Hello again to anyone who's read past the first chapter. Hope you enjoy.40Please respect copyright.PENANAfBbHo4o2yu
So future me coming back to say something here, this chapter was really long and so I split it into 2 so it wouldn't have gotten too long and drawn out. Next chapter will make up for it though...
Anyone who said their favorite part of the day was waking up was a total liar. The blissfulness of that dark, noiseless void was one of the greatest pleasures of life, but even as I felt the void pulling me down, I opened my eyes.
Now I could've been wrong, but the last time I checked my bed didn't have a railing attached to it. As I looked around, I noticed more unfamiliar things. My room was now pure white and fairly lackluster, the only things in it now were the white bed, a fully body mirror that was leaning to the left of an open window, and a chair.
I pushed off the bed, and immediately was assaulted by the buzz of voices near and far, the high-pitched beeping of machines, some bitter smell I couldn't identify plus some rancid smell I could identify as burning flesh.
All of it merged together into a headache and events started to rush back to me, me and my friends heading to the mall, the body falling, the explosion, Lola, each thought bringing the feeling of bile closer and closer until I released it into a convenient nearby trashcan.40Please respect copyright.PENANAMbzG3IoH7T
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As my stomach was churning from releasing its contents, another feeling wormed its way up my spine, like a fingernail dragging against my skin. I wiped my mouth shuddered. I stood back up, my knees nearly buckling over at the first step I took. I reached out for the bed and grabbed it, pulling my body to it as I sat and started to process.
I finally understood what the room was at least though. "But how did I get into a hospital...?" I asked no-one in particular.40Please respect copyright.PENANASfZSCtlAPT
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"Oh, that took much longer than I expected, so you are finally awake." I heard someone say, their voice was like an echo, each syllable bouncing around in my head. I looked around the room to find the owner of the voice, but the room hadn't gained any more people since I sat down.
'Must've just imagined it.' I pushed off the bed, the feeling of nausea was much weaker than it was moments ago. The blue hospital gown I was wearing was surprisingly comfortable as I started to slowly pad around the room.
"Are you really ignoring me after everything...?" said the same voice again, this time akin to a soft whisper that tickled my ear. I figured that if it wasn't someone from inside the room, it must've been someone from outside the room and chose to ignore it again.
"Or maybe you just aren't hearing me... Hmm...." A pause, I wonder what those people we- "Euna." The voice boomed, and the echo quality of it didn't make it any more pleasant. I grasped my head as that single syllable reverberated over and over and over. "That reaction tells me you can hear me at least..."40Please respect copyright.PENANAHIA9ZnTTlO
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"Who said that?!" I hissed with a bit more venom in my voice than I intended. "You know my name Voice, so what do you want from me?" The throbbing in my head subsided, and I slowly started to look for a camera or some other device I could've been watched from.
"... You are serious... you... you do not remember..." A sound between a groan and a sigh echoed, "No... this is fine, this is fixable. I don't want to repeat this again." The voice then started to mutter and grumble something incoherent under their breath. While they were doing that, I slowly started to inch towards the door to make a break for it if necessary.
