Saturday, April 26, 2008
Honesty is not my policy
I'm sorry, I lied about the 5 chapters I promised to write. I will be going a hiatus now and won't be coming back soon. Goodbye.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Chapter 13: The dead and the dying
I’ve returned, master.
Crimson red blood flowed slowly down his forehead. It was as if everything lapsed into a dreary time continuum. A grin started to form on his face; a grin of satisfaction. Just before the drop of life could hit the floor, the doctor fell backwards and landed in a resounding thud. The sound produced broke the deafening silence and rippled into the ears of the onlookers. They stared in dismay and utter shock, with their jaws dropped wide open. Gabriel Cristo reeled backwards in the direction of the crowd. He could not believe what he had just seen.
“Pe-people, please stay calm. Help is on its way.” The surgeon uttered in an unconvincing tone.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Could you please hurry up. I need to get to the hospital now.”
“I’m driving as fast as I am allowed to. Sorry boy, but you just have to wait a little longer.”
Damien was in a taxi, strapped to the front seat as he watched the driver stepping on the brakes with no sense of urgency. The car was barely moving at 75km/h, with the meter constantly shifting from left to right and vice versa. The speed of the car was sucking the life out of Damien. He could not endure it any longer.
“Stop, I’m getting out. Here’s the cash. Keep the change.” Damien spoke in quick succession before unhinging the door and dashing out.
Hilda should be out by now. I’ve got to see her. I need to speak with her, and Gabriel. I need to run, faster. Faster.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The surgeon started to walk towards the lifeless body of the doctor. He could barely muster the courage to look at his bloodied face, let alone touch the corpse.
One step at a time. I can do this.
He took another step forward. The surgeon was a mere 2 steps to horror. A chill went down his spine and caused his whole upper body to tremble in fear. He turned to look at Gabriel, hoping to comfort himself. The surgeon’s expectations were completely diminished as he saw Gabriel’s eyes shut, his face a sheet of white.
Another step forward. Just one more.
The surgeon started to feel wobbly, he could almost feel what his legs were trying to tell him. They were giving way. But still, the surgeon pressed on. He took his final step forward and all hell broke loose.
A wide and wry grin was spread across the doctor’s face, with a few of his teeth missing. His gums were bleeding profusely and his tongue had a gruesome gash on it. Apparently, before killing himself with a gunshot to the head, the doctor had already devised another method of suicide. He had attached a needle to his jaw and was about to clamp it down on his tongue until Gabriel came. The pupils of his eyes were completely white and extinguished of life. Suddenly, a shout shattered the tense atmosphere. Gabriel and the surgeon turned to look.
About time, you bastard.
“Gabriel! Where’s Hilda? And what’s that doctor doing on the floor for?” shouted Damien.
“He’s dead, killed himself. As for Hilda…” Gabriel turned to look at the surgeon who was a few feet ahead of him.
“She, We can’t enter her room without the doctor’s card.” Replied the surgeon.
“Aren’t you going to save him? Where’s the help you were saying about getting?”
“Oh right, come on NURSES. Take Jones to the operation room now!” the surgeon shouted. Apparently, he was still very much oblivious to what he had to do. Without wasting any more time, the nurses who had arrived at the scene lifted the body of the doctor onto a wheeled table and rushed into the operation room. The surgeon quickly picked himself up and followed suit.
“So what happened here, Gabriel?” asked Damien, who was expectedly confused.
“Long story. Ask the surgeon later. What took you so long? And WHAT happened between you and Hilda on the car?” Gabriel returned the question.
Damien gave a silent reply.
Gabriel stared at Damien intently and asked again, “What happened between you and Hilda on the car?”
I can’t tell him. But it couldn’t have happened like it had. It was impossible. I couldn’t have been unscathed.
“I-I-I can’t remember much. All I can recall is a flash of white light and the ambulance siren.” Damien lied.
“Tell me the truth!” shouted Gabriel heatedly.
“I-I-I told you already. I can’t remember.” Damien lied again.
