THE NIGHT AIR WAS HEAVY, ALMOST SUFFOCATING, DRAPED IN A THICK BLANKET OF CLOUDS THAT HID THE MOON AND SWALLOWED WHAT LITTLE LIGHT SHOULD HAVE FALLEN ON THE EMPTY STREETS. THE STREETLAMPS FLICKERED OCCASIONALLY, CASTING UNEVEN POOLS OF YELLOW THAT FELT MORE LIKE SHADOWS THAN COMFORT. THE WORLD FELT SILENCED, EXCEPT FOR THE DISTANT DRIP OF WATER FROM A LEAKING PIPE, THE HUM OF ELECTRICITY IN THE LAMPS, AND THE STEADY ECHO OF FOOTSTEPS THAT BELONGED TO ONLY ONE PERSON.
SFX: TAP… TAP… TAP… THE RHYTHM OF SHOES AGAINST COLD PAVEMENT.
SIYUN WALKED WITH HIS HANDS STUFFED DEEP INTO HIS POCKETS, HIS SHOULDERS HUNCHED, AS IF THE WEIGHT OF THE SKY WAS BEARING DOWN ON HIS BACK. HE HADN'T MEANT TO END UP HERE. HIS FEET MOVED ON THEIR OWN, DRIVEN BY SOMETHING HE COULDN'T NAME—ANGER, DESPAIR, RESENTMENT, OR MAYBE A HOPELESS MIX OF ALL THREE. HIS MIND SPUN, HIS CHEST FELT HEAVY, AND YET HIS LEGS KEPT CARRYING HIM FORWARD UNTIL HE SAW IT. UNTIL HE SAW HIM.
AND THERE HE WAS.
THE WOLF.
LEANING AGAINST THE METAL FENCE JUST OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL GATE, LIKE HE HAD BEEN WAITING FOR THIS VERY ENCOUNTER. HIS POSTURE WAS RELAXED, CASUAL, TOO CALM FOR THE HOUR. HIS UNIFORM WAS NEAT, COLLAR STRAIGHT, SHOES CLEAN—EVERY DETAIL A MOCKERY OF CONTROL. THAT SMIRK CURVED HIS LIPS, THE SAME SMIRK SIYUN HAD SEEN IN HIS NIGHTMARES.
SFX: METAL FENCE CREAKS SLIGHTLY AS THE WOLF SHIFTS HIS WEIGHT.
"LATE NIGHT STROLL?" THE WOLF'S VOICE CUT THROUGH THE AIR LIKE A KNIFE, DRIPPING WITH MOCKERY. "OR DID YOU FINALLY DECIDE TO GROW A BACKBONE?"
SIYUN'S FISTS CLENCHED INSIDE HIS POCKETS. SFX: NAILS DIGGING INTO SKIN, A MUFFLED CRACKLE OF CLOTH. HIS KNUCKLES TURNED WHITE. HE COULD FEEL HIS OWN PULSE POUNDING IN HIS EARS, LOUDER AND LOUDER, DROWNING OUT EVERYTHING ELSE. BUT HE DIDN'T LOOK AWAY.
"…WHY?" THE WORDS SCRAPED OUT OF HIS THROAT, LOW AND TREMBLING, YET CARRIED A SHARP EDGE. "WHY ME? WHY DID YOU… DO ALL THIS?"
THE WOLF TILTED HIS HEAD LIKE A CURIOUS CHILD, HIS EYES GLEAMING WITH AMUSEMENT. "DO WHAT?"
"DON'T—DON'T PLAY DUMB!" SIYUN'S VOICE CRACKED, BUT HE PUSHED THROUGH. SFX: HIS VOICE ECHOING AGAINST EMPTY CONCRETE WALLS, BOUNCING BACK TO HIM LIKE TAUNTS. "THE LIES, THE RUMORS, THE TRIP—EVERYTHING! YOU SET ME UP, EVERY STEP OF THE WAY! YOU STOLE EVERYTHING I HAD. HANA, MY FRIENDS, EVEN… EVEN MYSELF. WHY?!"
FOR A MOMENT, THE STREET WAS SILENT, BROKEN ONLY BY THE DISTANT BUZZ OF A STREETLIGHT. THE WOLF'S SMIRK DEEPENED, EYES NARROWING WITH CRUEL DELIGHT. THEN HE SPOKE, HIS VOICE SMOOTH, CALM—AND DEADLY.
