The rain outside the window never shouted.
It always came with long, melancholic whispers. Drop after drop tapping against the glass with the same rhythm every night.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF9FfiPntZ0
Like invisible fingers knocking on a door, asking for permission to enter a warmth that had never existed inside this room.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW0uvlIgmm0
The streetlights in this small town on the outskirts cast a dull orange glow through the misty rain, creating blurry circles that hung in the air like giant blind eyeballs, staring everywhere without truly seeing anything.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWoB9XsiSIp
The dormitory room sat on the third floor of an old red brick building that had stood for nearly two centuries.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9f5gJac4C
Its walls were thick, painted a pale white, made of stone and plaster cracked in many places.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8r4xYsMD3
In weather like this at the end of the year, cold that pierced the bone, the air inside the room felt colder than the air outside.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrvMCR2crsX
As if the ancient building deliberately trapped the cold, storing it in every pore of its bricks and every crack in its wooden floors, to torment its inhabitants who had never truly been wanted by anyone.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMK4WPhw7i
The central heater in the corner of the room, a rusted metal box that hissed softly all night long, produced only a shallow warmth, not enough to drive away the cold that crept from the wooden floor into the bones of the feet.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ05ZWd86ViV
Voltase Watt lay on his back on a bed far too large for his body.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHa0r3EsM84
The body of a thin boy, shorter than the average of children his age, where his body lacked the nutrition and protein to grow any further.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKVDyL166Pt
His shoulders were narrow, so narrow that the navy striped flannel pajamas he wore kept slipping off his left shoulder.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKIeOrPT3x
His arms were thin, with faint blue veins visible beneath pale skin that rarely saw sunlight.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1IgmiH5iyO
His short legs could never reach the end of the bed, and every night he felt the tips of his cold toes touching the empty air beneath the blanket.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVsjg3KNPRY
He had bought those pajamas three years ago, and even then they had been too big for his small body.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWn3ukOGrD
Sometimes he thought that perhaps his body simply could not find a reason to grow, because growing required attention, nutrition, love, and he had never had enough of any of those.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmICOmOe6rT
No one will notice whether you're here or not, he thought.
The thought felt ordinary in his head, not a piercing sadness, but a fact he had accepted long ago, ever since his mind was old enough to understand that he was a burden moved from one place to another.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcjeYaoUCIr
Things do not grow.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyekCXSsX4h
He never knew his biological parents.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQoSboGnTn
Voltase was a baby found on the doorstep of an orphanage in South London on a cold winter morning, wrapped in a faded blue blanket with a piece of paper bearing his name and birthdate.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFBClv9LI3b
Nothing else.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEVrcuDYZAC
No letter, no message, no clue about who had left him there or why they had gone.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡarpVNcLl9A
He grew up in that orphanage for five years, changing caretakers and beds and faces that came and went.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjOhJzWIpRv
Then a family came and chose him, a polite, well dressed couple who said the right things in front of the social worker.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi209UAH2oY
They took him to their home in the suburbs, gave him his own room, food, clothes.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuiPOSqG6he
But they never truly wanted him.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiRWbh8TNnP
He knew it from the way they looked at him, not with hatred, but with indifference.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAbN2jOKA9w
As if he were an obligation, a task to be completed.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVCoRSOQ7av
When he turned ten, they sent him to this boarding school.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUmupJ0KI2
An elegant, polite way to get rid of a burden without appearing cruel.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYiwosFCCm
They paid his school fees.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Q8uhzAknb
They sent birthday cards, store bought cards with printed text identical for everyone.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEhxyAvIQPE
But they never visited.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFlWMh6beJ
They never called.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdkIfMDJMz3
Voltase was a receipt already paid in full, an obligation fulfilled.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GzhwE50fA
Now he was left here, in this cold room, in a country that was supposedly his birthplace but never felt like his own.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrkSUwPHv6x
You have no one, he thought, and he said it with lips that did not move, only inside his head.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWeMASrGS3
You have never had anyone.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVQu6AP5gS
And you will never have anyone.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVCtncKvVqK
