"Where am I? How did I get here? Who am I?" a trembling voice spoke. It was a boy—a strange boy who knew nothing of where he was or how he came to exist. All he knew was that he was in pain. It was not just his damaged body that was bleeding out and on the verge of collapsing; it felt as if the very air he inhaled was killing him.
As his eyes burned from the toxic air and particles that filled it, he tried to make sense of the scene that was before him. He couldn't believe his eyes. The clouds were dyed a dusty brown from the waste they had absorbed, but that was the better part of it. The rest of the picture looked like something straight out of a horror-fantasy film. The ground was cracked, and from those fissures, lava and flames erupted, scorching the land. Everything that wasn't burning was either already turned to ash or decaying.
But what truly drove him to the brink of madness were the things that where alive, roaming the land and soaring through the polluted skies. These creatures were so bizarre they couldn't be described properly by words. Yet, even with their horrific figures, something drove his curiosity. Something unholy drove him. He needed to feel them to believe they were real—to prove they weren't hallucinations caused by the toxic air.
He drew closer. "I want to... no, I have to know if they are actually alive. To prove I'm not losing it. I have to get up close," he said, sprinting toward the monstrous figures. "Yes, I am almost there. I can almost feel them. They're real... yes, I can feel it. They are—"
Just as he reached out, a force hit him. In a split second, there was blood everywhere. His left arm and nearly his entire left side were gone, ripped off and eaten by one of the monsters that piqued his curiosity. The beast was gigantic, standing nearly ten feet tall, above him. On two front limbs with razor-sharp claws. Its face was a serpent-shaped skull filled with two rows of teeth that had shredded his arm. A decaying tongue hung loose from its mouth.
What the hell is this thing? Why am I so scared? he thought. I was the one so obsessed just a minute ago. Now, the creature stood before him with half of his body in its mouth. "Please move... please!" he screamed. But his bleeding body could barely stay alive, let alone move. The monster, driven berserk by the taste of his flesh, rushed forward. Its horrific mouth opened wide to devour the rest of him.
A split second before everything went black, the boy whispered, "It's so cold."
"It's so cold."
"What did you say, Felix?"
"Oh, sorry, Miss Counselor. I was just lost in thought."
"Never mind," she said. "Just remember what I have told you and stay out of trouble. You may leave my office now."
"I will," Felix said as he left.
Every day he spent walking these halls felt like absolute torture. High school was practically a teen social gathering where they showcased all the bullshit they couldn't at home. That wasn't even the part that bothered him most. The worst part was how quickly they messed with those they felt superior to—like a pack of wild dogs hunting an injured buffalo. The slightest flaw made you the next prey.
"That's why I am the way I am".He thought to himself. "A loner, Invisible". He'd rather be invisible than the next prey. "So I will keep—"
"Huh?" Felix paused. The school's number one bully was blocking his path. Why is he blocking my way. What did I ever do to him?
"Hey, punk. You mind. My girl here is in serious need of some funds," the bully said with a grin. "You look decent enough to have a few bucks. Mind lending her thirty dollars?"
Is this guy for real? Felix thought. Aloud, he said, "Here is a suggestion, why don't you give her some money yourself?"
"What is that supposed to mean, pipsqueak? Are you calling me broke?" The bully squared up, ready to beat the shit out of Felix, but his girlfriend in intervened.
"Don't worry babe let's go ask someone else, if we can't get anyone to give me the money. I can go ask one of my friends."
The bully who was calm and ready to leave sighed and turned to go.
But Felix's ego was reaching a breaking point.
"But for real, dude," Felix called him back. "Have some self-respect dude. Who in his right mind walks up to another guy and asks him to give his girlfriend money? That is the highest degree of low, if you ask me"
Suddenly, a fist flew toward his face. Felix's quick reflexes saved him, but only for a moment.
"Hey, punk, do me a favor," the bully growled, throwing another, faster punch. "When the school nurse asks, tell her I was the one who sent you."
Felix knew he could only dodge for so long. Fighting back was suicide; the difference in their physiques was a massive disadvantage and not just that the bully's brute strength was something else. Even if by absolute luck he manages to win. He still had to deal with his gang members that would swarm hom the second the bully went down.
"Guess no matter what I do I am still fucked so why not go down fight." He said to himself.
He tried to use his speed, waiting for the bully to wear himself out. He was determined to do anything to win. He was willing to go all out. To take the little advantage he had over the bully and turn it into a table turner.
"This is it the opportunity I need." He said when an opening appeared, Felix lunged for his stomach with everything he got.
But he was caught off guard. A sharp knee jab caught his jaw, stunning him. Before he could recover, the bully threw a powerful final punch right at Felix's right eye.
Everything became a blur. As Felix fell to his knees, the bully's gang arrived because of the call they received from his girlfriend minutes ago and began beating him mercilessly. Just as the world began to fade to black, he felt a familiar, chilling sensation.
"What is this feeling, a feeling so depressing, so horrible. Why am I cold?" he whispered. "This feeling... it's so cold."