Whenever I came home, Mother would welcome me gladly, inviting me to the table full of my favorite dishes, with Mother's cooking which the aroma I could smell from miles away. That day, it was a snowy night, and my frigid body was ready to feast the warm pasta.
It'd been a few months since we had a 'grand' dinner, usually canned food was what we opted for regular nights. I took off my gloves and beanie, placing them on the table where Father's ashes were.
Mary, my sister, was awaiting me to show her drawings, which I heavily appreciated, despite just being meaningless crayon scribbles. But to me, it was meaningful. The three of us enjoyed that night. No matter what, I swore we had to be together, because it was what happiness meant to me, even though just living a simple life.
The three of us also shared a room. We used Father's modified air conditioner that has a complex filtration system with plastic bottles, so we didn't have to use the government built-in fan, carrying unfiltered, filthy pollution from outside. We would've been imprisoned for using the air conditioner, but thankfully I covered it up with some of Mary's drawing, drawn on reused cheap thin paper that was enough for the cold air to pass through.
That night, I felt something unsettling. Maybe it was the air too cold and me shivering in my slumber, but the eerie feeling came from somewhere deeper.
[EGO SYSTEM – ALTER EGO: CHASE]
The system's chime suddenly popped up in my mind. It was a blue screen, but was slowly fading, the resolution dropping, before it became clean black. I screamed simultaneously waking up in the middle of the night. Fortunately, I didn't wake up the others. I decided to not continue sleeping that night. I spent the rest of twilight till dawn half-awake at the table, with a hot-turned-cold cup of tea.
The same evening, one of them threw a punch at me. Another kicked me in the groin. I was already badly injured, with bruises all over my face and maybe a broken hand. They continued to beat me up, their selfless mouths laughing in vain. My broken teeth fell out. Finally, the four boys sat back on top of the trash cans, while I was suffering in pain, covered in blood.
[EGO SYSTEM – EGO: REVENGE]
The same chime and system interface from today morning reappeared. It was larger than before and was visible in front of me, but I was unable to touch it.
"Pathetic asshole."
"Poor dick. Hey, I heard his dad died to some loan sharks."
"His entire family is just poor dog shit. Can't even afford a decent bag, punk?" screamed one of them while throwing my dirty backpack away into one of the cans.
The mocks of the boys echoed through my ears. I was feeling desperate at that moment. They never stopped to beat me up every time I went home from school, and it started since around first grade, always harassing me for the mole under my neck. It was about time I was sick of them. About time I show, that I'm not that miserable.
[ACTION]
"Go to hell, bastard!"
I leaped up, throwing a jab to one of the boys. His nose bled, and he fell onto the floor. That moment, I couldn't control myself, as if my soul and body were separated. Two of them grabbed me from behind. I never learned any martial arts, but my rage allowed me to kick both of them to the ground and deliver several hits to their face.
"You don't have the authority, to, speak, to, my, family, like, that!"
The big one tried to fight back. He kicked my face, the strong shoe outer sole breaking my nose and ultimately throwing me to the corner. I didn't react, nor feel pain. I just felt I had to do something.
I finished the big one, grappling his arms and striking his ribcage with my knees. The sound of broken bones that moment was louder than the screams of people demanding freedom from the government.
I gave the other two a sharp uppercut to their jaw. My vision slowly blurred, and my body became more and more uncontrollable, moving its arms in anger and removing itself from any means of empathy.
The last one ran away in fear. I continued to uppercut them in rage. Then all three of them, lifeless. Gone in a single fight. I didn't know what went inside of me just then. It was like someone was controlling my arms and legs, and my raw power became more powerful than usual.
[FINISH]
And then, I returned. My vision became clearer, and the pain started to kick in again. I also fell to the ground, vomiting and coughing blood. I was there with three corpses. With no idea of what to do with them. That day was the first time I discovered the system.
[WELCOME, B]
I returned home with no sense of guilt. I had no idea what just happened. I decided to let it go as something random. But an unnatural feeling kept lingering inside me. And I couldn't stay still.
Mother and Mary's shoes were still on the doorstep. I was longing to raise some money to buy them a new pair, but it seems like my tutoring wasn't really reaching anywhere in school. Ever since Father died, I'd been working part-time gigs out of school, but the money reached nowhere paying back Father's massive amounts of debt.
I entered the house. The door creaked, its old, dusty wood crashing with the hard oak floor. Inside, the temperature was warm. Warm enough for a meal, which what I was awaiting for coming back home. I removed my socks and my left shoe. My right was threw somewhere in the fight earlier. It wasn't like I lost a foot. It's okay to let those small things go anyway.
I called for Mother and Mary. No one answered. I assumed the two were in the bedroom, being the time of day everyone would be overwhelmed from work and needed rest. I entered the bedroom. No one was there too. I searched deep into the cabinets, wardrobes, beneath the thin carpet. Even the air conditioner wasn't turned on.
My senses rippled up. I searched all around the house, running around like a wild boar. I could see them welcoming me on the table again. But this time, nowhere to be seen. I would appreciate it even if we ate some cheapskate canned sardines. I would appreciate it with the three of them.
I glanced at Father's portrait and ashes for a moment. Then the senses reached my nerves. I ran outside, barefoot in the deep snow and cold, harsh air. It wasn't exactly a good time for a young boy to be outside. Pickpockets and mobs lurked the streets of the city. But I ran as fast as I could, passing homeless by homeless on the sidewalks. Like a kitten searching for its parent.
Behind me, a young girl followed. She was also barefoot, struggling to keep with my pace. I couldn't recognize who she was except for the short, bob-cut hair. I heard some faint screams from behind, but they were just whispers that failed to reach my ears. All I heard was Mother and Mary's voices.
My hand reached forward. My steps were beginning to slow down, my breath hyperventilating to the tiredness and thin air. I continued to run forward, trying my best to maintain the speed. Again, my vision turned a blurry, some nearby objects losing its shape and slowly decaying from my sight.
I heard the pattern of my breaths clearly. That was the only thing I heard. And the only thing I saw, was the vehicle in the vicinity. A three-axle truck sped somewhere distant. I realized. That was my destination, my mission.
I picked up the speed of my sprints. It wasn't a simple feat running faster than usual in air dirtier than usual. Organs could fail under pressure and lack of stamina. I would let myself die; if it meant to save family.
[EGO SYSTEM – EGO: CHASE]
In that dark void, the hologram screen appeared again.
[ACTIVATE]
[ADRENALINE BOOST]
[SPEED BOOST]
My body awakened into a higher state of consciousness. I had regained my eyesight, even more clearly than my vision usually is. My legs, arms, lost control. They put every ounce of energy left to use. My breathing became calmer, with a structured pattern. Almost the same feeling like earlier; a body without a soul losing control.
I could feel blood rushing vein through vein, every neuron in my body aligning perfectly for the absolute maximum speed. I lost full control of my body, unable to interrupt or intervene in this enhanced form.
The back of the truck opened. I could vaguely see four men armed with weapons. They were there with Mary, her crying face desperate and small hands tied onto a strong rope. I kept chasing as the truck advanced.
I reached my hand one more time. With the last, remaining strength in my entire body, I tried to pull her. I tried to save Mary. I felt that I failed as a son; unable to save Father in the fire, and now failing as a brother; unable to save Mary. Those were facts that hit me right in the guts. That was the last time I saw her.
Then suddenly, nothing.
[FINISH]
[ABORT]