The rubble of demolished structures shifted as he pulled himself up. Clutching the bloodied stump where his right arm had been, he staggered across the ruined metropolis. His blond locks, once luxurious, were matted dark with gore. The golden shine of his famed pupils had dulled to emptiness.
Contrary to how severe he would have seemed to the common observer, the reality was much worse. All his major organs had begun failing, his heart no longer had any blood to pump due to massive internal bleeding, his ribs had broken puncturing his own lungs. His Life was long past its expiry date. Yet he persevered, forcing Vitae into his veins to drag his broken body forward, buying himself only a few more hours at best.But by denying himself death, he faced a far worse consequence, enduring the unbearable agony of dying in the most miserable way yet not being granted the sweet release of death.
And yet, he gritted his teeth as he dragged his body that could only possibly serve as a shield having lost all its mobility and once mighty strength.
He pushed through the desolate warzone of what used to be a quaint little neighborhood where he'd once dreamed of living a quiet life in, the wondrous life that sparkled in the auburn trees that grew plentiful, situated amongst modest but satisfactory domiciles for families that would have spent their lives in peace, oblivious to the vast danger that awaited them outside this domain. Instead what replaced it was a grotesque scene occupied with desecrated corpses and the charred remains of the once vibrant trees. The creatures that had committed these atrocities were called elsewhere, leaving their meals unfinished as evident from the human remains that were strewn across these hallowed grounds, forming a stream of bodily fluids corrupting all that was holy.
He limped past this harrowing setting, his eyes clenched shut as his lips quivered ever so strongly as the remaining energy in his body began to dissipate.
Shutting out the horrors around him, he hobbled into a narrow alley of one of the few structures still standing, hoping it would carry him to his destination faster. Taking a right, he passed through that pathway, bursting into the open as he widened his eyes, the veins in his head bulging as he clenched his fist tight enough that what little of his blood remained spilled out. His face twisted, grimacing at the scene before him.
A wall, among the few still standing, stood before him, a young woman was nailed to its surface, blood flowing down it at an angle. To further the horrifying scene, the body of the young woman was beheaded, her head placed on an altar right in front of its own body as though it were acting out a sacrilegious scene of worship.
His legs quaked as he lost strength in them, falling to his knees as he punched his only arm left into the ground.
Repeatedly. Till his flesh was raw, as though he were begging for the pain.
Eventually, he stood back up, continuing in silence as he wobbled to his end.
After countless more horrific scenes he reached the center of this stronghold.
There, the shattered monument to the celestial Caelureth—once a beacon of creation and wonder—lay in rubble, ravaged by endless battles. At its crumbling base, a familiar figure lay motionless in the dust.
His pupils shook as he rushed forward, losing his balance and skidding across the pavement towards the battered figure. Crawling the final stretch, he kneeled by her side, using his remaining arm to grab her, checking her pulse, searching for any sign of life in her body.
"P-Please… I- I can't" he choked out, tears streaming down his face as he begged, pleaded and prayed for any god still out there for help.
He pressed her hand against his cheek, hoping for any warmth of the familiar touch. But all there was, was the cold icy touch of yet another corpse amongst the other millions.
His breath grew rough, deeper as he bit down, squeezing her hand in his as a pain far worse than anything he had ever felt so far, tore through him. A guttural screech shredded through him, tearing his already damaged vocal chord into pieces as his anguish reflected across the entire world, leaving everything in silence except for his pain.
He wept, sobbed, and bawled, breaking his already bloodied body into more pieces.
Till silence descended once more.
And he opened his once golden eyes, now lost of life as he grabbed the weapon at her feet. He struggled, lifting her cutlass with difficulty as he used it to haul himself to his feet.
Taking a deep breath, he-
"Hey, are you even listening to me right now?" a gravelly voice snapped.
The plain features of a middle aged man, pot bellied and yet another victim of male pattern baldness in unsuitable attire appeared, disrupting his focus.
'Ah, I forgot again.'
Raising his neck to face the middle aged man, he stared silently at him through his lustrous yet eerie fringe occupying most of his face, covering the deep dark circles beneath his eyes from years of lack of adequate rest and appropriate skincare. Yet despite the obstruction, his unfocused beady eyes still forced through like twin voids aiming to devour all that which its gaze rests on. His pale skin, as though induced from insufficient sunlight, glistened softly and subtly in contrast to his wavy jet black hair, his body teetering between skinny and malnourished, creating his haggard appearance.
Kai lowered his phone slowly, giving off an eerie notion, while in reality it was merely his reluctance to stop reading. His gaze shifted, lingering on his phone a moment longer before putting it away as he tilted his head in response to his supervisor's inquiry.
His facial muscles twitched, as he went through a variety of emotions before finally settling on one as his face blew up, turning a very distinct shade of red, reminiscent of a tomato.
"Now, you look at me? What the hell were you doing earlier when I yelled your name several times to get off that shitty phone of yours and get back to your fucking job, one that you are lucky you even got considering the likes of you." He sneered at me, barely disguising the revulsion etched across his face.
