《The Last 100》Ch.10
Advertisement
The Last 100 – Ch.10
The clouds, swollen, bursting at the seams finally erupted in a cascading torrent of grey, cold rain. It fell in sheets, lashing the ground with a vengeance, pockmarking the small sandy bank on which I lay. Scampering into the grass I dismissed the chat with a wave of my head and took shelter in a small knot of shrubbery. Cowering under it for the meagre protection it provided.
Now was about this point that I realised I hadn’t changed clothes in the three days since I had gotten the first notification. I was still clad in the off-white polo and black shorts. The rain was cold, like daggers of ice thrown from the atmosphere, I shook like a leaf, curling into a ball on the ground which, as the rain fell in progressively harder waves, was turning into a hellish slush of cold mud, running toward the river.
I was about to die I thought grimly. After all I had already been through and it was the fucking cold and rain that got me. Tears began to stream down my face as emotion finally caught up with me. My body convulsed with wave after wave of sobs, shaking me more than the cold ever could my eyes letting out a stream which could rival the tropical storm.
I laughed like a demon, howling to a sun obscured by the clouds, howling at it with raw throat, sound only pushed out of my parched lips through sheer force of passion and intensity of emotion.
It had taken everything from me, I would never get to go to college, the time in my life which people always said I would enjoy most, I would never get to go to a high school party. I dug my hands into the churned-up earth, clawing at the earth itself as if trying to physically pull out a meagre amount of solace from anywhere, somewhere. None could be found.
Advertisement
I was never going to have sex. This one hit me harder than it should have. The desire for love and sex seemed a petty one to have in the face of all of this great sorrow and yet when faced with it, it left me with a truly great sense of longing, greater than I had felt for any of the other realisations before it. That was because it went deeper than just sex, I realised I would never feel love. I would never feel a partner lying next to me, never feel calm with someone, never feel like one part of a pair. It ached in a primal, pure sense of humanity, the need to be wanted and loved. I was alone.
In the moment of existential clarity that followed that outburst I was hit by another realisation, one far stronger than the rest. I never got to tell my mother I loved her. I vocalised the words, inaudible under the rain but the act of saying them seemed to make them real to me and I collapsed to the floor, the fight running out of me as fast as it had come. After surviving the first night I was filled with a tentative, excited sense of hope. An optimism which was washed away like the small river bank I had been taken to by the tide. What was the point.
I collapsed back into my house of leaves, crawling into the foetal position and cradling my knees against my chest, the feeling of them offered no comfort, I felt the rain as it hit my skin, stinging it slightly with residual force, I didn’t move, I didn’t even want to breathe. I wanted to die then, more than ever before, it was a dark, all-consuming desire. I was so, so alone.
Advertisement
A scream escaped me, it was shrill and keening, it oozed hatred and loathing and I exploded out of the bush with the sound, running back to the bank tearing the sand apart looking for the axe I had brought with me. When I did find it I pulled it from the sand with reverence, looking over the wicked edge with an expression of fanaticism and fear.
I fell to my knees, holding the blade of the axe just above my wrists. I sat like that for a while, blade hovering over my veins, looming over them with a sense of finality. My arms shook with effort as I willed my body to make the cut, to go the final inch and take me from this hell, they stayed still.
I screamed, a sound like none other which had ever come out of me, it was hoarse, it was ugly. An animal sound it was, in a world were there were only beasts to here it. In a rage I threw the axe into the now swollen river. I watched with a slight pang of regret and the axe slunk beneath the roiling black pool of waves, given strength by the rain. I collapsed to the ground again, laying lifeless as the rain lashed me over and over again. Damn my self-preservation.
In my minds eye I could feel Wilhelm, it was the first time I had focused on the telepathic link between us and also the first time I realised that he had run off. He was agitated I could feel, standing and barking at, something. He wanted me to come to him I soon realised.
Another wave of shivers took me, alright let’s check it out I thought with morbid detachment. When I would think back on that series of events I would realise that I was in very little danger of dying from exposure. Sure the rain was cold, and it was winter, but it was winter in the loose Australian idea of the season, and while the rain was viscous it was far from the pelting’s of ice water other nations got. None of this however made it into any faucet of my decision making, having no prior experience with the outdoors I had convinced myself of my death, and further cemented that with my self-doubt and loathing. A pallor on my mind which was yet to be removed.
Advertisement
Eating Fast Is My "Overpowered" Ability
Mei is a girl with a peculiar habit. She eats very quickly. That's supposed to be overpowered? [Discord]
8 299Legends of Regalia book 1: Tyranny and Villainy
Amazon edited version is delayed while I sort things out, will post an update when possible. Meanwhile, I will keep it up until I figure out what to do. Dust, smoke and flames. Such was the merciless existence for most in the sun-touched cities. For most, survival was their paramount aspiration.Jorish was no different, living pointlessly and without purpose. Yet he held his dreams, clutching at his only treasure. A book that spoke about stories of heroes and villains who have reached the peak of power, becoming legends.Until he met the Travelers.Now, his entire life will be turned as he travels the world, meets legends, and visits locations that he had only dreamt about. Going on his journey until the day, he would join the pages of history itself.
8 160THE LOST TWINS OF REGOROVIA KINGDOM
Everyone rejoiced when the Queen gave birth to a pair of lovely twins. Everyone rejoiced at this wonderful news. Citizens whether they are nobles or peasants walked towards the castle and congratulated the young couple. Later that night a group of masked individuals infiltrated the castle. The King having felt that something was off decided to his most loyal servant to hide his son and daughter. When the servant arrived, the masked people were already here so in his hurry he forgot about the princess and only managed to grab the baby boy. This is the story of the young boy as he grows up to be the future ruler of his Kingdom.
8 66Fighting to be Kind in a Cultivation World
Aren't you tired of the typical cultivation story, where an isekai'd person comes into the world and becomes a brutal or selfish person? I know I am. So instead of being fully changed by the world, I want this protagonist to stick to their beliefs and help to change the world (and people) for the better. There will still be main character development and tests of those beliefs, but I want them to maintain that aspect. Brief Synopsis:American is thrown into a typical Xuanhuan cultivation world where the masses of the people are typically sacrificed for the abilities of the few. This is meant to be an alternate take on how protagonists approach these worlds. Main character comes into the world w/ scanning, healing, and monster taming abilities. The release schedule will begin on Dec 1st. The schedule is 2 chapters/week (Tue & Fri) at 11pm. Please like, comment, and follow, as that helps me to gauge interest in the series. Final note: I notice that many cultivation novels treat abuse or sexual assault as a throwaway tool to set a stage. I think the way it is normally done is both lazy and a disrespectful to victims. If you have any suggestions on how I can improve the way I've done it in this series, please let me know. I want to do this the right way. P.S. *Nudge, nudge* If you are looking for a sneak peek of up to 16 chapters ahead, check out my Patreon. :D
8 185A new life in a new world.
A 21 year old man gets a second chance at life after he wasted his life doing nothing.This is a new beginning for a man who wanted a new life.
8 91Two dead men for a bloody coin
Is happiness all you get? Does a life without the opposite exist? No. Never. You must be mistaken to think you can avoid the other side of the spectrum, being only one side of the coin. I'm sure you would think me the monster putting you through this, but you are the fool for believing otherwise.
8 166