A tinge of anger started to surge through Gabriel. He could no longer control his emotions and punched Damien on the face, sending him flying. Gabriel stood over Damien and screamed.
“You know what the medics told me?! They said she was already dead before the accident occurred!”
I’ve returned, master.
Crimson red blood flowed slowly down his forehead. It was as if everything lapsed into a dreary time continuum. A grin started to form on his face; a grin of satisfaction. Just before the drop of life could hit the floor, the doctor fell backwards and landed in a resounding thud. The sound produced broke the deafening silence and rippled into the ears of the onlookers. They stared in dismay and utter shock, with their jaws dropped wide open. Gabriel Cristo reeled backwards in the direction of the crowd. He could not believe what he had just seen.
“Pe-people, please stay calm. Help is on its way.” The surgeon uttered in an unconvincing tone.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Could you please hurry up. I need to get to the hospital now.”
“I’m driving as fast as I am allowed to. Sorry boy, but you just have to wait a little longer.”
Damien was in a taxi, strapped to the front seat as he watched the driver stepping on the brakes with no sense of urgency. The car was barely moving at 75km/h, with the meter constantly shifting from left to right and vice versa. The speed of the car was sucking the life out of Damien. He could not endure it any longer.
“Stop, I’m getting out. Here’s the cash. Keep the change.” Damien spoke in quick succession before unhinging the door and dashing out.
Hilda should be out by now. I’ve got to see her. I need to speak with her, and Gabriel. I need to run, faster. Faster.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The surgeon started to walk towards the lifeless body of the doctor. He could barely muster the courage to look at his bloodied face, let alone touch the corpse.
One step at a time. I can do this.
He took another step forward. The surgeon was a mere 2 steps to horror. A chill went down his spine and caused his whole upper body to tremble in fear. He turned to look at Gabriel, hoping to comfort himself. The surgeon’s expectations were completely diminished as he saw Gabriel’s eyes shut, his face a sheet of white.
Another step forward. Just one more.
The surgeon started to feel wobbly, he could almost feel what his legs were trying to tell him. They were giving way. But still, the surgeon pressed on. He took his final step forward and all hell broke loose.
A wide and wry grin was spread across the doctor’s face, with a few of his teeth missing. His gums were bleeding profusely and his tongue had a gruesome gash on it. Apparently, before killing himself with a gunshot to the head, the doctor had already devised another method of suicide. He had attached a needle to his jaw and was about to clamp it down on his tongue until Gabriel came. The pupils of his eyes were completely white and extinguished of life. Suddenly, a shout shattered the tense atmosphere. Gabriel and the surgeon turned to look.
About time, you bastard.
“Gabriel! Where’s Hilda? And what’s that doctor doing on the floor for?” shouted Damien.
“He’s dead, killed himself. As for Hilda…” Gabriel turned to look at the surgeon who was a few feet ahead of him.
“She, We can’t enter her room without the doctor’s card.” Replied the surgeon.
“Aren’t you going to save him? Where’s the help you were saying about getting?”
“Oh right, come on NURSES. Take Jones to the operation room now!” the surgeon shouted. Apparently, he was still very much oblivious to what he had to do. Without wasting any more time, the nurses who had arrived at the scene lifted the body of the doctor onto a wheeled table and rushed into the operation room. The surgeon quickly picked himself up and followed suit.
“So what happened here, Gabriel?” asked Damien, who was expectedly confused.
“Long story. Ask the surgeon later. What took you so long? And WHAT happened between you and Hilda on the car?” Gabriel returned the question.
Damien gave a silent reply.
Gabriel stared at Damien intently and asked again, “What happened between you and Hilda on the car?”
I can’t tell him. But it couldn’t have happened like it had. It was impossible. I couldn’t have been unscathed.
“I-I-I can’t remember much. All I can recall is a flash of white light and the ambulance siren.” Damien lied.
“Tell me the truth!” shouted Gabriel heatedly.
“I-I-I told you already. I can’t remember.” Damien lied again.
