"Shut up. Shut up. SHUT UP!"
He chanted like a mantra, as he clutched his ears, hoping for the voices to go away. But like always, the whispers remained.
The time draws near
Your world remains unprepared
Death is coming
The voices repeated time and time again, in an endless loop like a broken record. The whispers were in voices that were his and yet, not.
Kael clenched his scalp tighter, until his fingers dug into it, immediately drawing blood, but the pain helped, even if just a little.
The voices slowly faded, leaving behind complete silence and a pounding migraine...for now.
He sat up in his bed and leaned on the wall, breathing in shallow and ragged breaths.
He turned to the clock hanging on the wall before him, taking note of the time.
3:03 AM.
'Figures,' he thought to himself.
That was when they always got louder, just before dawn. As if mocking the light that never came soon enough.
He slid off the bed and shuffled to the bathroom. At the sink, he splashed cold water on his face, then looked up, meeting the eyes of his reflected self.
The dark rings around his eyes were a testament to his lack of sleep for the past week—thanks to the voices, which for some reason had only gotten louder lately.
Kael's silver eyes scanned his face, noting how pale he was. He was so pale that one might wonder if he had ever seen the sun.
His shaggy black hair fell into his face doing nothing to help with his looks.
For a sixteen, no, seventeen years old today, he looked only a moment away from death's door.
At this rate, he wouldn't need the Abyss to kill him. He was already dying from the inside out.
"That was today, wasn't it?" He said, referring to the Abyss selection.
Kael leaned forward, bracing himself against the sink as the memories came rushing back.
The Selection. Of course, it was today.
The government-run draft that ripped young people from every corner of the slums and tossed them into the Abyss.
A labyrinth of monsters, madness, and death. A proving ground for the strong. A graveyard for the rest.
Only a few made it out. Fewer still returned unchanged.
Even with all the dangers, a single human surviving the Abyss was worth more than whatever amount didn't.
Because those who came back were known as awakened, beings with special abilities.
Kael stood there for a moment longer, staring blankly at his reflection. His fingers gripped the edges of the sink so tightly his knuckles turned white....whiter than they already were.
Awakened.
Maybe that was his dream at one point, but now?
He didn't want it.
He didn't want any of this.
But what choice did he have?
The black card he had received two weeks ago had sealed his fate. No one refused the Selection. Not unless they had a death wish. The Enforcers made sure of that.
Kael stared at his reflection one last time before muttering, "You look like hell."
He then turned away, hoping, no, praying he could get a few hours of sleep before it was time to depart.
Reaching the bed, Kael collapsed in it, sleep finally claiming him after a sleepless night.
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Door!
Kael's eyes snapped open as one of the voices returned. Shortly after, a knock was heard on his door.
Turning to the clock, he noted that he had only gotten two hours of sleep.
Bang! Bang!
Another knock. Louder and a lot more impatient this time.
"Kael Noire. You have sixty seconds to open this door," came the cold voice of an Enforcer through the metal.
Kael swung his legs off the bed and moved like a corpse on strings. He didn't bother changing clothes. The black hoodie and threadbare pants he wore would do. It wasn't like presentation mattered when you were being sent to your probable death.
He proceeded to open the door, coming face to face with the two enforcers.
The Enforcers wore their usual black armor, faceless helmets gleaming under the dim hallway light. One of them held a small tablet, its screen flashing Kael's name in bold red.
"Kael Noire. Confirmed."
Without another word, they turned, expecting him to follow.
Taking the cue, Kael slowly walked behind them. He didn't bother locking the door behind him. After all, what would be the point? He wasn't coming back.
Walking out of his apartment building with the two enforcers leading the way, the cold wind immediately hit his pale face.
The streets were unusually quiet for District 9, even at this hour. Just across the street was a black armored bus with the military logo on it— a two-headed serpent coiling around a tower.
The doors let out a hiss as they opened, letting the two enforcers and Kael inside.
Kael hesitated for only a moment before taking a deep breath and walking into the bus.
He took a seat near the back, away from the others already on board. Most were of his age, all wearing the same hollow expression on their forlorn faces.
One girl across from him trembled, tears streaming down her cheeks as she held a photo in her lap. Another boy sat stone still, his hands clenched in prayer.
Their reaction, unlike Kael's, was the norm for people... no, kids who were being sent to their certain deaths.
The door hissed shut and the engine revved to life.
Through the tinted window, Kael watched his building disappear into the distance. Whether he'd see this place again or not was uncertain, but he didn't mind.
After all, he had made no memories here in the past year, nor was he attached to the apartment—it was nothing more than a government-issued unit for orphans and his escape from foster care.
Kael glanced back at the other passengers, some of whom had already huddled together, trying to find even the slightest bit of comfort.
Sighing, he leaned back and closed his eyes, hoping to steal a few moments of peace before the whispers returned again.