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Chapter 1

I’m bound by chains to a wall in a dimly lit room, the cold concrete burns my feet,

back, and thighs as my skin is exposed to the cold surface. The shackles keep my hands

above my head in an awkward position making them sore and ache, every fibre of my being

is in shock as my eyes burn to adjust to the singular hanging amber bulb in the middle of the

room barely illuminating my surroundings with its meagre light. I’ve been stripped naked

with my hair slightly damp obscuring my vision with black greasy curtains. I shake the chains

holding me and they echo across the room and down the hall ahead of me, at least I assume

it's a hall. The endless black void hiding god knows what stretches for a seemingly infinite

amount of space ahead of me, as my cold body shakes and shivers in fear for what may come

out of that void to attack me at my most vulnerable state. I look around now that my eyes

have adjusted to the darkness and I see nothing except the chains and the pathetic light bulb

that serves as my only comfort in this darkness, but it also works to fuel my anxieties as it

allows me to see my surroundings but also allows my surroundings to see me. I scream for

help instead of sitting in silence for who knows how long, and I hear a crack in front of me.

The sounds of slowly shuffling feet approach me from the darkness as a sense of regret fills

my mind. A small child appears from the darkness clutching some sort of blade. The child

looks up from the floor with the most apathetic facade I’ve ever seen from another human

being, it’s as if the child wasn't even alive! The child stepped closer and I noticed their pale

skin and hollow eyes. Their eyes seemed to be just an accessory without any real function,

like the lifeless look of a porcelain doll. I asked the child for help once more, I asked to be

free from these shackles and the child’s face contorted into an awkward smile.

“Oh I’ll free you all right~”, said the child in a sarcastic tone.
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The child began to open my chest cavity with the strength and precision of an adult,

while I sat there helpless and unmoving. I should be screaming or writhing in pain I thought,

but I was silent throughout the procedural mutilation, as the child cracked open my ribs like

peeling an orange before burrowing themselves inside my chest cavity.

______________________________________

The dripping neon lights illuminated the Red-Light district of Morthaven. A

disgusting yet alluring artery of this bleeding heart of a city as people clogged the alleyways

seeking pleasure in sex, drugs, or both. I shuffled past a group of drunks to get to “The Hive”,

one of the many nightclubs in this godforsaken city. I approached the bouncer, he looked like

the typical musclehead; shaved head and all, “ID Please” he said without shifting his gaze to

even look at me. I give him my info, paying him as I go in. My senses are assaulted with

smells and sounds as I stumble towards the bar. “What can I get you, Sir?” the bartender

asked me in an apathetic tone.

“Rum and Cola” I replied. The glass is cracked but rum still tastes the same no matter

what glass it comes in, I stare up at the ceiling covered with various lights and think to

myself, “How the hell did I end up drinking alone on a Thursday night? What got me here to

begin with?”

_____________________________________________________________________

My best friend went missing a couple weeks ago, no one has heard from her, barely

anyone even remembers her name. I'm surprised the police even bother to keep looking. I’m

probably the one person in the world who actually gives a damn, so when I received keys for

her apartment in Morthaven I began frantically asking where these keys came from and who

sent them. Turns out that I was the only contact they had with some connection to her so they

gave me her keys so I could either move into the space or take all of her stuff out. I decided to
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move out because the rent was cheaper than the place I currently resided in. I arrived at the

rundown apartment complex, walked up to the third floor and into room 302. The air stood

still as I opened the door, as I looked around the dusty apartment the true gravity of the

situation became apparent. My eyes welled up with tears, “She’s really gone, just like that, no

clue, no nothing.” I sat on the couch and looked around, it looked like everything was frozen

in time. “It’s clear she wasn't kidnapped or whatever here, she was doing god knows what-”

Then I noticed it, a pack of cigarettes on the coffee table. “She wouldn’t leave home without

these unless she was going to work!” Maybe I’m looking too far into it, she could have

forgotten it. I’m exhausted, mentally and physically. Before I know it I fall asleep on the

couch with my head still full of the stress and anxieties of the day.

