The playground was silent, almost dead. It was as if it was were a mere glimpse of life after extinction; hollow, empty, shattered. When all of a sudden a rush of teenagers charged out of the doors, all chatting away and enjoying what little time they had spare between classes. After a few minutes out came what seemed to be a hybrid between man and gorilla; well built, tall and he had hair growing everywhere; dark, thick, bushy hair. He simply went by the name of Marcus.

Charging out the doors he shouldered his way through crowds in order to get to the one child you would never think would even be noticed. His soft, gentle voice and baby face features combined with his spectacles which appeared to be made especially customised for him. All of these were mere hints at the innocence that was his life.

"Hey" yelled Marcus to the small child

"Y – Yes?" stuttered the young boy as if to be worried

"What you think you're doing standing in my spot?"

"B-but this isn't j-just your sp-spot"

The boy begun to panic as the gorilla-boy's face became more enraged

"What did you say?"

He started to attempt to slip away before Marcus did anything, but he failed to run fast enough. The final thing he saw before falling into unconsciousness was the giant, black-haired fist aiming between the young child's eyes. The crowd around them silenced as the boy fell to the ground and the gorilla walked away and out of school without a care in the world.

On his way home, however, he made his routinely stop in at the shop to buy himself a bar of chocolate and a packet of his regular cigarettes. When he opened the door to leave the shop, out of nowhere rushed this pig-masked being with a cloth drenched in chloroform. Before he could do anything he was in such a deep sleep he was still sleeping 24 hours later.

When he woke up he found himself in a dark dank room which he remembered to have resembled his old bedroom, although he knew it clearly wasn't. He knew this because his old room wasn't as empty and as hollow as this room, with next-to-nothing in it except for an old fashioned television set. He attempted to reach for the TV set but then realised that his arms were chained up to the wall behind him. He begun to feel a slight fiery sensation in his right hand. He attempted to see if anything else was behind him but failed to be able to because there was something at his back that he couldn't see but it prevented him from turning round.. Suddenly, the TV set turned itself on and what looked to Marcus like a puppet turned its head s if to look straight at Marcus and spoke to him.

"Hello Marcus. I want to play a game. You seem to enjoy the feeling of domination and to put the weaker beings in their places. Do you truly enjoy this Marcus? Does it make you feel, happy? I know it does"

Marcus watches in fear as he wonders who the puppet is and how he knows him like he does. He continues to watch the screen only to see a CCTV clip of himself beating 2 brothers around the age of 7 years old each for no apparent. The puppet spoke.

"How shameful of you, Marcus. Those children were not even half your age. It appears to me that you do enjoy domination just as you do your cigarettes. Well I'll tell you what then. You win my game, and I'll allow you to be free and smoke all you wish. However, I doubt you'll be capable of dominating others gain. I'll show you why"

Marcus watched in fear as the TV showed a device attached onto a dummies back. Whilst the picture was on screen the voice began once again

"You know what happens to cows that are disinfected or decontaminated before branding, do you not? Well let's just say for instance you are that animal."

It then showed a clip of his unconscious body lying face down on a surgeons table whilst being sprayed by a hooded figure with a certain substance.

"You currently have the same spray as animals get when decontaminating on your back. The device on your back is a simple brander set to a timer which begins as soon as you drop the cigarette that's both tied to and burning your hand at this moment in time"

Marcus attempted to bear the pain for as long as possible already.

"Once you drop the cigarette the timer to the brander begins. And so do the games. You will then have approximately 45 seconds to escape or else you will go out with a bang"

The television showed a clip of the dummy again who is attached to the device. This time at the end the brander plunged itself into the back of the dummy causing an almighty explosion and obliterating every cell that ever existed of that dummy. Marcus watched with his vision blurred as he begins to cry hysterically.

"Your only escape once the cigarette is dropped is to very simply unclip the machine from your back. However you might not need a hand doing that"

The set turned itself off and then, as if going insane to himself, Marcus frantically swung his body about trying to break free in a panicked rush of energy whilst baring all the pain he can from the ever burning cigarette; however he knew he couldn't drop it unless he wanted to die.

He panicked for another 3 minutes until his hand had lost so much feeling due to the deep black hole engraved in his palm that the cigarette drop and it was only then he saw the wire which linked it to the timer, but it was too late. He heard the timer slowly ticking away and his eyes opened wide in horror to hearing the noise. He struggled to think quickly until a voice echoed in his head "You might not need a hand doing that"

He knew what he must do.

He began to push his body as far forward as possibly, tearing every muscle, vein and joint in his arms in half. His face red raw with how much pain he is bearing as he wades himself further forward he eventually manages to pull himself far enough forward to hear and feel his own skin ripping around his shoulder. He marches on.

Further and further, bloodier and bloodier until his arms finally tear themselves off from his body, he was freed for now but the machine was still ticking on his back. He panicked as he heard the ticking speed up; he glanced around the room to find something to aid him until he found a conveniently placed hook, as if to be used for a coat hanger, bent sideways. He scattered up to it, leant sideways at it and heard a thunderous snap. That was one lock down. Overjoyed though he was, he then staggered his body to turn around for the other lock. Click!

The machine dropped to the ground and leapt back up at the brander plunged itself to the ground, harming nobody in the end.

White as chalk, the once fearsome gorilla-man was merely a shell. An armless shell who was too afraid to see a coal fire let alone a cigarette. After a few seconds he hears a high pitched squeaking noise until he can see a tricycle slowly rolling into the doorway. It was him.

"Congratulations Marcus. You have proved your worth to the world. Some people believe in domination simply for the purpose of hurting and damaging others, but you, you damaged yourself and removed your own arms to prove your worth and that you deserve life. Therefore you shall have it"

A moment later, paramedics, forensics, police officers and firemen all ran to the rescue of Marcus. He made it to the hospital and no more, although his life was never the same again.