Bab 1: CH 001: A falling sun
The locker room was thick with tension as Dave, still dripping from his victorious swim, made his way to his locker. His classmates, who had been cheering him on just moments before, now snickered and whispered among themselves.
"Hey, golden boy!" Tyler, his fellow classmate who had came second place sneered and blocked Dave's path. "Think you're so special just because you won, don't you?"
Dave tried to brush past him, but Tyler's friends closed in, trapping him.
"Yeah, what's the point of winning if you're just gonna make the rest of us look bad?" another classmate chimed in.
Tyler snarled, his face reddening. "I should've won that race. I'm the best swimmer here! But everything turned around since you arrived in this school! I'm very sure you cheated during the race!"
Dave stood tall, despite the intimidation. "That's not true! There's no way I could have cheated during the competition. You just weren't skilful enough to catch up with me. I worked hard for it, Tyler. You can't always win."
Tyler's expression twisted in anger. "Shut up, nerd! You think you're better than me? I'll show you who's boss!"
The group began to jeer, their taunts echoing off the lockers. Dave's heart raced, but he refused to back down.
Just then, Coach Jason burst into the locker room, his whistle blowing loudly. "What's going on here?"
The group scattered, leaving Tyler and Dave facing the coach.
"Tyler, I warned you about bullying. Apologize to Dave, now!"
Tyler's face fell, but he muttered a half-hearted "Sorry."
In his mind as he uttered the words, he swore to get back back at Dave for humiliating him, and just walked away.
Coach Jason then turned to Dave. "Don't mind them Dave, keep on being the champion. Don't let anyone, including Tyler to bring you down! You're meant to achieve great things. Remember, champions never give up! Good job on today's match."
Dave smiled, feeling a surge of pride and gratitude. He knew he'd face more challenges, but with the coach's encouraging words, he was ready to take them on.
After patting him on the back, the coach had left for the staffroom, while Dave packed his stuff as he prepared to head home.
Although he had made a great achievement of coming first in the school's swimming competition that was held today, he had no one to share the tale of his success to since he was basically alone.
Being an orphan, he was given an apartment in the school living quarters which was mostly empty, except for a fellow female orphan who also lived there, but he never had the courage to speak much to her, despite being in the same class as her.
As he walked out of the school building, lost in thought while strolling towards the living quarters which was just a few blocks away. He was hoping to have a nice meal and a peaceful sleep after his tiring swimming competition.
Suddenly, a hand clamped over his mouth, and he was dragged backward into the shadows. Tyler's voice whispered into his ear, "You're coming with us, nerd."
Dave struggled, but Tyler's friends pinned him down, their grip was tight and strong. They tossed him into a waiting van, the doors slamming shut behind him.
As the van sped away from the school, Dave's anxiety grew. Where were they taking him? What did they plan to do?
The van screeched to a halt in front of an abandoned warehouse, its windows like empty eyes staring back. Dave's heart raced as Tyler's friends hauled him out, their faces twisted in cruel grins.
"Welcome to your new swimming pool, Dave," Tyler sneered, shoving him toward the entrance.
Dave stumbled, his eyes adjusting to the dim light inside. The air reeked of decay and rot. He knew he was in grave danger.
"You're not going anywhere, golden boy," Tyler taunted, his eyes glinting with malice. "This is where your winning streak ends."
Tyler's eyes gleamed with malice as he dragged Dave into the abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. The once-thriving building now stood as a testament to neglect, its windows shattered, and its walls covered in graffiti.
"Time to teach you a lesson, golden boy," Tyler sneered, his voice echoing off the walls.
Dave's classmates closed in, their faces twisted in a mixture of excitement and fear. With a surge of adrenaline, Dave tried to break free, but Tyler's friends overpowered him, as they bound his wrists and ankles with rusty chains, leaving him helpless.
The beating began, each blow landing with precision and cruelty. Dave's body screamed in agony as fists and feet connected, sending him crashing to the ground.
Just when it seemed like all was lost, Dave remembered the words of his coach: "Champions never give up."
With a surge of adrenaline, Dave summoned every last ounce of strength. He flexed his wrists, feeling the chains loosen ever so slightly. Tyler, caught up in the frenzy, failed to notice this.
Dave waited for the perfect moment, then made his move. With a fierce cry, he burst free from the chains, sending his tormentors stumbling back.
He sprinted toward the door, but it was locked. Panic set in. That's when he spotted a broken window, a sliver of moonlight beckoning like a lifeline.
Dave launched himself at the window, shards of glass slicing his skin as he squeezed through the narrow opening. He landed hard on the ground outside, gasping for breath.
Freedom!
Stumbling through the darkness, Dave found himself running through the streets, but his feet were too wobbly and weak to run faster, and he feared that Tyler and his gangs might catch up with him sooner or later!
The punches and beatings from them had caused a great amount of blood to be lost from his body. He might collapse anytime soon, and it won't take long for Tyler and the rest to catch up with him.
With no hospital or safe place to seek refuge, Dave had eventually given up. His teeth gritting hard on the pain coursing through all parts of his body.
"Fine, if this is how I'm going to die. Then it's alright. The world hasn't felt living anyway. It's just full of bad people who takes privilege of your kindness only to repay them with evil in the end. If it's my fate to die, I'll gratefully accept it."
"I just regretted that I never got to accomplish anything yet in this world. Even the swimming that I'm good at, there are those that are trying to bring me down."
"Heck! I never even dated anyone. And that's the most painful part! I'm such a loser! Arghhh!"
With no more hope of survival, Dave fell to ground with his face facing the dark-pitched sky.
Suddenly the sky started lighting up as if the sun was rising again. But that wasn't suppose to happen in the middle of the night.
"Am I imagining things? It looks like the Sun is falling from the sky?" Dave uttered, his eyes dimming slightly at the immense brightness of the light.
The next thing he knew, everything had turned dark all of a sudden…
Hadiah
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