Voltase had counted those cracks on the ceiling every night for two years since he first arrived in this room.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEjMvYoK6PD
The number of main branches was always twenty three.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRWnnUKUB5U
Never changing.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DfwcylrU3
The small branches varied, depending on the humidity of the night air, the temperature, whether the rain fell harder than usual.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqYDlrEbBz
Tonight he counted forty three small branches, counting with his thin right index finger, tracing the crack patterns in the air without actually touching the wood.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ33gNdD8Epy
If he touched it, he would feel the cold of the plaster and remember that he was still here.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzfOWeo6xDu
In the distance, the bells of St. Mary's church at the end of the street began to ring.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvF4SMFSObe
The sound was old and heavy, with a slightly off key tone from age and dampness.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuq3n2UwBTs
Voltase counted each chime because there was nothing else he could do.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8hQJ4Ess68
The bells stopped at the ninth chime, and silence returned, filled only by the patter of rain that never stopped here.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlsUjRsS9bC
Voltase reached his right hand toward the small table beside his bed.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFnMIxnjDb
The table was made of cheap wood, chipped in places, its surface covered with scratches from pens and pencils of children who had been here before him.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZOPUzBNYq
On it lay the cheap phone given by his foster family when he left for boarding school, a symbolic gesture so they could still keep in touch, and a small desk lamp he never turned on.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUbzGtGOlFY
His long, thin fingers groped across the table's surface until they touched the phone.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡznc5ilvxGS
The screen lit up.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlPmohAvT3K
Pale blue light illuminated his face for a few seconds.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Ap5HnR8sg
The time showed 21:49 PM.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgunTDsKN39
He opened the game he was playing.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbkKRwl1bJe
The app was colorful and bright, with the main character's icon smiling widely, a boy with black hair and oversized onyx eyes, with a smile that never faded.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPjduWwGcMi
Voltase almost hated that smile.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4FGQhGcFKz
That character never got tired, never got sad, never felt alone.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZNPZjQZ4z
He just ran, collected coins, dodged trains, and smiled the whole time.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3EfblyLWA5
His right thumb swiped the screen, and the game began.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbVokIQgceQ
Cheerful electronic music flowed from the phone's speaker, trying to drown out the sound of rain, while the character started moving along the railway tracks with a synthetic sunset sky full of orange and purple gradients stretching behind him.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5RyWZGqtcd
Golden coins sparkled in the air, and every time the character collected them there was a satisfying ding sound.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd9LDfBMcqB
Voltase played mechanically.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5xSUeGqt59
His thumb swiped left, jumped, swiped right, ducked.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnIrSV6GXXy
The score in the upper right corner climbed, 240, 480, 710, 930.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrK8Ch9CbtD
He did not care about the score or the character.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCj5DfA5xmn
The only thing he needed was the sound.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6pMM1sBy5r
The music was a thin curtain separating him from the silence of the room, from the patter of rain, from the awareness that he was truly alone in this world and no one would come to save him.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPALVBqqf8n
On the right side of the screen, a second character appeared, a grown man in a white long sleeved shirt and a faded blue jacket, wearing a security guard's hat tilted back, and beside him a digital sheepdog ran at the same speed, its tongue lolling in a repeating animation.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡScolQ1S9F1
The three of them ran together.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2IPtKBGgRo
A fake family in a fake world.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG27N1sTq83
They are not real, Voltase thought, just code, they can never feel anything.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr6cOPhg2Xy
They are never alone because they never existed.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6LbnSGHJnZ
At 1,230 points, the obstacles increased.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJqpMJtxljr
Train cars came faster and denser from both directions.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJtHolzgBss
Voltase's small fingers began to sweat, making the touchscreen feel slippery and sticky.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHDgtCp2zX4
His main character stumbled, a repeated falling animation, got up, stumbled again, while the score stopped climbing and the music shifted into anxious, stretching notes.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0yBYstkREl
A giant steel train car passed right in front of the character.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQ7SIBjafd
Bam!
