Chapter 4: Regret

We arrived at a small lake on the outskirts of the city. Thomas was particularly exuberant, discarding his footwear and leaping into the shallow water. He knelt down and imbibed some of the water.

"Oi, lads! Free water!!!"

"Ugh, Thomas! That is unclean water, you moron!" Okabe exclaimed.

"Meh, I'll shit it out, no worries!" Thomas laughed in response.

Sigh...

I glanced to the right and noticed a group of nobles walking towards the city. One young woman in particular had been fixating her gaze on me. I wondered if there was something on my face...

"Okay time to move boys, before the shops are gonna be closing on us!" Gabriel shouted.

"Ah sheit, my feet feel soggy!"

"Well no crap, sherlock Thomas!" Okabe responded.

We surveyed the city from a mid-high cliff and it appeared that Okabe was correct, as it was not particularly bustling today.

"Let's see what we can get lads!" Thomas exclaimed as he ran down the cliff, with Gabriel following closely behind.

"Well, what are you waiting for, let's go, Dante." Okabe urged, grabbing me by the arm and dragging me forward.

"I'm not sure if we should do this... What if we get caught?"

"Don't worry, we will just outrun them." Okabe reassured me.

I had a foreboding feeling about this, but I could take advantage of this opportunity to bring some food for my family.

We traversed through a marketplace in the center of the city, and more people began to appear, all of them engaged in their usual activities. However, my friends and I stood out, and I feared our cover would be blown.

Thomas, however, seemed indifferent to any potential consequences. He gestured towards a meat vendor a short distance away, indicating that this was our destination. Gabriel nodded in agreement.

Gabriel pulled us all close to him.

"What about this, Dante will be on the lookout, while us three will grab a good amount, and run off. On top of that, the vendor owner is literally sleeping, this is a golden chance!"

Me? On the lookout...?

"Why would it be me?"

"You have good reaction time, you're the smarty out of us all. And no worries, I'll be sure to grab a lot for you as well." Gabriel replied

"Okay then..."

I had a strong sense of unease but I went along with the plan.

I stood watch while they approached the store from the opposite side, enabling them to make a quick getaway to me. I thought everything was going smoothly until...

THUD!

...Okabe dropped a large piece, and the vendor awoke.

They sprinted towards me at full speed, but I could not keep up. The vendor screamed at the top of his lungs.

"RATS!!! THIEVES!!!"

Adrenaline coursed through my body and more and more people began to take notice of the commotion. Some even began to chase us.

"Dante!! Keep up the pace!" Thomas bellowed, his voice barely audible over the cacophony of my surroundings.

II felt as though I was in the midst of complete anarchy, consumed by fear and uncertainty. I had never experienced anything like this before.

A sharp pain suddenly wracked my head, and I felt myself losing control. Desperately, I reached out to grasp onto Gabriel's back, but he, along with Okabe and Thomas, had already distanced themselves from me.

"Wait... For me, please-" I gasped as a searing pain erupted in my abdomen. Someone had kicked me, and I collapsed onto the hard ground.

"Serves you right, you RAT!!!"

Everything was turning black, and the pain... it was unbearable.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry- Please..." I begged, but my pleas fell on deaf ears as four men relentlessly stomped on my body. I could do nothing but endure the torment.

"T- Thomas..."

"Kill the rat!!!"

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"P- please..." I implored, but it was to no avail. They continued to kick my head, and I resigned myself to my fate.

"Haahh... Ahhh!!!"

"DANTE!!!" I heard Thomas' voice, and I felt a glimmer of hope.

But it was short-lived.

Gabriel grabbed Thomas by the arm and turned him towards himself.

"Thomas!!! Look at that! Do you want to end up as Dante?! We need to go, now!!!" Gabriel exclaimed.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" Thomas kicked Gabriel's arm off him and dropped all of the food he held in his hands.

"DANTE!!!" He shouted again.

"Th- Thomas..." I tried to speak, but my words were barely audible.

"Another rat!!! Look! He got some meat on him! Bring the dogs!" One of them shouted.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!" Thomas screamed, but it was too late.

Thomas... Thomas, NO!!! 

I watched in horror as the dogs descended upon Thomas, tearing him apart in front of my eyes.

Why are you trying to save me... PLEASE!!! Not Thomas!! I thought to myself.

As I tried with all my strength to crawl towards him, the agonizing screams of Thomas hurt my ears, and shattered my soul.

"Please, leave Thom-" I begged, but my words were cut short by another brutal kick.

"Gaaahh!!"

"Gabriel, Thomas is literally getting killed, we need to do something!!!" Okabe shouted.

"It is their own fault, let's go, do you want to get eaten by dogs too, Okabe?!" Gabriel retorted, forcefully dragging Okabe away.

"Look at that meat he hid in his clothes, filthy rats! Eat him away you scoundrels! It is this boy! Not him!" one of the men shouted as they finally left me alone.

I lay there, unable to move, my body lifeless.

"Piece of shit!" I heard one of them say, and I knew that Thomas was gone.

"Ahhh, Danteeee...!" He cried his heart out... and I knew that my friend was no more.

This has to be a nightmare, I thought to myself as I lay there, unable to speak or move.

"The rat died!!!"

Thomas...

"Oi!! What is going on here!"

"Oh, nothing officer! We took care of a thief! A lowly piece of scum from the poor people, we dealt with him! This will teach those kids a lesson never to steal!"

Thomas...

"The kid is dead!"

Thomas...

"A lowly piece of shit!"

Thom... as...

*Urgh*, "Throw the two somewhere off! I'm not dealing with this crap."

Where... Am i...

My vision was hazy, and I could barely keep my eyes open. I felt something or someone next to me, but I was unable to move. A sinister and ominous voice whispered from behind me,

"You beautiful soul..."

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