I wake up, on the couch of “my apartment” in a cold sweat. I pull myself off the

couch and rub my eyes, the blinds are open bathing the living room with the artificial light of

the city. I checked the time and it's 10:23 PM. It's about time I left this dusty place and

checked out the city. I throw on a heavy black jacket and step out into the dirty street. A light

rain covers the bright neon lights of the district while I search for a place to drown my

sorrows in drink.

_____________________________________________________________________

The blaring music deafens my ears to any sound around me, like a whining child

wanting attention. I inspect the cracked glass and nick my finger on the sharp edge causing a

drop of blood to drip into my drink. I finish my drink, tip the bartender, and stare out into the

sea of people in front of me. Rays of deep red light cut across their faces, illuminating them

for a moment before a shroud of darkness obscures them once again. I began to think to

myself again, why was I here? I leave that place behind and step into the cold muggy air

outside, the sounds inside become muffled as I walk away into the gentle silence of the night.
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I feel a weight in my jacket pocket that wasn’t there before, I reach into the pocket and pull

out a pack of cigarettes along with a lighter

“Kass’s cigarettes and lighter? I thought I left these back at the house.” My finger

slides across the lighter, “La Danse Macabre” it reads. It was the nightclub she was a hostess

at before whatever happened to her. If the police weren’t going to do their job then who else

will apart from me? I checked the time, 11:06 so I still had plenty of time before the club

closed. I input the club’s name into my phone and follow the path it shows me. The entrance

is a lot less crowded than the one before, and no bouncer in sight. I cautiously step in to see a

few people sitting around, the place seems dead. I walk up to the bartender and ask if I can

talk to a boss or manager.

“What for, young man? Did you happen to lose something? Are you unsatisfied with

your service?” said the bartender in an anxious tone.

“I just need to ask them some questions I have, I won’t be long.” I say in a reassuring

tone to the bartender as he seems to be on edge, yet weirdly excited.

“I will get the owner in just a moment, young man.” said the bartender and as if on

cue, an old man who looked to be in his 60s to 70s walked around the corner.

“Welcome to the La Danse Macabre, what inquiries do you have for me, child?” said

the frail looking man who I presumed to be the owner.

“Hey, I was wondering if you remember a woman named Kassandra Silver who used

to work here? Around 5’ 10”, brown hair, blueish greenish eyes?” I asked in an almost

desperate voice.

“What is your name, child?” asked the owner.

“Cassian Amana, Sir” I answered

“What a nice name for a young man. Yes I do remember Kassandra, she was a good

follower until she lost her way, poor girl didn’t deserve it.” said the owner
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“What do you mean follower? Lost her way? What did you do to her?!” I knew this

guy was a creep, in fact this whole place is full of creeps who were staring at me. I was

outnumbered approximately 12 to 1, the odds were stacked heavily against me.

“Calm down child, I didn’t do anything to the young lady. You seem to be solely

driven by finding her and nothing else. Who was she to you? Do you even know if she is the

same person I got to know?” said the owner with a superior attitude, like he got to know her

better than I ever did.

“So what do you know about her?” I said after taking a deep breath to calm myself

down because the last thing I want to do is cause more of a scene than I already have.

“Follow me, we’ll talk in my office. Away from prying eyes and ears” said the owner

I follow him into a dark corridor lined with dark red lights along the top of the walls,

the carpet cushioning my every step towards the creep’s office. The smell of velvet coating

the air throughout the empty nightclub. As I follow the owner deeper into the labyrinth of

corridors, we finally reach his office and step inside. Smoke and the smell of lavender

scented candles fill the air as the old man sits at his desk facing me.

“Please sit down. We have much to discuss.” He said as he rolled up his right sleeve

revealing a small see-through tank containing some kind of insect floating in what I guess

from the smell to be formaldehyde. The tank replaced the entirety of his forearm up to his

wrist which is why I didn’t notice it earlier. I cautiously sat at the seat opposite to him.

“What is that? Is it alive?” I say as I point to his cybernetic forearm. The creature

inside confirms my suspicion by wiggling around in the tank.