A tinge of anger started to surge through Gabriel. He could no longer control his emotions and punched Damien on the face, sending him flying. Gabriel stood over Damien and screamed.
“You know what the medics told me?! They said she was already dead before the accident occurred!”
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Author's Note:
I've deleted my previous posts and edited the entire story to make it easier for reading. I will be editing it again for the more subtle errors but it won't come anytime soon. Other than that, there should be roughly a maximum of five chapters before I go on a hiatus again. Thanks for all your comments so far (especially my proof -reader) and I hope you guys will continue dishing out the criticism.
I've deleted my previous posts and edited the entire story to make it easier for reading. I will be editing it again for the more subtle errors but it won't come anytime soon. Other than that, there should be roughly a maximum of five chapters before I go on a hiatus again. Thanks for all your comments so far (especially my proof -reader) and I hope you guys will continue dishing out the criticism.
Prologue
The brilliant lights of New York shone on those who embraced its artificial warmth. Mother Nature could not care less, for Man would and could never replace the sun. The magnificent rays of its illumination surpassed any of Man's creations.
His birth was deemed unfit for the heavens. His creation was put down as unholy and devil-like. Yet, he emerged with the breaking of the 6th Dawn. The son of morning, some would call him. Others preferred to label him as the Devil, with names such as Sammael, Daeva and Baal coming into play. Some simply called him Lucifer. Upon his creation, the skies shook with anger and bursts of inferno poured down from the heavens. Yet the being was untouched; he was fire personified. Be it corporeal or ethereal, the creatures juxtaposed against him never came to realise the severity and plenitude of their burns. For they slept in the day, and perished in their slumber.
Tears flowed profusely from his burning eyes. Visages of his comrades were turned to ashes. His was blank. The soul beneath that facade drenched itself in vengeance and grief. Never could the heavens seek salvation in his kingdom...
Chapter 1: Damien
The reverberation of his roommate’s all time favourite single woke Damien to his senses. Brett Arnold, though peerless to Michael, seemed ceaseless to Damien. Incessant vocals had been Damien's alarm ever since he entered Truth University.
This has to be the weirdest dream ever.
Weird. Weird differed from strange and its synonyms in his opinion. Weird was incompletely strange, familiarity played a certain role in weird. In fact, familiarity played a weird role in weird. Somewhat familiar, yet a deviation of mystery
Damien sat straight up, hurting his back while doing so.
Twenty years of living and my back hurts already.
Unlike most of his friends and acquaintances, Damien was neither brilliant in studies nor impressive in sports. He seemed to be more Jack than Joe. Self consciousness did not matter as much to him than to many others. He carried himself with and in open arms. On the other hand, Damien’s roommate, Michael, was much different. He could not live without music and went everywhere with his Sony MP3 player. Brett Arnold was his idol and the many failed attempts at emulating his vocals only served as fuel to fire.
Damien turned his head to look at Michael, and said in a sarcastic tone, "One day when you really sound as good as him, tell me about it."
Michael gave Damien an awkward stare and looked away.
Being sarcastic isn’t the best way to express gratitude. You should be thanking me for the many times I’ve rescued you from detention.
Damien dragged his feet to the bathroom and stared into the mirror. He had brown hair, or at least he thought he had. There appeared to be a slight shade of red in the brown canopy. Damien was also quite unkempt; he never bothered to use a comb. His eyes, however, were quite unique. He had two pupils, one of which was azure in colour and the other hazel. They instilled a strange sense of awkwardness into others, as proven by his possession of the coveted 'Extraordinary Joe' trophy.
That was a contest held in Truth University, where students had to be nominated for participation. There was no prize money, although the trophy could have fetched a small bundle of twenty.
Damien ran his fingers through his hair before picking up the toothbrush.
God damn it. Dandruff.
He rinsed his hands and started to brush his teeth. All of a sudden, he heard a call from Michael.
"You've got mail, man. It's from Professor Brooks, looks kinda big for a parcel. I'll leave it by your bedside, little man."
