[Eastern Wing of the Cube. Male Dormitory, Room 434]
Tick… Tick… Tick–!
The one memory I wished would not come to fruition was drawing closer to me with every second that passed along with the ticking of the clock.
A sigh escaped my lips as I lay on my bed, my eyes glued to the black, analog clock that sat on the cupboard beside my bed.
It was still forty-three minutes past twelve o'clock in the midnight—seventeen minutes left to a horror of pain that I couldn't by any chance escape.
Of course, I knew it was going to happen.
After all, I had stamped and approved for it to happen when I accepted and drank the Elixir of Awakening from Head Instructor German.
However, no amount of prior knowledge could help one endure the intensity of such pain.
Although I had made plans to reduce the horror that awaited me soon, I wasn't quite sure if it would work.
…It was still worth a try anyway.
Sitting under the base of the alarm clock was a crumpled sheet of paper with a few writings on it.
On that paper were a few things that I had bought earlier, on my way back, in preparation for tonight.
A hot water bag. Check.
Pain-relieving pills. Double check.
The painkillers I had checked twice since I didn't want to risk it in any way.
Piece of cloth. Check.
Snacks. Check.
I turned my back to the clock, unable to keep my eyes fixed on it since it was causing me anxiety.
…That evasion tactic didn't help, because in a short period, I looked at the clock again and breathed a sigh.
Ten more minutes.
I held my abdomen and breathed another sigh.
I puffed my cheeks and tried to calm myself in anticipation of it.
The clock continued to tick as it approached 1 o'clock.
As it approached about three minutes remaining to the expected time of horror, I quickly opened up the bottle of pills and downed three of them in one go.
"I hope this helps," I muttered, examining the white bottle briefly before dropping it back on the table.
"Eek!"
I heard a scream from the room underneath mine, causing me to reflexively glance at the floor.
It had begun and I wasn't even the first target.
Within the next three seconds, I felt a sudden, sharp sting on my right flank like I was pricked with a bunch of needles at the same time, all focused at a singular point.
"Fuck!" I blurted out in shock, clutching the affected part of my abdomen.
I had prepared for this but it still managed to bypass my alertness and take me by surprise.
The sting was sudden and intense and the manner I shouted made me look at Bright, in hopes that I had not woken him up.
…I had forgotten, in that instant, how much of a deep sleeper Bright was.
Our room could be burning and he wouldn't notice. I can swear it.
The sting in my belly was just shocking, other than that it was bearable.
Sadly, it was only the harbinger of the one that would come in less than two minutes.
Several voices screaming to the pangs of pain they were experiencing echoed throughout the floors of my dormitory.
I could hear footsteps moving to and fro in a bid to help their roommates during this time of dilemma.
I glanced at my own roommate and shook my head, because I knew that I was done for tonight.
I folded the cloth that I had gotten into a roll and placed it between my teeth to bite on it and muffle the painful sounds that I would produce.
'Fuck!' I shouted in my mind, already feeling my heart racing and pounding hard inside my chest.
My face was moistened with dots of sweat, increasing into beads as they reached the heights of profuse sweating.
My body was strained and my breathing quickened.
My breathing became unstable and I started to slowly hyperventilate in panic.
It was becoming hard to breathe.
'Fuck, Lux! Fuck! You are ready for this,' I chided as well as motivated myself to endure through the pain.
'You can do—'
MMMMMMMMMMMM!!!
I let out what would have been a loud cry for help had I not gagged myself with that thick roll of cloth.
'Fuckkkk! Fuck!'
My complexion turned red as blood gathered in my face with vessels around it becoming prominent, my eyes becoming a mix of blue, white and tiny streaks of red.
It was horrifying!
I got redder and redder with the increasing pulsating pain in my body.
It was as though my guts were being tightly twisted and with a greater force than I could bear.
My heart skipped several beats, so many times that I lost count. I was sure at that point, it was replaced by a hollow.
I squirmed on the bed, my knees flexed toward my chest as I turned recklessly, trying to find a comfortable position.
It burned and churned at the same time.
If I could yank off my guts from my body, I would have done it as that was the only thing I felt could provide me some form of relief.
After about two to three minutes of this immense torture, the effect of the painkillers I had taken started to kick in as the intensity of the pain dropped every few seconds.
It had been unbearable but with every few seconds that passed, it became more tolerable.
This lasted for close to ten minutes before I gained consciousness of myself and a bit of control.
…For greater power, I went through a hell of pain and back. Likewise applied to the voices that screamed as they gradually tuned down.
As the pain numbed, my mind reawakened and I gained back control of my body.
At least I was able to extend my legs and breathe voluntarily.
My heart slowed and so did my breathing.
The pain reduced until I could feel it no more.
However, the memory of this episode doubled inside my head and I felt a few stings even after the pain had stopped.
Gathering enough strength to sit up, I removed the cloth gag and hurled it into the bin at the edge of the room.
I lowered my head, cupping my face with my hands as I tried to calm myself down.
After a few minutes in that position, I lifted my head and sighed with relief.