“This parasite is more alive than you and I are, don’t worry you will understand why

soon enough.” The man tried to give me a reassuring smile but I was and still am uneasy.

“This is a rare breed of parasitic wasp, there are only a handful of them in the world. They are

special compared to the others of their species for the fact that they are completely
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independent, which is normal for the rest of its kind. These Inferno Apidos typically create

hives in their hosts, replaci-”

“What does any of this have to do with Kassandra? Just get to the fucking point

already!” I say as I cut him off from droning on and on about these “Inferno Apidos”.

“YOU WILL LISTEN WHEN I SPEAK OF THESE HOLY CREATURES! How

dare you cut me off so rudely after you asked me about them. Show some respect, if I’d not

known about you beforehand, I’d think you were with the heretic from that rip-off church. I

digress, your little girlfriend is in good hands I assure you. She is not in any danger at the

moment but that depends on your behaviour.” He says in a threatening tone.

“Please just tell me where she is? That’s all I want to know.” I plead to the man

“She’s in hell, that’s where nonbelievers go after all. ” says the owner

“Y-you just told me she was safe!?” I was shocked and confused. What is this

religious freak talking about? This question rings throughout my head.

“She is safe, her soul is still intact…somewhat. I’m afraid you won’t be able to see

her ever again though.” The owner says as he nonchalantly grabs a small glass and bottle of

whiskey from his desk.

“Just cut the religious spiritual shit, tell me where she is! If this is some kind of

fucked up initiation thing for whatever thing you believe in then I’m sorry but you can go

fuck yourself.” I say as I get up to leave, but as soon as I turn around two men step into the

office. One grabs my arm while the other one throws a punch which hits me in the throat. I

collapse onto the floor and get picked up off the ground and put into the chair I was

previously sitting in. I can’t breathe and my eyes water causing my surroundings to become a

blur. The owner approaches me and stands behind the chair as I feel his metallic hand clamp

against the back of my neck.

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“What are you doing? Please don’t..” I say in a weak squeaky voice before a thick

needle pierces the back of my neck. I feel something thick shoot through the needle and latch

onto my insides. It burns as I try to let out a scream but nothing but a little hiss escapes my

throat.

“You wanted to see her, you should be grateful for the gift I have given you..” Says

the owner as he injects the parasite into the back of neck. My flesh burns as its exposed to the

cold air and traces of formaldehyde that coat the parasite. It feels as if a thousand needles are

constantly stabbing into my neck every second. I try to kick and punch but nothing lands. I’m

helpless as I feel the parasite burrow into the back of my neck, becoming assimilated with my

body. I try to focus on staying conscious but the pain is too much, a switch is flipped in my

neural network and everything turns to black.

Chapter 2

I’m nervous as any kid would be when starting a new school. I reassure myself that

it’s also a lot of other people's first day so I’m not alone in that regard. I find my classes with

ease and arrive early to each and every one. Lunch time starts and I’ve no one to spend it

with, so I decide to find a cozy little corner to call my own for a while. The linoleum floor is

hard and cold to the touch, it sends shivers up my back as I sit down with my back to the

concrete wall.

“Back in this situation again, sitting alone underneath the stairs like some cliche

loner.” I quietly say to myself, fully self aware of the pathetic situation I’ve put myself in.

Light footsteps approach me as the view of someone starts to reveal themselves as they walk
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closer. It was a girl who appeared to be in my grade. She quietly sat at the opposite side of the

hallway from me and started eating her sandwich.

“She seems nice, and cute as hell. I should talk to her, just say something like "what's

up or what's your name?” I think to myself. It seems so simple, such a simple thing to do. Just

conversing with another human being, how hard can that be?

“So what’s up with you?” I say awkwardly and it comes off as threatening, the last

thing you want to come off as when trying to start a friendly conversation with a stranger.

The girl looks up in confusion and she gives me this look of questioning.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to come off like that. My name is Cassian. It's nice to meet

you, what's your name?” I blurted out trying to salvage this conversation that seemed to be

dead on arrival.

