Scum 1 (Patreon)

Scum

Chapter 1

-VB-

"I mean, it's not a bad build," I told Michael.

Michael shrugged. "I just went with what's familiar," he replied as he took a bite out of steamed chicken I made for us. "Damn, I really need to get your recipe for this."

I snorted as I set the paper aside. "Why would you send me the Harry Potter verse with a bunch of outside context magic?" I asked, bringing his attention back to the CYOA template he filled out.

"Just cause. It'll be hilarious, you know?" he replied.

I snorted. "Yeah, I could see that happening. Oh, they would also freak out like crazy. Good thing this is just a nerd make believe game, huh?" I chuckled as I picked up my fork -.

-when the paper started glowing.

Both of us stared at it.

"You jinxed it," Michael choked out as he stared at the paper as it slowly rose up.

I tried to grab Mochael and run for it but the paper burst into action and flew towards me.

"Oh fuck!" I screamed as I rolled away but it followed, and just as I got back up from the table, it slapped at my chest and sunk in.

And then I realized that I was slightly see through and growing clearer by the second.

I looked at my chest and then up to Michael.

"... dude, what was the worst thing you picked?" I hurriedly asked him. I only looked at the powers and the setting, so I didn't know what he chose.

Michael gaped like a goldfish for a moment before he snapped out of it.

"B-Bad day! Also you're gonna be a kid! Umm umm, holy shit this is happening, umm, I didn't kill the Entity. Oh fuck, I can't remember any more!" By the end of it, he was sobbing and I was almost gone. "Fuck, man, what do I do?!"

"If I don't come back in a week, then find a small black notebook - actual paper notebook. It has all my passwords. That's my will if I don't come back. You have it all!" I hurriedly replied as I realized that I really might not come back.

"I'm so sorry, bro!"

"If you're actually sorry, then go fuck off and get a girlfriend or something and live your life!" I laughed at the incredulity of it all. I guessed that it didn't completely sink in. My vision grew hazy and everything was growing transparent. "Love you, Mike! Tell my parents and brother I said I loved them!"

"I will! I will!"

And I was gone from my Earth.

And woke up to …

-VB-

I blinked as harsh sunlight blinded me for a second. I blinked again and realized that I felt restraint.

A look down at my chest showed me why that was.

I was restrained. With ropes, too! I was also a tiny kid.

I looked back up and saw myself inside a church, and there was a pair of gunmen in front of me… as well as other hostages on either side of me.

Oh shit.

"Fucking pieces of shirs!" one of the two gunmen snarled at us while pointing a pump action shotgun.

I panicked for a second before realizing that I already had access to almost all of my powers.

Could I… win this?

I let out a shuddering breath and looked back u-.

Bang!

Someone screamed as a thud rang out in the church hall.

"-eserve to die!"

Okay, I was going to die if I didn't do something. The only powers I had available immediately was Warcraft magic spells that did not require long casting time or reagents.

Under my breath, I spoke my first spell while staring at the gunman who just killed someone.

"Shadow Word: Pain."

I glanced without moving to see the second, now shocked, gunman. "Curse of Pain." He screamed as the curse set in and made his life a living hell. Just to make sure, I added Shadow Word: Pain on him just as its cooldown ended before turning to the first and still writhing gunman and then casting Curse of Agony on him, too.

They both dropped their guns, and I used this chance to use Dispel on myself. The rope fell apart, and I quickly crawled down and grabbed the shotgun dropped by the closer second gunman.

Some of the other hostages started screaming but it was too late. I lifted the heavy gun towards the second gunman who now saw me.

I pulled the trigger.

His head snapped back with a hole just as I got my face struck with the recoiling shotgun's barrel.

"Ow!" I hissed before realizing that the first gunman was still alive. Struggling despite the adrenaline, I grabbed the gun again and aimed it at the remaining gunman. He saw what I was about to do and jumped for his gun despite the pain he must be in.

But I was too close to miss.

I pulled the trigger again, and his neck turned into a raw hamburger patty. He gurgled and choked before keeling over. Blood pooled under him as he struggled, and then he stilled.

I gasped and panted as I realized that it was over … and that I had just killed two people.

My vision swam as I dropped the gun. I ended up backpedaling and felt someone rush down the raised dais and used their laps to catch me.

"It's alright, it's alright," the person repeated as my eyes began to close as adrenaline ran out.

As I fell asleep from shock, I realized that the first hour in my new second life saw more excitement than all twenty-three years of my old first life.

-VB-

When I woke up again, I found myself staring up at an unfamiliar white ceiling.

Slowly, I rolled my head around to the right where sunlight was shining through, and I saw a rising sun.

"Oh!"

I blinked and turned my head to the opposite side.

I saw a nurse. "You're awake!" he smiled down at me. "I'm glad you are! You had the entire city worried."

And the. I realized that this was the hospital and that I had been pulled here after I killed two men and fainted(?).

"... why would they be worried about a killer kid?" I asked hoarsely. I grimaced a little in pain. “By the way, are my parents okay?” My memories of this kid’s body showed me that my parents were at the church as well, though I didn’t remember seeing them among the hostages…

The nurse too grimaced but probably for different reason.

“What?” I asked as my stomach dropped in fear.

-VB-

With tired, half-lidded eyes I stared at the two sheets covering two bodies in the hospital’s morgue.

“Hi, mom. Hi, dad.”

I … couldn’t believe it.

“I’m apparently a hero of the city,” I narrated for them to hear. “You raised a hero who saved a bunch of people. I hope you two are proud.”

Of course, corpses didn’t reply to people.

… Or could they?

I was very tempted to raise them back from the dead with Azerothian Necromancy that churned itself within me. My magic reacted to my emotions and memories and saw that I was very close to using it, so it was preparing itself.

But I wouldn’t.

I didn’t want to desecrate mom and dad like that. That… what I wanted wasn’t what they wanted. They died. That was it for them.

I tried to keep my chin from trembling as I held back tears while grabbing my mom’s cold hand.

I couldn’t help the sob that came out.

“Mama…! Mama…!”

I cried alone in that morgue, holding my dead mom’s hand.