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhGr5bKhpiY
The screen turned blurry red, with a crimson gradient encircling the edges.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1mai032A2C
Thick black ink pooled in the corners.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUFIDjF5IEV
White bold text appeared in the center.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4p2S3F7R5
GAME OVER.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL8CdlRUrgL
Voltase let out a breath.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS5r9Sw0u4V
The breath left his small chest as a faint, almost inaudible sigh, like wind slipping through a crack in a door that did not close properly.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMjv3WDq2zI
He pressed the home button, and the phone screen dimmed to black, reflecting his own face, the face of a thin child with weary onyx eyes, cheekbones beginning to protrude, and messy black hair.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuFI9YAqIBo
He put the phone on the table with a slow, reluctant movement, as if letting go of the phone meant letting go of the only thing distracting him from the silence.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡySQ7qEZ1D6
Silence returned.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡznHu8R17v2
Rain returned.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4WHYWkbAp
He was still here.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLG8UHrLhzO
Still small and alone.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡae9t76NeO4
Voltase closed his eyes.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxiTlPzqeNd
In the darkness behind his eyelids, he imagined another place.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk2F60vp0Tk
A place where he had a big, strong body that did not need to be afraid of other children mocking him in the school hallways.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQn7O2XROov
A place where he could become something, become someone meaningful, someone who could not be ignored.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEA31EMl0Jg
But the image was vague, like smoke vanishing before he could grasp it.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlB24cltbSP
He did not know what a big body looked like.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7IGi9ohRUF
He had never had one.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGS73jmxf44
He only knew that he wanted it, something more than this thin, weak, useless body.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgwUA8mgNv
Slowly, exhaustion consumed him.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6bInZ6cBe
His body curled up in the middle of the too large bed, knees drawn to his chest, arms hugging a pillow that had become dull and smelled of dormitory laundry soap, sharp and chemical.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaoTqX5zVoS
The rain kept tapping the window.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz00kPqY4qr
The wind moaned among the old oak trees in the schoolyard.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqpiY4l0TkS
His consciousness began to blur, sinking into a dark, warm abyss.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4sdBuIZ8NY
The clock showed 22:01 PM.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaU3wowhHqp
Three minutes since he turned off the phone.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsCI1mXUJsx
Voltase Watt, a twelve year old boy who did not know who his parents were, who had no home to return to, who had never been loved by anyone, began to fall into a dream.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQkvnZn7mKh
The first thing that registered through his sense of smell was the stench.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ7dMKhNwJK
Not the musty, dusty smell of the dormitory room.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvoqs7hb2rR
This was a completely different smell, one he had never smelled before, yet somehow felt old, as if he had smelled it in another life, in a memory that was not his.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV10GD4Ikar
The smell entered his nostrils like thick, heavy smoke.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkAajkLW6bl
It crept inside uninvited.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRK6B76v4lI
Stabbed the back of his throat like swallowed glass shards.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQNRgMdtj5k
Settled on the roof of his mouth, leaving a residue that felt like a layer of copper on his tongue, salty, metallic, and with a faint sweetness that was nauseating.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBR6X6wCI8Q
Beneath it lay another layer: a sharp, fishy stench like fish left too long in the sun, and the smell of wet earth mixed with something darker, thicker.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0jh4FTZjH5
Blood, he thought, and the thought rose from the depths of an instinct he had not known he possessed.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ybMXWsaGh
The smell of blood.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQmb72de52Z
A lot of blood and flesh.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRAmJjaZzMG
Rotting flesh.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8AucICmQf4
Voltase opened his eyes.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmID5JrFurc
The darkness he saw was not the darkness of his dormitory room.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLdJIeE3IA
This was total darkness, darkness that rejected light, darkness that felt solid like wet velvet pressed against his face.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡScZEYHGPOM
His eyes blinked, adjusting, but the adjustment was slow, as if his pupils had to relearn how to catch light.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikA3FsP6cw
Slowly, silhouettes began to emerge.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0QBVUggOF
He saw a shape above him, very close, only inches from his own nose.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdMAPGRjoup
A face.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrzVpZUUTiT
But not the face of a living human.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRLk6TiN84
The skin of that face was ashen green, pale like dried clay beginning to crack.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnOtNl1HPuL
On its left cheek was a large tear exposing the tissue beneath, a layer of dark red that had begun to blacken at the edges, like beef left too long in the refrigerator, its fibers drying and shriveling.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIwMdprzrXS
On its chin was thin brown stubble, with flakes of dry earth clinging between the hair strands.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEbDROZpnEi
Its eyes, or what remained of them, were two dark hollows.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbV5YHukxuG
No eyeballs.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9jNCLsVML6
Just black holes filled with small, writhing movements.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZFkQ6tb9K
Voltase saw them clearly, maggots.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡebi3zCOzDQ
Dozens, maybe hundreds of small pale yellowish bodies, segmented, with darker heads, writhing inside those eye sockets.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaNzMIvMkFt
