Linked by Death: The Shield's Curse

​"Hey, fat boy! Hurry up and clean that row, you are blocking the path!"

​The harsh voice cut through the quiet store. A group of teenagers walked past, laughing loudly as one of them deliberately kicked the plastic bucket, splashing dirty soapy water all over the floor he had just finished cleaning.

​He did not reply. He just gripped the wooden handle of his mop tightly, his knuckles turning white.

He swallowed the bitter taste in his mouth and looked down at his shoes. He was a large young man, his uniform shirt pulling tightly against his stomach, and he was completely used to this.

​

When he was in school, the kids threw his backpack into the trash and called him cruel names. Now that he was an adult, nothing had changed.

The world still looked at him like he was garbage under their boots. He spent twelve hours a day in this store, working a thankless job just to buy cheap food and pay for a tiny room. Nobody ever called his phone.

Nobody asked how he was doing. He was completely alone.

​The clock on the wall showed it was past midnight. Inside the store, the bright white lights made everything look washed out.

The constant, low hum of the large drink coolers filled the silence, giving him a bad headache.

​The rowdy teenagers walked up to the front counter, dumping bags of chips and bottles of soda.

He walked behind the register, wiping his sweaty hands on his pants.

​"Good evening," he said, forcing a polite tone. "Did you find everything okay?"

​The main guy did not look up from his phone. "Yeah. Just ring it up fast."

​He slid the items across the red laser light. The machine made a sharp beep with every scan.

"That will be twelve dollars and fifty cents."

​The guy tossed a twenty-dollar bill on the counter instead of handing it to him.

He picked up the cash, dropped the change into the guy’s open palm, and placed the items into a bag.

​"Have a good night," he said.

​The group took the bag without a word and walked out, the bell above the door chiming behind them.

The store became dead silent again. He leaned against the counter, closing his eyes for just a moment.

His feet felt like fire. He wondered if anyone would even notice if he just disappeared from the world.

​

A few minutes later, an older man walked in. He was a regular customer who lived down the street, and he always looked sad.

He picked up a loaf of bread and a carton of milk, then walked slowly to the counter.

​"Working late again?" the older man asked, his voice low and gentle.

​He forced a small, weak smile. "Yes, sir. Someone has to keep the lights on."

​The man looked at his tired eyes and sighed. "You work too hard, son. You look like you are about to fall over."

​"I am fine. Just a long week," he said, bagging the bread carefully. "That is four dollars, please."

​The man handed him the change. "Take care of yourself.

Life is too short to spend all of it in a place like this."

​"I will try. Thank you," he said.

​He watched the older man walk out into the dark night. Those few kind words felt strange, like a warm blanket.

​He walked back to his mop bucket to fix the mess the teenagers had made. He pushed the mop back and forth, listening to the quiet hum of the building.

​Suddenly, a loud, terrible screeching noise broke the silence from the street outside. He stopped moving and looked out the front windows.

Two bright, blinding yellow lights were heading straight toward the store. They were moving incredibly fast, it was a massive delivery truck, and it was completely out of control.

​His brain told him to run, to jump out of the way, to move his legs. But his large body felt heavy. He was too shocked, too exhausted to move a single inch.

​The world seemed to slow down to a crawl. He saw the driver inside the truck cabin, his hands gripping the steering wheel in total panic, his mouth open in a wild scream.

The giant front of the truck grew larger and larger in his vision.

​There was a deafening sound of shattering glass.

The front of the store exploded inward. ​The giant truck slammed directly into him.

​The pain was sudden and absolute. It felt like his entire body was being crushed into nothing.

He was thrown backward through the air, crashing hard into the shelves behind him.

​He lay on his back in the middle of the ruined store.

He could not feel his legs. He could barely breathe. Every small breath he took tasted like dust and blood.

The bright white lights above were flickering wildly, turning the room dim and dark.

He could hear people shouting out on the street.

Someone was yelling for help, their voice sounding far away, as if they were underwater.

​He closed his eyes.

The pain began to fade away, replaced by a deep numbness. He realized he was dying. His heart was slowing down, taking one weak beat at a time.

​As the darkness completely closed in around him, he did not feel any fear. He did not feel sad about leaving his life behind.

Instead, a wave of pure relief washed over his mind. The endless exhaustion was finally gone.

The loneliness was over. Nobody could bully him or ignore him anymore. He was finally free from his miserable existence.

​His chest stopped moving, and his heart gave one last, quiet thud before stopping completely in the rubble.

He expected everything to just go black forever.

He expected to sleep and feel nothing at all.

​Instead, a bright, flashing red light snapped open right in front of his face, floating in the dark.

A strange ringing sound echoed inside his head.

​He tried to breathe, but he had no lungs. He tried to move his hands, but he could not feel his arms.

He was just a floating mind in a dark void. Panic suddenly gripped him as he realized he couldn't feel his own chest or feet.

​"What... what is happening?" he tried to speak, but no sound came from his mouth.

"Where am I? Am I not dead?"

​A strange screen suddenly spelled out glowing words right before his eyes:

​[CHOSEN HOST CONFIRMED. TRANSFERRING SOUL TO NEW WORLD NOW.]

​"Wait! No! Let me rest!" he tried to shout, his mind spinning in terror. "I don't want to go anywhere! Just let me sleep!"

​Before he could get another thought out, an invisible force grabbed his soul and yanked him downward.

The peaceful darkness vanished, replaced by an endless, swirling empty space.

He felt himself falling through the vacuum at a terrifying speed, the wind roaring in his non-existent ears.

​"Ahhh! Help me! Stop!" he screamed into the emptiness as the red light swallowed him whole, dragging him down into the unknown.