It's seven in the morning. He sat staring at his phone screen, his headphones drowning him in the music of his favorite band. With trembling fingers, he typed a tweet:
Title: I don't deserve to live in a world without mercy.
"Hello, I'm Liam... Every morning I wake up mixed with feelings of fear and threat. I've become isolated, avoiding crowds and trying to be invisible.
The reason for this is bullying. Since childhood, I've been different from everyone because of my delicate features. My masculinity was belittled, and I was called the ugliest names. I even experienced sexual harassment countless times.
My father was a victim of the Second Chechen War, which left my mother alone and pregnant with me. During my birth, she suffered from oxygen deprivation due to the poor hospitals at the time, and consequently, she became ill with schizophrenia. It's painful to see your mother suffer daily.
My life changed in middle school when I met friends who encouraged me and supported me. Thanks to them, I became a professional Judo player, participating in tournaments and buying my mother's medicine with my own money, even though my uncle takes good care of us.
But everything changed in high school, where things returned to how they were, and I became a victim of bullying in the worst possible ways. I feel like every look or word is a new stab in my heart.
I tried to defend myself hundreds of times... but the world didn't give me a chance. Even now, I don't see any hope.
A new friend in your group, Liam!"
Location: Saint Petersburg / Year: 2016
#Bullying_is_a_Crime #Mental_Health
He closed his phone, glanced at the ceiling,
and said in a cold tone:
"I hope my day ends peacefully."
He started getting ready for school, putting
on a wool sweater and loose jeans, while the melodies of Radiohead enveloped him. Then, he slung his bag onto his back and went down the stairs.
A loud voice cut through the music:
"Liam! Breakfast is ready..."
He noticed her voice and replied:
"I'm late, Mom... I have to hurry!"
Before heading out the door, he took off his bag, put on a warm jacket and heavy boots, and as soon as he stepped out of his house, a notification popped up on his phone.
He took out his phone to check, then thought to himself in surprise:
"The Night Princess liked my tweet...! I think she's a kind girl."
The sun was shining, and the sky was clear, unlike the cold weather that killed emotions. Liam walked with calm steps, watching the buildings whose rooftops were covered with snow.
"It's cold... No bullying today."
Liam muttered, rubbing his body, then
continued in a low voice:
"Bullying is a serious social problem, and its primary cause is difference. But... why do some people reject difference?"
He was silent for a moment, his eyes following the gray clouds creeping across the sky:
"Our society tends to form shared norms, so those outside the group are devils to them.
But am I really a devil?... No, I'm a human with a soul and feelings... But does the devil have feelings?
The wind blew, and he smiled bitterly:
"Yes, he does... but they are warped. In my view... the devil is a failed divine experiment because he's the only angel who dared to think outside the boundaries of obedience. His emotions led to his expulsion from heaven to Earth... But that means humans are devils too!
Yes, devils... even me, then...."
He fell silent and continued on his way until he spotted his close friend, who was wearing a black hat and a heavy jacket against the cold, revealing only his prescription glasses, behind which lay a sea as still as death.
He pulled his right hand out of his pocket and waved, saying:
"Heeey Fyodorrr!"
A slight smile appeared on Fyodor's face
before he stopped and replied
enthusiastically:
"Liam..!"
Liam approached and shook his hand firmly, but quickly noticed the change in his expression; anxiety flowed through his features like a heavy shadow, his blue eyes had lost their sparkle, and his face looked like a wilted rose surrendering to death.
Liam raised an eyebrow and asked calmly:
"What's wrong?"
He put his hand on his head and said hesitantly:
"I feel something coming... a sense of danger."
Liam smiled confidently, patting his shoulder:
"Be optimistic, nothing bad will happen to you."
Fyodor's eyes narrowed, and he sighed:
"I don't know... I want to escape from this city. Look at those abandoned houses and the snow burying them. The atmosphere here is very depressing..."
Liam spoke, contemplating the atmosphere:
"Haven't you seen the plains? The small hills? The dense forests? The problem isn't the world, Fyodor... The problem is in our hearts."
Fyodor laughed and said sarcastically:
"Damn you... Stop reading books, you Yandex philosopher."
(Two hours later)
The sky was covered with clouds, the weather was cold, and the snow that covered the high school roof looked like a silent, compacted, frozen corpse, marked by the students' footprints, which added a gloomy touch to the atmosphere.
He smiled sarcastically and said with contempt:
"Don't worry, Liam... just one more time."
They placed the hot iron on his hand, and Liam let out a booming scream of pain, kicking his legs left and right, trying to break free.
But he felt the iron grips pinning him to the ground. Every breath he took was painful, and every scream was followed by their mocking laughter.