"Before you do something that either of us might regret, why don't you take a look in the mirror?" My eyes slid over to the reflective surface and soon so did my body. 40Please respect copyright.PENANA6bwmD3p3eE
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"What do you want me to see?" I looked in the mirror, searching there for any cameras or such, but once again found no such thing.40Please respect copyright.PENANAi8LOQwXmiO
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"Just look slowly and you'll notice." So look slowly I did. On areas of my arms and legs were, almost unnoticeably, slightly darker patches of skin. I poked one and felt no pain, but I also realized that I was skinnier than usual40Please respect copyright.PENANADW4VyD3Ovg
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I reached up and ran a hand through my slightly crispy hair, tufts of it falling out as I tried to do my version of smoothing it out. Body checked and hair checked, I moved onto the next visible area - my face.40Please respect copyright.PENANAWeGWemQawh
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Like my arms, my face had obviously slimmed down. There was also a thin gash that stretched from the corner of my left lip down toward my neck. I idly brushed my thumb against it as I continued my examination, there weren't anymore scars only other thing of note was that my silver and brown eyes were duller than I remembered them being and had bags under them. Wait a second...40Please respect copyright.PENANAEtVSzE8Qrz
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"HOW?!!" I shrieked out, my mouth moving faster than my mind could understand. "There's no way to fix an eye! HOW?!!" Laughter. That's what the response to my question was, a sound that sped up my mind processing, triggering a headache.40Please respect copyright.PENANAFX0H0A94ZC
'I'm getting really tired of these now.'40Please respect copyright.PENANAMDQTs9SCxi
"Think again." The voice echoed. Half of my vision was total black, and even through my one working eye I could see the char marks on my arms and legs.40Please respect copyright.PENANAI6AJpJnHea
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"Do you need some time to process this...? I do not mind waiting, and who knows...? The answer might just come to you." My hands worked there way up to the faux-silver eye I know I wasn't supposed to have. I poked it and flinched from the feeling... it definitely felt real enough.40Please respect copyright.PENANACms74cN7dn
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"And you'll just watch me as I sleep? No thanks." I gave the eye a few blinks and it felt real. Insanity.40Please respect copyright.PENANAK7UsqbKeLV
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"You look like you need to take a minute, and do not worry about me." I didn't want to listen to whoever this voice was, but they gave me a working eye and they hadn't hurt me while I was sleeping. My legs did feel a bit weaker than I remember them being and it felt like someone was taking a hammer to my skull.40Please respect copyright.PENANAXHwlbcgZiG
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"Okay, but you better not be doing anything weird." I said, slowly making my way over to the bed. My body sunk into it as soon as I touched it and I felt the darkness of sleep envelop me.40Please respect copyright.PENANAAC9exCsh37
Anyone who said their favorite part of the day was waking up was a total liar. The blissfulness of that dark, noiseless void was one of the greatest pleasures of life, especially after nearly being killed, but even as I felt the void pulling me down, I opened my eyes.40Please respect copyright.PENANAplN7mftnCW
I stood up from whatever makeshift bed was made behind the cash register and looked where I was. It was Lola's Bazaar, or should I say it was what remained of Lola's Bazaar.40Please respect copyright.PENANAnXnlukSyLB
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The left- clothing - side of the store was practically annihilated. What used to be metal and plastic hangers were either melted, lying on sharp bits on the ground, or they were plunged into some other part of the store. Save for a few, most of the clothing was just ash, and this is all not counting for the glass shards that lay on the floor.40Please respect copyright.PENANAxQwUVZHgZ1
"Oh, so you are finally awake." A voice said, but I couldn't place from where, it like a whisper that bounced around. With fresh memories of the last time I was awake, I dipped back behind the counter.40Please respect copyright.PENANACryapvliz7
"Come on, do not be like that, I'm not going to hurt you. If I wanted to hurt you I could've done that while you were unconscious." 40Please respect copyright.PENANAIawNmTSykZ
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"Okay then stranger, if you want to prove that, why don't you come out and show yourself?"40Please respect copyright.PENANAcpId93Z2R2
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"Oh sorry to say this, but I am afraid that is not quite possible." I pushed up from behind the counter and crept to one of the few still standing shelves.40Please respect copyright.PENANAFNDvUgKrck
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"Oh yeah, and why's that?" I looked around, the only thing I found on the ground was Clover's bag. I reached over to pick it up.40Please respect copyright.PENANAsXmc3YRh7M
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"Because I am a parasite living in your head." The bag fell from my hands. One of the metal bits lodged into a nearby wall fell. It fit the mood. I waited for this person to correct themselves, or even say it was a joke, but when they didn't I laughed.40Please respect copyright.PENANAGofS1CFKS7
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And it felt good.40Please respect copyright.PENANAArqFqHvqoe
