Broken(DC)

POV: Brian Forman

In my final moments, I clung to the brightest memories of my life, desperate to savor them, but the darkness only grew thicker. I realized I hadn't lived enough. Desperation pushed me to make a choice my last chance. The drug "Viper" was supposed to save my life.

The consequences of taking it could be disastrous, but at that moment, I didn't care. As if through a haze, I managed to swallow it. For an instant, it felt like my heart stopped, and I thought I heard someone speaking to me. Then came a fleeting moment of clarity, a surge of overwhelming strength, and an explosion of rage. I couldn't form a single coherent thought; I couldn't focus. All that remained was a burning desire to destroy everything in my path.

A primal instinct for self-preservation allowed me to regain a sliver of control, just enough to stumble down the stairs. I fought to reclaim my body, and for a moment, I succeeded in suppressing the rage. But then, I heard a human voice. The fury roared back to life, now twisted with a bloodlust.

I tried to stop myself, but my body refused to obey. I watched in horror as my hands tore through the firefighters' bodies. They begged for mercy, but I couldn't stop. I kept reaping my bloody harvest until no one was left.

Only then did the weight of my actions hit me. I had saved my own life at the cost of dozens of others. I could have stopped the terrorist earlier and spared the security guards. I could have checked to see if he was dead or finished him off, but I didn't. My inaction had led to an even greater tragedy. The consequences of my decisions were now etched onto my blood-soaked hands.

Tears of bitterness streamed down my face. I longed to undo it all, to turn back time, but I couldn't. It would have been better if I'd died there. As the rage subsided, unbearable despair took its place. I no longer knew how to go on.

My memory began to fracture. I tried to piece together what had happened, but it was futile.

The sound of voices nearby snapped me out of my stupor. A group of people appeared. As soon as I saw them, my emotions reignited. Rage consumed me again, and a ravenous thirst for blood surged within. The deaths of others affected me in ways I didn't understand, but I knew I craved more. The drug's influence was overwhelming.

I wanted to yell at them, "Run!" but all that came out was a guttural growl. I charged after them. Just as I was about to reach them, bullets tore into me. Though pain was dulled by the torrent of emotions, I still felt it. My body was riddled with bullets, and my regeneration could no longer keep up. I collapsed to the floor, utterly drained.

A severe lack of resources triggered a primal hunger within me. Lying in a pool of my own blood, half-delirious, my body screamed for sustenance.

Then I smelled it—something irresistible. Unable to resist, I lunged at a person leaning over me, sinking my teeth into them. My body received what it needed, and a wave of pleasure coursed through me as if rewarding my survival.

I had become a predator, driven not by the desire to kill but by the need to feed. I began hunting every living person nearby.

In the midst of my frenzy, something unexpected ensnared me. I tore at the nets trapping me, but more came down. Gunfire rained on me, sapping my strength. As my energy dwindled, I growled in a futile struggle to break free. Fear and the urge to escape overwhelmed me, but it was too late.

My suffering was interrupted by a familiar voice, though I couldn't remember where I had heard it before. A girl appeared before me, her face vaguely familiar, and it seemed like she was someone dear to me. Yet the hunger for sustenance consumed my mind, pushing me to reach for her. She flinched in fear, and something stirred in my heart, but I couldn't stop myself.

Soon, she was taken away, and then a surge of electricity enveloped me. My muscles spasmed violently. The initial pain gradually dulled, morphing into something strangely pleasant, as if my body was absorbing new energy. But then, sleepiness overwhelmed me. Three figures descended upon me, one of them driving something into my neck. I tried to shake them off, but a wave of weakness overtook me. Rage boiled within me, pushing me to banish the haze clouding my mind. I managed to throw them off and was ready to tear them apart, but suddenly, darkness consumed me. I collapsed onto the ground.

What followed was a strange sleep filled with fleeting images. It felt as though I had forgotten something critical, something deeply important.

I struggled to focus, trying to make sense of the flashes in my head. Gradually, I began to remember who I was. My name is Brian Foreman, and it seemed I had made the gravest mistake of my life. Drifting through my subconscious, I pieced together fragments of my memory, recalling more and more. Just as the puzzle was nearly complete, an unbearable pain tore through my body. My nervous system screamed, signals overloading my brain, plunging me into merciful unconsciousness.

The torment went on for days, with me occasionally regaining consciousness only to glimpse my reflection in circular glasses.

I realized I was being held somewhere. The walls were steel, and the mirror seemed unbreakable. I strained to see beyond it, catching glimpses of someone observing me. At times, I thought I recognized a familiar figure watching from behind the glass.

Slowly, I recovered almost all my memories. The beastly nature within me began to recede, allowing me some control over my body. Yet, this control came at a cost the pain only grew more intense.

