"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.
So, no one helped me.
Again, it was only natural, expected.
It didn't hurt me.
It... didn't.
