Broken(DC)

I was awakened by a cold wind. Opening my eyes, I saw a dark, grim sky. Sitting up abruptly, I realized I was lying in the middle of a dried-out grassy field. In the distance, Gotham loomed. Gathering my thoughts, I began to move forward. Fear gripped me: the nightmare was back, and I knew how it would end, but staying in one place was never an option I had to keep moving.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" A chilling laugh echoed from the place I had just left. He always appeared there, and it was better to leave before he saw me.

In these nightmares, I had witnessed countless horrors. This world seemed stitched together by hands that had never held a needle clumsy seams held mismatched pieces together. That was this Gotham. This nightmare repeated itself over and over again. I was certain it was a prison of my own mind. I felt an unshakable pull toward the city center, but I never reached it. The place was teeming with terrors and monsters that relentlessly sought to kill me.

Cautiously moving closer to a building, I darted inside a small shop to hide. Staying out on the streets was far too dangerous. Amid the abandoned and mangled cars roamed creatures half-human, half-demon. One side of their bodies was covered in crimson skin with fangs and horns, while the other was human: pale-skinned with a grotesque, wide smile. Pure horror, better left unseen. The moment they spotted me, they would attack without hesitation.

Making my way through the shop as silently as I could, I climbed out through a window leading into an alleyway. Here, I could move further ahead. I dragged a trash bin over and climbed onto it, preparing myself. Broken shards of glass littered the area; they would create noise as soon as they fell. Bracing myself, I lunged forward. The sound of shattering glass echoed all around me.

"ARARARARA!" The creatures immediately charged toward the noise.

I scrambled up a fire escape, desperate to reach the roof and barricade the door. Once I was out of their sight, they would lose interest and stop pursuing me. The one small mercy in this madness was that I wasn't crippled here my leg was whole and functional.

Finally reaching the rooftop, I blocked the door with a metal pipe I had found. Catching my breath, I walked to the edge of the roof to take in the world of insanity once more. Every building was wrecked, reduced to rubble. I couldn't fathom where these images were coming from. After all, a nightmare is only a reflection of reality, but I had never seen anything like this or these grotesque monsters.

[image]

My path led to the heart of Gotham, to the tallest skyscraper Wayne Enterprises. Hm, funny how the place where my life ended was now where another one was supposed to begin.

Steeling myself, I sprinted and leaped onto the next building. They were close enough together that it wasn't too difficult. As soon as I landed, several buildings collapsed a few blocks away, felled by a massive shockwave.

"ARARARAR!" A furious roar echoed through the air. It was one of the most terrifying monsters in this nightmare. Its entire body was engulfed in flames, towering four meters tall, covered in massive muscles. It smashed buildings apart with its fists, rampaging through the streets and slaughtering any aimless demons in its path.

[image]

(A blend of Doomsday and the Flame Lord.)

I always tried to avoid drawing its attention and had yet to encounter it directly. Despite its monstrous appearance, something about it felt familiar. I might even say... comforting. But given the hellish surroundings and the creature's decidedly unfriendly disposition, I wasn't about to risk getting closer.

Finally tearing my eyes away from the spectacle, I started moving toward another building. This one was trickier the gap between them was much wider, and I'd never managed to make it across before. This was going to hurt.

Running at full speed, I jumped. I missed the edge by several dozen centimeters and plummeted downward. Time to brace myself for a hard landing on the fire escape below. Stifling a scream of pain, I winced and checked my bruised limbs before pulling myself up. Now I just had to carefully navigate through the building and get back outside.

I tread cautiously through the apartment I had fallen into, making every effort to avoid making a sound.

"La-la-la-la-la..."

Most of the rooms in these ruined buildings still had "residents," and they weren't particularly welcoming to visitors. In this room, a woman was preoccupied with singing, completely unaware of her surroundings.

"La-la-la-la-la..."

Her eerie singing sent chills down my spine. Carefully skirting past the door to the room where she was, I crept through the hallway, squeezing my eyes shut as I went.

"La-la-la-la-la..."

Phew. She didn't notice me, though I hadn't always been so lucky in the past. The woman cradled something in her arms, but I had never been able to make out what it was.

Moving away from the terrifying singing, I exited the apartment. Fortunately, there was no door, and I managed to slip through a rusty door to the outside after descending to the first floor. Using the wrecked cars as cover, I cautiously moved forward. The number of demons here was no smaller, so every step was meticulously planned. Bit by bit, I approached the last place I had reached before. From here, I could see the skyscraper. Several of its floors were engulfed in flames, and I felt an inexplicable pull toward it.

