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.
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Like invisible fingers knocking on a door, asking for permission to enter a warmth that had never existed inside this room.
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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.
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The dormitory room sat on the third floor of an old red brick building that had stood for nearly two centuries.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2VQ9ROIiYC
Its walls were thick, painted a pale white, made of stone and plaster cracked in many places.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBjqLKEOwhe
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6soFQNIeF
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.
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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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjCgljchHRV
Voltase Watt lay on his back on a bed far too large for his body.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrut6HbbJMQ
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHgApFs4yI
His shoulders were narrow, so narrow that the navy striped flannel pajamas he wore kept slipping off his left shoulder.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJb4TkBKOe
His arms were thin, with faint blue veins visible beneath pale skin that rarely saw sunlight.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKsLelWb2J
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWYO9iIgd4B
He had bought those pajamas three years ago, and even then they had been too big for his small body.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZb1B6QWig
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7tbxarITe
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.
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Things do not grow.
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He never knew his biological parents.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE8ZDTpPU7t
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.
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Nothing else.
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No letter, no message, no clue about who had left him there or why they had gone.
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He grew up in that orphanage for five years, changing caretakers and beds and faces that came and went.
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Then a family came and chose him, a polite, well dressed couple who said the right things in front of the social worker.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzsWtyNSSVT
They took him to their home in the suburbs, gave him his own room, food, clothes.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3o098sCPBW
But they never truly wanted him.
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He knew it from the way they looked at him, not with hatred, but with indifference.
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As if he were an obligation, a task to be completed.
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When he turned ten, they sent him to this boarding school.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCy2F4g1SaW
An elegant, polite way to get rid of a burden without appearing cruel.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxanEGmI390
They paid his school fees.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9OwClVTqf
They sent birthday cards, store bought cards with printed text identical for everyone.
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But they never visited.
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They never called.
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Voltase was a receipt already paid in full, an obligation fulfilled.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlSbLd1ziKd
Now he was left here, in this cold room, in a country that was supposedly his birthplace but never felt like his own.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwIEc4OTwi
You have no one, he thought, and he said it with lips that did not move, only inside his head.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWik40lf6Yu
You have never had anyone.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnEZGT5OdV3
And you will never have anyone.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSnrsIeIOrN
Voltase had counted those cracks on the ceiling every night for two years since he first arrived in this room.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT1x7milUn0
The number of main branches was always twenty three.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7cZ7g7jmz
Never changing.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRVryYLsqZh
The small branches varied, depending on the humidity of the night air, the temperature, whether the rain fell harder than usual.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQx4hx2vcL
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9sMKVTh2N
If he touched it, he would feel the cold of the plaster and remember that he was still here.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGutlSt6MWi
In the distance, the bells of St. Mary's church at the end of the street began to ring.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7zV2XS9aOW
The sound was old and heavy, with a slightly off key tone from age and dampness.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8WpdjScp0d
Voltase counted each chime because there was nothing else he could do.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi1Im0vMSib
The bells stopped at the ninth chime, and silence returned, filled only by the patter of rain that never stopped here.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjp2kdq2jtz
Voltase reached his right hand toward the small table beside his bed.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO0u7lFafbm
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32SLguKUKO
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPajq71CGu
His long, thin fingers groped across the table's surface until they touched the phone.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDlYsfz7J2
The screen lit up.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8aZa6GH0dM
Pale blue light illuminated his face for a few seconds.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyqVa9kKCpx
The time showed 21:49 PM.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiaQdqGg4rt
He opened the game he was playing.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPKoxN8e5K
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjYUOWNXu0
Voltase almost hated that smile.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ83BRyIIqLi
That character never got tired, never got sad, never felt alone.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKxWWMi5YkR
He just ran, collected coins, dodged trains, and smiled the whole time.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5EhdHJlRYg
His right thumb swiped the screen, and the game began.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXy4AfKGOXy
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpLD8uwXLmJ
Golden coins sparkled in the air, and every time the character collected them there was a satisfying ding sound.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcx4cJ90rx
Voltase played mechanically.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKLYfjOBt7
His thumb swiped left, jumped, swiped right, ducked.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQPEDW7eif
The score in the upper right corner climbed, 240, 480, 710, 930.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbC9tRQHLU2
He did not care about the score or the character.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxB5Htv5JP
The only thing he needed was the sound.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq2NzyG18vK
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcYTCrP8xkM
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlSTEDNhmGj
The three of them ran together.
