed, slamming onto the deck, clawing and ripping at my burning sleeve until it tore away.
I hit one knee, gasping for air, coughing through smoke and tears. My vision swam, blurred with salt and blood. Slowly, I forced myself to look down at my arm at.
From my fingertips all the way to my shoulder, it was ruined. A raw, blackened mess. My stomach lurched at the sight, but I couldn't even gag. The stench of my own scorched flesh was thick, disgusting, but the pain screamed louder than smell, louder than thought.
Then something inside my mind snapped.
I felt it. A strange, sickening jolt deep in the nerves. And then...nothing. My arm was there, right in front of my face, but it was gone. My body had abandoned it, erased it from the map. I shook, staring wide eyed, refusing to believe.
The world shattered further when Rapidash shrieked. The ghost horse bucked and reeled, smashing itself left and right across the deck. Purple fire streamed in chaotic bursts as its cries cut like knives. The woman screamed desperate commands but Rapidash was lost to the same agony as me. It couldn't hear her. It couldn't hear anything at all.
With one last tortured screech, the flames along its back sputtered out before the deck shook as the beast collapsed with a heavy, final thud.
The woman staggered backward, her pale face caught between fear and disbelief.
I swayed on my feet, every nerve shredded, every breath clawing out of me. Blood covered my face, dripping into the corners of my mouth, but before I knew it a grin appeared on my face.
With my one good arm, I raised a trembling finger at her.
"You're dead."
The words came out cracked, but the intent was sharp enough to cut steel.
I staggered forward, every step heavy and crooked, blood dripping from me in streams that stained the deck with each drop. My vision swam, but I saw her collapse onto her back, scrambling backward like a cornered animal. Her eyes were wide with terror.
"Don't come here…" her voice broke, shaking with panic before it twisted into a loud scream. "I SAID DON'T COME HERE, YOU MONSTER! GO AWAY!"
Her voice grated against my ears, high and desperate, but I kept moving. My right arm was dead weight, nothing but burned flesh I could no longer feel, and every breath cut into my chest like knives. My eyelids begged to close, but I forced them open. Forced myself forward.
And then I was standing over her.
The girl who had beaten me down, who had ordered my death, was now weeping before me, crawling backward with her hands shaking against the scorched deck. I turned my gaze from her twisted, tear streaked face to the horizon. The sun was rising, bleeding orange and gold across the sea. The night was fully over… but so was I.
The wind carried away the choking smell of fire and smoke, pushing it toward Vermilion's distant harbor. My eyes lowered again to find her kneeling before me, bowing her head, voice cracking as she muttered the same words over and over.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry—"
"Lift your head." My voice came out flat, hollow, drained of emotion.
She obeyed instantly, raising her face with a sudden, desperate smile only for my boot to connect with her jaw. A tooth flew, blood spattering across the deck as her head snapped sideways. She groaned, then slowly raised her eyes again, searching my face for mercy.
"Lift your head again," I said, colder this time.
But she didn't. She kept her face pressed low, trembling.
Before I could move, Wigglytuff stepped between us. Her small body blocked my view, her round frame trembling, her emerald eyes filled with worry. She stood firm despite the fear I could see written all over her.
I exhaled, every bone in my chest grinding together as I tried to breathe. My vision blurred on Wigglytuff's face.
"Miss Wiggly… could you please get out of my way?" I asked, my tone flat, almost mechanical.
She shook her head, refusing.
"I asked nicely." My voice cracked, my patience with it. "So let's be real. Miss Wiggly… please go back to being useless again, like you were a second ago!" I snapped.
Her cry pierced the air as she pushed me lightly away from herself, sending me crashing onto my back. My skull rang against the wooden deck. Blood spilled from my mouth as I coughed then curved into a grin. The grin warped into a smile. The smile broke into laughter.
I dragged myself upright, laughter spilling from my throat in ragged bursts.
"You useless fuck!" I screamed.
Charlotte let out a small screech behind Wigglytuff, cowering further. My voice cracked as I roared at the sky.
"YOU DIDN'T DO SHIT WHILE I WAS GETTING BEATEN TO DEATH! AND NOW THAT I'M TRYING TO GIVE THE FAVOR BACK, YOU'RE IN MY WAY?! GIVE ME A BREAK ALREADY!"
My words echoed across the ruined deck, and for a moment, silence followed.
Then a voice called out from the shadows of the ship.
"Will you shut up already?"
I turned. From the smoke and broken wood emerged an Electivire, its massive arms crackling with sparks. Behind it, a bald man in a white mask and black suit stepped onto the deck. The moment I saw him, I recognized him and judging by the grin that twisted beneath his mask, he recognized me too.
"Well, well," he drawled, amusement dripping from every word. "Look what we have here."
I tilted my head toward the rising sky, then back at him, thoughts spinning, snapping inside my skull.
Why are there so many people in my way? Do they not know? Do they not see? They should know they are in my way. ##### would never get in my way. Why… why aren't they like #####?
My teeth clenched, my bloodied lips twitching into a smile as the thought spiraled, fractured, and broke.
I guess… I can get rid of anyone who isn't #####.
Something snapped inside my head.