“It’s Kassandra.” the girl said with an annoyed tone. I knew I messed up this

conversation and her tonal shift confirmed it. I decided to keep my mouth shut and leave her

alone.

The school day comes to a close and I’m dejected, tired, and hungry. I walk to the

parking lot and sit there for a while waiting for my mom to pick me up. Ten minutes go by,

then twenty, then thirty. Only I remain in the parking lot, spare some teacher’s cars, and then

I hear a door open behind me. I see that girl Kassandra walks out with 2 guys, and she looks

happy.

I look away and stare out into the road hoping to see my mother’s car come around

the corner at any moment. Kassandra and her friends walk past me and into a pathway that

leads into the forest. A few minutes pass and I hear muffled screams and shuffling feet as one

of the boys I saw earlier is running away before a large rock is thrown from behind him

causing him to fall. I see Kassandra appear from the trail and looming over the terrified boy

before she kicks him repeatedly in the face. I start sprinting towards the trail to stop her from
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killing this kid and I tackle her onto the concrete path. The other kid was beaten to a pulp

with his face covered in wet dirt and blood without any obvious source for the bleeding.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Get off of me you creep!” she says as she

punches me in the jaw causing me to fall backwards.

She starts approaching me and my heart begins to sink into my stomach. The other kid

already ran off while I tackled her so there's no one to help me if she decides to make me her

next target.

“I’m sorry I didn’t know what was happening! I just thought you were going to kill

that kid and I couldn't let that happen! I’m sorry! I’ll leave you alone! I won’t tell anyone!” I

beg her to not beat me like the unconscious boy metres away from me.

“Fine, I won’t kill you. One condition though, you have to get rid of this body.” she

says as she points to the still breathing boy laying in front of us.

“He needs help, he’s still alive!” I say before I’m cut off again.

“And your job is to make sure he’s not alive, not after what he and his friend did to

me.” I look into her eyes as they seem to be gazing into another time and place than the

present. She tells me to dump his body into the river near the trail, to drop his body off the

bridge that goes over it to make it seem like a suicide, if the body is ever found.

“After what you did to him, do you really think even an amateur detective would

believe it to be a suicide?” I question her.

“I don’t give a shit what they think, you better hope they never find his body then.”

She says as she walks off, leaving me cold and scared with the bloody and beaten body of

one of my peers.

The limp body is heavy and awkward to carry as I take him to the bridge Kassandra

told me about. The entire area is silent without even a bird’s chirp to be heard let alone

anyone else who might see me commit this innocent sin. I make sure to grab onto his body
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firmly to make this dirty act as clean and quick as possible, and throw his body over the edge

and see his skull crack open on a smooth rock in the riverbed down below. The lifeless body

shifts into the middle of the river before moving along with the current and disappearing

underneath the rapids.

The gravity of the situation becomes apparent to me as I stand there by myself on this

dilapidated bridge in the middle of the woods. I run back to the school area and see

Kassandra waiting in the same spot I was waiting for my mom in. I silently approach her and

sit down.

“It’s done, his body was carried downstream by the currents and I didn’t see him float

up again.” I say to her while staring at the ground.

“Well I’m proud of you Cassian, I can see this becoming a great friendship, no?” She

says trying to be as positive as she can in the situation we’re currently in.

“What did that guy do to deserve that?” I finally ask the question.

“Those two guys asked me to hang out with them. We went down into the forest trail

and went off the beaten path a bit. They took out some sort of pipe and asked me to take a hit

of something. I was eager to make friends and so I took it with little hesitation. I felt my body

become numb and warm. I’m guessing it was either fentanyl or heroin, anyways I began to

pass out and then that’s when they took advantage of me. They probably thought I was fully

passed out and wouldn’t remember what they would do to me. Sure I was numb and couldn't

move but I still felt everything and remembered what they said. So yeah that’s why they

deserved it, happy now?”

I sat there, my eyes wide with disbelief that someone would do something like that to

another human being. She puts her arm around me.

“It’s ok, we dealt with them. They’ll never hurt anyone again, right?” Kassandra says.
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“Right, they’ll never hurt again.” I say back to her. The events still play through my

mind over and over again like a broken record. I killed someone. I killed someone’s son.

