"What's wrong? Can't talk now?" Lloyd said, pulling on the hair of a silver haired youth kneeling in front of him.
"Ugh…" the teenager grunted weakly, blood trailing down his lips.
His body was completely battered and layered with bruises, a particularly prominent cut running from his right cheek down to his jaw.
The cut was still fresh, with blood slowly oozing out of it.
"Argh…" the teenager grunted again, feeling the cut sting him terribly.
Although he was trying his best to hold in the pain, it was just too much for him to handle.
He wanted nothing more than to scream his lungs out, but doing that would only fill Lloyd with satisfaction, which was something he didn't want.
"You…"
Thwack!
He tried to say something, but another boy suddenly kicked him from the side.
His body was immediately sent to the ground, his face slamming into the dirty, wet soil.
Bits of soil soaked into his hair, quickly turning it brown and dirty.
"Hehe." the boy who kicked him laughed excitedly, before snorting, spitting down on him.
"Fucking Bitch, should have just let your sister go with Lloyd instead of being stupid." Another voice came from the side, scoffing in mockery.
They were currently in a forest, and apart from Lloyd and apart from Lloyd, there were two more boys around.
All of them seemed to be around the same age, including Noah who was wriggling on the ground.
Lloyd hissed as he stared at him, the frown on his face worsening in annoyance.
Even as he stared down at Noah, even as the latter face was dirty… he still somehow looked very handsome.
'Why… why is it that trash like him gets to have such a face?! Why couldn't it have been me?!' he thought, gritting his teeth.
In comparison to Noah who looked almost perfect, he was like a mud in human shape.
His brown hair was dull, like they were about to fall out, and despite all the products he used on his skin, it was still rough,
Noah gritted his teeth, trying his hardest to stand up, but his body was just too weak.
"There's no way… in hell I'd let that happen…" he muttered weakly with almost all the strength he had in him.
Though his voice was low, it was still enough for Lloyd and the others to hear what he said.
Veins popped on Lloyd's forehead, and he clenched his fists in annoyance.
"You're just trash, how dare you… think highly of yourself?!" he shouted, suddenly kicking Noah in his abdomen.
The kick send the poor boy's body sliding a few feet, blood spraying out of his mouth.
However, Lloyd didn't stop there.
Thwack!
Thwack!
He continued kicking Noah's battered body, channeling all his anger and envy into each kick.
Noah could do nothing more than to lay there and receive each one, blood spurting out of his mouth with each kick.
'Is this… it for me?' he thought, his face rapidly turning pale from the blood loss. 'Is this how I'm going to die?'
He could feel his body growing weaker with each passing second, and it was starting to get harder to breathe.
A strange chill quickly spread around his body, almost like there was a cold hand wrapping around his heart.
His vision was slowly clouded in darkness, and within seconds, the sounds around him started to drown out, making him feel like he was in a large empty space.
'I'm sorry sis… sorry mom… dad. If only I was stronger… if only I wasn't so useless… none of this would have happened.' he thought, coughing out blood again as another kick landed on his chest.
This one was a bit stronger than all the others, and his body was lifted off the ground, before crashing into a tree meters away.
Crack!
A loud crack echoed in the air, and his body collapsed on the wet soil.
However, unlike the previous times, he didn't get back up.
Lloyd chuckled dryly, his lips twisting into a crooked grin as he stared at Noah's motionless body.
"When I want something…" he began, his tone low at first, before it slowly grew louder. "I take it."
His eyes glinted coldly, his expression filled with cruel satisfaction. "That's how the world works, trash like you… don't get to have a say!"
He spat out the words like poison, his voice sharp and mocking.
The two boys behind him laughed, mocking Noah who was still sprawled on the ground.
Lloyd took a step closer, his shadow falling over Noah's still body.
"Foolish trash," he hissed again, his voice filled with scorn. He raised his foot again, intending to deliver another kick.
But just as his foot began to move, one of the boys suddenly stretched his hand forward, a frown on his face.
"W–wait…" he stammered out, his voice trembling slightly.
Lloyd froze mid-step, his veins popping on his forehead as his eyes darted sharply toward the one who had spoken.
"Huh?" he said, his face tightening with anger. "What did you just say?"
The boy immediately shrunk back, his raised hand trembling as he stuttered out, "I–I'm s–sorry… but, he doesn't seem to be… moving anymore."
For a moment, silence filled the air.
The second boy let out a loud snort, casting a disgusted look towards Noah's body.
"So, he finally fainted," he said mockingly. "Weak, pathetic bitch."
He took a step forward, kicking a small rock aside as he approached Noah's body.
He laughed faintly, before slowly pressing his foot against Noah's head. The sound of mud squelching echoed faintly as he began to grind Noah's face into the dirt.
"Heh… look at this," he murmured, twisting his foot slowly, dragging it across Noah's silver hair that had now turned brown from the wet soil.
But Noah didn't even move, neither did he make a sound.
At first, the boy didn't notice anything wrong—he just kept pressing down harder, amused at how lifeless Noah looked.
But after a few seconds, his laughter faded. His grin wavered slightly.
"…Huh?" He frowned, his eyes narrowing. "Oi…"
He stopped grinding and lifted his foot off Noah's head.
However, even then, Noah's body remained still on the ground, without even twitching.
The boy frowned deeper and bent down, slowly reaching for Noah's hand. His fingers brushed against Noah's wrist, and he lifted the limp arm slightly. The skin felt cold—too cold.
The moment he let go, Noah's hand immediately dropped back to the ground, lifelessly, hitting the wet soil with a dull thud.
The boy froze, his face tightening. A small chill crawled up his spine, and his breath hitched slightly.
"W–what the hell…" he muttered under his breath, his heart starting to pound harder.
He slowly leaned closer, staring at Noah's pale, blood-streaked face. It was like the entire colour had been drained from his face.
He swallowed hard, then cautiously placed a trembling hand against Noah's neck. His fingertips pressed against the skin, feeling for a pulse. The silence stretched on.
However, he couldn't sense anything, not even warmth.
His breath quickened. His entire body trembled slightly as he pulled his hand back, staring at his own fingers like they had just touched something unnatural.
"W–what…" he whispered, his voice barely audible. He turned slightly, his eyes darting toward Lloyd, who was still standing a few steps away, frowning impatiently.
To be absolutely sure, he hesitated, then turned Noah's body around.
His body slowly rolled over, his head turning lifelessly to the side. His half-open eyes stared blankly into the gray sky above.
The boy's heart nearly stopped.
Noah's eyes were empty, and completely devoid of life. His chest wasn't rising or falling also, and the rest of his body looked like that of a broken doll.
His face turned completely pale. He pulled his hand back immediately as if he had just touched fire. His pupils dilated, and his breath came in short, sharp gasps.
"He's not…" he muttered weakly, his voice shaking. "He's not… breathing…"
"H–he's not breathing…" he repeated again, his voice cracking. "He's not breathing…"
His gaze snapped suddenly to the two behind him, his eyes wide with terror.
"I think…" he muttered, his throat tightening, "he's dead…"