"What did I do to deserve this?"
Kyle muttered, his voice a pained whisper against the rough alleyway pavement.
Five figures loomed over him, faces contorted in a grotesque parody of amusement. Chris Roland, the ringleader, landed a vicious kick to Kyle's stomach, the air escaping Kyle's lungs in a strangled gasp.
"This is just a warning, you pathetic excuse for a fucking human"
Chris sneered, his voice dripping with contempt.
"Next time a single fucking hair on Jane's head is out of place because of you, you're fucking dead."
The beating continued, a brutal symphony of fists and boots against flesh. Kyle curled into a fetal position, his body a ragdoll tossed about at their whim.
"Pfft, the audacity to do such a thing" one of the bullies scoffed, spitting on Kyle's face.
"Picking up Chris's girl's books just to gain attention? You think you're some kind of hero?"
Chris's underling leaned closer, his eyes gleaming with sadistic satisfaction.
"Not enough, This is fucking not enough"
Chris growled, a predatory glint in his eyes.
"Needs a finishing touch."
He unzipped his pants, the silence that followed heavy with the stench of fear and impending humiliation.
"Yeah, show him who's boss!"
"He'll never mess with anyone again!"
"Give it to him, Chris! Let him have it!"
The taunts echoed through the alley, a chorus of vile encouragement.
Kyle squeezed his eyes shut, tears stinging his eyes.
Finally, Chris zipped up, his gaze contemptuous without remorse.
"This is perfect, now you're truly ugly"
he declared, a cruel twist to his lips.
"A pathetic, broken thing. A nobody."
"Someone like you doesn't deserve to fucking exist," Chris spat, his voice laced with venom.
"In this world, people like you are just a fucking NPC in our game, a background character with no lines, lifeless and useless. We can do whatever the fuck we want to you and no one will fucking complain about it."
Chris added.
The sound of sirens cut through the air, a distant wail that sent the bullies scrambling. "Consider this a mercy,"
Chris sneered, disappearing into the shadows with his gang.
Kyle lay shivering in the growing darkness, rain starting to fall.
"Why is life so cruel?"
he whispered, tears tracing paths down his grime-streaked face.
"Why can't I control my own destiny? Why am I always the victim?"
He stumbled towards the orphanage, his body aching, his spirit broken.
The orphanage, the only home he'd ever known, was a cold, indifferent place. He'd been abandoned at birth, a premature, fragile infant left on their doorstep.
His mother had died in childbirth, his father in a tragic accident.
Growing up in the orphanage was a constant struggle.
He was a target for bullies, his skinny frame and quiet demeanor making him an easy prey. He longed for friendship, for acceptance, but found only isolation and ridicule.
Turning eighteen, the day he could finally escape the confines of the orphanage, had once been a beacon of hope.
Now, it seemed a distant, unattainable dream.
As he approached the orphanage gates, a cruel laugh echoed through the air.
"Look, it's the twig! Back for another round of humiliation!"
A group of children same age as kyle, their faces twisted in malice, surrounded him.
One girl, bolder than the rest, yanked down his hoodie, revealing the bruises and swelling on his face.
"Wow, such a loser,"
she sneered.
"Can't even fight back? How are you supposed to protect your girlfriend, huh?"
The laughter erupted, a cacophony of cruelty.
Kyle felt a wave of nausea, his vision blurring. He turned and fled, the mocking laughter echoing in his ears.
He slammed the door to his room, the sound of their cruel amusement fading slightly. He sank to the floor, sobs wracking his body.
"Wow, he couldn't even handle a few simple words and the ran off like a scared child, haha"
Another girl chimed in, joining in on the mockery.
"What a complete loser"
She added, the group erupting in laughter.
"Why?"
he cried, the word a desperate plea against the suffocating silence.
"Why am I cursed? Why didn't you take me with you, Mom? Why did you leave me alone in this cruel world?"
He clutched the silver locket around his neck, a gift from his mother, a symbol of a love he'd never known.
Tears continued to flow, a relentless torrent washing over him. Exhausted and broken, he finally succumbed to sleep, the nightmares waiting to consume him.