War of Judgement

Volume 1 - Survivor

Chapter III - False Hope

They had been at Noah's Home for Foundlings for a few months and Alex had seemingly settled in well with his new surroundings. He had nightmares about the incident still to this day of course, but he had made friends amongst the other children here.

Even though he was still affected by what happened, he seemed to be able to move on.

The same could not be said for himself though.

Darius was an outcast, the only ones he interacted with were his brother and the orphanage owner, Dr Noah. Yet when it came to Noah, it was often time spent going through medical checkups and therapy sessions. They were uncomfortable and in some cases painful, both physically and emotionally.

He hated them.

Hated them even more when it was Alex who was called for them.

Rubbing his arm where the most recent set of needles had been injected, a dull ache that throbbed at the slightest movement making the action particularly uncomfortable. 'At least Alex will be getting better.'  The fact that these were helping them, making them healthier and able to move on from the deaths of their parents was the only reason Darius was able to endure them.

But he did not like them in the slightest and always dreaded what was to come whenever Dr Noah arrived. He knew Alex was the same way and so, often he pushed to join his brother though like always, they were refused.

However, in some ways, he was happy that Alex didn't need as many medical checkups in part due to not having suffered as many serious injuries as he had. The therapy was bad enough, but the medical checkups were often extremely painful the after-effects lasting for days if not weeks in some cases. Knowing Alex did not have to go through that nearly as much as him was certainly comforting.

Sitting down on the windowsill, Darius watched Alex run around the playground with a few of the other orphans, seemingly able to enjoy the wintery season as snow fell down around them. There was something about seeing his younger brother laughing, a rare occurrence recently that allowed him to relax slightly as he leaned his head against the window.

He was exhausted and his body felt weak, his skin pale and clammy from the most recent medical check so he could not go out and play despite his brother's insistence. Yet even if that was not the case, Darius doubted he'd be able to laugh as freely as his brother could.

His mind was constantly filled with images of that day and more importantly the ship.

Darius wanted revenge and that thought constantly came to him.

Yet more importantly, Darius wanted to protect his brother, the only family he had left. To do that, he needed to be stronger so that nothing could ever break apart his family once more.

So for now, he would wait.

Endure the pain of his medical checkups and then, when he was ready he would commit himself to getting stronger.

-X-

"Hello, Darius." The redheaded worker greeted warmly, a kind woman who was a favourite amongst the children for her caring and gentle demeanour. "Would you like to join us for a walk?"

Alex was amongst the number of children who loved her, bouncing happily at her side. "Yeah, come on Darius, let's go."

Though Darius was the exception to that, he didn't like her nor did he like any of the workers here at Noah's Home for Foundlings. There was something off about them all and despite Rachel seemingly being the exception, he kept his distance.

He didn't know what to think of Rachel who stood before him, smiling warmly and welcomingly. However, it was a smile that soon faded when her eyes looked at the man approaching Darius from behind, a large hand resting upon his shoulders.

"I'm afraid, Miss Jennings that Darius needs to come for another checkup." Darius looked up to Noah who smiled charmingly towards Rachel who frowned back in return. "Come along now, Darius."

Feeling the grip on his shoulder tighten as he was guided away, Darius said nothing nor did he resist.

-X-

"Hello, Darius." Rachel greeted again as she entered Scott's room where he was sitting reading a book. "Are you feeling better today?"

Darius nodded his head. "I am, Miss Jennings."

"That's good." She smiled, moving toward the window and looking out onto the summery day. "It's a lovely day, Darius. You shouldn't be holed up inside all day. Would you like to come for a walk with me? You weren't able to join the other children on the last trip."

Darius looked at her, seeing the smile on her face.

She seemed to mean well, but like always, he was not able to bring himself to trust that smile on her lips. He felt uncomfortable around people like her, they helped and didn't seem to want anything in return, something he had learned quickly that none of the other works did.

"I'm sorry, Miss Jennings, but I have a therapy session soon."

Rachel smiled sadly. "Well, maybe next time?"

-X-

"Have you lost something, Darius?" Rachel asked, coming up to Scott in the library as he looked along the bookshelf.

Darius hesitated for a moment. "I can't seem to find the sequel to this book." He presented the book in his hands, the Lord of the Rings, Rachel looked over it and then turned to the bookshelf, frowning when she realised it was nowhere to be seen.

"Hmm, that's strange. I have seen the Two Towers here before." She murmured. "I'll have a look and see if it has been logged out by one of the other children."

"No, it's okay." Darius shook his head quickly. "I'll just read something else."

-X-

Christmas was rolling around again though Darius did not care much for it like the rest of the children around him did. The festivities in the orphanage were as always, grand and loud but the gifts and atmosphere were lacklustre.

Children screamed in happiness, running around outside and playing in the snow having snowball fights and building snowmen. The workers often so tired and exhausted had a rare moment of levity and joy as they joined the children in their celebrations.

Darius just watched it all from his window.

He wanted to leave the orphanage and he was certain he could at this time.

But from watching his brother outside, Darius knew that he would never want to leave. Alex had made friends here, both amongst the children and amongst the workers, he also had families that were looking into adopting him, only opting out when they learned he had an older brother.

