Maximum Charge | MHA | Gay

003

   I felt a sharp pain radiating from the entirety of my body, carrying me out of my deep slumber I didn't know I was having. As my eyes quickly searched my surroundings, I immediately stood up, instantly recognizing the place. Around me, was the flames of scorching hotness annihilating the place I grew accustomed to yet suffered to escape.

   Before me was the floating debris I couldn't recognize. I felt exhausted. I felt tired. I felt as if I bursted and used all of my energy. I felt extremely vulnerable. I stumbled back on the ground, my breath hitching as I tried to ease myself.  I noticed the wounds carved on my body, on the entirety of my body. Despite the damage that I have, I feel nothing. I was somewhat numb.

   Grasping my situation as I rewound in retrospect what had happened for me to reach here, tons of vivid images started stacking on my visions, disrupting my line of sight. I processed everything, I stood in the doorway, I could feel their scorching eyes tearing me apart. I could still faintly smell that rohypnol, the needles that poked my skin, the never-ending painful torment. I wanted to run away from everything.

   It all made sense now. I tried to escape. We tried to escape. I looked around frantically, searching for those I could consider true friends. They treated me for who I am. They accepted me despite those horrible circumstances. We all shared memories I could never forget. They understood me.

   "Jin? Ray? Hab? Guys, where are you?" I tried calling out, my voice trembling.

   I feel my knees slowly giving out due to how injured I was, yet I didn't care. I expected their reply, their vibrant voices telling me everything was fine despite our situation. I waited, and waited, until I grew impatient and started stepping all over the crumbled walls and cements. I called out again, yet nobody replied.

   All I could distinguish was total destruction as if a deadly explosion had occurred. I sense not even an ounce of life near me. I was the only one standing. I started fearing for the worst. They couldn't have left me, right? Impossible, we all made a promise not to leave each other. We all promised to work together to escape this hellhole. Where are they now? Did they betray me? Was I betrayed, again?

   I froze on my spot as I stepped on a foreign object beneath my sole. I lowered my gaze and was shocked to see what I had just stepped on. It was a hand. A burnt human hand. It tried reaching onto something but failed otherwise. I was breathing heavily, knowing full well that underneath me was a dead human body crushed by this heavy debris.

   I stumbled backwards and slumped on the ground, staring at the hand with wide-eyes. It couldn't be right? There's no way they died. They were all smart enough to have escaped this place.

   Suddenly, several flashes started hindering my eyesight, bringing along a strong punch of ache in my head. As I tried to grip my head in hope of removing the pain, several images started appearing on my brain, one by one. I couldn't help but tear up, trying not to falter more. I was vulnerable enough, I can't be this weak.

   I could hear incoherent mumbles and calls inside my brain. I couldn't understand what it was. What it was trying to tell me.

   "&#&-#-(-#-₱-₱&----lin! Let's go!" Amidst the chaos of panic, the eerie alarm bells sending out red rays of light in the hollowing hallways, I feel the hands of another person dragging me along. I looked around and saw that we were not alone. A boy about two or more years older than me roughly pulled the needles attached on my right wrist. Ray? I was able to recognize them. They were my friends. They were alive, alive and breathing.

   The person who was dragging me was a woman to which I recognized as Jin. She had red hair in contrast to Ray's snow-white one. At the back of me was Hab, she was a black girl with short curly hair. They all looked like they were running from something. I couldn't understand what was going on.