He started crying, his gaze fixed on those eyes that showed him no mercy, which slowed time around him and made him feel every second of the pain.
As soon as they removed the iron, he pulled his hand away, bleeding profusely with blisters forming where the burn was. His eyes welled up with tears, and his screams filled the place.
Everyone laughed at the sound of his crying. The source of all this approached; he was a young man with short brown hair, narrow green eyes, a straight nose, a wide jaw, and very sharp features. There was an imposing presence about him.
His smile split his face, and he spoke in a sadistic tone:
"Your crying is music to my ears..."
Fear consumed Liam, and he stammered in
a low voice:
"Please... Ethan, stop."
Ethan's green eyes looked at him with hatred, and he said firmly:
"Why don't you defend yourself...?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he slapped him hard, sending blood flying from his mouth and mixing with the snow.
One of the bullies said fearfully:
"Stop, you'll kill him..."
Ethan backed up two steps, then raised his leg and kicked the snow hard, sending cold particles flying to hit Liam's face, who was struggling to catch his breath and save his life.
Suddenly, another student came up, his blonde hair flowing over his shoulders like sun waves, and his eyes blue like the ocean, wearing prescription glasses. Features of fear were visible on him.
As soon as he looked at Liam, he was severely shocked. His legs began to tremble, his heart rate sped up, and his body prepared for something bigger.
Five students surrounded Liam, with Ethan as the sixth, exchanging jokes and mocking Liam's condition, some of them taking pictures.
Everyone noticed him standing in the middle of the roof, and Ethan called out to him:
"What are you doing here?"
Ethan started laughing and then said provocatively:
"I think you want to join us, right!"
Ethan approached him and handed him the hair iron, then said in a strong tone:
"Are you a statue? Take this and have a little fun with Liam."
Fyodor grabbed the iron and swallowed hard. His hands began to tremble, and memories of his old, favorite friend, Liam, slapped him, causing him to back away slowly.
Even Liam's glances at him carried great sadness.
His facial expression crumpled, then he turned to Ethan and said hesitantly:
"You will regret what you've done!"
Ethan frowned slightly and said:
"Do you think you'll defeat us with your beauty...?"
Silence fell, and Liam started rubbing the burn with snow. He no longer cared about their stares; his soul had frozen under the weight of their torture, and the bullies realized that they were not human.
One of them, ugly-faced and large-framed,
spoke:
"We went too far, Ethan...!"
Another one, the shortest, with brown eyes and hair like the darkness of night, replied:
"How did we go too far? He no longer feels the cold."
Fyodor commented sadly on Liam's state:
"Poor guy...."
Every muscle in his body was tense, even his fingers were nearly breaking from the force of his grip, and his rage was emanating as heat that almost set the place on fire.
His eyes began to analyze the surroundings. He quickly noticed a dilapidated wooden stick next to a wall with "gaua" written on it. He moved calmly, picked up the stick, and rushed towards Ethan with force, hitting him hard on his right shoulder.
Ethan screamed loudly from the intensity of the blow and involuntarily clutched his shoulder, wincing in pain.
After that, his eyes narrowed, and all his senses focused on a wave of fury.
His friends were shocked by Fyodor's audacity, and they quickly wanted to intervene until Ethan roared:
"Son of a bitch! None of you interfere!"
Fyodor continued to swing his stick, but Ethan dodged it agilely.
Then, Fyodor threw the stick at him, making Ethan retreat quickly and take a defensive stance, trying to block the blow.
Fyodor exploited the space difference and lunged at Ethan's waist with all his strength, trying to wrestle him to the ground.
The surprise was that he couldn't move him until he felt a meteorite-like punch rip into his back, burying his face in the snow.
Ethan lowered his body, grabbed him by the hair, and said angrily:
"Do you want to fight...? Get up, you faggot!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he spat on
his face, punched him hard, and then retreated slightly.
One of his friends shouted:
"Go on, beat him up, Ethan!"
Liam was watching them then, his heart boiling with hatred and anger, and he started trying to get up, but in vain.
His eyes were fixed on Ethan like a hunter waiting for his prey.
The wind intensified as if warning them of an approaching snowstorm. Fyodor stood up, raised his hands at a right angle, ready to attack.
Ethan threw a straight punch, but it was weak due to his shoulder injury. Fyodor lowered his head to the right and countered with a powerful one to Ethan's rib.
Ethan clenched his jaw and quickly backed away, saying angrily:
"Since when have you been learning boxing?"
A smile brightened Fyodor's face, and he
sighed, saying:
"Why don't you ask your mother?"