'Alright then I'll humor you, say Eiffel Tower then.' I waited another second, then chuckled when they didn't say anything. I can't believe I even bothered trying that. 40Please respect copyright.PENANATu0jrEzN69
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"Thanks for the joke, but c'mon let's be serious here, who are you?" I picked up her bad and slung it over my shoulder, suddenly feeling much more relaxed. My throat was feeling a bit raspy, so I reached into a, surprisingly still on, fridge and took out a bottle of water. 40Please respect copyright.PENANATmk1Wy5VMf
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"What makes you believe my words aren't true?" 40Please respect copyright.PENANABED2ez5qcQ
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'Wanna do a second test?' I waited for a second then rolled my eyes. "If you were a parasite, you could hear my thoughts, that's how those things work." I took a sip of the refreshing liquid, "If you want to prove you're not some crazy person or figment of my imagination, then go ahead and prove it."40Please respect copyright.PENANAa5KcxtGlY0
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I swore 'the parasite' growled for a second. "I think I have proved enough already, do you think you would be walking if it was not for me?" 40Please respect copyright.PENANAKAYWzulj8K
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I could see the char marks on my arms and legs. For a second I managed to forget about what had happened, but those words had the events come back in such clarity... "Do you not remember Lola and the man?40Please respect copyright.PENANAV6wxJGbQuC
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As the darkness of the hairy cocoon enveloped me... The lack of feeling, yet the peak of pain. My flesh screamed out, yet my nerves didn't budge. "Okay you-" "Do you THINK your eyes would have ANY function if it was not for ME?"40Please respect copyright.PENANATweWyYHlwi
Half of my vision was total black. I reached up and touched my eye. It felt harder to breathe. My body shook and I spun around, and the world was in total dark... and that's how it would stay. Something touched me, I looked. Nothing. I screamed.40Please respect copyright.PENANACVrTosX0yf
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I was on the floor clutching my head, back against the shelf. Someone was calling my name, but I couldn't hear, did my hearing disappear now?40Please respect copyright.PENANAmh36KP2RmO
'Am I going to have to go senseless for the rest of my life? What about my touch? No, I don't want to never not feel again, no, no, no, no,n on,no-
"Euna." My thoughts disappeared as I felt a pressure on my head combined with a booming noise. "Glad to see you cannot ignore that. I have been trying to apologize about putting you through those memories again."40Please respect copyright.PENANAugcSujGntq
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My breath was shaky. I didn't want to respond, so I decided to wait until I calmed myself a little first. The bottle of water lay on the floor, I picked it up and downed the rest of its contents.40Please respect copyright.PENANAyH2p5iXawb
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Finished, I felt the urge to laugh although I didn't know why. "Its... well its not okay, but you at least made your point. So what are you then?"
"As I said, I am a parasite." 40Please respect copyright.PENANAkz9KnHmcCO
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"Yeah no, you've made that clear enough. But what are you? I do some Biology and I've never heard of a parasite that can regenerate limbs... not out of fiction at least."40Please respect copyright.PENANANmFDxATFN3
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"Well I actually do not know that much about what I am. My only knowledge about myself is that I am an 'Apostle', most of my knowledge is about you."40Please respect copyright.PENANAMDJb6e6xdT
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"About me? Wait, hold on, I don't think I should keep calling you 'The Voice' do you have a name I can call you by?" I got up off the floor and dusted of my clothes... which were in tatters.40Please respect copyright.PENANArmtoKiY3pU
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"I do not have a name, you could give me one if you wanted to, I would not be opposed to it." I started to move to the clothes section to see what I could scavenge, at least my shoes were okay.40Please respect copyright.PENANAqGqOb1quPp
"Well..." I cringed a little at the question I was about to ask, "Are you a boy or are you a girl?" I immediately felt stupid as the Apostle started laughing at me, airy laughter echoing in my mind.40Please respect copyright.PENANA4QE2tDnZXc
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"...ahaha, once again I don't have a 'gender', but once again you could give me one if you wished." At least I couldn't be called a bigot for assuming a parasite's gender.40Please respect copyright.PENANAa3WjEHBIYS
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"We'll press pause on the gender now for now... How about Haven for your name?" I heard light muttering in my ear as the Apostle pronounced the word a few times.40Please respect copyright.PENANAlpeZXjPFZP
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"A uni-sex name is an interesting choice, but Haven is a fine name all the same. Now what were you saying before you got sidetracked?"40Please respect copyright.PENANAGNmQfyPjPh
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"I was going to ask about this 'me' knowledge you have, what's it about?" I finally found a pair of clothes that were lucky to survive the explosion. "Also it feels weird to keep calling you 'The Voice' in my head." 40Please respect copyright.PENANAa57mptrlP4
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"I suppose that's fair enough, so my knowledge of you is probably not what you think I mean. I have access to your memories, emotions, small control over your body, and... well... I'll let you find the last one out on your own."40Please respect copyright.PENANA8XGP0r0KIN
