{Long Chapter}

 

“My mom died that day; I watched her die without being able to understand why she needed to die. I couldn’t even help her live; I was powerless. I always felt guilty about what happened to Lee and about what happened to my mom. I thought that if maybe I was just a little bit wiser, then things would’ve been different and both of them would perhaps be alive now. Even now my guilt remains …. “

“It’s quite obvious how I became an Orphan, I mean a kid with no family or friends. Naturally, the government assigned me to an orphanage just close to my school and after I finished high school I left and the rest Is history…”

Lennox was speechless but surprisingly enough he did not react to the death of her friend or the supernatural death of her mother. He remained quiet for a few moments and asked,” Did... you... hide... the... fact... that.... your... mother... died...?”

“Well people were going to ask about her whereabouts so I told most people who asked that she left the country… “, Lauren said

“Wait…, did... the... police... and... government... just... accept... that...?”, Lennox asked in a bewildered tone.

“What do you expect? It’s a 3rd world Country. Cases of parents abandoning their children isn’t anything new, funny enough it’s the norm”, Lauren shrugged indifferently.

“I... see...”, Lennox sighed heavily.

“So, what about you?”, Lauren asked.

“Me..., huh...?”, he shut his eyes and memories began to rush through his mind.

“Yeah……, people who wish to take their own lives usually are people who feel they have no purpose or have lost everything. There is more to it but these are usually the cases.”. she said with a touch of melancholy in her voice.

“So.... even.... after... everything.... you’ve... been.... through.... you.... never... had.... that.... feeling....?”, Lennox asked.

“Hey!! Were you even listening to my story? It’s obvious I felt that way I wanted to do it multiple times but I realized that My mom and Lee wouldn’t have wanted me to die just like that. They would’ve wanted me to live as happily as possible and enjoy what this world has to offer. Their feelings were enough for me to continue living and for that I’m eternally grateful to them.” Lauren’s lips arced slightly as she closed her one eye momentarily.

“I see….”, Lennox said

“So, what happened to you? To end up in such a state I know what you've been through couldn’t have been normal.”

“It... goes... like... this..”

A few years ago...... 

Before my disfigured speech and more troubling days, writing was a way for me to escape this hell that has always occupied the depths of my soul. The days I sat on my chair gazing at my computer typing out word for word formulating sentence to sentence creating paragraph to paragraph expressing my emotions I never would to the world then again nobody was there for me to express these emotions. Subconsciously, I knew that my actions were simply a way for me to contend with my situation. That situation …, well I knew that the moment my gaze diverted from my computer I would be reminded of the hell I lived in. The world of my imaginative plane was paradoxical to the reality I took residence.

Europe was my birthplace, Ireland my home, considered by 1st world countries as a paradise simply because of the opportunities that are hidden within. Most can’t even comprehend that wherever lies good there will always be a shroud of evil lurking in the shadows awaiting to remove this good. A place that breathes success and triumphs most is perhaps where more unscrupulous means have been employed. Those who portray themselves as saints or ‘holy than thou’ are the evilest of creatures. That I knew but even then, I concluded it all with a face of indifference. Reason? I had a father who remained inconspicuous throughout my life and a mother far yet close but unable to connect the hearts of each other, then to perish due to multitudes of diseases. An orphanage was my destiny and to become pitied was my fate. I resented that feeling to the very core of my being but I had to bury that feeling to continue living, to continue surviving, to move onwards with the belief that I could be more in this world.

  Lennox reminisced about his past and made his deepest thoughts bare as he lay in the arctic snow. His body was stained with striking scarlet blood from head to toe. Bruises, cuts, scrapes, and swollen appendages projected a grotesque image of red, blue, and black of his stationary body. All feeling below his waist was rendered mute and the sound whispers of the wind in the blizzard echoed unceasingly to accompany him to his death.

“Turn your head Lennox “, a voice told him and thus he laid witness to the blackened skies reminiscent of an abysmal black hole through which all fades into oblivion. 

The spherical celestial rocky object that occupies the blackness remained independent of all that is mundane, shining a light with such luminosity that only it alone could be identified as the advent of little goodness in this world yet a blue-black coldness that sent shivers down his spine woke him to the reality that the little good he seeks cannot be found no matter how he would look. This was how he was going to die, he knew it, he felt it. 

His eyelids grew heavy, his vision mosaicist and his heart beating ever so slowly. Darkness seeped in and there and then, he knew he was gone…….

 Who caused all this to happen to me you ask? He wouldn't have been able to explain it even if he tried.

A cloud of heaven, was it? Such a feeling, so comfy, so warm. Those were his initial thoughts after the blackout, perhaps he was in heaven, he thought. He crunched in more of his body to feel more of this warmth. Such a euphoric feeling was something he spontaneously grew addicted to.

 A pity that these feelings left just as fast as they came and he could only sigh in regret. He woke up in pain and tears fell from his eyes making everything blurry so he couldn’t confirm where he was. 

