{C'mon, number 4. Come save me before these sons of bitches get me for good}
"Chill, noob. I'm dealing with two invaders here. Number 2 is free, he might attend to you, noob," Eric replied heatedly, pressing hard on the console with his sweaty palms.
The one down, number 3, relented.
{It's cool then. Go on. The show must go on}
Pew! Pew! Headshot!
"The show must go on, he says. But what am I supposed to do when my d--k is stuck in a PVC pipe?" Eric mumbled, frustrated at the number 4 player who wouldn't let others concentrate because he was down.
{Yoooo. What the f--k?}
Number 2 yelled and laughed.
Eric was shocked when he realized he had been heard. In truth, he had wanted to say that to himself and really thought he had, until he heard the distorted sound of laughter coming from number 2. Soon enough, the other players joined in.
Number 1 said in between bouts of hysterics:
{Really, dude. Where did that come from? How the f--k can you get your shit stuck... Man, I'm dying}
"Uhm, sorry guys. I didn't mean to say that out loud," said Eric. He had grown red in the face already, even though none of them could see him.
Number 1 replied:
{It's all good, man. That's some good humour. But in case that shit really happens, you should seek a lot of grease. Also, make sure you don't think of her so it doesn't get harder. Y'know, there's something called blood flow. Your shit expands, but since it's stuck in the PVC pipe...}
{C'mon dude, stop making this more awkward. He doesn't need any of that}, said number 2, still trying to stifle his laughs without success.
Eric was bored and sick of it all. He never wanted anyone to witness this side of him. Anyone but just one person. But here he was, receiving lectures on how to get his pipe unstuck from a pipe.
'phew. Grateful they can't see me. They're not even from this colony as it seems.'
"Alright guys. We managed to win this round even though number 3 was kinda playing against us. I'll join again in the eventide. I'll be sure to send requests now. Let's team up again," Eric announced his departure and immediately switched off the GameStation console he held nimbly in his hands.
{Right, bye. But what colony are you from. You seem--}
Number 1 wanted an answer, but Eric switched off before he could finish. It was enough trouble having to deal with them after that blunder. He didn't want anyone coming to make friends with him just because he was good at 'Call Of Fury' or because he made them laugh with his trash talk. Only one person was allowed in his life to witness that side of him, and that person...
"Hey, Abyss. You down?" A lean boy with a very boyish face and a scattered mass of jet black hair swung the door open without knocking and immediately jumped on the bed beside Eric.
'And here he comes again.'
"I'm up, Void. And again, stop calling me Abyss," said Eric.
"Why? You're my friend, and since my name is Void, you should be Abyss. It's a no-brainer," said Void.
"I'm sick of your bullshit. It's not my fault your family was depressed when they named you."
"Yes, that's true. Fuck them, Abyss. Anyway, nice game earlier. I loved the double headshots and also the grand sign-out joke you pulled there. PVC pipe shit, bro."
"How did you know?"
"How? I was spectating, weeb. I wanted a 1v1 but as I was getting my fingers ready, I remembered something..."
"Which is..?" Eric cut in.
Void continued like he hadn't been interrupted. "We are supposed to be at the Colony's Motherbase today for the rounds. But I didn't want to disturb you, y'know. Games before rounds, type shit."
Eric jumped up, alarmed. "What the f--k, Void! Do you want us to end up in the pod again?! You should have told me!"
"I love you too, man," Void replied and jumped up too, grinning. "I packed what we need already. It's outside by the door. You're welcome."
"Shit, how did I forget?"
Eric rushed into the tiny bathroom where he hung a few of his dirty clothes. He searched for the least dirty of them and opted for a brown sweater.
The amount of dirt concealed behind this brown sweater is sickening.
There was no water available at the moment to wash his face, so he only adjusted his hair as best as he could while checking his messed-up self in the broken mirror on the bathroom wall.
We should be going about our duty now. What a wasted life I'm living.
Void wasn't in the room when he came out, so he rushed out quickly to join him. He was standing tall by a pole, waving and smiling as if they weren't at risk of being seriously dealt with by the supervisor should they get to the Motherbase late. A small black backpack was strapped on his back and another was on the ground beside him, and out of it jutted some equipment they'd need at the base which the backpack couldn't keep hidden because of its size.