They’ll never be heard from again. Their parents are blissfully unaware of the state of their

child. I wonder how they would feel. The anxiety of their kid taking a while to come home,

their anxiety turns to panic as more time passes. They call the police and a search party is

formed. I took his body quite a ways away from the school grounds, who knows how far his

body travelled downstream in the time I’ve been sitting with Kassandra. I wonder if I’ll be

caught. I wonder if Kassandra will throw me under the bus and rat me out. Either way I

should stay on her good side unless I want to be another kid floating down the river. As I

think about these terrible thoughts, my mom’s car turns the corner and pulls up in front of

me.

“Oh well, looks like I gotta go.” I say in a rush while I scramble to put on my

backpack and get into my mom’s car.

“I’ll see you tomorrow Cassian” says Kassandra in a horrifyingly friendly tone

considering what took place mere minutes before.

“First day of school and you already got yourself a girlfriend, huh?” My mom teases

me and pokes me.

“She’s just a friend ok.” I retorted.

“Yeah yeah, just a friend. Just make sure to finish high school before you have kids.”

My mom says while giggling, she seems to be in quite a good mood which eases the tension

in my mind. I still dread coming to school tomorrow and seeing that psycho. I guess it’s still

nice to have a friend.

_____________________________________________________________________
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My head feels swollen and my stomach empty. A cold damp cloth is placed on the

back of my neck. A single bulb illuminates my immediate surroundings, causing my retinas

to dilate and burn. My hair is wet and my body naked, as the cold concrete burns my feet. I

feel scabs forming on my torn wrists that have been chained to the wall behind me. The area

around me is devoid of anything that could be used to escape. Not even the most simple of

comforts exist in this hell hole. I am utterly alone in this cold concrete void. My back is bent

at an uncomfortable degree and cracks as I sit up straight. My body shakes and shivers as I’m

starving and cold. I sit there, trying to recollect my memories of how I got here and what

happened. I sit in silence, staring at the opaque ground wanting it to swallow me whole just

so I would be anywhere but here. My throat aches as I try to call for help.

“Hello?!…” My lungs croak as I attempt to find someone or something to comfort

me. I look down in defeat as no one responds to my plea. I stare up to see if there's anything,

any marking, any message, any key for my escape, then I see it. The uncanny face of a

humanoid cloaked in shadow, its face barely illuminated by the lightbulb. The thing in front

of me shakes me to my very core. Judging from the height of where its face looms I can guess

this thing stands at around 7 feet tall. It’s the face of a bearded man, in his mid-40s. Its eyes

stare out over my head into the wall behind me, its mouth droops into some kind of drunken

frown. There's something in my mind, deep within as if some primal instinct has awoken that

tells me this thing is thinking, it’s aware of my situation. Maybe it finds joy in seeing me

helpless? Either way the only thing I can do is ask it for help.

“Hello? Sir?” my voice shakes as I try to contact this humanoid creature. Every fibre

of my being is telling me that I just made the biggest mistake of my life. The creature adjusts

its gaze downwards and stares at me, naked and chained to a wall. The humanoid thing then

takes a step forward into the light and steps closer once more. This person or whatever it is, is

in full view now. It casts a shadow over me and it becomes the only thing I can see. This
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person is tall with hair covering its exposed arms which looks like wooden logs. Without

saying a word, he grabs hold of the chain that binds me to the wall and pulls hard. The sound

of warping metal fills this void as the chain is detached from the wall with a sudden jerk.

“Holy shit dude, thanks! Do you know where this place is or how to get out? How

about your name? I’m Cassian.” I say in an excited voice as I have found a companion in this

seemingly hopeless situation.

