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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZzCVLAsaX4
Like invisible fingers knocking on a door, asking for permission to enter a warmth that had never existed inside this room.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD5iInIhePQ
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMSoS3P6uN
The dormitory room sat on the third floor of an old red brick building that had stood for nearly two centuries.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqKxPwzB9Ld
Its walls were thick, painted a pale white, made of stone and plaster cracked in many places.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNm1IMrKjz6
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrzjUZOO7i
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMcnsdGFXL
Voltase Watt lay on his back on a bed far too large for his body.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9NcaWM1Yx9
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIleZMT7zSN
His shoulders were narrow, so narrow that the navy striped flannel pajamas he wore kept slipping off his left shoulder.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3NqKVGQ3by
His arms were thin, with faint blue veins visible beneath pale skin that rarely saw sunlight.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡesLE02c8sQ
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu6u2WDfRFC
He had bought those pajamas three years ago, and even then they had been too big for his small body.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5Bww62f48
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSLACm61iJl
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFhmVTVTJG7
Things do not grow.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2kQXu3qMg
He never knew his biological parents.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwiszFlWMtQ
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvmOJSOZwYb
No letter, no message, no clue about who had left him there or why they had gone.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtkvRZVbPc8
He grew up in that orphanage for five years, changing caretakers and beds and faces that came and went.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQIfC2wGFE
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPLvRMAY59Z
They took him to their home in the suburbs, gave him his own room, food, clothes.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHR5oSRdS3
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1lXnFDWzt
When he turned ten, they sent him to this boarding school.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvwXM7mRN5F
An elegant, polite way to get rid of a burden without appearing cruel.
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They paid his school fees.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6aeJabDJP
They sent birthday cards, store bought cards with printed text identical for everyone.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcWOdOvb1CO
But they never visited.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXxSZa3KkJz
They never called.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDuqt4Xt5dS
Voltase was a receipt already paid in full, an obligation fulfilled.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLxva1ywcLQ
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZR37HVF8g
You have no one, he thought, and he said it with lips that did not move, only inside his head.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GnjjTcRcd
You have never had anyone.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFkErLIHWJ0
And you will never have anyone.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwgAaxwUQun
Voltase had counted those cracks on the ceiling every night for two years since he first arrived in this room.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9jWPiHoZp
The number of main branches was always twenty three.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5qXWHtTfOA
Never changing.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdXQkzayK6Z
The small branches varied, depending on the humidity of the night air, the temperature, whether the rain fell harder than usual.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxsyt2AuJI8
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwOitgvxL19
If he touched it, he would feel the cold of the plaster and remember that he was still here.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATwWOgs3ml
In the distance, the bells of St. Mary's church at the end of the street began to ring.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHe77BCGmlM
The sound was old and heavy, with a slightly off key tone from age and dampness.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15vlYZAbzL
Voltase counted each chime because there was nothing else he could do.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLpZKWKYWa
The bells stopped at the ninth chime, and silence returned, filled only by the patter of rain that never stopped here.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6RZY1mIk68
Voltase reached his right hand toward the small table beside his bed.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXYlJROEw4
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNtu5Q4CBDR
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPZfpZWNHJ
His long, thin fingers groped across the table's surface until they touched the phone.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1atFKEG7y2
The screen lit up.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡptymYLRaW0
Pale blue light illuminated his face for a few seconds.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQh1wWLWu5
The time showed 21:49 PM.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6oj0zcegl
He opened the game he was playing.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmKJfBx1oI
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMQcBqL2ZX
Voltase almost hated that smile.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDjEFHib5B0
That character never got tired, never got sad, never felt alone.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoAgsO8SgJR
He just ran, collected coins, dodged trains, and smiled the whole time.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0CTaieu4Wf
His right thumb swiped the screen, and the game began.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2iLUPE26kB
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJIPbedH8B
Golden coins sparkled in the air, and every time the character collected them there was a satisfying ding sound.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcTkvKSmKAg
Voltase played mechanically.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAEeedUw6R3
His thumb swiped left, jumped, swiped right, ducked.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡps0fAbA2Gw
The score in the upper right corner climbed, 240, 480, 710, 930.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjvK3of8P1d
He did not care about the score or the character.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡueLfm77GFN
The only thing he needed was the sound.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpEocJ5jcv
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1bFbe4dMUi
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDhMIXNm4M
The three of them ran together.