They rose and fell like tiny waves that never stopped, eating the remaining tissue still clinging to the orbital bone.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn9mbAt5SSB
Some were larger than others, fatter and whiter, perhaps because they had been there longer and had eaten more.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU1E0kAIPZu
One of them crawled out of the left eye socket, across the corpse's cheekbone, and fell right onto Voltase's cheek.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qCxBnOFgG
He felt it.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeloaG1df0z
Cold, Damp, and Writhing.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0KmCeBoU9i
That small soft body clung to his skin for a second, then began to crawl slowly downward toward his jaw.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrldFr8oyhZ
Voltase felt every movement of that body, every small muscle contraction pushing it forward, every segment rubbing against his skin.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡud1jUAa7Pg
At that moment, panic exploded inside him.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeiSdBQ22Lx
Pure, primal panic that recognized no logic or reason.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxyg5qnpx1
He wanted to scream, but his voice was caught in his throat.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5w3w0oCDV
He wanted to push, but his hands felt foreign and heavy.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhhfsmBtUj3
Because he realized: his body had become different.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvTmIBcjWzc
His hands pushing the corpse away felt longer and heavier.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wh7qZWaeu
His fingers were no longer long and thin.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyKJ12RYfq
He felt protruding knuckles, long and sturdy finger joints, a wide palm with blue veins clearly visible on the back.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2qOhxfUhgS
When he pushed the corpse away, the muscles in his arms, muscles he had never possessed in the real world, contracted with surprising strength.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVCs0fr3MXR
He felt the stretch of muscle fibers, pressure in his shoulders, and the weight of the body he pushed felt lighter than it should have.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphFYDT54zE
The corpse rolled to the side with a wet, heavy plop, like a bag of wet meat falling onto mud.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt07FGJPqtL
Its head hit something hard, maybe a rock, maybe another skull, with a dull crack.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0HkeqdQw5
Voltase coughed, choked, and sat up straight with a jolting movement.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpy7Gxno9QQ
He sat up, no need to crawl or roll. He just bent his body upward, and the body obeyed, while the maggot writhing on his cheek had fallen to the ground.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD1owls4ahR
His chest felt heavy, broad, and wide. His back felt solid.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0SQTifDzQe
His shoulders were now thick and muscular.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN2n0V7dCaI
He looked down and saw his own body.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RnUcGsWY8
A uniform.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKe0V0aSbW
A long sleeved shirt in faded blue, made of thick wool fabric that was coarse and slightly damp from dew or blood.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4AoYK47ByU
Small metal buttons lined up down the center of his chest. Some were undone, and beneath the undone buttons he saw an undershirt in wet gray.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYzApV31DdI
On his left shoulder was a patch bearing an emblem he did not recognize: an eagle with spread wings, its claws grasping something that looked like a snake.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3T30LOkCes
The patch was faded, its edges torn.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Zvp5IzkpN
Blue trousers tucked into tall dark brown boots that felt heavy on his feet.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdnf5YmkKZX
The boots were made of thick leather with hard soles. He felt small studs on the soles when he moved his feet over the ground.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Tl7cbQ6NX
Loose metal buckles on the tops of the boots swung gently as he moved.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE94TdboXTj
Voltase raised his right hand in front of his face.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bZGKlf0Zx
The hand trembled violently.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIGtyz9P19u
He could see it clearly, and it was not his hand.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GGr5mRkqI
The hand was long, thin but muscular, with blue veins prominent on the back.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEtRmcPe5PD
The fingers were slender with prominent knuckles and short nails dirty with black earth drying beneath them.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7c9UJ1oUCX
There was a small wound on his middle knuckle, a scrape still wet with fresh blood, perhaps from a fight that happened before he woke up.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6k3NYrqkGW
His palm was wide with deep, clear lifelines.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSI0L0iGwsx
At the base of his thumb was a thick callus formed from years of holding something. It could be a weapon or a tool, he did not know.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxU1yxJNYF
This was an adult man's hand.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡObF4ME6BQu
A strong hand.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgz7khD56DE
A hand that could never belong to a weak, thin twelve year old boy.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK91ZGAs8Ys
He pressed his palm to his chest.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48dwSC9nHW
Beneath the thick wool fabric, he felt the contour of hard chest muscles, broad pectorals with wide ribs beneath them.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgSTL2FTRr
And beneath those muscles, he felt a heartbeat.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfaTpG1Le1Z
Thump, thump.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsEUosJaJMM
Thump, thump.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz01R1Uyk87
A deeper, stronger, heavier heart.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7MXYlzBgoj
Each beat felt like a hammer striking the wall of his chest from inside.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8eOfrGI5sX
This is not my body, he thought.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64mCYCcDjI
The thought sounded foreign in his head, deeper, heavier, with the resonance of an adult man he did not recognize.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqGPrUUdSKg
This body is not mine.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCpBCTVV98s
I am inside someone else's body.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdz23rhcuv
I am trapped inside someone else's flesh.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo7ewCjdeBP
How can this be?