He panicked and quickly wiped the tears away to gain clarity and what came into view was plain whiteness. It seemed he was tailored in a completely white garment and the blanket that covered his legs was embroidered with polka dots which contrasted with the robe. He could hear a constant beeping sound and he turned his attention to it and saw a heartbeat monitor, with corresponding mechanisms that monitored his vitals and blood. It was a hospital. But how? Who in this god-forsaken world could’ve helped him knowing about the consequences that may follow if he lived?

He thought deeply about this but my thoughts were interrupted by a feminine voice.

“So, you are awake”, It was a soft, melodious voice having the bearing of a fresh breath of spring that swept the cold winters away. Attired in a plain slim black dress exhibited her long unblemished legs, fair breasts, and slight curvaceous figure that was accompanied by a white overcoat that contrasted with the black dress harmonizing both conflicting colors to dawn a gratifying picture that engraved itself in the hearts of young men. Her long brown hair was fastened into a single ponytail that flowed down her neck and an African skin that glimmered with beauty accentuated by her blue irises that screamed intellect. I immediately could see that she was a reclusive beauty indeed. She wore flat sports shoes meant to help with mobility and simple convenience as she was a doctor who moved around a lot.

She looked at me with concern evident in her eyes. 

Lennox looked at her with near indifference but the concern in her eyes slightly moved his heart.

“Yes ……. I am”, He responded unknown to the coldness in the tone of his voice.

“You suffered from frostbite on your fingers, deep cuts and bruises on your whole body, head trauma and well you survived it all. It’s quite a miracle that none of your limbs needed to be amputated or that you succumbed to brain damage. Best of all none of your wounds even suffered infection, I guess you can thank the cold for that. You’ll just need to remain here for a few weeks though just to go through some MRI scans. “, she said quite enthusiastically.

“Uh yah……”, He responded.

She walked towards me and brought herself to settle on the boundary of the bed and began to speak.

“I have heard of many children like you, abandoned, thrown to the gutters, and left to rot for the rest of your lives. Cruel as it is and even more sorrowful for people like me who hear about it almost every day of the week. I can’t imagine what your children go through but I only want to say one thing to you….

Don’t lose hope”, she said with a bright smile and his body trembled. Lennox's surroundings grew hazier, he didn’t even know why he began shedding tears, maybe it was the sincerity in her voice or the belief her voice held when she said that but he was truly grateful that someone cared for his wellbeing and thus he closed his eyes remaining half awake.

She watched him go to “sleep” with an exhaustive sigh and eventually stood up and left the room as the door silently closed behind her.  

Soon later, Lennox could smell subtle hints of tobacco that bombarded his nostrils and brought him awake with rough coughs due to its repulsive nature.

Why wasn’t she smoking outside but near my damn room? FUCK!!!!, Lennox internally screamed.

He struggled out of bed and motioned his body to open the window just located to the right of the bed then suddenly he heard a more masculine voice outside his door and decided to remain quiet. 

Lennox eavesdropped as it's always worth listening to other people talk, after all some interesting stuff is always said during these times.

“I thought you said you only smoke once per week. This is your second”, a male voice echoed in a playful voice, registering in her ears.

“Early shift?”, she responded as the obnoxious odor of tobacco lingered in the air.

“Hehe, yeah”, he chuckled then stood beside her. He leaned on the wall adjacent to her so that their eyes met.

A moment of silence ensued between the two individuals.

“Seeing as you gave half the story to the kid I assume it's the same case?”, he responded as he lowered his voice.

“Yeah”, she responded swiftly.

“And what will do about it?”

“I don’t know this time.”, she sighed.

“Then just do what you always have done. Ignore it.”, he said with a resolute expression.

“You should know this is the 5th one. I can't just do nothing. This time I have to do something.”, she said seemingly expressing a tinge of sadness and guilt.

“You aren’t obligated to help anyone, Chelsea.”, he said stoically.

“I watched the other 5 die when I could’ve helped. I could've helped but I didn’t have the courage to do what was right and selfishly left them to die for my survival.”

“So what?! Is it wrong to self-prioritize your own life than the lives of others? Since when was protecting yourself so wrong?”, annoyance and anger were evident in his voice.

“That’s not the point. The point is that I could’ve helped them … I could’ve helped them survive and give them hope instead of letting them die in despair and agony. “, Chelsea’s sadness grew heavier.

“Chelsea. You are human. You are no god. You did what felt was necessary for you to continue to live.”

“Maybe….”, she whispered under her breath.

“What now?”, Jon asked.

“I'll do what I need to do.”, Chelsea responded in a decisive and firm tone.

Lennox listened attentively and pondered on what they said. Half the story? What did they mean by 5th one? Were there others just like him? They died because of her? She'll do what she ought to do? 

Sigh… Whatever… No use me thinking over such useless things anyways, thought Lennox. 

 He didn’t notice but it was already night time and the moonlight subtly crept into the room so he decided to walk closer to the window and take a look at the moon that governed the skies. His first impression was the sense of tranquility that rushed over him, it was difficult to describe this feeling of peace simply because it was his first time feeling free and had no sense of crisis on my shoulders.

“You're awake.”, that same melodious voice echoed in the room. Chelsea walked in.

“Yeah…., I just woke up”, he responded in a nonchalant tone and continued gazing at the moon.