"…BECAUSE IT WAS FUN."
THE WORDS HIT SIYUN LIKE A BLOW TO THE CHEST. HE FROZE, HIS BREATH STAGGERING.
THE WOLF PUSHED HIMSELF OFF THE FENCE AND TOOK A STEP FORWARD, HIS SHOES SCRAPING AGAINST THE PAVEMENT. SFX: SLOW, HEAVY FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING. HIS TONE WAS ALMOST CASUAL, AS IF HE WERE DISCUSSING THE WEATHER. "YOU WERE TOO PERFECT, SIYUN. ALWAYS SMILING, ALWAYS TRYING TO HELP, ALWAYS PLAYING THE NOBLE LITTLE HERO. IT WAS… IRRITATING. FAKE."
HIS WORDS SLITHERED THROUGH THE AIR LIKE POISON, EACH SYLLABLE LODGING ITSELF INTO SIYUN'S SKULL.
"YOU THINK THEY CARED ABOUT YOU BECAUSE YOU WERE KIND? NO. THEY CARED BECAUSE YOU MADE YOURSELF USEFUL. YOU WERE A TOOL. AND TOOLS…" THE WOLF PAUSED, HIS LIPS CURLING INTO SOMETHING DARKER. "…TOOLS ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN."
SIYUN'S BREATH SHUDDERED. HE SHOOK HIS HEAD, HIS VOICE BREAKING. "…YOU'RE LYING. THEY… THEY WERE MY FRIENDS."
THE WOLF LAUGHED. SFX: A COLD, EMPTY LAUGH THAT REVERBERATED DOWN THE STREET, HOLLOW AND SHARP.
"FRIENDS? HANA? DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH. SHE WAS THE EASIEST ONE TO SWAY. JUST A LITTLE SEED OF DOUBT, A LITTLE WHISPER, AND SHE TURNED. BECAUSE DEEP DOWN, SHE WAS WAITING FOR AN EXCUSE. WAITING FOR SOMEONE BETTER TO COME ALONG. SOMEONE LIKE ME."
HIS SMIRK STRETCHED, SHARP AS BROKEN GLASS. "AND NOW SHE'S MINE. JUST LIKE THE REST."
SIYUN'S VISION BLURRED WITH TEARS HE COULDN'T STOP, HIS HEART BURNING, HIS STOMACH CHURNING WITH A MIXTURE OF HATRED AND DESPAIR. HE FELT THE GROUND SWAY BENEATH HIM, HIS BODY TREMBLING.
"THEN WHY…" HIS VOICE FRACTURED MID-SENTENCE. HE SWALLOWED HARD, HIS WORDS CRAWLING OUT, RAW. "…WHY TELL ME ALL THIS NOW?"
THE WOLF TOOK ANOTHER STEP CLOSER UNTIL HE STOOD JUST BESIDE HIM, LEANING DOWN SLIGHTLY, HIS WORDS A WHISPER THAT DRIPPED INTO SIYUN'S EAR LIKE ACID.
"BECAUSE I WANTED TO SEE YOUR FACE. THAT EXACT LOOK—HOPELESS. BROKEN. CORNERED. IT'S… BEAUTIFUL."
SIYUN FLINCHED BACK, HIS BREATH COMING IN SHARP GASPS. SFX: GASPING BREATH, HEARTBEAT THUNDERING LOUDER. HIS HANDS SHOOK VIOLENTLY AT HIS SIDES.
THE WOLF STRAIGHTENED, HIS EXPRESSION DRIPPING WITH MOCK SYMPATHY, HIS VOICE TURNING LOW AND CALCULATED.
"IF I WERE YOU, I'D TAKE THE EASY WAY OUT. END IT. BECAUSE NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU FIGHT, YOU'LL ALWAYS LOSE. YOU'LL ALWAYS BE ALONE. YOU'VE ALREADY LOST EVERYTHING THAT MATTERED, HAVEN'T YOU?"
SIYUN'S LIPS PARTED, BUT HIS VOICE DIED IN HIS THROAT. SFX: DRY SWALLOW, CHOKED SILENCE. HIS BODY TREMBLED, HIS KNEES THREATENING TO GIVE.