Every kid coming of age in the colony was given a black backpack which contained 'equipment needed for honest living' as said by the commander in charge of 'Becomers'. But in reality, all that the backpack contained were dismantled guns, foldable katanas, leather masks and gloves, practice grenades, firecrackers, and daggers, one for each Becomer.
Each kid had to be present at the base three out of seven days for their compulsory military training and also, the rounds. The rounds were basically assignments carried out by the Becomers in different sectors of the colony. Eric and Void had been assigned to the Overcomers' section of the colony. Becomers was the term used for younglings, Overcomers was the term used for old persons.
Every duty assigned in the colony was as important as any other, for each showed devotion and loyalty to the colony. The good part was also the fact that Becomers who were outstanding in their duties were granted special honours and a chance to become close associates with the board of colonizers and get to contribute in decision-making. No other rank was higher than this in the colony.
And that is what I seek.
"Hey, rushing slug. Heave your pack and let's race. Loser gets to transfer 100 diamonds on Call Of Fury to winner," Void called. He was already warming up.
"You know I always win, Void," said Eric as he grabbed his bag and hefted it onto his back.
"I've been training for this, Abyss."
"You can't learn to be fast, grunt."
"I break protocols, fluke."
"Fill my pocket later then, loser."
"Or you fill mine."
"Go!" a random kid called while passing by. It was not a strange sight to see Becomers bet on a race, so the kid got the clue and set the trash-talking friends loose.
Sure enough, Eric was leading the race and not by a small margin. Void wasn't struggling, really, but Eric was just too fast for any kid his age. It was a wonder how Void never seemed to get it through his head that he was no match for him. He had lost quite a lot of diamonds to Eric already, yet he'd bet the very next day for another race while going to the Motherbase.
"Slow down, you cheetah!" Void called.
But Eric wasn't even racing anymore. He was enjoying this short moment of freedom for himself. A wide smile spread across his lips as he looked behind him to see his friend navigating the roots in the woods. They ran past a rickety treadmill, and past a group of soldiers going about their workout session. A goose swam peacefully on a dirty puddle of water by their right. A hawk called overhead, soaring and searching for unfortunate reptiles for lunch. A little cloud blocked the sun for a moment, creating a slightly darker shade of the afternoon.
To Eric, that was all that mattered at this moment. He didn't often get to experience the beauty of the damned colony he'd lived in all his life.
Bong! Bong!
Bong! Bong!
The bell announcing the start of the training session echoed in his ears just as the large dome roof of the Motherbase came into view.
The others will be assembling themselves right now. I can get there before everything is in order and the supervisor comes in.
Bong! Bong!
Bong! Bong!
"Work your legs, Void!" Eric yelled a warning at his struggling friend.
Bong! Bong!
Bong! Bong!
Void struggled with his breathing but never stopped regardless. "Hey, I'm trying--"
Bong! Bong!
Bong! Bong!
The bell continued.
What was that?
Eric heard a soft pop sound and immediately, something whistled past him.
Alarmed, Eric turned swiftly to see whatever it was, but all he could see was... Void mid-air, flying backwards like he was being knocked down by a fast-moving truck.
Fool. Always stumbling on-- whah?--
"Void!!!"
Eric threw his backpack away and doubled back immediately to behold his friend who had stumbled and fallen in the strangest way imaginable if all circumstances were normal. Void was breathing heavily on the ground while clutching his belly. He had been shot. His face had gone white and his eyes rolled back into his head.
"Void! What's wrong?!"
Eric bent down to take a closer look only to discover blood gushing out of a little hole in his stomach. Instinctively, Eric pushed his hands over the fatal wound and applied pressure to stop the bleeding, but it was no use. It just wouldn't stop.
"No. No, Void. Let me get you to the infirmary."
Eric was on the verge of tears. He was confusion personified as he couldn't give any real explanation as to what went wrong in the space of a few seconds. One moment, he and Void were happy and running to the Motherbase, the next, it was a completely different story.
Void coughed up blood that formed a dark pool over Eric's brown sweater. He was struggling to say something between spurts of blood.
"Keep your f--king mouth shut, motherf--ker," Eric yelled. "I'm getting you to the infirmary now. Say that dumb shit when we get there!"
Eric grabbed Void's right arm and swung it over his own shoulder before gently carrying his dead weight on his back. He could feel the ragged breathing coming from the dying kid. More blood gushed out of his stomach and a little more from his mouth. Eric was soaked in red now. Void was still trying to talk.