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUz4o63DTnj
He wanted to scream, to call someone, to ask what was happening, but his voice only came out as a hoarse breath caught in his throat, like the voice of someone who had just woken from a long sleep and had not yet found his words.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtHIiBgHEU9
He straightened his body, rising from his current sitting position.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZJRvxevsb
His knees wobbled at first. The long, strong leg muscles felt strange, unused to supporting this much weight, but he forced himself to stand.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0MNoiZBsOE
Eye level was now above the piles of corpses around him.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJ3Xw6RRgO
He could see far across the field, farther than he had ever seen in his short, narrow life.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGkMomH1Al4
The body was now tall, a hundred and eighty centimeters or more.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs6zmwARShR
When he looked down, he saw the long distance between his chest and the ground, a distance he had never experienced before.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZeAxPzGznB
His long, sturdy legs felt foreign, like poles newly attached beneath his body.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1lq8B9Gydl
Every step felt like walking on an unstable stage.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9uztAZoMe
He felt his body's weight differently.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtgPQnlnjY6
Gravity felt lighter on his bones, perhaps because his bones were now larger and stronger, but his muscles felt heavier and denser.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWuMzYwr4yY
There was strength there, potential for movement he had never explored.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMSAMiwojHF
He felt that this body could run faster, punch harder, endure longer than his thin, weak body.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ36lyrkWM5
But that strength must have its price, something he was always aware of, that nothing in this world was free.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoKyRROFIHK
Instead, he felt strange after obtaining this body.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQGvqJs33E
Like a thief who had stolen something precious and did not know how to use it, where every movement felt like a violation.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3mvk3cG6z
Whose body is this? The question repeated in his head like a mantra.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfGf9DL9SHv
Where is he?
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZUGiGVHySz
Is he dead?
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjUGHX2OHeM
Did I take his body?
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmX513RRPrt
Did I kill him?
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzNCai6Xsi6
He looked around.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ29J66RBtBi
Above him was not the cloudy gray English sky always ready to rain. The sky here was pitch black, blacker than the hollows in the corpse's eye sockets.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDuFA9CNL12
No stars, moon, or glowing clouds.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ17NXx3PEtb
Just a black canvas stretching endlessly, as if someone had covered the entire world with thick velvet and forgotten it there, leaving it hanging without end.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGVQHwOBz5R
But beneath that gloomy sky, there was enough light.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQeMzhkXh5
Perhaps from reflections off puddles of liquid on the ground that cast a dim gleam.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG8H0W9VHWA
Remnants of fires long dead in the distance, still emitting thin smoke and red sparks beneath the ash.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS8mEODfaSj
The source of the light was unclear, but it was enough for Voltase to see the sight that would sear itself onto his retina forever, burned there like a photograph exposed to sunlight.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKMg9VfHvcQ
Around him, as far as he could see, there were only bodies.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7WXmresplp
Hundreds, maybe thousands, impossible to count.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOyLSsOgloY
They lay in chaotic piles like rag dolls thrown by an angry giant and then forgotten.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCEhmKoGsLz
Some were stacked on top of each other, forming small hills reaching up to an adult's waist.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0P0STNEB3b
Some piles were higher, reaching chest height.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTq5v0yCsj7
Voltase noticed that the piles moved.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6VPBntO9GP
Not moving like living things, but moving because of the maggots and flies writhing inside them, creating small waves on the surface of the flesh.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡORUAf1ej0N
Some bodies lay alone, separated from the piles, with arms bent at impossible angles.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMiD3olWYOo
Elbows twisted the wrong way.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF5llpOYQhq
Fingers clutching empty earth as if they were still trying to crawl in death, still trying to escape something that had caught them.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTqYjuxbSw3
Some had intact faces with wide open eyes staring at the black sky, expressions of fear frozen forever in the rigid muscles of their faces.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBF5OzeQ9M5
Some had no faces at all.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJzg6HrGD3
Just red, glistening hollows inhabited by maggots and flies, with remnants of flesh clinging to skull bones like unraveling threads.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5nnvxoHlG
Their uniforms varied.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8713vhXm6e
Most wore faded blue, like Voltase.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf11MuW23lj
Many wore pale green, the color of dead moss, a faded, dull green gray like leaves already rotting in an autumn that lasted too long.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jAAzIsad1
Some others, fewer in number, wore ash, the color of gunpowder dust, or ash left after fire dies.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoVbfdxhLmZ
Those three colors mixed in this pile of death without pattern, without meaning, just chaotic horror.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcSwqpAV7lP
Often he saw blue bodies lying on top of green bodies, or gray bodies wedged between two blue bodies.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5tIMlyDNQI