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A fake family in a fake world.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2c6TVq4Ia
They are not real, Voltase thought, just code, they can never feel anything.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmqzdyakmLh
They are never alone because they never existed.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCanZdPLLev
At 1,230 points, the obstacles increased.
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Train cars came faster and denser from both directions.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡezNOxKYNoP
Voltase's small fingers began to sweat, making the touchscreen feel slippery and sticky.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSxtyTjeU5l
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.
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A giant steel train car passed right in front of the character.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw4ZNwsnqXo
Bam!
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The screen turned blurry red, with a crimson gradient encircling the edges.
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Thick black ink pooled in the corners.
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White bold text appeared in the center.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVvqkhPQvF
GAME OVER.
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Voltase let out a breath.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4icxQR2Xbl
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcu8TuqC9Wd
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.
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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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Uep4ELTuE
Silence returned.
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Rain returned.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgSaMaT2Mfm
He was still here.
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Still small and alone.
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Voltase closed his eyes.
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In the darkness behind his eyelids, he imagined another place.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsDG3sgbnjX
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.
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A place where he could become something, become someone meaningful, someone who could not be ignored.
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But the image was vague, like smoke vanishing before he could grasp it.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡte6637AMdC
He did not know what a big body looked like.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNrQLvYzutU
He had never had one.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5UeP0vHtHi
He only knew that he wanted it, something more than this thin, weak, useless body.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRXj9YYjMb
Slowly, exhaustion consumed him.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPkybPPVCmD
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.
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The rain kept tapping the window.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnyXYciNwGL
The wind moaned among the old oak trees in the schoolyard.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLGA0K4o9im
His consciousness began to blur, sinking into a dark, warm abyss.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy3yg63NBt0
The clock showed 22:01 PM.
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Three minutes since he turned off the phone.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvDekUgayYT
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIVPLN997ER
The first thing that registered through his sense of smell was the stench.
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Not the musty, dusty smell of the dormitory room.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡue79a5abC0
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.
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The smell entered his nostrils like thick, heavy smoke.
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It crept inside uninvited.
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Stabbed the back of his throat like swallowed glass shards.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxFCygzfCkJ
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡirdeXJYm2R
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUiRSpbAotv
Blood, he thought, and the thought rose from the depths of an instinct he had not known he possessed.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfN1JFs1wuu
The smell of blood.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD8q5FW03ZW
A lot of blood and flesh.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCdwN1cZwWH
Rotting flesh.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGO3CGFOhaP
Voltase opened his eyes.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡySNvKpKZKn
The darkness he saw was not the darkness of his dormitory room.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmyOEypl9No
This was total darkness, darkness that rejected light, darkness that felt solid like wet velvet pressed against his face.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJGKugkZ3X
His eyes blinked, adjusting, but the adjustment was slow, as if his pupils had to relearn how to catch light.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBIExdWwkuO
Slowly, silhouettes began to emerge.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XgOMoiB48
He saw a shape above him, very close, only inches from his own nose.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡScgJLO85c4
A face.
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But not the face of a living human.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHg0FqQbQA3
The skin of that face was ashen green, pale like dried clay beginning to crack.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI5B5YgzLf8
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.
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On its chin was thin brown stubble, with flakes of dry earth clinging between the hair strands.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXM9OKROWB
Its eyes, or what remained of them, were two dark hollows.
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No eyeballs.