Damien was a midget compared to Michael, but acted otherwise. Despite them staying under the same roof for a mere annum, they behaved as if they were long time buddies. It was a rarity in Truth University that room-mates share a good rapport.
Michael threw the parcel on Damien's bed and continued reading a book he had recently borrowed. It was a dummies guide for doing renditions of alternative singers.
Damien ambled out as if gravity was crippling him and picked up the parcel. It was heavy. He began to rip apart its cover, hoping to discover something interesting or beneficial inside. The wrappings of the parcel were many and it bore a wicked resemblance to those pointless plastic paper gifts used as pranks. Michael turned and grinned at Damien. The harder Damien shredded, the wider the grin grew. It was as if Michael played a part in Damien's torture.
Chapter 2: The Gift
The wrappings fell one by one, and it ended abruptly with a tiny piece of paper lying at the base of the gift box. Damien was still reeling from the shock he had received from the seemingly ceaseless removal of the wrappings when Michael reached for the note. It had an insignia printed on it. The symbol was unmistakable. It was found on many other prank gifts he had received. As a matter of fact, Damien possessed a bookshelf of such ridiculous monstrosities.
Naomi.
Naomi was a figure of ridicule at Truth University and never once stopped to consider her reputation. Damien bore the brunt of her pranks but the strange thing was, she had no reason to do it.
“Whoa, so it’s that Naomi girl again? I bet she has something for you.” exclaimed Michael through his mockery coated lips.
“Oh and how much are you betting?” Damien rebutted with sarcasm.
“Enough.”
As if he had expected the satire, Damien turned to give Michael a stern gaze.
‘The end is nigh, the world is doomed, and see me at my office today. I need to speak with you on certain issues.’
In a fit of frustration, Damien crushed the note and threw it in the waste basket. He then ambled to his desk and looked at the white canopy.
Assignments.
Lessons were starting in two hours time and Damien still had half of his workload untouched. Michael, on the other hand, had done nothing. Unlike his roommate, Damien had the inhuman pressure weighed down on his human shoulders of excelling in school. His parents were of a French descend and were living advocates of education. As subtle as it might have seemed, they had huge expectations of their son.
Two hours wasn’t a long time and Damien realized he was on the brink of suffering Brook's punishments. Brooks was Damien's Physics lecturer. He had no tolerance for lies and late assignments, and often had no qualms about forcing his students to stand naked on their desks in class if they had failed to meet his high standards. Although many complaints were lodged, Brooks somehow managed to hold his ground and his post in the university. Nevertheless, his ability to teach was indisputable and undeniable. Brooks can, by hook or by crook force his students to achieve excellent results in their examinations. However, Damien was that one exception, and it came as no surprise that Brooks had burdened with tons of assignments, knowing full well the situation his protégé was in.
Chapter 3: Burden
Explain reverse polarity and its applications.
Just as Damien was about to dig out his reference books, there was a knock on the door.
“I’ll get that, little buddy.” Michael said as he strolled towards the door, before opening it with his muscular arms.
Damien took a glance at Michael's face and immediately knew who it was.
A sudden tinge of fear gripped Damien. He knew extremely well who the visitor was
“Well, well, it seems that your roommate hasn’t been submitting his work. Tell him that he will have to see me later during the afternoon. No excuses whatsoever.” said Mr Brooks.
“Uh, he’s not in right now, I think he went to the library. I’m not too sure when he’ll be back, but I’ll leave him your message, Mr Brooks.” Uttered Michael.
“Oh, so the kid isn’t in huh. Well tell him to stop hiding and come out to face reality. His results are falling drastically, not that it was fantastic before. And do tell to stop using his roommate to take everything for him.”
The teacher had close to zero tolerance for irresponsible people and deemed them parasites to the society. Damien had expectedly one of the most irresponsible attitudes in Mr Brooks’ class.
“Looks like you’re in hot water, little man. Brooks one hell of a teacher and his reputation says that he’s not one to give up easily. You gotta see him later.” Michael advised.
