Misery

The rage grew inside him, drowning out everything positive. He became an entity of sadness and jealousy. His heart became dark and cold. All good memories were stolen from him. The only things that were left was jealousy, greed, anger and a desire for blood. He became a slave to the monsters of misery.

I had to watch. I was chained to the wall and a wrinkly man's hands gripped onto my head. He told me that if I tried to look away or close my eyes, he'd crack open my skull like an egg. I watched as his body shook and twitched. His face frozen in fear, his jaw hanging open. As he floated into the air, a dark, thundering cloud surrounded him. The only sound that was heard throughout the arena was the crackle of the lightning. It felt like forever.

After what felt like eternity, he returned to the ground, his boots crunching on the gravel. His head hung low, so did mine. His hands were curled into fists, dry blood staining them.

My eyes filled with tears and my throat felt like a boulder was shoved into it. His face was serious, eyes fixed on the axe leaning against the concrete wall. His arm twitched, like there was still a part of him left, trying to gain control. I called out his name, my voice croaky. He looked up at me, his eyes glassy and black. They used to be green. The man's grip on my skull tightened while he unlocked the chains, ready to return me to my cell.

His mouth was straight, and his nose flared, his grip increasing on the bladed tool. I knew that look.

He doesn't remember me.

Surely it can't be that bad. He had to remember me... Right? I begged. Please. I couldn't lose him. Anyone but him. A quick movement catches the sun's glint, making my vision deteriorate.

The man aimed for my neck, unable to notice the airborne axe, striking him in the head. Rendered unconscious, his grip loosened.

I could barely move, though everything burnt whenever I stood. My head began to pound as a rush of ringing flooded my ears. My vision is fading and blurry. My body folded abnormally as someone scoops me up, sprinting away with my faint body slumped over their shoulder.

The monster gripping my head was still bundled into a loose ball, whining quietly in pure pain, even while I was being dragged away. Eternity of seeing the pathways crackle under foot. Fading into the void.

Placed down into a slightly uncomfortable sitting position, they shake me awake. "Hey, wake up." An oddly familiar voice says, their tone serious "You doing alright there?" Heaving for breath, my ribcage restricts me. I can't see. I shake my head vigorously. I don't even know where I am. I can feel them prodding at me, trying to check my pulse. Trying their hardest to keep me alive.

"You'll be alright, yeah?" They whisper to themselves, their serious tone now tainted with fear. Why do they want me alive so badly? I don't even know who they are. Maybe it's an old friend?

I can feel cold liquid seeping out of an injury I didn't notice until a stinging pain covered the entire thing.

It felt like I'd been stung by stinging nettle a thousand times over, the pain overlapping with the horrific memories of a hornet's sting. It hurts, but that's what happens in a decaying world, overflowing with dangerous creatures.

It was a foolish idea to bring him there. I knew how he'd act. I lost him because of my foolishness. He died. His body was taken from him.

His soul. The real him was gone. Snatched by the greedy beasts.

The pain bubbles and boils. Slowly getting more and more severe. I wince as a warm hand brushes against my skin. A rough fabric seals it off. I can feel pus clinging to it already.

"Can you walk?" The shaky voice inquires after many minutes of pure silence.

"No." It sends a roaring pain through my throat making out even half of the word.

A strong arm sits below my arms, picking me up with ease, like a starved newborn.