Something snapped inside of Charles the day that Daniel and his gang were pushing him around sector 14 of district 1. If you asked Charles, he would tell you that he wouldn’t know. But he the first thing that he would tell you is that on one particular day, they were especially vicious to him - forcing him to his knees and telling him to apologize to them but not specifying for what, slapping his head around as if he were a bobble head, spitting on him when he didn’t answer. Daniel and his gang had gotten in trouble for filming another student and edited the footage into a deepfake of them masturbating. They claimed Charles a key player in their misfortune, being the person who witnessed the bullying and informing staff about their activity. After all, why wouldn’t it be Charles? They had picked on him throughout all of their upper division education and thought that he had so much to gain from them getting into trouble. 

	They had laughed as they chased after him in the crowded streets. Charles felt like a buffalo being chased by a pack of lions, weaving past people who would give him way. Their laughter seemed to be amplified louder than the loud conversations, footsteps, car engines, and leafleters in the streets. He looked for a place to run to where someone might help him or he might be able to get away. Department stores were too big and there were too many in Daniel’s gang for him to hide. They weren’t allowed in convenience stores since they were under the drinking age. Besides, they were too small and he was usually dragged out of them anyway. Bars and taverns and pubs usually just wanted the kids to leave, wanting to maintain the peace and order of their establishment more than anything. It wasn’t a great option, but he had gotten away once when he had run down an alley and pushed over garbage and disposed of furniture behind him. So, he turned into one and violently swung down at black sacks of trash. The pursuit continued, now with fake pleads for them to just talk as well as the bullies’ laughter growing.

	Charles pulled down at a discarded couch, which slowed them down. But, eventually, he was grabbed before he could make his way back to the crowd and try to hide.