Damien stared deeply into his assignment sheet and heaved a sigh, “Well, I’m one to give up easily either, if only he understood the plight I am in…”
Damien was the only child in his family and he had to deal with the different types of pressure from his divorced parents. His father wanted him to excel in sports and often bought different sports equipment for him to use. Damien was also expected to send letters to his father regularly, writing about how well he fared in a particular sport. The hard part was lying to his dad; Damien’s father participated in a wide array of sports events and hence was almost a walking encyclopedia on the topic.
On the other hand, Damien’s mother expected her son to be excellent in academics. Like his father, Damien’s mum demanded a regular flow of letters from her offspring. The only difference was in the content, she wanted him to write and elaborate on the progression of his studies. However, Damien was sick and tired of writing such letters; what he really desired was a single letter from either parent that questioned his spiritual and personal welfare.
“Tell me about it, little man. I, for one, think that you should come out of your brooding shell and take the advice of Brooks.”
Damien ignored Michael and got up from his seat. He had to take a breather from all the homework and taking a stroll at the park was the best alternative.
“Where are you off to? Little man?” asked Michael in a genuinely caring tone.
“Where else?” replied Damien with his usual indifferent manner.
“To the park, and I’ll be bringing along my cellphone, so if there’s anything urgent, just give me a ring. And before I forget, if it’s possible, could you give me a reminder message or call to inform me about the time I’ve got to meet Brooks? Thanks.”
“I’ll give you a ring.”
Upon hearing his roommate’s word of assurance, Damien opened the door and walked out.
Chapter 4: Short-lived happiness
The corridor was deserted; there was an uneasy silence to it. It seemed too quiet, like a rainforest without crickets. Damien moved down the path with haste. Just as he walked past the second door from the stairs, he felt a presence nearby. Immediately, Damien turned.
Nothing.
The entire stretch of corridor was still empty. Damien continued his speedy walk to the stairs and paced all the way down to the exit. He was duly greeted by a slight refreshing breeze. Instantly, he looked up.
It was a sight to behold.
The sun reigned supreme over the azure expanse, which was littered with magnolia clouds. There was a discerning pattern to the cloud distribution. It was somewhat artistic. The large fluffy ones were surrounded by the smaller ones. They were spaced almost evenly from each other, and the little white dots that surrounded the bigger clouds served only to amplify their already immense statures.
Damien knew beauty could not be experienced fully rooted to a spot. He began to stroll down the granite path. The stone patterns on it were intricate, and the beautiful thing was that they were not fixed. Not in shapes or sizes, not even in the way they were plated on the pathway. There was almost a rhythm to Damien’s movement, all he lacked was a melody to move to. As if Damien could control the scene, a mockingbird descended on a tree beside him. It started chirping. There was a apparent and audible melody to it. Damien made no hesitation and danced to the tune immediately. He started skipping down the pathway.
Damien looked across the granite pavement and saw Naomi sitting alone. His intuition told him to go up and talk to her, but Damien had nothing of the sort. He continued skipping down the path, secretly hoping Naomi would spot him and spout a greeting.
Naomi was sitting by the pond, throwing pebbles into the water.
Gosh, now everyone thinks it’s me who sent the damn boxes filled with trash. How would I know Brooks was such a weirdo?
Apparently, Mr Brooks had to brush up a few of his students’ physics results and decided that meeting them was the best alternative.
At least the day is beautiful, I shouldn’t be thinking about how I would avoid them. The sun is shining brightly and the skies are blue.
She started to throw more pebbles into the water. Ripples formed as Naomi stared into her reflection. It had been long since Naomi last looked at herself.
Her wispy hair hung by her narrow shoulders. She was barely 5’7. Her skin was beautiful, not that she went to great extents to take care of it. It was natural. Her almond shaped eyes carried hazel pupils, and her cheeks were round. Beyond her over the top playfulness, Naomi was a beautiful girl inside and out. Before she entered Truth university, Naomi was a caring girl. She often helped out those less fortunate students in college either by tutoring them in their weaker subjects or by just by helping them with their problems. Naomi was likeable then. However, ever since her parents divorced, Naomi changed into another person. Although her caring personality revisited her occasionally, people viewed her as a selfish and very childish person.