With every passing moment, my hatred for the doctor who came and went deepened. It felt like my suffering amused him. The observer behind the glass remained indifferent, standing in silence. But I recognized him it was the surgeon who had once helped me, even visiting my home. Why aren't you helping me? Why won't anyone help me? Is the problem me? Have I been abandoned because I did something unforgivable? I'm no longer human. I'm a monster. Perhaps this suffering is what I deserve.

One day, as usual, the doctor left, leaving me in my agony. But Dr. McNider lingered, staring at me. Suddenly, a yellow flash appeared behind him, and a man emerged from it someone I felt I had seen before.

They seemed to engage in a conversation, though I couldn't make out the words. The newcomer initially spoke calmly, but then a helmet materialized in his hand. He appeared to be struggling with himself, and McNider rushed toward him. Yellow energy filled the room, and then another figure appeared. This one wore a suit with a yellow helmet that had glowing eyes.

The same energy began to surround my body. What does he intend to do to me? A sense of danger screamed within me. I tried to break free, but my weakened body betrayed me.

I locked eyes with Dr. McNider, who looked bewildered, clearly not understanding what was happening. My body became covered in yellow particles that began to dissipate, drawn into some sort of vortex above me.

Ahead, I saw a crimson wasteland looming closer. I was hurled out of the vortex at breakneck speed, landing hard on the ground. Strange sensations coursed through me as sharp, burning grains dug into my palms. Looking around at the place where I had landed, I noticed scattered white fragments. Upon closer inspection, they resembled… no, it couldn't be.

They were human bones, shattered as if someone had crushed them to dust.

Rising to my feet, I surveyed the surroundings. Jagged peaks formed bizarre rock formations, and on some of them, human remains clung precariously. Further in the distance, I spotted the remnants of buildings, vehicles, and heaps of random debris. There were even objects I couldn't identify some resembling artifacts from science fiction, while others appeared to be from the medieval era.

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This place felt like hell itself. But no, this had to be a hallucination, a side effect of yet another drug injected into me by that doctor. Picking up a shard of bone, I accidentally cut my hand. The sharp pain jolted through me, and crimson blood dripped from my palm. I wasn't dreaming. This had to be real—a portal must have brought me here.

Whoever was responsible, why would they do this to me? So many questions swirled in my mind, with no one to answer them. Could it be true that heaven and hell exist? Is this a place where sinners are punished, tormented for eternity?

Maybe if I prove I'm alive, they'll send me back to Earth. Or perhaps they'll toss me into a cauldron of lava? This is hell, after all. Darkly amused by my own thoughts, I began exploring the area.

Hell or wherever this was—resembled a post-apocalyptic Earth but was vastly different in many ways. As I wandered the desolate wasteland, hunger gnawed at me relentlessly. The beast inside me stirred, demanding to be fed. I thought I had defeated the effects of the Viper drug, but its grip on me was still far too strong.

There was no food here, at least none I could find. I hadn't seen a single living soul or creature. Perhaps this was the punishment for sinners to wander endlessly through a barren wasteland, without food or water, in perpetual solitude.

The hunger consumed my thoughts, making it impossible to think straight. Saliva began to pool in my mouth uncontrollably, and my body twitched involuntarily. The beast was trying to take over again. I couldn't let it. Not now.

Finding a place to sit, I forced myself to rest and calm my mind. I needed to focus on finding a way out of here. If there was a way in, there had to be a way out. But first, I needed to figure out how to survive.

From ground level, I couldn't see much. I needed a higher vantage point. A nearby skyscraper, its skeletal frame still standing, caught my attention. Hopefully, it wouldn't collapse under my weight.

Inside, the building was eerily empty. The only markings were deep claw-like scratches that marred every surface. Luckily, the stairwell was mostly intact, with only a few gaps requiring careful navigation.

Climbing wasn't too difficult. I didn't go all the way to the top, choosing instead to stop at a mid-level floor. Approaching a wall that had been almost entirely destroyed, I stepped closer to the edge, which offered an expansive view of the wasteland.

My hope waned as I scanned the horizon. Everything looked exactly the same endless desolation, scattered ruins, and no sign of life. Sitting on the edge of the broken floor, I looked down at the ground far below.

Even if I jumped, it wouldn't be enough to kill me. The wounds would heal, and eventually, the overwhelming hunger would force me to lose my mind.

I hope Alice is okay, and I probably didn't scare her too much. Maybe it's even for the best that I'm not around especially after I almost killed her.

Kh-khkh-khkh. I broke into a coughing fit. The air was incredibly dry, and the heat intensified my thirst. How I wished for just a sip of water right now.