"Well, I've got you now, hahaha," rough hands grabbed me from behind and dragged me toward the monster that always laughed maniacally.

With a jolt, I woke up. Blinking rapidly, I realized it had been another nightmare. Wiping the cold sweat from my face, I heard a voice.

"Didn't know nightmares could get that bad," said my roommate, Michael.

"Sorry if I was yelling," I replied. This nightmare had been haunting me for a long time the last time I'd had it was three weeks ago.

"Don't worry about it, I don't care," he shrugged, sitting on his bed with his headphones pulled down around his neck. He was a music addict and always wore headphones; I'd never seen him without them, not even when he went to the bathroom.

"What time is it?" I asked as I got up and pulled on some shorts and a T-shirt.

"7:20," he replied. Damn, there wasn't much time left before classes started, so I headed to the bathroom without delay.

After washing up, I made a quick breakfast, ate it, and got ready to leave. By then, Michael was already gone he'd probably left for class. Well, it had been a week since the semester started. At first, I attended lectures with enthusiasm and curiosity, but the longer I sat through them, the more my excitement waned.

The material was, frankly, not new to me. Much of it was tedious theory covering the very basics. When I asked the professors why that was, they explained that this was the first-year curriculum they weren't planning to teach anything serious yet, just monotonous theory on everything under the sun. Genetics, the subject I was most interested in, wouldn't even start until the third year. Realizing there wouldn't be any quick results, I attended lectures mostly to listen and take notes, but without much interest.

Most of the students had quickly formed groups, but I hadn't managed to make any connections. I hoped I could still build friendships with someone eventually. There were about fifty students in my group. We had some flexibility in choosing which classes to attend, alongside a few mandatory ones, so the full group was rarely present in any single lecture.

I didn't have much interest in taking additional theory courses, so I focused on the core subjects. From what I understood, the supplementary theory courses were for those who wanted to specialize in specific areas of medicine.

Medical college wasn't easy. Even in the first days, we were given mountains of literature to read and assignments to complete, leaving almost no free time. While I'd made some progress with the material, the reading list was intimidating, and many of the books available in the college library were not commonly found in public libraries.

Leaving the dormitory, I hurried to class there were less than five minutes left. "Just endure for two more years, and you'll achieve everything you've dreamed of," I told myself and quickened my pace.

************

On a bench sat a man with a deep hood covering his face. He was watching the passing people intently but discreetly. His face was obscured, and gloves covered his hands. After a few moments, he spotted the person he had been waiting for Brian.

Brian had just left the college building and was heading to his lecture.

The man rose from the bench and began following him, maintaining a safe distance. His fists clenched tightly in impatience, as if he was barely restraining himself from closing the gap between them.

But he managed to hold back and stopped at the entrance to the educational building, letting Brian continue on his way. Under the light, the lower part of his face became visible scarred and deformed. A grotesque smile, missing its lips, stretched unnaturally across his face. Pulling his hood tighter, the man disappeared down the street. Brian, meanwhile, paused and looked around, trying to identify what had unsettled him.

************

Finally, the lectures were over, and I could breathe a sigh of relief. As I packed my notebooks, someone stopped beside me.

"Hey, you're Brian, right?" asked a classmate.

"Yeah."

"Good. Here, take this. We're throwing a party tonight, and all the freshmen are invited," he said, handing me a flyer. On it was an invitation, and on the back, the address and starting time were listed.

"Got it, but I'm not sure if I'll make it," I replied.

"Come on, you should go. We've got years of classes together ahead of us. Everyone will be there, and trust me, there'll be plenty of girls for everyone," he said with a grin.

"I'll try," I responded.

Finishing packing my things, I left the classroom. I stuck close to the wall to avoid bumping into anyone students here were always rushing around, making collisions a frequent hazard. Plus, my injury made it hard for me to move quickly.

Today, a strange feeling had been lingering inside me, gnawing at me all day. Since this morning, it had been sharp and felt eerily similar to anxiety. It reminded me of the sensation I'd had a long time ago in the skyscraper. That was ages ago. I thought I'd outgrown it after all, even in danger or during falls, it had been silent. But today, it was different, like an ominous threat loomed over me.

With some effort, I made it back to my dorm room and collapsed onto the bed. My leg was aching badly, and it hurt even to put weight on it. What's happening?

I went to the cabinet, grabbed a pack of painkillers, and swallowed one, along with a sedative. After waiting for the pain to subside, I finally felt a wave of relief. The tension and anxiety faded as well.

