1 Bleeding Heart

A gentle snowfall had blanketed the city, the soft gusts of wind carrying the loose snow across a small meadow as the sun glimpsed across the reflective flakes, as it rose. Through the heavy closed curtains, beams of light snuck through and shined on closed eyes, a groan left the man in his bed. Gently he began to squirm about, stirring from his slumber as his sleepless night was met with a short-lived nap, dozing off as Metube was still playing in the background as his stiffing became vigorous as his sleep was taken away as if it was the light snow on the wind. A disgruntled and unkempt groan left the slowly waking form as a messy-haired man sat up slowly, eyes screaming his fatigue and restless night, his body incapable of recovery from the rigorous day before as messy swill of thoughts began rise to the surface of his consciousness as he threw off the covers that had kept him encompassed in warmth and comfort. Floorboards creaking under his weight as he sheepishly stumbles towards a small cracked door, haphazardly flicking on the lights with a muffled click as the blinding light illuminated the room and spilled into his bedroom.

He let out a slight hiss as he flinched from the bright light, recoiling a bit due to the unexpected pain as his eyes struggled to adjust. A lazy slur of words left him as he was met with the sorry face of a man who lacked a lot and most of what he lacked was energy. An unkempt mess of hair, black with bits of salt white hair slowly growing in, a patchy mess of facial hair that was either too lush in some areas or lacked too much. Dull jade green eyes lacking a drive staring back at him, enough bags to make an airport jealous under them, and a slowly withering body that had endured twenty-eight years of rigorous abuse and was already on the brink of self-destruction as he slowly reached towards the knobs of the faucet, turning the cold water on as the pipes of his apartment began to groan in a rebuttal before brown-tinged water rushed out with a sudden burst pressure. The water took a moment to calm as he huffed, watching the color slowly dissipate before slowly letting it pool in his hands as he brought it to his face and let the bite of the cold soak his skin, a withheld breath escaping him as he let the water cascade down, soaking his facial hair and leaving beads in it as he felt cool droplets roll down his chest. He couldn't help but feel pathetic, but then again how was Nathaniel supposed to feel.

A twenty-eight-year-old male by the name of Nathaniel Ouro stood staring at himself in the mirror as words of self-doubt and discouragement seeped into his brain like poison, just like every morning as he grabbed a dingy towel to wipe himself clean. Nathan was a salaryman, simple and basic. He would wake up every morning at five forty-five, look himself in the mirror and battle his own overwhelming self-conscious mind, beat and batter himself for ten minutes before he actually began his morning. He wiped himself clean before moving back into the studio apartment he called home, huffing as he pulled a white tank top over his relatively fit frame, glancing back at his computer to see the words he was used to. Defeat. Of course, he woke up feeling defeated so of course he'd naturally be used to the feeling as he stepped towards the computer, pressing the power button to shut off the setup he had, watching the screen go dark as he quickly found a pair of pants that were strewn across the floor as he made sure they lacked any semblance of stains as he brushed off the black dress pants, head shaking as he pulled them up. His focus shifted to his button-up shirt, getting it on him as he made sure that he quickly put on the facade of a well-groomed adult as he began to scramble about, grabbing his keys and the tin foil packaging of his favorite breakfast pastry before bolting out the door, fumbling with the lock before heading into the harsh embrace of winter as a bus pulled up and he took a painful deep breath, feeling the sudden rush of cold air fill his lungs and the ache in his body clear some.

His breath felt sharp as if he had inhaled some of the perfect flakes that were so unique before he let out a large puff of air, his breath appearing like a cloud from a drag from a cigarette as he stepped onto the bus. A smile was on his face, a mask for the dispair he truly felt in his gut as he rode the public transportation until his stop, stepping out in front of the large building he knew as his personal hell. He entered, clocking in with the punch of an old machine to remind him how long he wasted his time here as he walked in and sat down. Everything ran like cold syrup, time dripping by slowly for him as the outside world seemed to move so fast. Coworkers and the ones he considered acquaintances but they think of him as a friend, stopping to pester him about his dreary life.

He would answer, laugh as they teased him, and taking every blow with ease as he would shrug off every three hours with the sickeningly sweet drag of a cigarette, feeling the poison fill his lungs like a refreshing blast of life as he enjoyed these moments of solace. After what felt like an eternity the unsettling click came as a relief to him, the sound of freedom and the chatter of peers about the coming weekend sounding his release as he truly smiled and clocked out. He chatted with coworkers as they began to head to the bar, giggling like school girls as they talked of how drunk they were going to get.