Suddenly, a sense of danger surged through me, forcing me to jump up and scan my surroundings. Looking back, I saw nothing. But as I turned forward again, some kind of monster slammed into me. Its teeth sank deep into my shoulder.

I struck at it with my fists, but it wasn't much use. Desperately searching the floor for something, my hand landed on a piece of rebar. With all my strength, I drove it into the creature's head. At first, it continued to struggle, but then its movements slowed and finally stopped.

Shoving its lifeless body off me, I staggered to my feet. My shoulder burned with pain. Inspecting the wound, I realized the creature had bitten off a chunk of flesh. Regeneration kicked in, saving me as usual, and the wound had already begun to heal.

The monster looked like something straight out of a horror movie. It had wings resembling those of a raven, claw-like legs instead of arms, and a face full of razor-sharp teeth. It didn't have eyes at all.

Kyaa! A piercing screech rang out in the sky. Nearby, similar creatures began circling around the building, all shrieking loudly. They flew aggressively, as if signaling prey. Below, I noticed dust rising as forms resembling beasts moved closer.

It seemed the scattered bones here were the remains of human bodies devoured by these monsters. Gripping the rebar tightly, I began searching for a better position to make a stand. If I was going to die here, I'd rather go down fighting.

The cacophony of shrieks and the pounding of footsteps grew closer. From the stairwell below, I could hear claws scratching against concrete and the grinding of teeth. I picked a spot with only one narrow entrance and blocked it with whatever I could find. When they started coming through, I'd take them on one by one.

The first creature, likely following my scent trail, arrived quickly. It looked like a dog, except its bones protruded unnaturally from its body, and its tail was nothing but a skeletal whip.

Behind it, more monsters of various forms and shapes began appearing, all driven by the same hunger to devour me.

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"Well, monsters, come and try to eat me," I muttered, and as if waiting for my invitation, they charged at me.

The first one to stick its snout through the opening was immediately met with a swing of the rebar, piercing straight through its head. The others followed without hesitation. I struck them down one by one, methodically and relentlessly, but one of the creatures managed to grab my arm, preventing me from stopping the others that had already breached the barricade.

As I struggled to free myself, more of them squeezed through the gaps, lunging at me all at once. Their teeth tore into my flesh, ripping chunks away as they swarmed over me.

With a snarl, I wrenched my arm free, leaving part of it behind in the creature's jaws. Swinging the rebar, I smashed the skull of the dog-like beast that had sunk its teeth into my leg, splattering it across the floor. Spinning around, I drove the weapon into another that had clawed its way onto my back and was snapping at my neck. That one crumpled as well.

Although the pile of corpses temporarily clogged the entrance, the monsters showed no hesitation in devouring their own kind or clawing through their remains to get to me. Everything became a blur of desperate strikes and relentless attacks. I don't even remember how it ended—all I know is that I kept fighting until none were left alive.

The room was silent now, save for my ragged breathing. A mountain of corpses surrounded me, and I sat amidst them, battered and drenched in blood both mine and theirs. My wounds were healing sluggishly, a clear sign of my exhaustion and the gnawing hunger that plagued me.

The beast in my mind howled, "Devour their flesh! Eat them! Feed!" It took all my willpower to resist, but the hunger was growing unbearable.

I had to leave. The stench of blood would only attract more of them. Dragging myself to my feet, I cleared the makeshift barricade and, leaning heavily on the rebar for support, hobbled toward the exit.

Stepping outside, I spotted a cloud of dust in the distance—another swarm of monsters heading this way. I had no strength left to fight, so I turned and staggered in the opposite direction.

I wandered until my legs could carry me no further. Exhausted, I collapsed onto a nearby rock, gasping for breath. The sun, always glaring like a burning eye in the sky, began to dim as if someone were extinguishing it. Could it be that even here, there was a night?

Total darkness engulfed the landscape, so complete that I couldn't even see my own hands. From every direction came the sounds of snarling and growling. I could hear them but see nothing. Gripping the rebar tightly, fear took hold of me. This is it. This is where it ends. I couldn't survive another fight.

Glowing eyes, like fiery embers, began appearing all around me, closing in slowly. The growls grew louder, some so close they seemed to come from right next to my ear. Spinning in place, I saw no escape, no way to survive.

A piercing shriek erupted from the pack, and as if on cue, they charged.

Swinging wildly, I lashed out in every direction, but unable to see them, I could barely land a hit. Claws and jaws sank into my flesh, tearing me apart bit by bit.

"AAAAAHHH!" I screamed, thrashing as the swarm overwhelmed me. More and more of them piled onto me until I could no longer see the sky.

My screams faded into silence, and my mind was swallowed by despair and darkness.