But maybe I shouldn't have taken the pills? That sense of unease had saved my life more than once, and now, perhaps, things weren't as simple as they seemed. Maybe this wasn't a coincidence. Maybe I really was in danger.

I was simultaneously glad and wary. I was glad that my strength hadn't completely abandoned me and that, perhaps, everything could return to normal. But as they say, life is never that simple. Trying to figure out what might have triggered my anxious state, I replayed the events of the day in my mind, but nothing out of the ordinary came to mind.

Evening had fallen. I glanced at the party invitation and debated whether or not to go. After all, the whole group would be there, and staying alone didn't seem appealing. Maybe I'd get a chance to meet someone. Deciding that it couldn't hurt to attend, I double-checked the address. It appeared to be a private house.

After turning the invitation over in my hands a few more times, I finally decided to go. If I didn't like it, I could always leave. The key was to stay alert, as the sense of threat still lingered at the edge of my awareness.

Taking a taxi seemed the best option. Public transport in Star City wasn't particularly convenient, and calling a taxi was the easiest way to get around. It wasn't too expensive and didn't strain my budget much. For a while, I'd considered buying a car to avoid transportation hassles altogether. However, I decided not to draw unnecessary attention from the tax authorities and risk raising questions about my income.

Opening my phone, I ordered a taxi and, while waiting, sat at my desk to glance over my assignments. I realized Sunday would be a busy day, with plenty of work to catch up on.

A notification popped up on my phone the taxi had arrived. Heading downstairs, I got into the car. The party had started an hour ago, but I figured arriving late wouldn't be a big deal.

Star City had impressed me from the start. It was a clean, well-maintained place with tidy streets and no litter. Still, I missed my hometown, Gotham. That dark and gloomy city had a unique atmosphere. Living there made you want to leave, yet it always felt like home.

The car quickly arrived at the address in a private neighborhood. Music echoed through the street, and the party was already in full swing. Outside the house, a small group of people stood chatting and drinking.

Stepping out of the car, I walked toward the door. The group noticed me immediately, seemed to grow uneasy, and quickly went inside, leaving only the classmate who had invited me. That set off alarm bells in my mind, but I hoped it was nothing. Approaching him, I tried to push aside my unease.

"Brian, you made it!" he said with a smile, seeming genuinely happy to see me.

"Yeah, I had a free moment," I replied.

"That's great! By the way, we might not have been introduced yet. I'm Derek," he said, extending his hand.

"Brian," I responded, shaking his hand.

"Awesome. Come on in the party's in full swing," Derek said.

As we approached the door, a faint irritation flared within me, as if something ominous awaited me inside.

"Why are you just standing there? Get in," Derek said, opening the door and shoving me inside.

A bucket of syrup splashed over my face the moment I stepped in, followed by feathers flying everywhere. The syrup clung to my skin, and the sticky mess caught the feathers, turning me into a strange-looking creature. Laughter erupted from all sides my classmates had gathered around the entrance, pointing at me and laughing hysterically.

Rage boiled up inside me. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, my fists clenching so tightly they ached. I forgot all about my injured leg and spun around toward Derek, who stood there with a smug grin, triumphant in his prank.

My fist connected with his jaw before he even had time to react. The punch was so fast and forceful that his face twisted from the impact. His body flew backward, smashing into the banister and breaking it before landing on the ground. The laughter stopped instantly.

I marched toward him, leaning on my cane more out of habit than necessity, feeling neither pain nor discomfort. As I stood over him, I saw his jaw swelling horribly, with a trickle of blood dripping from his mouth. I'd probably broken his jaw. The strength I thought I'd lost had returned.

"Oh my God, what did you do to him?" one of the girls screamed, rushing to Derek and shaking his motionless body.

"What he deserved," I said coldly. The syrup and feathers clinging to me made it uncomfortable to stand still, but the anger burning inside me was even harder to endure. I wanted to do the same to everyone who had a hand in this humiliation. My glare made the girl pale, and she lowered her eyes. The others avoided my gaze entirely, too scared to look me in the face.

Enough. I wasn't going to endure this anymore. If I wanted to be strong, I had to put an end to these humiliations. No matter who it was, I'd take them down if they thought they could mock me.

I walked up to one of the students, someone about my size, and said grimly, "Give me your shirt."

He didn't argue, quickly taking it off and handing it to me. I started moving through the crowd toward the bathroom to wash off all the syrup. There was no way I was going to walk around like this.

Looking at myself in the mirror, I saw what I'd become. Is this how I wanted to live? No, definitely not.