Eske had his arms tied behind his back with a large rope tied to his wrists and passed over a hook on the roof. He was hanging from his arms, with his feet barely touching the ground. The pain was intense and vivid. And he could feel his shoulders almost dislocating. His full-weight body was supported by the extended and internally rotated shoulder sockets. It hurt so much that it made him want to cry out in agony, but Eske did not allow himself this luxury.


    It has been almost two years since Eske was once again treated like any other prisoner, with a daily dose of torture and beating up. He was each time left almost drowning in his own blood. Each piece of his body shook violently in tremors, exhausted from the pain. And each time, Professor Whiterabbit would join him at his cell and ask:


    ''Are you ready to talk, boy?''


    The answer was always no. But even when Eske wanted nothing more than to die, when he felt as if there were no strength or will left within him. When every thought in his head seemed to be an attempt to escape reality itself, he knew what to say: ''Fuck off, asshole!''


    The professor smirked: ''What a pity.'' He looked away for a moment, thinking. Then turned around and said, looking straight into Eske''s eye:


    ''You know I am not going to kill you. I''m going to keep you alive in pure agonising misery, and perhaps, one day, I''ll be nice once you decide to talk to me.''


    ''Fuck off, asshole.''; whispered Eske and falling unconscious. His mind still hung in limbo between consciousness and death, but Eske''s eyes opened wide upon seeing the figure of a cat. There was no one in the cell. Just him and the little black pet staring right into Eske''s face. The cat approached his feet and arched its body, stroking his fur against his ankles dripped in blood. The cat sniffed it and started to lick Ecke''s blood as it was the most delicious treat it had ever had.


    ''What the fuck! Stop!''; shouted Eske trying to kick it. But as he moved his ankle, he would torture the pressure of his shoulder. The cat didn''t care. It was crunched over the pond of blood, drinking. He tried to pull free, but his hands were tightly bound. So he just stared at the animal while listening to the sounds of the cat slurping his blood. And Eske couldn''t take his eyes off the grotesque scene. He would die eaten by a cat or survive until he had nothing else to drip onto the floor. He finally closed his eyes and blacked out.


    A screeching scream woke him up. Followed by a loud howling and the sound of a continuous rumble of objects hitting each other. Mixed a deafening whooshing sound, similar to a waterfall. Eske could swear the walls were shaking but didn''t hear any screams or shouts. Almost like everyone was gone. The screeching sound repeated itself over and over again. The cat was hidden behind his ankles hissing and arching its back when suddenly, there was no sound. Even the numbers were quieter, turned into whispers, hiding into a veil of zeros. The only sound Eske could here were light, calm, pacing steps.


    His heart was racing, and cold sweat was tangling with his dry blood. He saw the cat trying to escape from the cell, but the closer it got to the door, the black cat was vanishing into black particles, as well as the cell''s door. And that is when Eske saw her for the first time.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.Grey hair floated wildly as the winds, black eyes void of any spark. She wore strange clothing reminiscent of ancient times, all covered in black particles. She walked toward him slowly, locking her oblivion eyes into his: ''What are you?''; she asked, without taking any notice of Eske''s reaction.


    He replied, confused: ''What?''


    She came even closer to him and looked down at him. Her gaze was piercingly sharp and clear. With the same curiosity she was asking about: ''What are you?''; she repeated.


    Eske answered: ''I...I don''t know what you mean!''


    With a smile, she put both hands around his cheek and lifted his face. A nervous grin appeared on Eske''s lips, which was soon replaced by an unknown fear and grief. But he quickly realised her hands were warm, soft, and he felt a familiar sense of home. He remembered his mother caressing him, telling him everything would be alright. Eske shivered at the touch and was overwhelmed with emotion. He cried out: "Please stop!"


    But before he could utter another word, she asked again: ''What are you? There is nothing like you.'' She moved his face slowly to the left, then slowly to the right. She scrutinised every detail of his face: ''So unique.''; she whispered.


    He tried to meet her eyes again, and slow numbers whispered around her silhouette. Always the same number. There was no combination, codes, or equations, just one number. Nine. Eske didn''t even flinch when the girl with grey hair leaned on him and licked his face: ''You taste different. Your time is different. You don''t belong here!''


    Eske stopped suddenly to feel the tightness of the rope and fell to the ground at her feet. Right in front of his nose, a cluster of black particles and dust transformed into a white hovering boomerang device. The girl jumped over it and reached out his hand: ''Hop up! The world is ending.'' Eske did as told, and as soon they moved, he held on to her waist the closest he could.


    ''Buckle up!''


    Both flew into the chaotic sky ripped with thunder and howling winds.


    They flew towards a dark smokey horizon where the sun was burning beyond the mountains, crumbling into black dust. Eske noticed everything was disappearing, like vanishing sand castles. The boy who could hear numbers didn''t hear anything while gliding to the end of the world. The only remaining sound was number nine and the brushing of her hair against his cheek. She broke the silence by saying: ''You need to jump!''


    ''What?''


    ''You need to jump! Now!''; she shouted.


    She turned to face him, placing her hands on his chest and giving him a push that made him fall into the big void.