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Just black holes filled with small, writhing movements.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡys8thwLIvX
Voltase saw them clearly, maggots.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJM9HBjr23M
Dozens, maybe hundreds of small pale yellowish bodies, segmented, with darker heads, writhing inside those eye sockets.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtmUj4jvVEX
They rose and fell like tiny waves that never stopped, eating the remaining tissue still clinging to the orbital bone.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyaAqx67K4Q
Some were larger than others, fatter and whiter, perhaps because they had been there longer and had eaten more.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHlBLXWW5op
One of them crawled out of the left eye socket, across the corpse's cheekbone, and fell right onto Voltase's cheek.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVHsWD6BxXq
He felt it.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXhM0BRnfo3
Cold, Damp, and Writhing.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD1DT7Jrfnx
That small soft body clung to his skin for a second, then began to crawl slowly downward toward his jaw.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrKBwWxjP5
Voltase felt every movement of that body, every small muscle contraction pushing it forward, every segment rubbing against his skin.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbnJf8XHHTn
At that moment, panic exploded inside him.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx75cvyw36f
Pure, primal panic that recognized no logic or reason.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7yGYxvP595
He wanted to scream, but his voice was caught in his throat.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA6YK94TPtA
He wanted to push, but his hands felt foreign and heavy.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRZ2lTSq54
Because he realized: his body had become different.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmNarwguDIx
His hands pushing the corpse away felt longer and heavier.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPwfsmnDdw
His fingers were no longer long and thin.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvOFMip7E9A
He felt protruding knuckles, long and sturdy finger joints, a wide palm with blue veins clearly visible on the back.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4NDZtM8DHZ
When he pushed the corpse away, the muscles in his arms, muscles he had never possessed in the real world, contracted with surprising strength.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8r895EjHPv
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtyIorGUk4K
The corpse rolled to the side with a wet, heavy plop, like a bag of wet meat falling onto mud.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW0hkHmm0h3
Its head hit something hard, maybe a rock, maybe another skull, with a dull crack.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJWj6fJwxj
Voltase coughed, choked, and sat up straight with a jolting movement.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUfAgO7Xx2
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ35daA44k4X
His chest felt heavy, broad, and wide. His back felt solid.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjWpHx0YF0Q
His shoulders were now thick and muscular.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZiwzjqRWa
He looked down and saw his own body.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDbbEURaQC
A uniform.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIm7QUGvy45
A long sleeved shirt in faded blue, made of thick wool fabric that was coarse and slightly damp from dew or blood.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnsYfFMhJej
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrkSd6sY4kk
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjTypQGX51P
The patch was faded, its edges torn.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEatw7V758b
Blue trousers tucked into tall dark brown boots that felt heavy on his feet.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Ogk9aN4c0
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9uuLREy234
Loose metal buckles on the tops of the boots swung gently as he moved.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ753iWT7PLn
Voltase raised his right hand in front of his face.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpXhV39Pz9N
The hand trembled violently.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuaQvmmkXBW
He could see it clearly, and it was not his hand.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLaxHQ4WLW
The hand was long, thin but muscular, with blue veins prominent on the back.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4pblsaRBvl
The fingers were slender with prominent knuckles and short nails dirty with black earth drying beneath them.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJdoGfMaYMP
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzHcAQ2WCHO
His palm was wide with deep, clear lifelines.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTaxtkyfAq
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCfmQ18VKbd
This was an adult man's hand.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhuu9M9EyGy
A strong hand.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9nahuJ5KxD
A hand that could never belong to a weak, thin twelve year old boy.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6RZ78FkafO
He pressed his palm to his chest.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9AUUfpZBh7
Beneath the thick wool fabric, he felt the contour of hard chest muscles, broad pectorals with wide ribs beneath them.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1h8ugzRtj
And beneath those muscles, he felt a heartbeat.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZNsJSZhOMl
Thump, thump.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9tC9TffEU9
Thump, thump.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUJlPf5KX2
A deeper, stronger, heavier heart.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2uavqhFj3
Each beat felt like a hammer striking the wall of his chest from inside.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNr1yt52c7
This is not my body, he thought.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNf9SAFgC3
The thought sounded foreign in his head, deeper, heavier, with the resonance of an adult man he did not recognize.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkVI2VwI3Ep
This body is not mine.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1hAGs1QWIR
I am inside someone else's body.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrVwTTIynXH
I am trapped inside someone else's flesh.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqeqnwCSFkh
How can this be?