Kai nodded slowly before turning his head, staring intently at the shadows cast down by the fluorescent light onto the worn floor.
The supervisor stared at his mild response with clenched teeth, before turning away, muttering under his breath just within earshot.
"-ink freak."
Kai remained wordless, not batting an eye as he rested his head on his elbow, insults were an occurrence that transpired far too often for him to bother.
He yawned quietly as he turned his gaze towards the rusted out analog clock hung on the wall, ticking its way till the end of his shift in this dinged up and long matured convenience store.
'How many people will make it again? 23 people for freak, It's the lack of originality that really hurts me."
Kai had been called a multitude of names in all kinds of colorful languages, prompting him to keep a tally for the creative words he could be called, which helped him pass the time.
Customers weren't a commonplace here, of course between the choice of a nice, modern grocery store and a dinged up one with an unrepaired air conditioning unit and products that were out of date and almost expired even, there was hardly a question of who would want to shop here. Any ordinary person wouldn't work here even if their life depended on it.
'Then again, since when was I ever a normal person?' Kai snickered to himself quietly.
The job was posted on an ad in a desperate attempt to get anyone at all to come work for them, even though it was clear to all except the owner that this place would shut down inevitably.
'But, the job was something of a blessing for me, giving me time to relax (When the manager wasn't watching me) and avoid needless human interaction'
He had been well aware that his mere presence had made people uncomfortable over a multitude of instances, He'd attempted to fix it, changing his hair, wearing more popular clothing brands, till he finally realized that people were irked by him on such a substantial level, he wouldn't ever be able to change that.
So instead he chose to avoid all people almost entirely, only convening with them when it was absolutely necessary. In other words, he became a shut-in which hardly helped others' perceptions.
Gazing deeply at the clock, he let himself drown in his thoughts, slumping at the cashier counter, unable to realize the company of someone else approaching.
"...Excuse me?"
As the clear cut voice, almost as sweet as gumdrops, rang out, Kai straightened up, studying the source of the voice in an almost dazed state.
Barely suppressing the urge to gape at the sight of the woman, Kai stared silently. Her appearance was absolutely mesmerising, stunning him speechless as his usual cold eyes winded with a flicker of emotion.
Her golden locks cascaded down her shoulders, her rosy lips shone with appeal, and her light skin dazzled with a slight blush. However, her most appealing feature were her pupils that seemingly shone bright with such warmth as though the stars themselves were embedded into her. It was as though she were life itself.
"Can you scan these items for me?"
She waved in front of me as she asked, snapping him out of his stupor as he realized he'd been staring too long as he quickly nodded, awkwardly so, taking the items and scanning them and typing in the details on the cashier and giving her the receipt.
"W-would you like a bag?"
He asked, not realising how raspy his voice had grown from a lack of use. A sudden weight was building in his chest unconsciously feeding into a sense of unease.
"No, this is fine, thank you, Kai."
She flashed an utterly bewitching smile, yet it only served to feed the growing sense of tension. He watched her leave the store, keeping her under his view till her back faded away into the distance.
'Wait…when did I tell her my name?'
An inexplicable feeling rose in his heart, tightening it till he struggled to breath in dry heaves as though he were having a panic attack.
Unbeknownst to him, a few teardrops rolled down his cheek, hitting the ground
Kai pressed his thumb against his forehead as he grew lost in thought, unsure why that interaction seemingly shook him so much.
After a few moments of silence, his eyes widened in realization before his brows creased in befuddlement.
'She…looked at me…like I was real… huh?'
Deciding to ignore the strange occurrence, Kai spent the next few hours working less than diligently, his mind submerged in fantasies till his shift had ended. After which he walked towards his home, carrying a container filled with unknown substances that barely constituted as food.
Taking a moment to awkwardly fumble for his keys before opening his front door to an exceedingly disappointing apartment. Considering its lackluster nature, it was barely a step up from a typical prison room. Then again, Kai was never one to cry about appearances.
Wearily slamming the door to the microwave shut, he fiddled with the buttons before leaving it to heat up his meal as he slumped down on his bed with clear discomfort.
Sighing, he put aside his own annoyance for the world, snatching his phone out of his pocket as he hurriedly scrolled through, skipping some ads before finally coming to the chapter he'd left on.
Staring intently at the title, he read it aloud.
"The Child of Life."
In keeping with the cringe-inducing title, this novel had been quite a failure as a story, causing almost all who read it to give it up immediately.
All except Kai, that is.
Kai was not especially noteworthy in most aspects, and what he was distinct in was not exactly taken in a positive manner. But the one thing he would always take refuge in was his love for reading. His pride solely stemmed from his ability to comprehend countless books and novels over the span of his years of living, reading more than anyone he'd met, and if his arrogance were to be believed, he'd be the most well read human in the entirety of existence.
But contrary to any other story he read, this one had a unique hold on him. Of course, he could easily spot countless imperfections within this work, It was far from a masterpiece. And yet, he was never able to put it down, reading every single sentence of every single chapter to its entirety without fail.