“Aren’t you a bit anti-social haha…” An awkward silence fills the void as I attempt to

get a word out of this person. He just stares at me, with eyes filled with intent. What that

intent might be, I have no idea. The person exhales heavily, the stench of alcohol assaults my

nose. The person begins to subtly mouth something as he slowly grabs my right shoulder, and

hunches over me. I’m frozen with fear as this thing’s grip paralyses my body. This thing

breathes into my right ear, sending shivers down my back as it grabs my crotch and squeezes

my genitals. I can’t move. I need to move. I need to run. I need to push him off of me. I need

help. It hurts. I want to cry. I want to leave. I need to leave. Help me, someone. Please help

me. My stomach hurts. My head hurts. Someone get this thing off of me. I can’t move.

“Stop. Please. Let me go.” I plead to the gods above since this thing clearly can’t hear

my cries. It kneads my privates, breathing heavily into my ear as it pleasures itself with the

seemingly lifeless corpse that I call a body. I want to cry, but no tears fall. I want to die, but

my life is at his mercy. I’m utterly helpless, and alone. Is this hell? Did I die in that old man’s

office? Am I doomed to repeat this event over and over and over again for all eternity? In the

time I was lost in my mind, the creature started a deep giggle. The creature gets off of me and

walks into the dark abyss, giggling like it played a little prank on me. My body still won’t

move, I look down to see red marks along my inner thighs. It’s spread like a disgusting rash

that is sore to the touch. I can’t move my legs, but I have to get out of here. The shackles

have still locked my wrists together but at least I can crawl away from the wall. I begin
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making my way into the abyss, I crawl further and further into the pitch black before I hit a

wall? No, this can’t be. Before panic sets in, I can hear a faint noise coming from my left. I

have no choice otherwise, I head in the direction of chanting. As I crawl towards the noise, I

can see others chained to walls down far corridors on my left, each one either asleep or

worse. I can’t break them out anyways considering even if I had my hands free, I wouldn't be

able to break them open without a key or something. I crawl past all the dark hallways before

I reach the source of the sound. A room full of people singing some kind of creepy song in

some other language. There's probably about one hundred people in this room give or take,

and since they seem to be either oblivious or aware of the prisoners that they keep, I should

probably not try to attract any attention. I creep along the side of the room, staring at the

others who are singing around a circle or hole in the middle of the room. I make it to the

entrance of the room, open the door and step through. As the door shuts behind me, the song

becomes muffled and distant. I ascend the stairs in front of me which are thankfully

illuminated with lights. My arms hurt but my legs have begun to function once again as I

limp up the flight of stairs to my freedom. There’s a white wooden door at the top which

looks out of place considering the rest of my surroundings. Weathered concrete and bricks, I

expected a metal door but who cares about the specifics I just needed to get the hell out of

here. The door is light and swings open with ease, spitting me out in a dark alley full of

garbage and other debris. I bang my shackles on a nearby dumpster which after a few good

smacks, breaks the chains off my wrists allowing my skin to breathe. I’m still naked so I have

to find something to wear or else I’ll end up being arrested for public indecency. Even though

I’m sure the police are the last thing people would call when they see me, I still need

something to wear or else I’ll freeze to death. I search around in the dumpsters nearby and

find this blanket which is a godsend. I slowly exit the alleyway and step into the cold, wet,

street as I try to get my bearings. I’m not familiar with the city yet so I try to ask the few
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people I find out and about for directions back to my apartment complex. Each step feels

bittersweet as I escaped a potentially gruesome fate, but I also don’t have any shoes or

footwear which is quite unsanitary. I tiptoe my way back home and grab the key that’s under

my welcome mat. I step inside and the whole world stops, every sound of the city is gone.

My worries have dissipated and all that’s left is me and the black cat standing on my coffee

table.

Chapter 3

I left the window open and this cat decided to become my permanent roommate. At

first I thought it was a hallucination, so I ignored it and went to go take a shower as I threw

the dirty blanket out the window. I sat on the floor of the shower contemplating what just

happened to me.

“That giant creep, he wasn’t human. Those people locked down there along with me.

The ritualistic chanting. The parasite. The bar owner. Everything, everything is so fucked up!

How can this be? How is any of this real? I must be dead. I have to be dead! This must be

purgatory or something, right? What the fuck is going on?!” My legs twitch as I sit in the

shower, my body aching and numb.

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