After walking into the bar everything became a blur, everything foggy but he remember golden hair that reminded him of the harvest of wheat back home. She was there, a girl and she was definitely younger. A guy... He was harassing her, touching on her, and not the friendly kind. He remembers stepping in, laying the guy out on the floor, getting a kiss on the cheek, and sharing a few drinks with her. He took in a painful breath and felt it immediately pulled from his body, it was numb and dully ached deep in his core as he groaned, trying to sit up where ever he was but couldn't. He was cold, like out in the streets in a harsh blizzard as he tried to sit up again just to hear the jingling of a chair as overpowering nausea hit him like a semi. His slow-acting thoughts were rudely interrupted by the clicking of high heels against tile before a surprised gasp scraped his mind like nails on a chalkboard. Slowly his unfocused eyes were met with the sight of a girl, her. The blonde-headed girl slowly leaned down and gently caressed his face as their eyes met, something red smeared across her face. Lipstick? No, no, that was... Blood?

"Oh my! My late dinner seems to have woken up! Well isn't that a shame! I wasn't done eating yet not to mention collecting my next few snacks"

She ended that with a giggle as he notice something in her free hand, it was fist-sized, glazed in a red, and steaming. The object seemed to be missing a few bites out of it as she brought it to her mouth and made an uncomfortable bite into it as the blood spilled out of it. Nathan felt like he was going to be sick as his stomach churned but nothing came up.

"You know, it's a shame I have to dine and dash. I like my kidneys' sauteed in their juices with a nice medley of mushrooms until brown, mmm I'm getting excited just thinking about it!"

She shuttered as Nathan's gears began to turn as his eyes began to slowly focus, the apple-looking thing in her hand began to change, blood dripping from the thing as shock began to hit him as well as pain. In her hand was a kidney, his kidney. Panic began to swallow him as he found himself in a bathtub full of ice, his hands chained up and his body cold, blood staining the ice as she madly giggles and takes another sickening bite. Her voice was sweet like honey and almost enough to give someone a toothache from listening to her for too long as she turned away and began to ramble.

"Let's see. A lung and a half, both kidneys, thanks to earlier his liver is already marinated with plenty of wine, both goose eggs, a few fingers, his tongue, an ear... Oh! I bet his heart would taste delectable with enough adrenaline pumping through it!"

She quickly went back into another room as Nathan thought he was going to die but adrenaline wouldn't let him as with a sudden burst of superhuman strength he broke the old metal pipe he was chained to, breaking it off as he was free but didn't have much time to think as with chains in hand he weakly stumbled after her. She was much too busy engrossed in the styrofoam coolers she had on the bed to notice the lazy stumbling before too late. Chains came across her neck, they twisted in a tight loop as the sudden tightening caused her throat to be crushed, a sickening crush and the sound of bone snapping echoed in the room as she weakly clawed at her throat and thrashed, her skin going from flush to pale, to blue as she gasped for air. Fight left her slowly as she dropped to the ground and instinct took Nathan over. He couldn't breathe but it wouldn't stop moving as blood spilled from him, the sick dark crimson dripping from his multiple wounds as he pushed his way out of the small shack.

He should've listened to his coworkers, getting involved with blondey wasn't worth the trouble as each step caused more blood to spill. Curse his damn bleeding heart! He could be asleep in bed, all his organs in place, able to breathe but now he was in the cold, his blood freezing his fresh wounds closed as darkness was all he could see. He was naked and could barely see two feet in front of him as suddenly there was a flash of light, his body freezing like a deer in headlights as he was struck by a car, sending his body back as everything went numb and his body began to fail. Numbness began to overtake his body, darkness overtaking his vision as he tried to breathe but was met with painful sucking of blood as he poked a stomach full up. This was how it ended? A boring single salary-man, killed and mostly devoured by a cute cannibal but not before getting revenge. He may be missing a tongue but his empty mind began to echo.

Damnit... I should have listened to those assholes, they warned me to be cautious and that my bleeding would get me killed. Now here I lay, unsure where I am, I think I'm missing my kidney, a lung... God... Please, I don't wanna be here anymore. I wish... I wish I wasn't going to die and I wasn't on earth anymore..."

[[Wish requirements fulfilled. ERROR; presets for wish are unable to be met. Host will die but consciousness can be transferred... Suitable host found. Stipulations put in effect. Will you accept?]]

[[Y/N]]

Bright red flashed in his eyes, the word ERROR in big bold red the only thing he could see as he spit up more blood and shook. There was a timer, counting the seconds he had left until death engulfed him filled. He had to decide, he was going to die. Die but don't die at the same time or die altogether? Oh what would he do different? Everything? Ha, what a joke, this wasn't some light novel transported to another world crap but... What if this was the same thing? What if...

[[Five seconds remain. Y/N]]

"Fuck it, what could go wrong? Yes"