Death Star
"Where do you think you're going?" A voice growled in the dim alley, with other footsteps echoing around.
"Play stupid games, win stupid prizes," another voice sneered, followed by mocking laughter.
A young boy, blood streaming from his nose and mouth, dashed through the alley, his legs trembling with exhaustion.
"Please, not this time," he mumbled through his bruised lip, tears mixing with blood as they fell onto his clothes and the foul-smelling alley beneath him.
"Ahhhhhh!"
The young boy collapsed to the ground as a thick stick struck his head, blood immediately dripping from the back of his head, blurring his vision.
"Finally got you, you little punk,"
A kick landed on the boy's back as he lay flat on his stomach, curling into a protective ball.
"I told you I needed the money, but you didn't bring it, and then you refused to do what I asked with my girlfriend,"
More kicks landed on his hand, head, and legs as he trembled in pain.
"I... didn't want to..." he begged, trying to convey that he was never going to be willing to do what was asked of him.
"Do you think this will help you, Neaf Stellar? You're just a weakling. My girlfriend is so beautiful and you still refused?"
As the words finished, two guys held his arms and two held his legs, suspending him between them.
"I already gave you all my money, I don't have any more,"
Neaf cried, looking into the eyes of Steve Smith, his main tormentor, and his so-called friends, who made his life a living hell.
He had already given them all his pocket money and part-time earnings, but it was never enough.
"Didn't I give you the choice to either do what I asked or pay more?" Steve Smith asked with an angry face, looking satisfied with Neaf's condition.
Bleeding and sobbing, just as he always did, but today it seemed like he was on the brink of death, bleeding out, which gave Steve some sadistic satisfaction.
Neaf couldn't fathom how someone could be so vile. Steve was the epitome of repulsiveness, but who even offers their girlfriend to someone else? Sure, Neaf didn't know what it was like to have a girlfriend, but he had grown up watching his grandparents, who showed so much care toward each other. He couldn't say the same about his own parents.
And if he had accepted, would the outcome have been worse? Or was it already as bad as it could get?
"When are you going to grow some balls?" Another guy mocked, holding Neaf with his right arm.
"I have enough balls to not do anything with a woman who isn't mine,"
Neaf spat his words venomously, looking at the five people ready to tear him apart.
Numbness was all Neaf felt sometimes, having been bullied his whole life, but today was excruciating.
"It's coming to an end,"
His inner voice felt like he was either going to die once and for all, or be damaged for life.
"Thud! Thack!"
One hit after another landed on his stomach as he hung in the air, unable to squirm or fight back.
"I'm going to kill you, you dare to talk back to me, you might want to reconsider the option of doing something else, maybe with me," Steve laughed menacingly, holding the wooden stick tightly, mercilessly striking Neaf.
"I'm not interested in men, and even if I were, you'd never be my choice,"
Damn. Neaf bit his tongue as the words slipped out involuntarily.
"I'm going to kill you today,"
As the words thundered, the four guys dropped him on the ground and began kicking him together. Meanwhile, Steve continued to strike his head with the stick as hard as he could, causing Neaf's head to be cut open, a gruesome sight.
"Stop, Steve. If we get caught, it's going to end even worse,"
As if things could get any worse, Neaf thought in his half-conscious state.
Immediately, all five of them stopped hitting him.
"You're definitely going to die, you little punk. Save a spot for me in heaven, maybe then I'll have a great time with you," Steve spat on Neaf's face, his eyes bloodshot and looking like they might pop out of their sockets.
They all walked away, leaving Neaf curled up in a ball of blood.
"Death is coming too early, isn't it?"
Neaf laughed internally. Wasn't this what he wanted in life? But he never thought he'd have such a painful death.
Even in death, he didn't get to choose peace. It was all violence, just because he refused to have sex with someone's girlfriend and didn't have the money to fill their pockets, which were always overflowing with the money they took from him.
He wasn't rich, nor was he poor, but a death like this made him feel more destitute than anyone could ever imagine.
It's terrible; he doesn't even think about how his parents will cope or how his grandparents will deal with his death.
Can't say much about his parents; all he is worried about is his grandparents.
He tried to open his eyes, only managing to open one that was already filled by blood. With blurry vision, he looked up at the dark sky, where only stars were shining, beckoning the darkness of death.
Neaf couldn't shake the fantasy playing in his head about how, after dying like a piece of trash, he would surely become one of the most beautiful stars in the sky.
He usually didn't believe in fantasies, but today his death felt like something out of a fiction scenario, so why not add a dream to it?
If Steve can still believe he deserves a place in heaven, then what's wrong with this dream?
It's much better than what Steve dreams about; there are more chances of it being fulfilled.
"I hope to be born in my next life as something other than a human; maybe anything else would be better—less lifespan, fewer sufferings."
As the thought crossed his mind, he closed his eyes, his breathing starting to slow.
{System activating in ten seconds}
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