Laughter broke out, which made Ethan rain down a series of rapid and powerful blows on him.
Each move forced Fyodor to take a step back until he felt his back confined by the cold wall.
Ethan exploited the space and continued to land successive blows to control Fyodor, who began to tire from defending.
When he slightly lowered his guard, a punch landed that shattered his nose and made it bleed severely.
Fyodor lunged forward with a grim face and eyes sparking fire. He kicked Ethan in the leg, then clenched his fist tightly, and a punch, like an explosion of long-suppressed patience, launched toward his face, causing Ethan to lose his balance and fall to the ground.
His friends rushed quickly toward him, forming a wall in front of him, preventing Fyodor from getting closer.
Fyodor took a few steps toward him, the wind lashing at his coat and hair. He lowered his head with a smile that carried a mix of insult and triumph:
"You thought you were invincible! But the truth is you're just a small insect whose father used to kick his ass."
Then, he turned his gaze towards Liam... The boy was kneeling on the snow, his hands trembling and sticking to the cold, and his face pale as if life was draining from him.
Fyodor approached him slowly, then knelt beside him, resting his hand firmly on his shoulder.
His gaze was sharp but sincere, and his tone was calm, contrary to the storm around them, as he said:
"Get up, Liam... You're not alone anymore. From this moment, we'll fight together."
Ethan started panting, his eyes wide open, then he mumbled in a semi-faint voice, as if trying to convince himself:
"I won't lose to him... I won't be defeated in front of them... I'm strong... Everyone acknowledged me. If I lose their respect... I'm... just a shadow of what I was... just a worthless slave..."
Without warning, Ethan grabbed the
discarded stick and ran cautiously, though his movements were uncoordinated, as if his legs were in shock.
He headed toward them, his eyes brimming with fury, causing Liam to scream loudly when he noticed:
"Fyodoorr...!"
One of Ethan's friends yelled:
"Stopppp...!"
.... Blood splattered on Liam's face, and Fyodor fell, a waterfall of blood on his head mixing with the snow, forming a crimson color, and the smell of iron began to spread.
Liam was drenched in his blood, as if it were a last resort to make him feel warm. His heart pounded fiercely, and his hands trembled, then he said in a loud voice:
"Whattttt have youuuuu doneeeeee!!!"
Ethan threw the stick aside, his body
shaking as if he were facing a living nightmare.
He stepped back, placing his hand on his head as he saw everyone moving around him and gesturing, but he heard nothing because of the shock that swept over his mind.
Liam quickly tried to check if he was dead by gently slapping his cheek while screaming his name with anguish, then he started talking to himself:
"Humans are truly devils... I'll kill him! I'll slaughter him!"
Liam struggled to stand up, catching his last breath. His heart was violently pounding, and he fiercely headed towards Ethan, who was lost in his thoughts, fear visible in his eyes.
Liam's punches began to crush Ethan's body and soul.
Liam grabbed him tightly and pushed him toward the rooftop fence. The air slapped their faces, and the cold froze their fingers and choked their screams.
Ethan's friends rushed to intervene, but the tension and anger made Liam press hard against his enemy's body. In one instant, the fence and both of them fell.
In the air, the two screamed loudly, their eyes capturing things for the last time: the roaring wind, the friends' screams, the snow enveloping them from all sides, but no cold could stop the internal scream of each of them... a feeling of doom filled their chests, as if the whole world had vanished and everything was instantly obliterated.
Ethan said his last words, tears streaming down:
"Forgive me Fyodor... I'm sorry..Liam!"
And in the blink of an eye, a white light erupted, consuming their bodies before they hit the ground, leaving behind a huge shock on the faces of the onlookers....
(Three days later)
A redhead, black-eyed anchorwoman wearing a black coat and an ushanka hat, holding a microphone, spoke in a soft tone:
"And here we are on the roof of Karl May School, the site of the crime caused by some students from Saint Petersburg High School.
She continued:
"Local authorities have arrested five students, and the search is still ongoing for the two students, 'Ethan Petrov' and 'Liam Vasiliev,' after they allegedly became involved in a bloody fight that caused them to fall from the edge of the roof."
The anchorwoman followed up:
"In addition, the suspects claimed that Ethan was the one who killed 'Fyodor Ivanov,' and what's disturbing is that the police found two samples belonging to the two at the crime scene, placing them among the cases of mysterious disappearances."
Suddenly, armed soldiers appeared out of nowhere, surrounding the area, prohibiting filming, and forcing the anchorwoman to end the broadcast urgently...
End of Chapter -
Yandex: A Russian delivery company.
Ushanka: A Russian hat.
(The locations mentioned in the chapter exist in our world)