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A fake family in a fake world.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7dbjTxXJI
They are not real, Voltase thought, just code, they can never feel anything.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWlZMgW5PTx
They are never alone because they never existed.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJNQYcweH9
At 1,230 points, the obstacles increased.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTrBa4dp1rg
Train cars came faster and denser from both directions.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8cm5e3fW74
Voltase's small fingers began to sweat, making the touchscreen feel slippery and sticky.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5HLnrTNFz
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSc7gKjfFf4
A giant steel train car passed right in front of the character.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5RL4H6lbF
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY34Hr3Wd9t
GAME OVER.
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Voltase let out a breath.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjaycHQJMRD
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCAJ1qWtKIk
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUYJtTja117
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaPeKcn7irB
Silence returned.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwMzZbnsdsN
Rain returned.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqipvY5QzUk
He was still here.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ29bkoQur0W
Still small and alone.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡke3eQngXXg
Voltase closed his eyes.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSnNk9P99Nm
In the darkness behind his eyelids, he imagined another place.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwmqFn3RLk
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmkggNjDgfR
A place where he could become something, become someone meaningful, someone who could not be ignored.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaiPyYRrTG2
But the image was vague, like smoke vanishing before he could grasp it.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡev1FaeYDjD
He did not know what a big body looked like.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbG9Ae8kAdC
He had never had one.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7EXjtDT1FS
He only knew that he wanted it, something more than this thin, weak, useless body.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2CkOXjw0L
Slowly, exhaustion consumed him.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFeDZktVojW
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKVCCbWEAS2
The rain kept tapping the window.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8nyQxEcNKl
The wind moaned among the old oak trees in the schoolyard.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ys5IjhBR2
His consciousness began to blur, sinking into a dark, warm abyss.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1M33MhbC7k
The clock showed 22:01 PM.
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Three minutes since he turned off the phone.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEFSwYwQhHy
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy11tIA3tmi
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo6MD2GlDVE
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡylQLHJe8Es
It crept inside uninvited.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg7NisawVl1
Stabbed the back of his throat like swallowed glass shards.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY6RrSzZdat
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMhCYAnYKS
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6NVXS6JSRd
Blood, he thought, and the thought rose from the depths of an instinct he had not known he possessed.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKEKoyGZukR
The smell of blood.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ggCpRCgSL
A lot of blood and flesh.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOfTsF0Y2dE
Rotting flesh.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ70yxaMIUEa
Voltase opened his eyes.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNFC5KXLa2
The darkness he saw was not the darkness of his dormitory room.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfZ57BLxGp
This was total darkness, darkness that rejected light, darkness that felt solid like wet velvet pressed against his face.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjiZAY3Xoev
His eyes blinked, adjusting, but the adjustment was slow, as if his pupils had to relearn how to catch light.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEzO3MIMiXZ
Slowly, silhouettes began to emerge.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡISublb9MPC
He saw a shape above him, very close, only inches from his own nose.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLJsVz0mFG9
A face.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt8NObZJgrE
But not the face of a living human.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4e7WPVMlEu
The skin of that face was ashen green, pale like dried clay beginning to crack.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPVWzrMozqh
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.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENtch8duq5
On its chin was thin brown stubble, with flakes of dry earth clinging between the hair strands.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsf23yNWyhB
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCPSz3iRYO
Voltase saw them clearly, maggots.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJtXKGhIEYL
Dozens, maybe hundreds of small pale yellowish bodies, segmented, with darker heads, writhing inside those eye sockets.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWoNS8EiWnU
They rose and fell like tiny waves that never stopped, eating the remaining tissue still clinging to the orbital bone.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QclZkCrPU
Some were larger than others, fatter and whiter, perhaps because they had been there longer and had eaten more.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtg8TVtxr5j
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxmHR3MWl5W
He felt it.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOcIUbkrpAy
Cold, Damp, and Writhing.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbxEd3n8VHi
That small soft body clung to his skin for a second, then began to crawl slowly downward toward his jaw.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡczOHHDh4Uk
Voltase felt every movement of that body, every small muscle contraction pushing it forward, every segment rubbing against his skin.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtSBjWnMxjf
At that moment, panic exploded inside him.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFrtT8AxRa
Pure, primal panic that recognized no logic or reason.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHwnnRVsOlX