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzdEwmQ72Y
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuutZwEZPnl
He straightened his body, rising from his current sitting position.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuNXntYbeKP
His knees wobbled at first. The long, strong leg muscles felt strange, unused to supporting this much weight, but he forced himself to stand.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnIuFdcp4k
Eye level was now above the piles of corpses around him.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLTMfgfIykY
He could see far across the field, farther than he had ever seen in his short, narrow life.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSFB7oBBh65
The body was now tall, a hundred and eighty centimeters or more.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUk0IsJVEQ7
When he looked down, he saw the long distance between his chest and the ground, a distance he had never experienced before.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpn3m0XNOJg
His long, sturdy legs felt foreign, like poles newly attached beneath his body.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡraX64ZzVpU
Every step felt like walking on an unstable stage.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvKXrKnxweW
He felt his body's weight differently.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCWQi7cdgVG
Gravity felt lighter on his bones, perhaps because his bones were now larger and stronger, but his muscles felt heavier and denser.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoQCz8hPjSA
There was strength there, potential for movement he had never explored.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCRPpLMqAl
He felt that this body could run faster, punch harder, endure longer than his thin, weak body.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAy4T1ePmIQ
But that strength must have its price, something he was always aware of, that nothing in this world was free.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡISielYeXXm
Instead, he felt strange after obtaining this body.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVRw9293dR6
Like a thief who had stolen something precious and did not know how to use it, where every movement felt like a violation.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCrHVWxh9uD
Whose body is this? The question repeated in his head like a mantra.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF5RXbJLNOW
Where is he?
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPtta8TGf4r
Is he dead?
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgS1VsT8IJX
Did I take his body?
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9AHE4Gc5mO
Did I kill him?
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ41y82Vc0i8
He looked around.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02MleZJ2ax
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5PjnK7brmf
No stars, moon, or glowing clouds.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRGvicsoW64
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSRl8jaAwjI
But beneath that gloomy sky, there was enough light.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡamEq6WYk3K
Perhaps from reflections off puddles of liquid on the ground that cast a dim gleam.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYgW0f0V3m0
Remnants of fires long dead in the distance, still emitting thin smoke and red sparks beneath the ash.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxW5QhCmFEI
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJXAuu6eUB
Around him, as far as he could see, there were only bodies.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG9UnWrsjrQ
Hundreds, maybe thousands, impossible to count.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMU3HIPQNG
They lay in chaotic piles like rag dolls thrown by an angry giant and then forgotten.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmt7b13MuOK
Some were stacked on top of each other, forming small hills reaching up to an adult's waist.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvWRTp3NsXd
Some piles were higher, reaching chest height.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv5VwShYGpM
Voltase noticed that the piles moved.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwn2uZS7zef
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq6sy3sS3vz
Some bodies lay alone, separated from the piles, with arms bent at impossible angles.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡao45YySbY3
Elbows twisted the wrong way.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRfGZS7cRiL
Fingers clutching empty earth as if they were still trying to crawl in death, still trying to escape something that had caught them.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqW0vFvg7c
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn2GlHu09ss
Some had no faces at all.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBbHzJLSQJ7
Just red, glistening hollows inhabited by maggots and flies, with remnants of flesh clinging to skull bones like unraveling threads.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqk59OPuKD2
Their uniforms varied.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm2SvKaxIrq
Most wore faded blue, like Voltase.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBOMrzcaIma
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpm5JjGztEw
Some others, fewer in number, wore ash, the color of gunpowder dust, or ash left after fire dies.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCHRWU5xQNV
Those three colors mixed in this pile of death without pattern, without meaning, just chaotic horror.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVSyAtn2eq5
Often he saw blue bodies lying on top of green bodies, or gray bodies wedged between two blue bodies.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnCt1WroGWw
Nothing was ordered.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJObmhMiAV
Nothing was intentional.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcOWK2ztsF
They died where they fell, and they fell where they died.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDBcN62IyWv
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFijZjdXwmd
He looked down and saw his boots sinking several centimeters into a brown black surface.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPtATCEK2wG