Putting aside his thoughts, Kai dove back into the illustrious world of the novel, letting his senses diminish as he devoured each word.
As he strode forward, ignoring the dreadful anguish solidifying itself in his chest, slowly sucking his every will to continue. The world had already begun to decay, the once vibrant blue sky now wrought with corruption as it was swallowed by the abyss.
Humanity's last settlement had finally fallen.
Nearly retching at the scene ahead of him, he watched as the darkness pulsed with twisted glee as a suffocating mass of writhing void, shaped by countless limbs, mouths, and eyes that observed him, clearly enjoying his reaction to the numerous human appendages lathered around its teeth, it having consumed the original owners.
Clenching his teeth so hard, he impaled his own gums, his resentment boiled, giving him relief from the wave of grief threatening to swallow him at any moment.
Gripping the cutlass tight enough his knuckles grew white, He channeled his remaining Vitae into it, he shakily adjusted his stance. A meek golden aura seeped into the blade, a mere flicker in contrast to its former glory. It hummed softly as he twisted his wrist.
The ground cracked beneath his feet as he broke forward into a sprint. The air grew heavy as he closed in, clawing at him like countless arms trying to drag him back. His body, rapidly breaking apart from his abuse.
The abomination stared at him with a thousand knowing eyes.
And then it smiled.
That twisted, knowing grin—sanctimonious, like the devil mocking mere mortals. Its laughter followed, deep and wet, echoing in the air like a chorus of the damned.
He yelled in fury as he launched his long deteriorated body into the heart of the creature, swinging the cutlass above his head.
The blade arced through the air, golden light blazing in one final burst.
And then.
Agony.
Something pierced him. No—many things did.
Spikes of flesh, jagged and warm, shot from the creature's body like reflexes from some divine reflex, impaling him mid-air. His momentum died instantly, his body hanging limp, dangling like a puppet with its strings cut.
The light in his sword sputtered.
Then it faded.
He stared at the horror, even as his vision blurred, even as what little blood he had left filled his mouth, even as the cold began to set in.
It laughed again.
Pure joy emitting from the revolting festering bags of flesh that seemed to be its face.
The strength in my arms faded as the sword slipped from his grasp.
His eyes, devoid of its former radiance, began to close.
The End.
…
"..."
Silence tore through the room as Kai laid on his bed, contemplating the last words of what he'd just read.
His lips quivered as he lingered before finally putting the phone down as he spoke to himself.
"That ending was…abrupt, quite flawed actually. It would have been better to have more insight into what happened to the other characters before immediately pushing me into the very end of the story. Not to mention the numerous plotholes in how it ended, like why the celestials never appeared to save the settlements."
He clutched his temple in thought.
"The author most likely grew tired of writing for almost no one and all the bad press so he wrote that ending to be done with this and spite the readers."
After those words he lay still on his bed, gazing at the ceiling in silence, his gaze unfocused till the blaring alarm of the microwave brought life to the room once more.
Wearily dragging his body up, he took the meal out of the machine and ate in silence, the rice shifting tasteless in his mouth. After finishing he laid on his bed once more, letting his gaze grow glassy once more.
He lay still, his daze lasting unnaturally long, providing an eerie sight to an observer. After what felt like hours with no signs of life, his body shook slightly as he pulled himself up, bending to pull something from underneath his bed.
Pulling out an item covered in cloth, he unwrapped it, revealing a pistol, a glock 17 to be exact. The ease at which even a convenience store worker could purchase a gun was terrifying, to say the least.
Gripping the firearm, he turned the safety off. Sighing deeply, he lifted the firearm to his face, pressing the muzzle of it to the roof of his mouth.
His eyes blinked, showing no emotion, but rather served as proof to his weariness.
He pulled the trigger, the next second.
A darkness enveloped him, comforting him as his senses dimmed, He felt for a moment at peace, letting himself give in to this new reality.
A moment passed.
Another. And another.
'....?'
'Wasn't I supposed to fade away or something by now? Become something greater than myself? Be at peace? Huh?'
Confused by the situation, he moved causing a jolt of pain to run along his side.
'Wait…Pain?'
Testing his suspicions, he reached out, embodying his senses as he opened his eyes again, a flood of all sorts of sensations filling him.
A row of rusted out iron bars greeted his vision alongside an uncomfortably moist stone flooring with added in filth.
He shifted his gaze back to body, noticing tattered rags replacing his thrift store clothing, of which barely covered his body, leaving his lower half rather frigid.
What stood out of place the most was the worn metal shackle attached to both my feet, cupping his ankles rather painfully.
It seemed as though Kai were suddenly in some kind of prison cell.
Startled by a sudden unexpected row of events, he shook his head blinking rapidly, but above all else, he was gnawed by one fearful realization.
"....Fuck." He spoke, his voice hoarse and squeaky.
A bitter smile blooming on his face.
"I didn't die, did I?"