I’m Back

Hariti stepped firmly on his body, squeezing his throat. She watched as the youth struggled and slowly suffocated.

But for a moment, the dizziness disappeared.

He finally woke up from the nightmare, and looked up. He stared Hariti, but his eyes went through her, landing on the emptiness behind her, as if looking at the faces in uptown.

"Do you all still remember me?" His bloodshot eyes seemed to be swirling with lava. "I’m not dead yet!"

His fists clenched. Reaching out, he gripped her wrist. Fresh blood flowed out of his wounds, bringing with it a burning pain. "I’m back…"

Hariti stared into his eyes in shock. She felt that the boy’s body had withered, and had been replaced with something strong. It was no longer soft and weak under her touch.

His grip on her wrist was like a clamp. Within his delicate strength was an unwavering conviction. In the terrifying hallucination, the boy’s features twisted.