It was mud, but not ordinary mud.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8ssCPMd9l
This mud was mixed with something darker, thicker, denser.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVkN3Nkrz7Z
Blood.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkPPfTWs1Ft
This ground was not earth.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZK6fBGSUOh
It was a layer of flesh and bodily fluids that had soaked into the soil, mixed with mud, forming a new, horrific layer.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMSbwAsp6YH
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivDMg4VNHG
He saw small white fragments among the black mud.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡglqpwXyKXc
Bone fragments.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1pPm8zxWLm
Broken rib pieces with sharp ends.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcpqBzt46u
Severed finger joints still bearing remnants of flesh at the joints.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRxZPbEu0J5
Shattered skull fragments with pinkish inner surfaces from residual brain tissue.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2nBlx8XmT
There were also torn fabric pieces, dull glinting metal buttons scattered among the mud, and undone shoelaces uncoiled like dead snakes.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8MHjcju1R
The stench here was not uniform.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhNfnbNu7O
It came in waves.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡImBzn7QaLp
Sometimes sharp and stinging like ammonia burning the nose.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsi1Fem58fm
Sometimes sweet and nauseating like overripe flowers beginning to rot.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL5Y5Hk3TeQ
Sometimes like old iron scraped across the tongue, leaving a metallic taste he could not get rid of.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYHKaEoZWnK
Every time the wind blew, cold, damp night wind, the smell changed, shifted, found new ways to torment his senses.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIPO0Q8xXDL
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfnMV7ZZbgy
He felt it behind his eyes, in his sinuses, at the back of his throat.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzRfiqIxNXf
The smell became part of the air he breathed. He could not separate himself from it.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcfBkZaHrW
In the distance, he heard something.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtamfX0rikd
Not the sound of rain. The sound was a crack, like a twig snapping.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsD5r0AR1im
Voltase froze.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK1xO409j4n
He held his breath, that deep, heavy breath from this adult man's lungs, and tried to listen more carefully.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Qu0KnRQ3P
But his own heartbeat was too loud, too thunderous.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡezzRlT8rkS
Thump, thump.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrFARThsCjV
Thump, thump.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCGEx3hBS9U
This heart was like a war drum inside his broad chest, and he could not stop it.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXaPSF9HhKB
Then, he saw movement.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKhi3QXb5ZZ
Among the pile of corpses to his left, about ten meters away, the pile shook.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikCeCgUI8N
Not from the wind. The wind would not move a pile of flesh that heavy.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJrz3jzUlg
Something inside it was moving.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn93KQM31Qn
An arm emerged.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVknW3ungvy
An arm that still had intact skin, pale but not rotting, with muscles still tense beneath the skin's surface.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHoCbJN9iS
The fingers of that hand grasped the air, then pulled, pushed the bodies above them.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGyxvKD9Lxf
Those bodies shifted, rolled, fell aside with wet sounds.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXbstiTlOWb
From that pile, a man's figure emerged.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡchTfqPaKNU
He rose with stiff, mechanical movements, like a wooden puppet whose strings were pulled by an invisible hand.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP64yytyF6K
He brushed dust and dried flesh scraps from his uniform, pale green, the same green worn by many corpses around him.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOSbQA7w1XT
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeEE7Sop6Yk
On his left arm was a large tear exposing the skin beneath, pale skin with an old, dried wound.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxPUrmB0bDP
The man was tall, almost as tall as Voltase.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYUa2y9nVEE
His face was gaunt, with a firm jaw and prominent cheekbones.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRl22yEvwRW
His hair was dirty blond, short and unkempt, with sideburns slightly elongated beside his ears.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHObr4B75zx
His dark eyes, dark like Voltase's eyes in the real world, stared directly at him.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM5vnOkPH4X
The stare was unfriendly.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWWtKUV9d2d
Full of suspicion, confusion, and beneath it, a layer of fear trying to hide behind a tightening jaw and pursed lips.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBiA7Byxrgh
They faced each other.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKrKudpXy3E
Two adult figures in the middle of a sea of death.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnqfusKOVrU
Cold night wind blew between them, carrying the stench of rot and old gunpowder smoke.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuob6Du439z
Voltase felt the wind hit his face, carrying his long, dirty hair dancing around his eyes.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYU0xbJzewE