“Hungry?”,

“Yeah……”

She walked in and sat on a chair close to the bed which made Lennox turn to her as he noticed a container in her hands which he stared at intently. His hunger brought him to sit on the bed and continue his piercing gaze on the container.

Chelsea opened the container releasing a heavenly aroma that filled his nostrils inadvertently causing him to drool. He immediately recognized this presence of aroma that warmed the soul, yes, it was SOUL FOOD. 

Being on the brink of death and then waking up to some good food is something worthy of appreciating.

She chuckled noticing my childish antics and thereafter handed me the container.

“Thank you.”, He accepted it and opened the container wolfing it down in silence.

“I never asked you this but how did you end up in this state?”, she asked in a monotone voice.

Lennox paused and looked at her with a contemplating expression.

“Well you wouldn’t believe me even if I told you”, he said.

“ Why do you say that?”

“I know. Trust me, before I got all jacked up I explained my situation to another dude, and surprise, surprise he called me crazy and almost threw me in a psychiatric prison”, He chuckled. Memories.

“…”, Chelsea remained silent for a moment then sighed softly.

“Actually, I would because you aren’t the first to suffer from this, actually you are the 5th person I've seen”,

Lennox laughed hysterically. He didn’t know why he did but he just did. Maybe he wanted someone to believe in his story but that was a ridiculous notion considering the story itself is ridiculous yet true.

“Is that so? So that little talk you had outside with your boyfriend is true, huh?”, he calmed down and resumed his feast.

Chelsea sighed once again not entertaining his provocation. She understood that nobody would believe his story because what was happening to him could not be explained with mere logic and science. It's far beyond that.

“The thing that caused this … It’s an entity that doesn’t belong to this world. It belongs to [The Other Side].”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”, he questioned in visible confusion.

“Since you eavesdropped on me then I just want to tell you that everything you heard is true. What you were attacked by cannot be described with conventional thinking or human comprehension. It is beyond science or logic so looking at that trajectory is wrong. It is also the thing that killed those 5 people.”, she said awaiting his reaction.

He remained silent and surprisingly was calm about it. I mean hearing that 5 people have died because of some otherworldly phenomenon or creature should at least invoke fear but he was just calm and silent. 

Maybe it's because he just came from the brink of death or it seemed so crazy that he couldn’t believe it or maybe he knew but accepted his fate.

“You have seen that ‘thing’ haven’t you?”, Chelsea stated.

He could feel his heart pounding faster after her words.

“It must've been terrifying for a person of your age to see such a thing and be at its mercy”, Chelsea said in an apologetic tone, one of sympathy.

Those memories came back to him in images. He could vividly remember that ‘thing’ chasing him in the ice-cold weather. He remembered it using its grotesque and terrifying appendages to beat his body over and over again whilst its piercing greenish gaze glowed menacingly as it drove him into a corner of despair while he wallowed in agony and heartwrenching pain. It was so painful that he couldn’t breathe properly, the terror rendered him unable to move. He was left in shock as that ‘thing’ beat him over and over again. The feeling of death was never more real than now and it was something he couldn’t avoid...

He hoped someone to save him in that moment albeit his faith was shallow in such a miracle that could only be hoped.

And just as the darkness crept closer, everything suddenly stopped. By then Lennox couldn’t feel anything in his body since it grew numb moreover the concept of time was illusory to him as the pain continuously bombarded his psyche. He felt that ‘thing’ must have 

stopped if he was still breathing but why? There was no answer.

He began to reminisce even deeper into the past remembering how society would always mock him for his unappealing appearance, and the constant bullying because of his lower-class livelihood. Being treated as air and an existence is not worth living. He grew to detest Humanity, he questioned why such beings were even created. To be able to inflict soo much evil unto another of the same species.. he couldn’t fathom why but it didn’t matter considering the Grim Reaper was right up his ass.

 He didn't even know why he made such a joke.....

Although in a moment he thought he heard a voice, it was so faint, like a whisper from an enchanting fairy,

“Turn your head, Lennox”. I instinctively turned my body to the voice despite the pain so I lay flat with my face towards the sky.

His battered eyes could only glimpse at the glowing spherical object that occupied the darkness bestowing what little bit of luminosity. It was beautiful, it gave off a feeling of serenity and it was a feeling he truly wished to claim for himself but never could. He was grateful at the very least for being able to die witnessing such a scene, at least it wasn’t too bad dying seeing something so beautiful.

“Must’ve been tough, huh?”, she lightly smiled and rubbed my head with her right hand as her left held my hand.

Lennox woke up from his memories with her touch and it was evident that his hands were shaking and shivered unceasingly under her hands.

“Thank You”, he said sincerely, surprised by the softness of his voice.

“That thing won't stop coming after you”, she said in seriousness.

“ Yeah. It seems I'm destined to die”, he said, hopeless.

“Do you remember what I said when you eavesdropped on me”, she began to smile.

He recalled the conversation she had with that man and she said something at the end where she’ll do something.

“You said something about doing something..”

“Yeah, but first there are some things I need to tell you”.

 

Author Note: Quite a long chapter ... thanks for reading though and please feel free to voice your opinions. Happy reading!!!!