​Warning: there is body horror in this!

I woke up on the hard, cold floor, unaware of my surroundings at first. I can hear the clash of weapons and bodies being hit in the other room. Where am I? I thought as I pushed myself up from the floor. The room where I was sleeping looked like an unused training room, but it had no equipment or furniture. There is only a single mirror in the room.

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My head feels heavy, like something is on my head. I reach with my hands to feel what it is, and it’s a mask. I try to pull it off, but it doesn’t budge. I try a little hard this time trying to get it off, but still nothing. It's like someone glued or sewed it to my face. I walk over to the mirror to get a better look at it. My movement is slow, and I feel like I have been hit by a bus. There were a few times when I almost fell, but I was able to catch myself. I finally reach the mirror, gripping it to steady myself. I looked up slowly to look at myself. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, other than the mask being on me. I finally looked at the mask, and to my horror, I was right. Someone has sewn this thing on my face. It was a wolf mask, with a few markings I haven’t seen in years. Years that I would like to forget.

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I take a better look at the room I’m in. My mind raced with thoughts. How did they find me? Please, tell me I'm not back here? My heart beats faster, my breath comes out shorter. I can feel the hold room spin, I fall to my knees, holding myself. “This isn’t real, this isn’t real, this isn’t real,” I said, rocking back and forth. “I can’t be back, I refuse to be back,” I said through my tears, and I brought my hands up to my mask. I pull it off as hard as I can, and feel it start to peel off with my skin. I can feel my face ripping away from my skull, the blood trickling down my fingers and neck. My eyelids separated from my eyes as I pulled the mask halfway down.

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I’m able to peel the mask off with losing half of my face. I throw the mask to the side and let out a laugh. It was mixed with pain and illusion with my action, the sound echoing off the walls. I sit there, on the cold floor, looking like a crazy person, with the mask sitting across from me. All I could think was, I'm not going back, I'm not letting them use me again.

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I woke up in a cold sweat. My heart is beating out of my chest. I look around my surroundings and find myself in my room. It was all a dream, I thought. I grip the sheets, trying to ground myself, as I take a few deep breaths. I closed my eyes and let out a chuckle, “Of course it was a dream,” I said, shaking my head in amusement. I look over to my nightstand to see my old mask. My mask from a past that I would like to forget.