The man did not speak.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgLg6z5CuEX
He just stared, eyes narrowing, measuring whether Voltase was a threat or just another survivor.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvQgamx05b
He examined Voltase's faded blue uniform, then examined his face.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡePd5vh2IyE
Perhaps searching for recognition.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUTudVEVQkl
Trying to remember if he had ever seen this face before.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSiTgWUwTkU
But there was no recognition in his eyes.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7cYJOglSeN
Only deepening suspicion.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡabIDUDu3Kd
Slowly, he bent down.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbVXsYgW2L
His dirty fingers, crusted with dried blood beneath the nails, groped among the pile of corpses.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspbLWxwh1U
He pushed some bodies aside, shifted others, and finally pulled something from beneath the pile.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivrRG43Wnh
A long object.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrgLzyfAaN
Voltase recognized the shape even though he had never seen one directly outside the history books in the school library.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jr07lzmm9
An old wooden stock, darkened by oil and covered with scratches and deep grooves from grips.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqrZ3AUnCdl
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT9aHVLrFwo
A long, slender barrel of dark metal, gleaming dully under the dim light, with grooves along its surface to reduce weight.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPwyaR516Dy
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡswggIh8Xuf
And at the end of the barrel, he saw a locking mechanism, small grooves and metal protrusions, designed to attach a bayonet.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgvamOMHLjn
It was a heavy, ancient, deadly rifle.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLk8WO9QMfg
A rifle that had killed more people than he could imagine.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfo1teLOhYn
The man aimed the muzzle at Voltase's chest.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzduWcckZs
Voltase's reflexes acted before his thoughts could formulate a strategy.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡscOlKuuENH
Both his hands, the long, sturdy hands of an adult man, rose up, palms open wide, in the universal gesture of surrender.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0OuA4QLDbL
His heart pounded in this new chest, and he felt its beat at his temples and at the tips of his trembling fingers.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOG1Enf0i2p
"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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1DgmXD81rK
"I do not know where this is."
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8orRQvDEX
"I do not know what is happening."
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMO0ITczOU9
"I just woke up."
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcONX5wwLCr
The man did not answer.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQNoryMlXI3
His eyes narrowed further, examining Voltase's faded blue uniform, then his face, watching Voltase's lips move, hearing his words.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSVXfCKVzyz
But there was no response.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJporcQa1ur
Perhaps he did not believe him.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGcK127wGSv
Perhaps he had seen too many tricks in this place to trust anyone.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJWInh6jxWN
The man began to step forward.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBB90t2xbRo
One step.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLzmXtodMW
Two steps.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9R3MVJPvZd
The muzzle stayed aimed exactly at Voltase's chest.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUb7PpVdyY
Each step the man took was torture.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0thzK4Rjud
Voltase heard the squeak of the man's boots on the bloody mud.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQOj1H2YvG6
He saw every scratch on the rifle's wooden stock, every peeling fiber, every deep groove.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpMrso75OGt
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA0nnVYjAYl
The voice in his head whispered.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5FLAtUZWrl
If you do not move, you die.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQTtLtTAJDM
You die here, in this place.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3WSEzNyRJJ
And you will never return to your dormitory room. No one will come looking for you.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjMI6TMW1RG
No one will care.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTOeC7R7jq1
You will just be another corpse in this pile.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDj5ogBrdH3
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefAkrFEYH5
He had nothing to lose in the real world.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZS0mjohOx
No one would mourn him if he died.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrCDwhceLBg
But here, in this strong body, he might survive.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHpMw2RQKdL
He might become something.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdtrCSGpnRE
And he moved.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzi0IXAvVj
His tall, powerful body shot forward, faster than he had imagined.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDvVOMHMZd4
The muscles in his legs, muscles he had never possessed, contracted with surprising strength, propelling him forward in an instant.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFW9kDI0YwF
His long hand grabbed the end of the rifle's barrel before the man could react.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWgR5l1xf9B