Nothing was ordered.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN70ob2wDlq
Nothing was intentional.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP75Bf1HteQ
They died where they fell, and they fell where they died.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvsTedh2Z1E
The ground beneath Voltase's feet felt soft, not like the hard earth of the school garden, not like the wooden floor of his room.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCkWJTjayTt
He looked down and saw his boots sinking several centimeters into a brown black surface.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuElWiDrpUb
It was mud, but not ordinary mud.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmsqYhGHqT
This mud was mixed with something darker, thicker, denser.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsb7CYsWgWh
Blood.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQG2lQMo9Wi
This ground was not earth.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhgjTIwgMDv
It was a layer of flesh and bodily fluids that had soaked into the soil, mixed with mud, forming a new, horrific layer.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfPQOTyZ1HQ
When he moved his boots, there was a wet squelch, the sound of liquid squeezed out from the pores of the earth like water from an oversaturated sponge.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnVGTpDKtQI
He saw small white fragments among the black mud.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6XmleuYwr
Bone fragments.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtiwWaln54N
Broken rib pieces with sharp ends.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7tjOMXDMwV
Severed finger joints still bearing remnants of flesh at the joints.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ96V5h1rcFh
Shattered skull fragments with pinkish inner surfaces from residual brain tissue.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKPUnfxZL2B
There were also torn fabric pieces, dull glinting metal buttons scattered among the mud, and undone shoelaces uncoiled like dead snakes.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiEUaaiARh6
The stench here was not uniform.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbI7RLpJW2z
It came in waves.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ00pd2jxKw2
Sometimes sharp and stinging like ammonia burning the nose.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡba9u9r65tw
Sometimes sweet and nauseating like overripe flowers beginning to rot.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlS7nyI3ar8
Sometimes like old iron scraped across the tongue, leaving a metallic taste he could not get rid of.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUikfirRjzz
Every time the wind blew, cold, damp night wind, the smell changed, shifted, found new ways to torment his senses.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlc5OFvfDN3
Voltase covered his nose with the back of his new, long hand, but the smell entered through his mouth, through his skin, through every pore of his now large but still vulnerable body.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0673aFfTs
He felt it behind his eyes, in his sinuses, at the back of his throat.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjktvTlPtCM
The smell became part of the air he breathed. He could not separate himself from it.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rDzSOXFbi
In the distance, he heard something.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ92pbF2H4na
Not the sound of rain. The sound was a crack, like a twig snapping.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbYROg1HccJ
Voltase froze.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLsuvGaxDjr
He held his breath, that deep, heavy breath from this adult man's lungs, and tried to listen more carefully.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPSW3PGcBz
But his own heartbeat was too loud, too thunderous.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB59xXdQNX6
Thump, thump.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ507Gk3lJ1Z
Thump, thump.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZWdFLvGgDT
This heart was like a war drum inside his broad chest, and he could not stop it.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIVe6xo1KTy
Then, he saw movement.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7fg2hJNCqb
Among the pile of corpses to his left, about ten meters away, the pile shook.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMld42GNsnu
Not from the wind. The wind would not move a pile of flesh that heavy.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg7FMdYNnZp
Something inside it was moving.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuToQwvDEAZ
An arm emerged.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ2wIvsRp0U
An arm that still had intact skin, pale but not rotting, with muscles still tense beneath the skin's surface.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB36mi4fNSV
The fingers of that hand grasped the air, then pulled, pushed the bodies above them.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIyFSk5wu3
Those bodies shifted, rolled, fell aside with wet sounds.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQkaZj8HOlO
From that pile, a man's figure emerged.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0NodOVKrAi
He rose with stiff, mechanical movements, like a wooden puppet whose strings were pulled by an invisible hand.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSmL7polo5I
He brushed dust and dried flesh scraps from his uniform, pale green, the same green worn by many corpses around him.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPRM29zwOt
The fabric was torn in several places, and on his right shoulder was the same patch, the eagle or raven, but the colors were more faded, more worn, with threads beginning to unravel at the edges.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotsXVaXOHM
On his left arm was a large tear exposing the skin beneath, pale skin with an old, dried wound.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNpO6hy4mK
The man was tall, almost as tall as Voltase.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUh42WgZARz
His face was gaunt, with a firm jaw and prominent cheekbones.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcym3Zt5a9s
His hair was dirty blond, short and unkempt, with sideburns slightly elongated beside his ears.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiHIwPBkc5T
His dark eyes, dark like Voltase's eyes in the real world, stared directly at him.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr4TlLO0b5N
The stare was unfriendly.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEniizKwC9x
Full of suspicion, confusion, and beneath it, a layer of fear trying to hide behind a tightening jaw and pursed lips.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFpbAtc4fW
They faced each other.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy4QLOjEfVI