THE WOLF'S EYES GLIMMERED LIKE A BLADE CATCHING THE FAINTEST LIGHT. HIS FINAL WORDS CAME LIKE A DAGGER, COLD AND PRECISE:
"IF I WERE YOU… I'D KILL MYSELF."
THE NIGHT FELL INTO STILLNESS, THE KIND OF STILLNESS THAT FELT UNNATURAL, AS IF EVEN THE WORLD HAD HELD ITS BREATH. SIYUN STOOD FROZEN, HIS FISTS TREMBLING SO HARD THEY HURT. HIS CHEST FELT CRUSHED, HIS BREATH RAGGED, HIS VISION DARKENING AROUND THE EDGES.
SFX: HIS BREATH—ROUGH, STAGGERING, ALMOST A SOB. THE DISTANT DRIP OF WATER. THE FLICKER OF A STREETLIGHT BUZZING, THEN FADING.
HE DIDN'T NOTICE WHEN THE WOLF TURNED AND WALKED AWAY. SFX: FADE OF FOOTSTEPS INTO THE DISTANCE. A HUMMED TUNE, MOCKING, TRAILING INTO THE NIGHT.
SIYUN WAS LEFT STANDING UNDER THE SUFFOCATING SKY, ALONE. AGAIN.
BUT THIS TIME… SOMETHING INSIDE HIM HAD CRACKED.
HIS HANDS DROPPED TO HIS SIDES, NUMB. HIS LEGS FELT HEAVY, BUT HIS HEART FELT HEAVIER STILL. HE HEARD HIS OWN BREATH, SHALLOW AND IRREGULAR, ALMOST AS IF HIS BODY DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER TO KEEP GOING OR STOP. HE PRESSED A HAND TO HIS CHEST, FEELING THE THUNDERING HEARTBEAT THAT REFUSED TO CALM.
"…WHY…" HE WHISPERED TO HIMSELF, HIS VOICE HOARSE, BARELY AUDIBLE. "…WHY ME?"
THE WORDS HUNG IN THE AIR, LOST TO THE VOID. NO ANSWER CAME. ONLY THE DISTANT SOUND OF A DOG BARKING SOMEWHERE FAR AWAY, THE ECHO OF THE CITY THAT CARRIED ON WITHOUT HIM, INDIFFERENT.
HE FELT HIS VISION SHAKE, HIS MIND SPIRALING BACK TO EVERY WHISPER HE'D HEARD AT SCHOOL, EVERY SIDEWAYS GLANCE, EVERY STIFLED LAUGH. THEY ALL BLURRED TOGETHER WITH THE WOLF'S VOICE, THE SAME SENTENCE REPEATING OVER AND OVER IN HIS SKULL:
"IF I WERE YOU… I'D KILL MYSELF."
HE PRESSED HIS HANDS AGAINST HIS EARS, HIS KNEES BUCKLING SLIGHTLY. SFX: FABRIC RUSTLING, A SHAKY GROAN. BUT THE VOICE DIDN'T STOP. IT NEVER STOPPED.
HE STAGGERED FORWARD A STEP, HIS FOOTSTEPS HEAVY. SFX: SCUFF OF SHOES AGAINST PAVEMENT. HE DIDN'T KNOW WHERE HE WAS GOING. MAYBE HOME. MAYBE NOWHERE. ALL HE KNEW WAS THAT SOMETHING INSIDE HIM WAS SHATTERING WITH EVERY BREATH.
THE NIGHT SKY LOOMED ABOVE, BLANK AND STARLESS, AND FOR THE FIRST TIME, SIYUN FELT LIKE THE WORLD ITSELF WAS WATCHING HIM DROWN—AND DOING NOTHING.
ALONE. ALWAYS ALONE.
AND NOW, WITH THE WOLF'S WORDS CARVED INTO HIS SOUL, THAT ALONENESS FELT FINAL.
SFX: HEARTBEAT SLOWING. BREATHING UNEVEN. DISTANT HUM OF THE CITY FADING.
AND YET, SOMEWHERE, DEEP INSIDE THE FRACTURED QUIET OF HIS MIND, A SINGLE THOUGHT BURNED.
THIS WASN'T THE END.
NOT YET.
BUT IF HE KEPT STANDING HERE, UNDER THIS BROKEN SKY, IT MIGHT BE.