"Damn, I need the next chapter…" Marco muttered as he scooped up the trash from the floor and tossed it into the bin with a flick of his wrist.
An audiobook played softly through his earbuds, it was his favorite novel about a teenager with an overpowered system in a futuristic fantasy world.
The protagonist never faced any real struggle of course, it was basically just for meatheads like him, that's why Marco didn't care. He just needed something to take his mind off his miserable job and his even more pathetic life.
He worked as a janitor at a prestigious school, a place full of kids who had everything he never did without ever having to work for it.
To be honest, he was never good at studying, and he never even expected much from himself but…he hadn't imagined that his life would turn out this pathetic.
"Seriously? Do these spoiled idiots have to drop everything on the ground?" he groaned, crouching to pick up several plastic cups that clung stubbornly to his hands, they were filled with some unidentifiable…goo.
"What the hell is this?" He shook his hands, but the fluid refused to budge.
"Of course. Of course, this happens to me." With a sigh, he wiped his hands on his already stained uniform, then gripped the garbage bin's rim and made his way toward the exit, quick but careful, careful of slipping and making his night even worse.
'Just one more hour,' he reminded himself. 'One more shift, then I'm done for the week.'
Pushing through the double doors, he stepped outside. The cold hit him like a cannon explosion, slicing through the fabric of his clothes. The wind tugged at his trashy uniform and whipped his hair into more of a mess.
He squinted against the chill and walked forward toward the massive dumpster waiting by the gate of the grand, gleaming school gate.
Outside the academy gates, the street was dead quiet. The lamps buzzed faintly as they flickered, their orange light struggling against the dark.
A gust of wind dragged a paper cup across the pavement, its skitter echoing down the empty road.
Even the birds had gone silent, no chirps, it was just him and the distant hum of the city.
As Marco neared the trash collector, the sour reek of rot hit him full force.
It was a thick, damp kind of smell that clung to his clothes.
He grimaced and lifted the lid, but just as he was about to dump the garbage, a faint noise reached him, it was shouting, maybe?
He turned his head, already frowning.
Across the street, deep in a narrow alley, five silhouettes moved under the dim light. Their shadows twitched across the brick walls.
The wet sound of fists and the sharp yelp that followed left no doubt about what was happening.
'Seriously…? Guess I'm not the unluckiest one tonight.'
He hesitated. The attackers were built like gym rats, all muscle and tall as hell...
The kid on the ground was small, he was completely folded in on himself, hands over his head trying to protect himself. A shoe kicked his ribs with a dull thud that Marco could almost feel in his own bones.
'Sorry, kid… I can't even save myself, let alone you.'
He sighed and emptied the trash into the collector.
The metallic clang rang out too loud in the still night. Wiping his hands on his nasty uniform only made them stickier.
The air was cold, damp, carrying the smell of wet asphalt and the faint rotting smell from the bin.
As he headed back toward the gate, he cast one last glance over his shoulder. The alley was still alive with motion, shadows shifting continuously with multiple low grunts and soft sobs.
So he did what everyone would do in that situation.
He shook his head and turned away.
"Yo! Was that old guy looking at us?" a voice shouted suddenly.
'Are we serious right now?'
Marco's stomach dropped. He kept his head down and quickened his pace, the soles of his worn shoes scraping against the concrete.
His heartbeat thudded in his ears louder than his footsteps.
"I think he was," another voice said, closer now.
Then came the words that froze his spine.
"Stop right there, dude."
He didn't stop. "Hey, man, I don't want any—"
A hand clamped down on his shoulder, the grip so strong and hot even through the thin fabric of his shirt.
Before he could turn even fully turn something hard slammed into his cheek.
His vision flashed white. The smell of iron filled his nose it was his own blood, the pain felt sharp and the blood smelled metallic.
Another punch came, knuckles smashing against bone. Not just bare knuckles, but boxers.
His head whipped back and struck the wall with a sickening thunk.
The world tilted. He slid down the wall, his palms were scraping rough concrete before his body crumpled to the ground.
His ears rang with a high piercing tone that drowned out everything else for a moment.
"Are you insane, Chad?" a voice barked. Someone yanked the guy, who was apparently called Chad back by his hoodie.
"What if he reports us, Adam? He saw us beating that geek!"
Their words were distant, completely warped by the ringing in his ears. The streetlight behind them turned them into black shapes rimmed with orange halos.
'Guess this is karma for not helping..'
Blood pooled at the corner of his mouth, it was pretty warm against his chin. He could even taste it, it was bitter, metallic.
"We need to go," Adam said. His footsteps echoed as he pulled Chad away. The others were already gone, their sneakers slapping against wet asphalt as they disappeared into the dark.
'I guess I'm alone… even when I'm bleeding out.'
Marco lay still, the cold was seeping into his back from the concrete.
Somewhere nearby, a car alarm chirped once, then went quiet again.
A dog barked far off.
The faint hum of a streetlight buzzed overhead.
His vision blurred until all he could see were faint colors smearing into one another.
The scent of blood thickened in his nose. The back of his head pulsed, it was wet and warm, his hair sticking to the ground.
'So this is it. Dying as a loser. A failure.'
He couldn't sigh. Couldn't move. The world was a fading smear of sound, the wind, the buzzing lamp, the echo of the audiobook's voice was still murmuring faintly in his earbuds.
'I didn't even get to finish it…'
And then came nothing.