A stout young man struggled to climb onto the parapet wall of a four-story public hospital's rooftop. Beads of sweat trickled down his chubby face as he pulled himself up, gripping the rough cent-like his life depended on it. His arms trembled from the effort, but after a final push, he managed to haul himself over and hugged the parapet for dear life.
"Yes! I finally did it!" he gasped, panting.
But as he glanced down, his stomach twisted. The ground seed impossibly far away, and a single wrong move could send him plumting. His hands tightened against the cold concrete, his body trembling but still, he was determined.
Tonight, he would sit here, drink beer, and gaze at the stars like nothing was wrong.
It was stupid. Reckless. But Theo believed that fate had already been decided. If he accidentally fell, then maybe... that was how it was ant to be.
Holding his breath, he shifted carefully, trying to balance himself on the narrow ledge. His heart pounded as he adjusted his weight, one slip, and it was over. But then... success.
"Ah, this is great!" he cheered softly, forcing a smirk. His chest ached, but he ignored it.
"Guess I still have more years left to suffer," he muttered, reaching for a can of beer.
With a sharp hiss, he cracked it open and took a long sip, letting the bitter taste settle on his tongue. The world around him faded as he gazed up at the vast night sky, lost in his own thoughts.
Below, the city buzzed with activity. And beneath him, an uneasy crowd who noticed him had gathered, their whispers and worried glances growing by the second.
But Theo?
He didn't care.
Not tonight.
He snickered when he saw a police car arrive, along with ergency responders setting up a safety net beneath him. He pushed up his broken glasses to see more clearly.
"Won't that thing just rip if I jump?" he grumbled with a sigh.
Suddenly, a deep voice of a man cut through the night.
"You do realize that jumping from this height doesn't guarantee a quick death, right? You could survive with broken limbs or even end up in a coma. That ans your family would be left to deal with the dical bills on top of everything else. Not to ntion, you'd only be adding to your suffering instead of ending it."
Theo scoffed and took another swig of beer. "What, are you the negotiator they sent to talk down?"
Turning his head, he frowned when he saw his uniform. "Ah, so you're a cop."
"Yes, I am. Officer Lyndon Spears," he said with a warm smile. "Co on now, get down from there. It's not safe." He nodded toward the bruises on his arms. "Let's also get those wounds treated."
Theo blinked, almost having forgotten about the pain radiating through his body. His muscles ached, his skin stung, but still, he muttered, "You're wrong. It's safer up here..." Because here, away from every one, no one could haunt or hurt him.
Officer Spears took a cautious step closer. "How about we talk? Tell what's going on. Tell who hurt you."
Instead of answering, Theo took a deep breath and said, "You can go back, officer. It's not like I'm jumping. I just want to sit here and drink."
"I see," the man replied. "But you're getting too much attention. How about you co down from there? We can sit at a table, have a proper drink, and talk. They say it helps to open up to a stranger, I'll listen."
Theo scoffed, his lips curling bitterly. "This is a cruel world... So people are born lucky, and the rest of us just learn to survive."
He licked his lips, still tasting the blood. He was one of the unlucky ones, learning to survive the mont he opened his eyes to this world.
A sharp, irritated female voice suddenly cut through. "Let him jump, Gramps. If he wants to die like a loser, let him. Saves us the trouble."
Theo turned toward the source, a young female officer, likely around his age, standing with her arms crossed in her uniform.
"Lexa!" The older officer scolded her.
Ignoring him, she tapped on her tablet and read aloud, "Theodore Luther. Age twenty-two. A college graduate from tropolis University with Highest Honors. An hour ago, you attended a graduation party for one of your classmates, Beatrice Smith. An incident was reported. Let guess, you're the guy who got beat to a pulp."
Theo clenched his jaw, cursing under his breath. Rey and his gang. Of course. It wasn't the first ti they had beaten him.
"I just gave Beatrice flowers to congratulate her," he whispered weakly.
Lexa raised an eyebrow. "Well, according to the report, you tried to kiss her. That's why Rey and his buddies went after you."
"That's not true!" Theo snapped. "I didn't try to kiss her! She hugged and thanked !"
Lexa sighed, scrolling through her tablet. "We're still waiting on a statent from the Smith family. Beatrice hasn't said anything yet." She then shrugged and added coldly, "So, go ahead. Jump. Prove them right, that you're nothing but a pathetic, fat loser."
"Lexa, that's enough!" the older officer barked.
Lexa simply placed her hands on her waist and scoffed. "What? I bet he really is the victim here but he's also a coward."
"Only a coward thinks death is the easiest way out," she spat, disgust flashing across her face.
Theo's expression darkened. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself up from the parapet wall, his body swaying slightly. "That's not true! I'm not a coward! I told you... you've got it all wrong! I'm not jumping! And for the record, this isn't the first ti I've had a drink up here!"
He was telling the truth. He always ca to this spot to drink, hidden away from the world. The hospital rooftop had been his escape for as long as he could rember. The only difference tonight? He'd finally managed to sit on the parapet wall.
But then he froze. His frown deepened as sothing caught his eye.
Bright lights. Scattered across the sky. No... they were moving.
Falling.
Unconsciously, he lifted a hand and pointed. "Are those... shooting stars?"
His breath hitched. His eyes widened.
A sudden shift... his balance gone.
His stomach lurched as gravity took hold, and in an instant, he was falling.
"No!" the woman's voice rang out, sharp with panic.
Theo barely had ti to process as she lunged forward, arm outstretched, reaching for him... so close, yet too far.
Ti seed to slow.
Above him, the sky was alight with countless streaks of burning light.
'teorites? Or... am I hallucinating?'
His fingers twitched, reaching toward one of the glowing lights racing toward him, impossibly fast.
Then there's this deafening sound.
Screams. Thunder? The air seed to vibrate with an unseen force and that fast falling light definitely hit his body, piercing through it like a bolt of lightning. His muscles seized, his body convulsing violently until his mind spiraled into darkness...
Yet in that darkness, sothing stirred. A voice, cold, unfamiliar, echoed in the void.
[Congratulations! You are the Pioneer of the Mutation Abyss. Brace yourself - The Apocalypse begins now.]
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