Two adult figures in the middle of a sea of death.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr2tiV5LDqD
Cold night wind blew between them, carrying the stench of rot and old gunpowder smoke.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1R7lSCZQZT
Voltase felt the wind hit his face, carrying his long, dirty hair dancing around his eyes.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvA6kDsnQPx
The man did not speak.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt3IGzYCXCB
He just stared, eyes narrowing, measuring whether Voltase was a threat or just another survivor.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvlwxVtvgtf
He examined Voltase's faded blue uniform, then examined his face.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmAyKyLrvd9
Perhaps searching for recognition.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAkuwPcS04K
Trying to remember if he had ever seen this face before.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXdbBZuH7B
But there was no recognition in his eyes.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1t65rc0zZr
Only deepening suspicion.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡytYB0NaPWB
Slowly, he bent down.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdHhkt9WpaW
His dirty fingers, crusted with dried blood beneath the nails, groped among the pile of corpses.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPQ5olsQn6Z
He pushed some bodies aside, shifted others, and finally pulled something from beneath the pile.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9VIv7ZSvXG
A long object.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0DWjz2Jxlo
Voltase recognized the shape even though he had never seen one directly outside the history books in the school library.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLTR3zrPAIO
An old wooden stock, darkened by oil and covered with scratches and deep grooves from grips.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlOcoiiwCIR
The wood was worn, its fibers peeling in places but still solid. He could see that the stock had been used for years, perhaps decades, by people he would never know.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxKgaRCjMxp
A long, slender barrel of dark metal, gleaming dully under the dim light, with grooves along its surface to reduce weight.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWgoBLOKkvI
Beneath it, just in front of the curved trigger made of the same metal with a finger groove, a small box magazine jutted out like a second jaw, loaded with ready to fire bullets.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhUnCh7kXNV
And at the end of the barrel, he saw a locking mechanism, small grooves and metal protrusions, designed to attach a bayonet.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpV4RJACyKu
It was a heavy, ancient, deadly rifle.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgI6OQu7E1I
A rifle that had killed more people than he could imagine.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnBgQ2ovOnE
The man aimed the muzzle at Voltase's chest.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXYfRdRAHIM
Voltase's reflexes acted before his thoughts could formulate a strategy.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0JM6QtxIv
Both his hands, the long, sturdy hands of an adult man, rose up, palms open wide, in the universal gesture of surrender.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrrfh59QqR1
His heart pounded in this new chest, and he felt its beat at his temples and at the tips of his trembling fingers.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLoSvWV65wq
"Wait," he said, and his voice came out as a deep, hoarse baritone, a voice he had never heard before, a voice emerging from this chest.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDlB3mFUAgJ
"I do not know where this is."
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOpd34uWQId
"I do not know what is happening."
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt20rvHegzD
"I just woke up."
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqKo3hhPBLj
The man did not answer.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3NuarWNBn
His eyes narrowed further, examining Voltase's faded blue uniform, then his face, watching Voltase's lips move, hearing his words.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1O6EULEMH
But there was no response.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2rOptzzxE
Perhaps he did not believe him.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzX3kihoyWv
Perhaps he had seen too many tricks in this place to trust anyone.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIsgqTvWU31
The man began to step forward.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuF6C0lGKH3
One step.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9FGFvA0DCG
Two steps.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ya3OjoCde
The muzzle stayed aimed exactly at Voltase's chest.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4cf1zpT9I7
Each step the man took was torture.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDj5WJGOQGD
Voltase heard the squeak of the man's boots on the bloody mud.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw3to7O6Inj
He saw every scratch on the rifle's wooden stock, every peeling fiber, every deep groove.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo64X21axEt
He saw the man's finger on the trigger, a steady finger that did not tremble, a finger accustomed to the weight and pressure of pulling.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKatf1aNWR
The voice in his head whispered.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡORlkPrFmea
If you do not move, you die.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHm2txlCTq
You die here, in this place.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdu09EukE2
And you will never return to your dormitory room. No one will come looking for you.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2iFLBzPMhs
No one will care.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi6bVywpMLe
You will just be another corpse in this pile.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7pmg6xLWY
The thought of the world's indifference, about foster parents who never called, about teachers who did not know his name, about the empty room with only the cracks on the ceiling, gave Voltase a strange strength.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnuzHApJLLR
He had nothing to lose in the real world.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6dLiXb0mp
No one would mourn him if he died.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqELdPFxME
But here, in this strong body, he might survive.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdZN4wJbUU
He might become something.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvqGNo29RDA
And he moved.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAE3COAgZHV
