Insanity - part 1

-10 minutes earlier -

(Negary pov)

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I woke up to a punch flying towards my face.

Instinctively, I ducked under the punch.

The fist, aimed at my face, missed its intended target and banged against a metallic surface behind me with a loud clang. The collision echoed through the hallway, reverberating off the walls.

'A locker...' I recognized it with a glimpse out of the corner of my eye.

Amidst the aftermath of the collision, a muffled grunt emanated from in front of me, likely produced by the unlucky sod who had just punched metal.

I didn't hastily counterattack; instead, I took a moment to process my situation as my vision slowly cleared. It felt like I had just been through the world's most insane rollercoaster, but the adrenaline coursing through my veins kept me wide awake.

'A fight or flight response... I think I know the reason for that.'

Raising my gaze, I sized up my would-be aggressors, gauging their level of threat. Nearest to me stood a tall, shaved-headed boy nursing his injured hand, a scowl etched on his face and a glint of malice in his eyes.

'Sucks to suck, bruh' I mused silently as I surveyed the scene. The group surrounding him comprised about ten rough-looking guys, typical hoodlums by appearance, encircling us and laughing at Baldy's failed attempt to land a blow on me.

I remained silent, my mind trying and failing to comprehend the situation unfolding before me. Yet, it seemed unlikely that these side characters would have any answers to my questions so I didn't bother listening to whatever Baldy began saying to me. Instead, I focused on recalling the last thing I remembered before ending up here and discreetly checked the condition of the body I had taken over.

'Wait, when the hell did I steal a bod...'

My musings were abruptly interrupted by a hand landing on my shoulder. I shifted my gaze to Baldy, who looked at me expectantly. It was evident he was preparing to throw another punch, not keen on me dodging it like the first time.

"I'll ask you again, you little cocksucker," a voice echoed maliciously from one of the unimportant side characters. He practically growled at me, the earlier laughter drained from his features, probably replaced by rage since I'd been ignoring them a bit. "You gonna shave your own head, or do you want us to do it for you?"

"What the fuck, dude" were my exact words, disbelief mounting as one of Baldy's sidekicks passed him something.

"Is that a fucking electric shaver?" I asked no one in particular as I glimpsed towards the boy's hand. Indeed, there was one, buzzing and ready to go...

'Just what the fuck is this situation?!' I thought as Baldy brought the machine closer to my head, intent on cutting my luscious blonde hair... (which I did not possess until a few minutes ago...)

I took a deep breath, calming my nerves even as Baldy kept saying some shit about me begging or something.

I closed my eyes and ignored the buzzing of the machine and the reemerged laughs of the surrounding rabble.

I recalled my mantra, my prayer, my rules for life—the words that always made any situation seem manageable...

'Lay down thy pride.

Slay your unnecessary desires.

Remain calm in any situation.

Remember who you are

And that you can always get back up, no matter how steep the mountain is...'

*Sigh...*

A sudden bang echoed in the hall of whatever building I was in, as Baldy suddenly fell to the ground in a fetal position, tears instantly filling his eyes as he whimpered, holding his hands over his family jewels which were hit by a sudden knee strike.

With a sense of detached amusement, I observed as the situation slowly registered in the small brains of the hoodlums, anticipating their next move.

'I suddenly didn't give a fuck anymore...'

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