Chapter 123 - Damn You

My pupils shook violently, while my mind felt soft.

Like it was cotton candy.

A strange overload of dopamine pierced into my mind like I suddenly became a full-blown psychopath.

It didn't really make sense to me.

But as of right now, I didn't care.

What I did care about was making my way towards the boy. After all, he was painfully dragging his hands against the pavement.

If only he didn't have them.

Then that wouldn't be a problem.

It wasn't hard to understand that much, right?

A sadistic smile slowly formed on my face.

"...Why are you so scared?"

The boy whipped his head around. He was clearly cringing in fear.

"No, stay away!"

I could feel some strange stimulation course through my body. It was probably adrenaline, but it also gave this strange tingly feeling. Yet, while it was strange, it was also strangely satisfying.

It felt as though my body had so much energy within, yet nowhere for it to go. It gave me a strong sedentary feeling, making my body cry out for movement. As such, I tensed my hands while my fingers twitched.

As for my arms, I pressed them tightly against my body, desperately trying to get rid of the sedentary feeling.

Before I knew it, my head was tilted uncomfortably to my side, painfully stretching the skin of my neck.

...It wasn't intentional, but I must've looked a little strange, no?

The boy continued to whimper and crawl away. He was desperately dragging himself forward, but the pain made it too hard for him to move.

I couldn't help but giggle.

"Don't worry! It will heal, remember? Everything will heal, so it's fine to just break it over and over again!"

For some reason, a cackle burst out of me, as though it was the funniest joke I ever came up with.

As for the boy, he sobbed.

"I... I will heal?"

Tears and snot ran down his face, giving him quite a pathetic appearance. Though it was kinda reasonable, given his missing fingers and broken arm.

The boy's breathing became ragged.

"But... but it hurts! It hurts so much! I can't take it anymore!"

He hunched over, resting his head on the ground as he continued to sob.

I leisurely walked over to his side before getting down on one knee. I twisted my head upside down to peek at the boy's face.

"It hurts? Yet you didn't seem so concerned when you snapped my arm?"

Panic immediately appeared on the boy's face.

"I-I didn't know! I didn't know it hurt so much!"

My pupils shook wildly, darting all around my eye socket as though it was a child that ate too much sugar.

"Not even when I screamed? Not even when you heard the crack of my bones shattering?"

The boy flinched.

"I-I..."

A teasing smile appeared on my face.

"Don't worry, I won't go too far!"

The boy blinked a few times.

"R-Really?"

I laughed a little hoarsely.

"Of course! Since you broke my arms twice, and I only broke yours once, I will simply have to do it again!"

The hopeful expression froze on the boy's face. His pupils dilated in fear.

"No... wait, please forgive me!"

I stood back up, all the while my body violently twitched from the excessive energy.

"I said it already, didn't I? Just one arm, and you will be forgiven completely!"

A muffled giggle seeped past my lips as I grabbed the boy's arm, the one with the fingers missing.

As for the boy, he immediately began struggling, flailing his limbs and crying out in pain. It was as though a switch turned on once he realized what was going to happen.

"No, stop, please, you can't do this, you can't!"

My eyes widened.

"I can't?"

I gripped the boy's wrist.

"Are you sure? Let me try!"

I sent his hand crashing down towards the cobblestone path.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH."

A scream resounded along with a clear smack. But I wasn't going to leave it at that.

I pushed his hand against the ground even harder, before scraping it across the cobblestone path.

The boy continued screaming.

And it was at this point I noticed a crowd was forming. The crowd stood a very healthy distance away and looked on in fear more than curiosity. A few of them immediately ran away upon noticing the scene while others stayed to look.

Logically, I knew this was a really bad situation.

I knew that I should hide my face and run away.

I knew that what I was doing would make me an outcast.

Yet...

I couldn't stop myself.

A wide smile spread out across my face.

"Don't be so shy!"

I stood up tall, even leaning back a little. I spread my arms out wide, as though I was trying to welcome them in.

"It's a free show! And the special offer just for today is unlimited front row seats!"

Despite my efforts, the crowd didn't get any closer. In fact, some of them took a step back. They couldn't even let out a whisper.

But I didn't let that bother me.

"Ladies and gentlemen, keep your eyes peeled, as the main show is going to begin!"

I grabbed onto the boy's arm and lifted him up as though he was a ragdoll.

"This guy right here broke my arms twice. As of now, I already broke one of his arms, as you can see!"

I used my other hand to pick up his broken arm, which was still loosely attached. After waving it around for a few moments, I directly ripped it off, prompting the boy to scream like a dying pig.

He could hardly even speak. With all of his strength, he could only form one word.

"N-No..."

I grabbed onto the back of the boy's head and forced it up so that he could look at the crowd.

"Now, it's time for me to break his other arm!"

A wild cackle escaped me.

"It's only fair, no?"

The base of my palm pressed against the back of his shoulder.

But before I could continue, a vision flashed into my mind, as though it was an old memory.

...

I saw... a cage?

There was a rusty metal cage in front of me that housed a little girl. To my left were a set of curtains while the left was a large wooden wall.

I quickly gathered that it was the back of a stage.

Within my hand was a small key.

There was also an excited smile on my face.

"Zero-five! I finally got the key after way too many close calls!"

The little girl within the cage perked up before whipping her head around. She was wearing rags and covered in dirt, but still looked rather pleasant despite all that.

The girl I referred to as Zero-five rushed over to the side of the cage and pointed towards the padlock holding the door closed.

"Nice, Ten! Quickly, open the lock, I think the curtains are going to open soon!"

I rushed over and inserted the key into the lock. After fumbling around for a few moments, it unlocked with a clear click.

I reached over to open the cage door, but Zero-five burst out of the cage before my hand even touched the bars. She took the key out of my hands.

An awkward laugh escaped me.

"Haha, you really are impatient like alwa-"

I cut myself off.

Because the girl I referred to as Zero-five had grabbed onto my shoulder and stabbed a knife deep into my arm.

I looked down at the knife planted deep within in shock, as though reconfirming the searing pain I felt was real.

Before I could regain my bearings, the girl threw me into the cage before hurriedly shutting the cage door.

My eyes widened as it seemed I came to a realization. I rushed forward as the girl fumbled with the padlock.

With a bang, I crashed into the cage door.

But it was already too late.

The girl had locked the cage.

As the warm blood dripped down my arm, I looked at the girl with incredulity.

"You... can't be serious, right Zero-five?"

My voice became higher pitched and shook, with a touch of insanity.

"Why the hell..."

The girl sighed.

"I'm sorry Ten, but I am just doing what I have to in order to survive."

It was strange hearing such words spoken in such a high-pitched and young voice.

I grabbed onto the bars of the cage and shook them violently, ignoring the pain in my wounded arm.

"Survive? If it wasn't for me, you would be dead!"

The girl nodded.

"Yes, you're right."

I clenched my fists.

"So-"

"But."

The girl took a few steps back.

"If they don't find anyone in the cage, they will come back for me. If nobody takes my place, there's no hope for me."

I furrowed my brows.

"Bullshit! Get me out of this cage right now, Zero-five!"

The girl did not respond. Instead, she walked away.

I continued to rattle the cage bars noisily.

"Zero-five!"

But the girl only pushed open a door and left, without so much as a glance back.

I grit my teeth.

"Damn you, Zero-five!"

Then... my hold against the cage bars loosened.

"...damn you."

As tears fell down my face.