He wanted to scream, but his voice was caught in his throat.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1CUTiU13d3
He wanted to push, but his hands felt foreign and heavy.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIAnwaogpRA
Because he realized: his body had become different.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEvs1vRzSUF
His hands pushing the corpse away felt longer and heavier.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzpsIag5Zb
His fingers were no longer long and thin.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRD8RDwq6C
He felt protruding knuckles, long and sturdy finger joints, a wide palm with blue veins clearly visible on the back.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6tMP00HvWp
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdpaIBC1IEG
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgRgCapxL3V
The corpse rolled to the side with a wet, heavy plop, like a bag of wet meat falling onto mud.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqig9U3x0Js
Its head hit something hard, maybe a rock, maybe another skull, with a dull crack.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfPzhAWAqKb
Voltase coughed, choked, and sat up straight with a jolting movement.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxnYR9FpLKS
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXias7q8Bz
His chest felt heavy, broad, and wide. His back felt solid.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdzohPOtEH7
His shoulders were now thick and muscular.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2SJnYbyq67
He looked down and saw his own body.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpIIXnueZd
A uniform.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5WFi2e5Emq
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8W4dV97GWk
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs3CJPjQTdT
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gyqkMDnbU
The patch was faded, its edges torn.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbcP7oMGX5d
Blue trousers tucked into tall dark brown boots that felt heavy on his feet.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDuisWbY77Y
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOleFow46OT
Loose metal buckles on the tops of the boots swung gently as he moved.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡutrQBO82GE
Voltase raised his right hand in front of his face.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXXTRzNuni
The hand trembled violently.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM5T6dhQOS7
He could see it clearly, and it was not his hand.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMwt8wDDx9t
The hand was long, thin but muscular, with blue veins prominent on the back.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6uc6G4WWm1
The fingers were slender with prominent knuckles and short nails dirty with black earth drying beneath them.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs2FLe07Pj8
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMsD4aUOwu
His palm was wide with deep, clear lifelines.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGflLpQEoXt
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFNeOhmwaxk
This was an adult man's hand.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv7w1X53yoz
A strong hand.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM6ywscJwMI
A hand that could never belong to a weak, thin twelve year old boy.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYRlJTI1jiC
He pressed his palm to his chest.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWanS1czc12
Beneath the thick wool fabric, he felt the contour of hard chest muscles, broad pectorals with wide ribs beneath them.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6cLaruZhCO
And beneath those muscles, he felt a heartbeat.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcnLf0nInnN
Thump, thump.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnu2L0L9Ua1
Thump, thump.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ99VzAGhcSO
A deeper, stronger, heavier heart.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuUfYu6rhuS
Each beat felt like a hammer striking the wall of his chest from inside.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHCBuMVauPJ
This is not my body, he thought.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7frNoCK4kS
The thought sounded foreign in his head, deeper, heavier, with the resonance of an adult man he did not recognize.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTF9yNa4MT
This body is not mine.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq98hBK4h3x
I am inside someone else's body.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2JA8ut4owU
I am trapped inside someone else's flesh.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjTc98XmLYM
How can this be?
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8z0CpCV59
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTCp81Vfw6m
He straightened his body, rising from his current sitting position.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6aF9to24Sp
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF9Cpae9OYA
Eye level was now above the piles of corpses around him.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUi3VzGmaho
He could see far across the field, farther than he had ever seen in his short, narrow life.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1LfDDyHOG
The body was now tall, a hundred and eighty centimeters or more.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5DnuPGPTuG
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbdFKxr9lRl
His long, sturdy legs felt foreign, like poles newly attached beneath his body.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrCsuTy7U1J
Every step felt like walking on an unstable stage.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQbYCOqUxfR
He felt his body's weight differently.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSZCNxqeeM3
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ZLpcbFkna
There was strength there, potential for movement he had never explored.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNsTHYAU5F
He felt that this body could run faster, punch harder, endure longer than his thin, weak body.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMISpf4DifC
But that strength must have its price, something he was always aware of, that nothing in this world was free.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5VvFuD65JN
Instead, he felt strange after obtaining this body.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcSizWvrFu
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtulr4s1f7v
Whose body is this? The question repeated in his head like a mantra.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyCa0rpLyDK
Where is he?
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHH8pGNeIKy
Is he dead?
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRv4hyxMHMo
Did I take his body?
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWrfLBpBMj
Did I kill him?
