Terrified, Peter immediately sprung to his feet and tried to run.
Before he could make a run for it, the spirit barred his way.
"Why are you running away, little kid?" asked the weakling spirit with a faint voice.
"Call an ambulance for me…"
"I really need an ambulance…"
The weakling spirit only wanted to scare Peter, but…
The scene right in front of him right now, the deserted school and the quiet classrooms... reminded him of the time he was dragged into the woods and beaten.
He remembered the time he was vomiting blood in his room while his desperate pleas for help went unnoticed by his parents.
He just needed to call for an ambulance, he really just needed…
"...Help me," pleaded the weakling spirit as tears of blood flowed from his eyes.
"Help me... please help me."
He stretched his hand towards Peter.
Peter tried to scream, but nothing came out. It was as if a pair of invisible hands were clasped around his neck, preventing him from making any noise.
It felt like he almost fainted but the fear kept him conscious. Peter could only helplessly stare wide-eyed at the spirit in front of him
Slowly, Peter felt dizzy as the scene in front of his eyes swirled around…
His ears were buzzing as the surrounding sound became muffled as if Peter was submerged in water.
"Michael…Hahaha…Michael!"
Peter could hear people shouting into his ears.
He was in a daze and had trouble focusing on the shouting. It sounded like they were calling out his name, yet it sounded like someone else's name.
In the end, the repeated appearance of both the names Michael and Peter in his muddled mind became one and the same.
"Hahaha, you're such a loser, Peter! Come on, get up if you dare!"
"Yo~yo~ You're already sprawled on the ground like a pitiful dog after only 2 punches?"
"Hahaha…"
Peter could only hear endless ridicule thrown at him.
Suddenly, Peter felt something break in his heart and he was overcome with humiliation.
"Hey, don't…don't go overboard with your bullying!" yelled an out-of-breath Peter.
As he struggled to stand up, someone kicked him in the stomach.
It hurt…a lot!
Peter gasped for air.
"Hahaha… Is that all you got? Didn't you tell us to not go overboard?"
"Damn it, you've been pissing me off for a long time now. An effeminate piece of trash with a pretty face."
"Hey, pretty boy! Do you like it when your pretty face attracted all the girls in the class? Dam it, I can't stand perverts like you!"
The humiliation and anger within Peter's heart welled up.
The trip back home was a long one…
He could feel cold sweat coming out of his body with each painful step he took.
Peter did not know how long he had walked, but he almost collapse from the pain.
After finally reaching him, he mustered the last ounces of strength he had to tidy himself up and then he tried his best to act like nothing was wrong.
If his parents were to find out he had an altercation with his classmates, they would definitely just blame him for not getting along with them and causing trouble for the family.
Peter held onto the guardrails of the stairs leading to his house, each step harder than the previous one.
Finally arriving in front of his house, a woman greeted him, "What's going on with you, Michael?"
Peter was caught off guard before he realised he was reliving the life of the weakling spirit at that moment, and his name was Michael.
"It's nothing…" he whispered.
"My stomach hurts because I didn't eat anything."
The woman, his mother, did not probe any further. She turned around towards the kitchen while grumbling as usual.
During dinner time, the pain was getting unbearable for him.
His parents started arguing among themselves, and heated words were exchanged. Two specific lines pierced his heart.
"If it isn't for our child, do you think I'll continue living with you?!"
"I would have divorced you a long time ago if it isn't for our child's sake!"
Peter felt his heart shattered.
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