His tall, powerful body shot forward, faster than he had imagined.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvXb9B6PrUy
The muscles in his legs, muscles he had never possessed, contracted with surprising strength, propelling him forward in an instant.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcYQAVsAeLM
His long hand grabbed the end of the rifle's barrel before the man could react.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNsvuglmqLL
The metal was cold, very cold, like ice burning his skin.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWws1ba6CIp
He felt the texture of the metal beneath his fingers, smooth in some places, rough in others from rust, and he gripped it tightly.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWevftFf5F
He twisted the barrel aside, away from his chest.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFBYlS4hfnK
His other hand formed a fist and swung it at the man's face.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLxgB4ffGvJ
The punch landed.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWdEnvruwu
His knuckles struck the man's cheekbone with a dull thud.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFkohgCXEnY
Voltase felt the hard impact in his hand, pain spreading like waves from his knuckles to his wrist.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUEcEsQJvX
But there was a primal satisfaction that his punch had connected.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZnfDDc3xgG
This was the first time in his life, both in the real world and here, he had ever hit someone with full force.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP3tO0LArQE
The man stumbled back, his arm bending, but he did not fall.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ538AzhhMxI
His head snapped to the side, and from the corner of his mouth, a drop of blood began to flow.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhU3vX0Uhp
He raised his hand to his face, touched his lip, looked at the blood on his fingertip.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡerBRmuY8nz
Then he looked at Voltase with changed eyes.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWmrD1G8loZ
Suspicion transformed into burning anger.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqfm5iRi8FI
With reflexes faster than they looked, he blocked Voltase's attack with his forearm.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHg9Wy1K0j
His other hand grabbed Voltase's collar and pulled him forward.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡav297qBRko
At the same time, he bent his right knee and kicked forward.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJm220v8a2
The knee struck Voltase's stomach, and the pain exploded in his solar plexus like a bomb.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEjIE7qMjcs
All the air in his lungs was forced out in one gasping exhale that sounded like a long, deep groan.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcoAwKMvo2p
Saliva and bitter bile from his empty stomach spurted from his open mouth, wetting his chin and dripping onto the faded blue uniform.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9j4SbWcUB8
For a moment, the world around him spun wildly, black sky, corpses, and the man's face all mixed into a nauseating vortex.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RotYQCSrV
He tasted metal on his tongue because he had bitten his own tongue from the impact.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsu4Zf5cNKG
Fresh blood began to flow in his mouth, mixing with the bile.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkj2IvQvez2
But Voltase did not fall.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSyoV6kPf9j
Unlike in the real world, where he always fell when pushed by other children at school, this body was stronger, heavier.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0FhxxfegTu
His long legs planted in the bloody soil as he held his ground.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqh5gtctFHm
His hard, trained abdominal muscles absorbed part of the kick's impact.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6csRqng9Wo
Despite the overwhelming pain, he was still standing.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡePxrjbcWiE
With clenched teeth, enduring the pain gnawing at his stomach like burning fire, he launched a counterattack.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kT10vIXHy
His foot with the heavy boot and hard sole swung toward the man's shin.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1L2onZGy8
He swung his leg with all his strength.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCh2gDX6tMw
The kick landed with a harder thud than before.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmzRShpN9mP
The man stumbled, losing balance.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfce0Hxd2IE
His kicked leg buckled, and for a moment he seemed about to fall, grimacing in pain, his teeth clenched, his breath coming in a long hiss.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpfYT8ujFb
Voltase seized the moment.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIg4QQzh7n7
He twisted his body, pulling the rifle barrel with all his strength.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxihV9eKE01
The wood and metal, an object weighing nearly four kilograms, tore from the man's grip.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRg9tccCI3N
It flew, rolled across the pile of corpses, and fell among the rotting bodies on the other side, sinking beneath the pile of flesh.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJSbW0Hce0
Now, without weapons, they faced each other equally.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMmLNNozse
The man swung a punch at Voltase's jaw, but Voltase ducked, feeling the wind of the fist brushing his long, dirty hair.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYxSnKdRgjd
He answered with a punch at the man's chin, but the man tilted his head with agile movement despite his large body.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDhePBQpJd
They fought wildly, punches, kicks, elbows, and knees, in the middle of the sea of corpses.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgBhNWZArq2
Dust and dried flesh scraps flew around them every time they stepped on or fell into the piles of bodies.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡioM7j4TnR0
Voltase felt blood, both the corpses' blood and his own, covering his face.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEyad7leL2m
His lower lip was split, and he tasted his own salty, metallic blood on his tongue, mixing with the copper taste from the air around him.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW1riPbdSVs
This is not me, he thought between punches, but his thoughts were fragmented by pain and exhaustion.
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUGClxj1D8T
Why am I here?
ns216.73.216.243da2 
and then Add to home screen.