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I slowly switch my clothes that were 10% fabric, 70% soot, and 20% whatever the hell was in a bomb, to a dark purple hoodie with a pair of plain blue jeans. "That sounds concerning... Also you're a parasite aren't you supposed to be feeding on my brain or something?"40Please respect copyright.PENANA8139Nf4xy8
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"Maybe we can pick up this conversation once we have escaped this place, also you might want to bring a small snack with you." I nodded as I returned and filled my friends bag with a few snack and a few drinks.40Please respect copyright.PENANA6X8uRzwyU4
"There is one problem though, we can't communicate once we leave here. I don't know if those terrorists are still there, but I don't want to chance it."40Please respect copyright.PENANApCT8V7S8Qs
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"I don't think so... You screamed earlier remember? I feel like that would have drawn some attention."40Please respect copyright.PENANA74P692ItXQ
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"Oh right I kinda forgot about that... Guess there's nothing to wo-"40Please respect copyright.PENANAlry4iifqGo
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"Can't believe I had ta come an' check just 'cause Josh 'ard a scream. Lil' Pansy." somebody grumbled from the left side of the store. My blood ran cold, I slid over to the edge of the shelf and peeked around.40Please respect copyright.PENANASr0cVzrDSM
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From the edges of the mangled doorway stood a man, based on his voice, in a familiar set of clothes. I pinched the bridge of my nose and summed up my thoughts at this moment. 40Please respect copyright.PENANA2JKz6GcR6X
'Fuck me.'40Please respect copyright.PENANAoxxjmIhHVp
The hospital room hadn't changed when I woke up again. The only difference now was how I felt, and the volume of noise being made outside.40Please respect copyright.PENANAAfSnYORbST
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"Haven that's you right?" I said to the silent room. I moment of silence as I felt something snake its way through my chest and into my head.40Please respect copyright.PENANAl5P8oWUsfS
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"So I can stimulate your memories then, yes it is I." I sighed as I pressed back into the bed. When a thought popped into my head.40Please respect copyright.PENANAlSGKxOMgB9
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"That's not the end of my memory, is it? I don't think I would have survived unless something happened."40Please respect copyright.PENANAwqtEFRGK5r
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"There is more yes... but that is all that is relevant now. Still, you were the one who woke up I had no control over how long you remained unconscious." I nodded to let them know I understood. The volume of noise increased, and I admit I was feeling a bit curious, so of course I went to check what was happening.40Please respect copyright.PENANASNLiiNfpB2
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My room was at the end of a short corridor with two doors to the left, two doors to the right and a digital clock that said 12:45 at the other side. The noise came from one of the rooms to the right, and coincidentally enough the door started to open. What came out of it was wailing, but not from the lady exiting. Her face was nearly expressionless, but behind the brown band that covered her light blue eyes, I could see a tear forming.40Please respect copyright.PENANAxUDGpOEZbK
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She turned and uttered a quick 'I'm sorry' to whoever was within and closed the door. She let out a deep sigh as she bang her head against the door. I slowly started to close the door, but it let out the tiniest almost inaudible squeak and her eyes met mine.40Please respect copyright.PENANAG829q6QaWy
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Her face almost split in two from the smile she had as she bounded over to me. She took some file from off the wall with one hand and with another pushed me into the room. I didn't bother protesting, doctors know best for your health and all that.40Please respect copyright.PENANAG6LJL0k6UM
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"Sit." she gestured to the bed, and made her way towards the chair. As she sat down, she let out a pleased moan, which... was an awkward few seconds as she just kind of stared into space before looking at me and blushing.40Please respect copyright.PENANATGbKh5Z1iK
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"Oh my stars, I am so sorry about that, the last twenty-four hours have been hell for everyone here and its my first time sitting in like ten hours and I'm not normally-" She took a deep breath and let it go. "My name is Mendez, Dr. Mendez and I apologise about that."40Please respect copyright.PENANAmfVB4KH006
"I haven't read any of your file," she paused to gesture to it, "So this will be good information for both of us. Oh and just so you know, you've been here for around two days now." She started to flip through the file and I just decided sitting there was the best option.40Please respect copyright.PENANATeKFQFbemz
"Multiple first degree burns on face, arms and legs. One second degree burn on torso. One minor laceration on your face that stops just under your chin. Multiple instances of blunt force trauma across your body." She kept flipping through the file, no longer reading out loud for my benefit.40Please respect copyright.PENANAB8Vuq3z4pz
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"Is that bad?" I knew that the second degree burn was some cause for concern, but I wasn't sure about the other injuries. She kept flipping through the file, before closing it and resting at the edge of the bed.
