Chapter 3- Voice Returns

Present Day

My life in the orphanage was depressing enough as is, but with the included fact that the kids in it were complete asses, didn’t make it any better.

“Hey Shinji! You think you’re all tough for being hunted by a ranker huh?”

Apparently the authorities had chalked the incident up to a ranker going rogue, as to not scare the public by introducing another terrorist threat.

“No Shin, I don’t.”

I maintained my calm best I could to keep the ass beating to a minimum for today.

“Are you looking down on me? I’ll show you what you deserve!”

He puffed out his chest as a group of 3 or 4 other snot nosed kids joined the “fun”. It was all just an act for him to be more popular around his “family”.

I stood still as I accepted the beating, just a few punches today.

Smack

Kick

*

After about 10 minutes of ganging up on me, our caretakers had broken it up.

Since their salary was based on ratings online, they needed to appeal to the majority of kids as much as possible, so they let them beat up on me while watching, before breaking it up.

I stood up, patted my clothes and wiped the blood from my swollen lip.

‘Dumbasses.’

My expressionless face hasn’t changed anymore after the beating. It might have been about half a year back, but it was almost a daily thing now.

For whatever reason, they think it necessary to beat me up because they feel inferior to me. Not because of strength, or wealth, but because of my cursed luck. They’ve made it clear many times.

Since this orphanage is closest to the only hospital on the island, many kids who are coming from home wrecked families are placed here.

Since their only personality is the hatred they have towards the world, and the traumatic past they experienced, they get angry whenever someone with a worse past than theirs shows up.

Of course I would be the number one target of those attention seeking idiots like Shin. After all, My story was announced to the whole world in the form of a newspaper.

Local Island Slaughtered

Lone child Survivor

Or something along those lines.

Of course, not everyone relies on pity from others.

“Hey Shinji!”

“Oh, hi Sarah.”

Sarah was the only one I talked to. She was nice and compassionate. She’s about my age too.

“Did Shin beat on you again with his gang of brutes?”

Her voice changed from welcoming to angry. She raised her fist and attempted to look over me, to pressure me to answer.

It made me smile a bit.

“No, it’s fine. I was just reading again. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

Her face turned dim, as her expression showed pity.

I had turned around to leave it there, so Sarah wouldn’t attempt to beat Shin up again for my sake.

She took out her phone quickly as she saw me walking to the counselor's room.

“Shinji, hold up!”

She turned my shoulder and forced my head around. She held her phone up high as both our gazes fixated on the camera.

Snap

A bright light ensued. A selfie featuring my confused face and her bright smile.

I sighed as I turned around with Sarah behind me playing with the photo.

I start heading to the counselor's room with a light smile.

*

The Counselors Cabin

“HUHHHH!”

A loud scream coming from me turns all the heads of the living room towards the shut door in the hallway leading to the cabin room.

“I knew we were low on funding, but you're asking a orphan to get firewood for you???”

‘How low can you snoop?’ I thought to myself, as to not be too overly rude.

“Look Shinji, you and Sarah are the only ones I can ask! Any of the other kids aren’t smart enough to navigate the woods, and it’s not a one person job.”

She took a breath in between her ruffled explanation.

“And you know… no one really gets along with you beside her, sooooo….”

My face becomes shocked.

‘Is my social life that bad?’

“Look, we haven’t gotten any income for the month, moneys short, so just do it, ok?”

“…”

“I’ll keep Shin off you for a week.”

“Deal.”

No hesitation.

I sighed after realizing what I had just signed off to, and walked out the room without shutting the door to show my dissatisfaction.

*

“Are you happy now?”

The counselor had an immeasurable amount of stress in her voice.

“Yes…

You did good.”

A man with a mask appears out of what seems to be the shadows. His voice was frail but consoling.

He takes his hand, which is resting on the counselor's neck, and wipes the sweat off that precipitated from her cold neck.

The man dissolved into thin air with no trace left, as he followed through the door that Shinji had just opened.

**

I glared at Sarah who was standing in the hallway, still twiddling with her phone, until I got her attention.

“Y- yes?”

“We are going to get firewood, let’s go.”

I put on an angry front but in reality, I didn’t care too much, more so concerned with the fact that we have no money coming in.

*

It’s been about 20 min of gathering firewood, in complete and utter silence.

‘Why has she been on her phone so long?’

She wasn’t helping at all…

It annoyed me a bit.

“Hey Shinji, how much do we need?”

It was the first word spoken since we have been out here.

“I don’t know, I planned on getting about one handful and any we find on the way back.”

“Hm.”

Her sigh in annoyment ticked me off.

‘She’s not even doing anything!’

Crunch

“Hm?”

Both of our eyes were drawn to the sound of continuous crushing of branches and shriveling of bushes.

Me and Sarah slowly walked backwards until we were pinned against a large tree, she grabbed me and cowered behind me in fear.

I wasn’t as nervous as Sarah, but I was confused as there weren’t supposed to be any people or animals in the area.

“I’m sure it’s nothing, Sarah.”

I said confidently to control her whimpering.

‘What the hell is it now?’ I thought, as to not worry her.

I believed I was numb to fear after the situation from a year ago, but it didn’t mean I wasn’t nervous for Sarah’s sake.

The sound got closer and closer until…

Pop

A small baby fox peeked its head through the Brush of the bush. Its eyes were slanted and the rest of the body not visible.

“Haa.”

Sarah panted in relief as she caught her breath and backed up away from me in an embarrassed manner.

I refuted the awkwardness of the situation with an “I told you so.” insult.

“See Sarah, told you there’s nothing to wor-“

Plop

An odd sound of mush hitting the ground caught our attention again.

Me and Sarah stiffened as we looked down, to the light but heavy object that was resting against my foot.

The baby foxes head had been ripped off, by the top of the neck.

Sarah shrieked in shock. The tight environment of the forest echoed her screams.

“AHHHHH!!!”

I looked at it, dazed. I had repeated the vivid scenes from that night in my head so many times as to numb me from things like this. But to no avail, the sight had shocked me as my blood went cold at the appalling sight.

The smell of blood. I remembered it so well, yet I still wasn’t used to it.

I snapped out of my daze to see the blood seeping into my black shoes, staining them.

Sarah’s shriek hadn’t stopped.

I looked up to see the cause of the dead animal's head that lay at my feet.

“Where were you?”

The voice was playful, as if he didn’t care. But he was serious, the bloodlust could be felt by a child such as myself after all.

What shocked me wasn’t the question, but the voice. An unforgettable voice for one as myself.

My body stiffened as my expression grew fear and my face longed, with Sarah still looking at the foxes head, mesmerized.

I got a good look at the man, frail fingers, grey cloak, and a white mask, with a large black dot and a wide black smile imprinted onto it, as to depict a one eyed face.

‘That voice…’

It sounded eerily familiar. Scarily familiar.