Lost in the Crowd

"Where is your other friend?" I ask Kirana.

She turns around and finds out. "Yeah. . . where is she?" She walks to them and asks, "Hey, where's Sherry?"

"She went to get a drink," her friend answers.

Did I miss the chance? Oh, no. . . I only looked away for a minute and—

Oh, she's back. I don't know how to feel. A part of me wishes that the Phantom got her. But that's a bad thing to happen. I must not pray for it. Do this without waiting for any harm. But then again, they're just NPCs. They aren't real people.

I bet they won't act as a real person would. Watch as I squeeze Kirana's meaty soft rear. See? She didn't—

"ARGHH!!!"

My face! Ugh! It hurts! Her claws!

"What are you doing, you pervert?!" she roars.

"I'm sorry!" I apologize desperately, wiping the blood off of my eyes. "I thought—" She screams, pushing the words I was about to say back into my throat.

As I lie on the ground with my face bleeding, she glares at me as she walks near. Her every step is filled with anger. Her fangs are bared and her eyes are glowing red. The other girls are at her side, angry as her. My crewmates shake their heads in disdain as they walk away. I was about to ask them to help me explain.

Kirana's friends hold my arms to make me stand while she punches my abdomen all she wants.

She growls, "You think you'll get away alive after that?!"

I can't move! The pain is paralyzing me! She keeps punching me in the stomach, face, and even in my crotch! The pain is too much! I'm gonna pass out! But I can't! Her every punch keeps me awake! I've never been this desperate to get knocked out before! Or just kill me! I can't fight! I don't want to suffer anymore! I shouldn't have done that! Please, stop the pain! I promise I will not do that again! I realize that this game is not a game! It's life or death! ARGHH!!!!

All I can see is the floor. My body is numb. My slow heartbeat is so loud inside my ears. What happened to the loud music of the Rave? *Gulp* My blood, it's warm. . . and tastes like metal as it runs down my throat. After every blink of my eyes is a different scene. Earlier I was looking at the flat glass ground with neon lights, now the ground is made out of metal, then concrete. Finally, I'm kissing it and hear a loud metallic bang behind me. Somehow, I want to look but I'm badly battered and just wanna rot here. I don't know where I am. . . but does that matter?

*Gasp*

The claws are coming to tear my face off!

"STOP!!!"

What? Where am I? Ugh. . . my throat is itchy after that scream. I swallow saliva to ease it. I can taste blood. What? Why am I— Oh, that's right. I got beat up by Kirana and her friends after I did "that".

It was so soft though. . .

Argh! It was not worth it! Not only I was beaten up so bad I almost died, but I'm now branded as a molester! I wanna clear my name and apologize to her! I don't care if I have to find her among millions of people in the rave but I just wanna exist without anyone else hating me!

If I'm to do that, first, where am I? I can't see a thing. All is dark. Am I still asleep? Sleep paralysis?! No, no, no!!!

"HELP!!! Wake me—"

Oh, I can speak. And I can touch my body. *Sigh* I can't see a thing because I'm in the darkness.

"Hello?" I call and my voice echoes back. "Is there anyone here? Where am I?"

Nobody answers. After a while, my eyes adjust to the darkness. I can see a little bit and I can tell that I'm alone in a small room. There is a huge door. I touch it and it is very clean and glass-smooth. It has no doorknob of some sort.

How can I get out of here? Who put me here? What are they gonna do to me?!

"Help!" I scream, hitting the door a lot of times. No one answers.

With no idea and nothing else to do, I sit in the corner, hugging my knees. I couldn't help but shiver in fear. Even my eyes are a bit watery, feeling my bruises and wounds getting worse by the following hours.

Why do I have to suffer this much? If only I didn't follow Alice into this world, I would be in my wheelchair, chilling for the rest of my life alone, letting time wither my body and soul. That's what I've decided. Now, it will end right here. Slowly. . . painfully. . .

What if Alice was bluffing all along? What if I die here but I'll wake up from the gaming pod? Then I'll ask myself, "Why did you suffer for nothing? If you just had the guts to do it, you didn't have to go through all of that torture."

I remember I have claws when I scratched my nose. My claws are sharp. They can easily slice through flesh. One full thrust and my whole arm would be piercing through a person's body. I bet it could easily puncture a skull.

My nail is already against the side of my head above my ear. I'm amazed at how easily the tip of my nail could cut through my skin. If I do it quick enough, I'll reach my brain and die instantly without feeling anything. After that, I'm back in my world! I'd rather choose to suffer a crippled life rather than suffer in this hell!