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF9mM9fVhBg
He looked around.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfeY5gquaRS
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNf6w9vYPhh
No stars, moon, or glowing clouds.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1kUg1MN8j
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhoEBkQVlH
But beneath that gloomy sky, there was enough light.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFcGl1eqAp
Perhaps from reflections off puddles of liquid on the ground that cast a dim gleam.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmza0quM3Ve
Remnants of fires long dead in the distance, still emitting thin smoke and red sparks beneath the ash.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gSPrxRhp9
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3OVnfWoKU
Around him, as far as he could see, there were only bodies.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7NebBHrc48
Hundreds, maybe thousands, impossible to count.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTK3YN2MFu4
They lay in chaotic piles like rag dolls thrown by an angry giant and then forgotten.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ngYj6Mw77
Some were stacked on top of each other, forming small hills reaching up to an adult's waist.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMaLDAEMGEw
Some piles were higher, reaching chest height.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTyFKv8pKJG
Voltase noticed that the piles moved.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzFyD5QBdMd
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjStFRAUIj9
Some bodies lay alone, separated from the piles, with arms bent at impossible angles.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjY72NyKNzj
Elbows twisted the wrong way.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZp9Hh98GWE
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnNxa6S4iHV
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxRq7ShAxcQ
Some had no faces at all.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9KkaHrjtJv
Just red, glistening hollows inhabited by maggots and flies, with remnants of flesh clinging to skull bones like unraveling threads.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9RMGVmlLNw
Their uniforms varied.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsbrX9rHC7Z
Most wore faded blue, like Voltase.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0ck41iPvN
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtY9d3JGj5m
Some others, fewer in number, wore ash, the color of gunpowder dust, or ash left after fire dies.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVYCcZicC2n
Those three colors mixed in this pile of death without pattern, without meaning, just chaotic horror.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFSzm72PqH
Often he saw blue bodies lying on top of green bodies, or gray bodies wedged between two blue bodies.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC4MwdaF3mK
Nothing was ordered.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyHEjsm2hyn
Nothing was intentional.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJ3bEHkCox
They died where they fell, and they fell where they died.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIjzPE8HixX
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPMlgEPi98d
He looked down and saw his boots sinking several centimeters into a brown black surface.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvY5QAKBxCo
It was mud, but not ordinary mud.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoNqpnvdZFU
This mud was mixed with something darker, thicker, denser.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNbTAPN4sNt
Blood.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEdmgNDgRWO
This ground was not earth.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvv7m06ZPks
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoKGSQQSqle
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGmo4dCnQKs
He saw small white fragments among the black mud.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiqYuetZ8ew
Bone fragments.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJoYFUYyCx
Broken rib pieces with sharp ends.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP1g59BO3hk
Severed finger joints still bearing remnants of flesh at the joints.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIvwSm0bWDg
Shattered skull fragments with pinkish inner surfaces from residual brain tissue.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCDVtMqQlLL
There were also torn fabric pieces, dull glinting metal buttons scattered among the mud, and undone shoelaces uncoiled like dead snakes.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRtZSDPWYT0
The stench here was not uniform.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPwirDgBNQ
It came in waves.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXWOWRWNCY
Sometimes sharp and stinging like ammonia burning the nose.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLuMMQXxI4a
Sometimes sweet and nauseating like overripe flowers beginning to rot.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaGJsq15WnJ
Sometimes like old iron scraped across the tongue, leaving a metallic taste he could not get rid of.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJJxYxeRwo
Every time the wind blew, cold, damp night wind, the smell changed, shifted, found new ways to torment his senses.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMc2CserkuJ
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiUIGobqzlA
He felt it behind his eyes, in his sinuses, at the back of his throat.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkrGEt9yKTu
The smell became part of the air he breathed. He could not separate himself from it.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6snRmrgODE
In the distance, he heard something.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWO96IP64qR
Not the sound of rain. The sound was a crack, like a twig snapping.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHoAQZloWHF
Voltase froze.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJMQIkzmPq
