"UGHH—!"
A twisting pain in my gut yanked me back to consciousness.
My stomach cried out, a hollow, gnawing ache that spread through my limbs, reminding me that I had failed.
Again.
I blinked, forcing my eyes open to the hazy morning light.
My body was stiff, curled up against the hot, filthy ground.
Dried blood caked my face and matted my hair.
I was a mess.
People walked past me like I was just another piece of trash littering the streets.
Not a single glance spared, not a single word spoken.
Just the steady rhythm of their footsteps, each one hammering in the reality of what I had become.
It wasn't that none of them were kind, no, likely many of them were.
But they all knew how I became what I became.
They knew that I had betrayed them.
They despised me.
Only the kindest of the kind would help someone they despised.
These people weren't of that type.