"Under normal circumstances, it'd be definite cause for concern, however, you have some of the lighter injuries of anyone who came back from the mall. Normally test would be run to make sure there wouldn't be any complications, but now..." she turned her head and gazed out the window, flat expression returning.40Please respect copyright.PENANAKAw1wTmvr1
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"You'll be discharged as soon as a relative of yours can pick you up, maybe sooner than that even."40Please respect copyright.PENANAdzATHDgN9g
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"What about my dad? He can be the relative that comes to pick me up right...?" She opened her mouth to speak, but someone yelled her name, and she yelled a 'Coming' back.40Please respect copyright.PENANAXBp9l5fHXF
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"That's my cue." A bitter smile on her face as she looked at me and picked up the file. She walked to the other side of the room and, right as she was about to leave, turned to me. "Your phone and other items are in the drawer over there, the hospital's wifi is open, check the news."40Please respect copyright.PENANA8j3pSComnt
She exited, and I lunged for my phone. A cold feeling was worming its way throughout my chest, Haven said something, but I couldn't have cared.40Please respect copyright.PENANA94KIUKW78O
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Password inserted, Wifi connected, I scrolled to the internet. I typed in PNN and just my luck that a live broadcast had just started. It was a different newswoman reporting, a redhead who was similar to the blonde in all ways but hair. The bags under her eyes were different though.40Please respect copyright.PENANA0bCtzDTAe8
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"Good afternoon, and welcome to the noon broadcast. The terrorist group, the newly dubbed 'Heaven's Sword' have continued to cause... terror. Following Wednesday's Tambara Mall Massacre, and yesterday's bombing of multiple apartment complexes." That was all I needed to hear, my fingers flying to find the list of complexes.40Please respect copyright.PENANAzyKkGKIScA
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Haven said something again, so I grunted out a response. Found one! I started to scroll through it.40Please respect copyright.PENANAS2dvtmKY6e
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'No Fraser, No Fraser' I chanted in my head. Whoever made this list was a tool, it wasn't done alphabetically o by casualties, it was done as a top 10 list. I still made my way through it, #6 No Fraser, #5 No Fraser, #4...40Please respect copyright.PENANA7VUkc0wjVa
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I screamed. 40Please respect copyright.PENANAucCMJjzP5Q
I wailed. 40Please respect copyright.PENANANPKSWaVCbB
I shrieked.40Please respect copyright.PENANAZyVqyJVhzS
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I thought almost dying was a level of pain that could never be topped, yet somehow this clawing against my heart, this squeezing against my chest. I'd rather go back to the burning.40Please respect copyright.PENANA9kuoJacfFm
I threw my phone against the wall, and it clattered, but it survived and it bounced back with a vengeance. It landed in such a sickingly perfect way, the bottom of the screen was cracked, the top part had survived and it still displayed the message.40Please respect copyright.PENANAsMZGxOfDRP
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#4 Fraser Woods Complex.40Please respect copyright.PENANAHlS8tB3uP1
And that's the end of this chapter. Nice to see you've read this far, probably gonna stop doing these messages because they feel weird to put after some sad times. EVEN SO, I wasn't originally going to do this, but next chapter will be the final chapter of the First Arc of the Story, so even if this chapter was slow, I hope you stick around for that.40Please respect copyright.PENANAVEVgca8Wl3
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