He held his breath, that deep, heavy breath from this adult man's lungs, and tried to listen more carefully.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNvfNDI6wnE
But his own heartbeat was too loud, too thunderous.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVIzTJG2iwR
Thump, thump.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9BgzjIoTtA
Thump, thump.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyM3Ts6Oorg
This heart was like a war drum inside his broad chest, and he could not stop it.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkzs82I40b
Then, he saw movement.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZfnNiOmb3o
Among the pile of corpses to his left, about ten meters away, the pile shook.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLTwEJFuIhk
Not from the wind. The wind would not move a pile of flesh that heavy.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ956C9fUynb
Something inside it was moving.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhlqgjHVF14
An arm emerged.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQsCncwo8N
An arm that still had intact skin, pale but not rotting, with muscles still tense beneath the skin's surface.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpgJkBeVBlm
The fingers of that hand grasped the air, then pulled, pushed the bodies above them.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6FtpFuxgm
Those bodies shifted, rolled, fell aside with wet sounds.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28p5u1Xzgs
From that pile, a man's figure emerged.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBX9sd54R6M
He rose with stiff, mechanical movements, like a wooden puppet whose strings were pulled by an invisible hand.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZa4U26sqc
He brushed dust and dried flesh scraps from his uniform, pale green, the same green worn by many corpses around him.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ34vA5Y8l2
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡazDyvNrDZ7
On his left arm was a large tear exposing the skin beneath, pale skin with an old, dried wound.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ1DZkRzTbZ
The man was tall, almost as tall as Voltase.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbh9X6b4y1P
His face was gaunt, with a firm jaw and prominent cheekbones.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd10bJUf3MK
His hair was dirty blond, short and unkempt, with sideburns slightly elongated beside his ears.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWenqphzPr
His dark eyes, dark like Voltase's eyes in the real world, stared directly at him.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE42irVrFCo
The stare was unfriendly.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXP2BVIfuQ9
Full of suspicion, confusion, and beneath it, a layer of fear trying to hide behind a tightening jaw and pursed lips.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAWTzsr7318
They faced each other.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02Rd6GmVXI
Two adult figures in the middle of a sea of death.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJl3y3G9RIp
Cold night wind blew between them, carrying the stench of rot and old gunpowder smoke.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpSiLSkaQHX
Voltase felt the wind hit his face, carrying his long, dirty hair dancing around his eyes.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxcfdYKKTca
The man did not speak.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIuyTwCRdZe
He just stared, eyes narrowing, measuring whether Voltase was a threat or just another survivor.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLibYNUAQVs
He examined Voltase's faded blue uniform, then examined his face.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9UX4iTHyrK
Perhaps searching for recognition.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHinDsXf7C
Trying to remember if he had ever seen this face before.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspKL5HV1XA
But there was no recognition in his eyes.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFfBBOw4Kwb
Only deepening suspicion.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAS8jqBC6Pf
Slowly, he bent down.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2odYJbXo5
His dirty fingers, crusted with dried blood beneath the nails, groped among the pile of corpses.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHFraUktiE
He pushed some bodies aside, shifted others, and finally pulled something from beneath the pile.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdYZ5fYKb6p
A long object.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwihuuay2i
Voltase recognized the shape even though he had never seen one directly outside the history books in the school library.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8O6Zbm7ebF
An old wooden stock, darkened by oil and covered with scratches and deep grooves from grips.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6HfcjWEADB
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLpORU8ldkC
A long, slender barrel of dark metal, gleaming dully under the dim light, with grooves along its surface to reduce weight.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2oOoP12h71
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZBXQFUIHWO
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBi6uDyPfmV
It was a heavy, ancient, deadly rifle.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48zqAlKlj2
A rifle that had killed more people than he could imagine.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyr75iZuaOY
The man aimed the muzzle at Voltase's chest.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHpbmMGxTEr
Voltase's reflexes acted before his thoughts could formulate a strategy.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3W3b3nDULm
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr3h57M2uVq
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3I7DvEZyom
"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW7G7ZOEGFd
"I do not know where this is."
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmzqehtrwZw
"I do not know what is happening."
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Yy3aEVa63
"I just woke up."