The metal was cold, very cold, like ice burning his skin.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEO2JAniA08
He felt the texture of the metal beneath his fingers, smooth in some places, rough in others from rust, and he gripped it tightly.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVMi2gMa7EY
He twisted the barrel aside, away from his chest.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLt6BAUeog6
His other hand formed a fist and swung it at the man's face.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3dwGFsrSbr
The punch landed.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZmtp9fz08
His knuckles struck the man's cheekbone with a dull thud.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0L6uOXi4b5
Voltase felt the hard impact in his hand, pain spreading like waves from his knuckles to his wrist.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp58bsk67oz
But there was a primal satisfaction that his punch had connected.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3h82oSe7X
This was the first time in his life, both in the real world and here, he had ever hit someone with full force.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9QIK3pDTtg
The man stumbled back, his arm bending, but he did not fall.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcM4OSHCndr
His head snapped to the side, and from the corner of his mouth, a drop of blood began to flow.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJ7wV8KnIV
He raised his hand to his face, touched his lip, looked at the blood on his fingertip.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzSdcG5eaqs
Then he looked at Voltase with changed eyes.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGqy3GHQF2I
Suspicion transformed into burning anger.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKAUfIbtY9
With reflexes faster than they looked, he blocked Voltase's attack with his forearm.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7BBPH7s97F
His other hand grabbed Voltase's collar and pulled him forward.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP76766NCh6
At the same time, he bent his right knee and kicked forward.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFfTNxPRTn
The knee struck Voltase's stomach, and the pain exploded in his solar plexus like a bomb.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX83ZyepRPM
All the air in his lungs was forced out in one gasping exhale that sounded like a long, deep groan.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMw99CT1DvL
Saliva and bitter bile from his empty stomach spurted from his open mouth, wetting his chin and dripping onto the faded blue uniform.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFmf6ygwizU
For a moment, the world around him spun wildly, black sky, corpses, and the man's face all mixed into a nauseating vortex.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBKPYZ3o6pG
He tasted metal on his tongue because he had bitten his own tongue from the impact.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaamXO8FPet
Fresh blood began to flow in his mouth, mixing with the bile.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM3IOyfxNwH
But Voltase did not fall.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFzxkxkMik
Unlike in the real world, where he always fell when pushed by other children at school, this body was stronger, heavier.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfHqfsuukb
His long legs planted in the bloody soil as he held his ground.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6pZPbQ54V
His hard, trained abdominal muscles absorbed part of the kick's impact.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeW5Y2wZ77H
Despite the overwhelming pain, he was still standing.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8EiKeHUtxF
With clenched teeth, enduring the pain gnawing at his stomach like burning fire, he launched a counterattack.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6o8BcxOjTJ
His foot with the heavy boot and hard sole swung toward the man's shin.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjNzL4Cctcq
He swung his leg with all his strength.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJGtkaG31Z
The kick landed with a harder thud than before.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19Po6f7M7l
The man stumbled, losing balance.
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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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEEqDWUJEF
Voltase seized the moment.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMAVTxjYIxn
He twisted his body, pulling the rifle barrel with all his strength.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv5HFtC5VtA
The wood and metal, an object weighing nearly four kilograms, tore from the man's grip.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5Y7k8Dg8W
It flew, rolled across the pile of corpses, and fell among the rotting bodies on the other side, sinking beneath the pile of flesh.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRw0yXEaYfd
Now, without weapons, they faced each other equally.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9HFpMevAVO
The man swung a punch at Voltase's jaw, but Voltase ducked, feeling the wind of the fist brushing his long, dirty hair.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ835xH8CrLT
He answered with a punch at the man's chin, but the man tilted his head with agile movement despite his large body.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZQBmZuvf1W
They fought wildly, punches, kicks, elbows, and knees, in the middle of the sea of corpses.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKWaP0KTfEt
Dust and dried flesh scraps flew around them every time they stepped on or fell into the piles of bodies.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡryi4uoESKX
Voltase felt blood, both the corpses' blood and his own, covering his face.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ62eNYRBD02
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9q7GIlXCTl
This is not me, he thought between punches, but his thoughts were fragmented by pain and exhaustion.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJQgxmcMaXl
Why am I here?
ns216.73.216.217da2 
and then Add to home screen.