So, Darius was forced to stay here for even longer, enduring the endless medical checkups and therapy sessions that Dr Noah subjected him to. He just hoped that someday, something would change and make things better.

A knock at the door broke him from his thoughts, it opening to reveal Rachel Jennings who had a present in her hands and a smile on her face. "Merry Christmas, Darius."

"I already received my presents," Darius told her bluntly, looking toward the gift she was presenting to him.

Rachel smiled. "I know, but this is from me personally so don't reveal it to the other children. We don't want them thinking I'm playing favourites." She nudged it toward him, Darius hesitantly taking the present and tearing off the wrapping paper.

It revealed a book, the Two Towers.

Darius didn't know how to react and Rachel smiled sadly at the sight, getting to her feet to leave him alone, only to pause as his quiet voice reached her. "Can we go on a walk next time?"

She didn't hesitate. "Of course."

-X-

"Hello, Mr Patterson." Rachel greeted, Darius standing behind her as she moved to the man removing his helmet after having just turned the engine of his bike off. "Thank you for agreeing to all this. It means a great deal to me."

"Please Miss Jennings, call me Richard." He waved it off with a smile before looking toward Darius. "Hey there, you must be Darius? I'm Richard Patterson, I heard you like bikes. Fancy going on a ride with me?"

Darius looked toward Rachel and then toward Richard, not overly sure what he should be feeling as he looked upon the kind man waiting for his answer. There was a pit in his stomach, he felt sick as he looked upon the smile and the bike behind him.

His father had been an avid motorcyclist.

Both he and Alex had both driven around with his father on many occasions and both had enjoyed it immensely. Yet it was those very same memories that halted him from saying what he really wanted to say.

"It's okay, Darius," Rachel told him gently, gently pushing him toward Richard. "Go have fun."

-X-

He remembered it now. 

That feeling of riding around in the open as he looked out on the world that rushed past him. Everything around him blurred away till he could only focus on a single point directly in front of him, unable to make out what was going on around him. 

That feeling he felt on the back of his father's motorbike the familiar thrum of the engine against his body reminding him of the memories he once held. The happiness, the joy, the love, all those memories and emotions struck him all at once. 

A feeling he had forgotten when trapped within the concrete walls and iron gates of Noah's Home for Foundlings. 

As Darius sat upon the back of the motorbike, the helmet keeping his face hidden, the emotions within him bubbled up. For the first time, he felt safe and secure enough to let his walls down and let them out. 

-X-

"Did you enjoy that?" Rachel asked, the two had sat in silence for much of the journey back from the cafe in which the trio had eaten lunch. 

Darius nodded his head. "...I did, thank you." He replied quietly, Rachel smiling happily. 

"I'm glad."

That smile made Darius stare at her silently, asking himself whether she could be trusted. Whether he had been wrong to keep his guard up around her as she clearly had no intention to harm him. 

Perhaps it was okay to let her in?

-X-

"You are going too far, Miss Jennings." Dr Noah said firmly as he looked towards the redheaded woman across from him who stood resolutely with a frown upon her face. "I have overlooked your actions with Darius Raff so far because they have not interfered with his recovery process. However, you are attempting to go over my head and organise for him and Alex to both be adopted by the Pattersons. I do not understand why you would do such a thing."

"It's not that difficult to understand why," Rachel replied. "Despite what you claim, I do not see Darius being physically or mentally ill. He's a boy who has lost his parents and survived a truly traumatic incident. Naturally, he is struggling to open up to people and has kept himself closed off. But he is an innocent boy who simply needs a kind and caring family to care for him, same with Alex. The Pattersons are such a family and Darius is happy with them and in the recent meetings they have had, both Mr and Mrs Patterson care for him and Alex both."

"And as I have told you, just because you have not seen it does not mean that Darius isn't suffering from numerous illnesses." Noah recited calmly though hints of frustration leaked through. 

Rachel would not be deterred though. "If he is truly suffering as you say we should be transferring him somewhere better equipped to help him." She then frowned deeply. "I also know full well that you have been purposefully isolating Darius from his brother and the other children with these checkups and therapy sessions."

"That is for his own good."

"Are we simply to ignore the fact that Alex and Darius are brothers, the only family each other have left? It is bad enough you are separating Darius from the other children, but from his own brother?" Rachel sighed, taking a moment to collect herself. "I respect you, Dr Noah. You employed me to help you and we have managed to build something truly good here. But what you are doing with Darius is not right. So, I will give you this chance to make things right, as a professional and personal courtesy.:

Noah frowned, his gaze darkening before he too sighed. "You are right, Miss Jennings. I have made a mistake." She smiled, though that soon disappeared, replaced with wide eyes of horror as Noah rose to his feet, his frame always tall and lanky becoming almost monstrously misshapen. 

Long lanky arms that seemed to stretch down past his knees, pale features becoming paler as hair darker. His face became gaunter and more death-like as he gazed upon her with pure black eyes. 

"I should have dealt with you sooner."

So, another chapter is done and the struggles of the Raff brothers are far from over. Now, if you would like to support me please head over to patreon.com/IGG1 or you can head over to my Fandom Wiki at https://judgement-day.fandom.com/wiki/Judgement_Day_Wiki. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and if you have any questions or suggestions, please let me know.