Living is Lying

Ⅲ: Into a Rabbit Hole

Carter woke up the next day, getting ready for school. The usual tasks of waking up horrifically early, showering, getting dressed, eating some toast, and brushing his teeth.

"I'm off to school, mom..." Carter says, as he opens the front door.

"Okay son, just remember, you're grounded, so you better be home from school by 3:00!" His mom replies.

"Yeah yeah, I know..." Carter shuts the door behind him, and walks to school. It's only a few blocks away, so he usually has no trouble getting to his destination.

This never gets any easier...

A block into his walk to school, a group of kids also walking to school spotted him. It was the group of kids that relentlessly made his school experience harder than it already was. Yes, everyone including the teachers does that to him every day, but these guys are where it hits home. At least that's how Carter would describe it. They came just around the corner Carter just walked past, and was just behind him.

Goodness... just try to ignore them, Carter...

The leader of this squad was an orange bowling ball, with a flame emblem on the side of him. His name was Brad, and usually came up with the stuff they did to Carter.

"Yo! Carter! You're blockin' the sidewalk! Why don't you MOVE out of the way!" That's when Brad shoved him onto a rock on the grass beside him. Carter's face bled.

"AWW DAMNIT!" Carter screams. He kicks Brad's ankle, stunning him slightly "WHY DO Y'ALL HATE ME SO MUCH!?" Carter screams. Then, they freeze. Not for long though.

He knows too much.

"D-DON'T ASK QUESTIONS!" Brad screams, punching Carter as he gets up. Carter acted fast, however, and as soon as he was punched, ran for his life. He knew a hiding spot at a cave a few blocks west of where they were at. He hung out there all the time on multiple occasions. The group of kids followed him, which soon led to their arrival, with Carter unable to hide. They were on his tail. Carter swings, but his pitiful attempt fails, and is soon cornered by the other kids. They proceed with their plan and beat Carter to a pulp. "DON'T HOLD BACK! SHOW NO MERCY!" Brad screams, but they accidentally hit him into a ditch. Or, what they thought was. Carter fell into a hole in the cave. He screams, but his voice is muffled the farther he falls.

"W-We pretend none of this happens..." one of them says.

"Agreed," the rest of them say, as they walk out of the cave, making their way back to school. As the last one steps out of the cave, a small and very faint 'thud' can be heard, followed by a cry.