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlCjfcznizL
The man did not answer.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw216Ttk1w2
His eyes narrowed further, examining Voltase's faded blue uniform, then his face, watching Voltase's lips move, hearing his words.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1gLGt28Az
But there was no response.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTqBX9MqEDI
Perhaps he did not believe him.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZh0O3vxQsb
Perhaps he had seen too many tricks in this place to trust anyone.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8GYmc14Ghk
The man began to step forward.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu9gIGOkb4f
One step.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfK8BUBHjdU
Two steps.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwtjfF55544
The muzzle stayed aimed exactly at Voltase's chest.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGcnTUyL6f1
Each step the man took was torture.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTd4Ds420pS
Voltase heard the squeak of the man's boots on the bloody mud.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpah6gmK9yj
He saw every scratch on the rifle's wooden stock, every peeling fiber, every deep groove.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygAsJz38iZ
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7VSwO81TNd
The voice in his head whispered.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzyGmThmsKU
If you do not move, you die.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkjPmgLalZa
You die here, in this place.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIWY9hKAJMY
And you will never return to your dormitory room. No one will come looking for you.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZAWKFH4IH4
No one will care.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX9qSGS0Sa0
You will just be another corpse in this pile.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEuD3zf5mh
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnfNJQqcuIR
He had nothing to lose in the real world.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8i4gj6E8i8
No one would mourn him if he died.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVGA3xvjBSO
But here, in this strong body, he might survive.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhU1eru2oM9
He might become something.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEcQgBXSF5X
And he moved.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZpoP8jQUP6
His tall, powerful body shot forward, faster than he had imagined.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW09BoK5dpj
The muscles in his legs, muscles he had never possessed, contracted with surprising strength, propelling him forward in an instant.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXJGs8MP5wu
His long hand grabbed the end of the rifle's barrel before the man could react.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXDcvkqaF3
The metal was cold, very cold, like ice burning his skin.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCNRYOIl6rT
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUL7Lj7Gur
He twisted the barrel aside, away from his chest.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsD81EDahjh
His other hand formed a fist and swung it at the man's face.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCG0OpTZHNz
The punch landed.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcMFJ2D2iTZ
His knuckles struck the man's cheekbone with a dull thud.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Nb2iONjCw
Voltase felt the hard impact in his hand, pain spreading like waves from his knuckles to his wrist.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1dXiaD4RRZ
But there was a primal satisfaction that his punch had connected.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUwEGY44AsD
This was the first time in his life, both in the real world and here, he had ever hit someone with full force.
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The man stumbled back, his arm bending, but he did not fall.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ22ry7OVXyt
His head snapped to the side, and from the corner of his mouth, a drop of blood began to flow.
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He raised his hand to his face, touched his lip, looked at the blood on his fingertip.
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Then he looked at Voltase with changed eyes.
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Suspicion transformed into burning anger.
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With reflexes faster than they looked, he blocked Voltase's attack with his forearm.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qtLZKH8MR
His other hand grabbed Voltase's collar and pulled him forward.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0xR95gHbe
At the same time, he bent his right knee and kicked forward.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGl8stdTHnj
The knee struck Voltase's stomach, and the pain exploded in his solar plexus like a bomb.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQcDInHLZGZ
All the air in his lungs was forced out in one gasping exhale that sounded like a long, deep groan.
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYnwVzy1QPv
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77Hk2UrqY1
He tasted metal on his tongue because he had bitten his own tongue from the impact.
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Fresh blood began to flow in his mouth, mixing with the bile.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRxz6MMegYO
But Voltase did not fall.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHe1ReKA7P
Unlike in the real world, where he always fell when pushed by other children at school, this body was stronger, heavier.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcBRf8OuT6x
His long legs planted in the bloody soil as he held his ground.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡORCJWeRIAo
His hard, trained abdominal muscles absorbed part of the kick's impact.
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Despite the overwhelming pain, he was still standing.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnhaSCaPnI
With clenched teeth, enduring the pain gnawing at his stomach like burning fire, he launched a counterattack.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYmfeyPbp7
His foot with the heavy boot and hard sole swung toward the man's shin.
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He swung his leg with all his strength.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCcCoCRauC
The kick landed with a harder thud than before.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSgDDUfFKLJ
The man stumbled, losing balance.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQfIPzYYKcw
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡopdMNhqWnw
Voltase seized the moment.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDNWJTlMHzK
He twisted his body, pulling the rifle barrel with all his strength.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjrfspbGdBz
The wood and metal, an object weighing nearly four kilograms, tore from the man's grip.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6x0PYPRf7n
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaSiGfDYkkE
Now, without weapons, they faced each other equally.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ3uoLUtpEt
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDlS5W9gjS
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRbpBeBbvp
They fought wildly, punches, kicks, elbows, and knees, in the middle of the sea of corpses.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5i6XPaXAVT
Dust and dried flesh scraps flew around them every time they stepped on or fell into the piles of bodies.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxymlNuyPyd
Voltase felt blood, both the corpses' blood and his own, covering his face.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsdBoJTer2k
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8MYdOItcRf
This is not me, he thought between punches, but his thoughts were fragmented by pain and exhaustion.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75O8XrY3tI
Why am I here?
ns216.73.216.217da2 
and then Add to home screen.