"I said to keep your shit shut!"
Void opened his teeth with a very weak smile and finally managed to say, "My CoF password is... our birthday. 100 diamonds... nothing more... I'll race you another time..."
"SHUT THE F--K UP!" Eric's eyes were now full of tears as he ran down the lonely road to the Motherbase.
I swear on my life, I'll kill whoever did this.
But Void was not moving or struggling anymore. He breathed his last as soon as he said those words. Eric noticed and immediately lowered him on the ground.
"No! You don't get to f--king die on me, you f--king loser!"
"Come back here, let me whoop your ass, you coward!"
His tears were flowing endlessly. Eric yelled and screamed and cried all at once at his dead friend, but he received nothing but quiet. Until...
Some dried leaves from the nearby bush rustled and out came three men clad in military uniforms, masked and fully kitted. They looked like beast hunters for the colony. Each one of them carried a sniper rifle, and long knives were strapped to their belts.
Eric didn't need anybody to tell him one of them shot Void.
"I see you're a Becomer. Sorry for the accident, but you must be late for training. Hurry up now before you get punished. We'll submit the body to the dead handlers," one of the men said glumly.
"What?"
"Don't question anyone, Becomer. It was an accident. We misfired at the beast round the corner and your friend happened to get hit. Get running to the Motherbase, we will send him over for cremation just like he said," another man said. He sounded younger than the first.
Smug hell, I'm about to kill these motherf--kers.
"But... but..."
Eric didn't even know what to say. Only one thing was on his mind right now, and it was to see the three men and the world bleed for hours through a bullet hole in their f--king stomachs, till they died but not before begging for death.
"You killed my friend," he said deeply with his head bowed.
"Is he nuts? It was a freaking mistake, you dimwit. Do you wanna die too?" The third man yelled in anger.
"I'll take him for the cremation myself--" Eric said.
"Tsk. He really has a death wish."
"I'll take him for the cremation myself," he repeated, more to himself than to the three men. "...but not without spilling your guts!"
Eric instantly grabbed the foldable katana from Void's bag and with a yank, straightened it out just like he and the other boys had been taught. Blindly, he dashed at the three men who stood watching in surprise at the sudden turn of events.
The glum one first.
The three men stood ready with their long knives also, with the first man already coming at Eric to start an attack of his own.
Good. Come. I have a better reach.
The masked hunter balanced on his left foot and swung his knife powerfully at Eric's chest. Eric, already seeing the attack before it even started, jumped away from the knife and slashed as hard as he could at the beast hunter. It was his best strike, he knew.
That must have finished that one. Two remaining. I just--
Before he could turn to face the other two hunters, the first one had quickly recovered from the minor injury from the katana and went after him. At the same time, the two other men were upon him with a speed he never thought possible for a normal human. And before he could say "slash," three long knives plunged into his upper body. Two through the chest, and another through the back.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
I DON'T WANT TO DIE NOW! I HAVE TO MAKE THEM PAY!
I must make them pay for this!
I can't face Void like this!
I can't.
I...
"Well, he's foolish and weak but brave. I give him that," one of the men said as Eric's body hit the ground with a thud.
"Tsk. Bro thought he's the main character here. Haha."
No...
No. I don't want to be weak but brave.
I want to be able to tear you apart.
I want to be strong enough to crush your necks just by holding it...
I don't want to die like this...
A tear rolled down Eric's closed eyes as his consciousness slowly slipped away from him.
...
[Chime]
[A Desperate Soul Has Been Detected]
[Analyzing Host's Final Wish…]
[Desire for Strength: Absolute]
[Desire for Vengeance: Burning and Irreversible]
[System Fusion Initiating…]
[50%… 72%… 96%…]
His body convulsed as veins lit faintly under his skin.
[Repairing Mortal Vessel: 82% Complete]
[Rebinding Fractured Soul: 91% Complete]
[System Has Successfully Anchored to Host]
[Welcome, Eric Abyss]
That name wasn't his, his consciousness affirmed but it didn't feel strange all the same.
Eric Abyss...
That's what Void calls me...
A pause. Silence. Then words carved themselves into the his core.
[First Task Successfully Assigned]
[Kill Your Killers]
[P.S: Host cannot Reject System's Invitation]