Naomi closed her eyes. She wanted this moment of reflecting to be appreciated alone. Suddenly, she felt a hard shove on her back. Naomi completely lost her balance and fell straight into the pond.
Naomi opened her eyes but she could not recognize the culprit. It didn’t matter anymore; she was already in the water. Her breathing became harder, her heart starting pumping faster. The chill ran down her spine, and into her lukewarm blood. Patches of darkness started to cloud her sight and the frigid liquid touch embraced her tightly. Naomi was drowning.
Chapter 5: Presence
Darkness. Everywhere. Naomi looked around her, nothing could be seen. It was just black, filled to the brim. There was that chill, all too familiar. It was as if she had been to this place before.
Okay, calm down now. How did I get out of here the last time, yes, by waiting patiently.
It was true. Naomi had escaped this situation many times before, mostly by doing nothing. All of a sudden, a flash illuminated the scene, and everything brightened.
An urban backdrop came into view. Naomi looked up. She was surrounded by tall greyscale buildings plated with black tinted windows. This was far from supernal. Naomi could sense it. The sun seemed too real. The buildings looked too rigid, and the roads were devoid of vehicles. There was just the mysterious feel to the environment. The skies were azure, but it spoke a different blue. Naomi could feel a strong essence of melancholy just by staring at them.
“Ahh, so you’re the one they call Naomi? I’ve been expecting you.” A voice echoed.
Naomi looked around nervously, her pupils peering at every direction and angle.
“You can’t see me, Naomi. I am invisible.”
Naomi scanned the environment again.
Nothing.
“I am just here to talk to you. A lot has been said about you and your…misdeeds. Yes, I’ve come to rectify them for you. It’s really for your own good.”
“W, W, Who are you?” stammered Naomi.
“I am your teacher Naomi, your guardian angel. And you, obviously, are my disciple. It’s a tough job being me, having to overlook so many errors.”
“Are you Mr Robertson? I’m sorry I played all those childish pranks on you. I really am.”
Mr Robertson was the only teacher Naomi dared to prank on. He was her Economics lecturer and had much patience towards Naomi. More than often, the teenager unleashed her repertoire of jokes and pranks on the teacher. There was even once Naomi stuck a thumbnail on Robertson’s seat before he arrived in class.
“No, I am not. And you don’t have to be sorry for anything. After all, it is my responsibility. Follow my voice Naomi, and you’ll attain salvation.”
“Why should I? I’ve better things to, like getting back to where I came from.”
“I am taking you back to where you came from, Naomi. Follow my voice. The hour is upon us! We must hurry!”
All of a sudden, Naomi felt a force at her feet. It was dragging them towards the top of a building. Naomi struggled and tried to shuffle her feet, in hope of breaking free, only to realize that another parallel force came along and started pushing her small frame in the same direction.
“Le, Le, Let go of me! Set me free! What have I done?!” shrieked Naomi.
“This will be all over soon, Naomi. Salvation awaits you. There will be no more pain, no more suffering.” The voice replied maliciously.
Suddenly, a dark shape started to form in the sky, blackening everything in its wake.
“No, this can’t be happening. You cannot do this. Not to Naomi, not in this place. No, Noooo!”
Naomi looked up and her vision went blank.
Chapter 6: Breathless
Swirling currents of blue twisted and turned amidst the calm ocean expanse. Naomi could see both the surface and the tumultuous activity beneath; it was strange, to say the least. There were no fishes present, nothing beneath the ocean surface, just that ceaseless whirlpool. It moved in an uncanny circular motion, resembling that of a merry go round. Suddenly, the currents picked up speed and started moving in a direction; towards Naomi. She tried to swim away, but to no avail. The whirlpool was just too fast.
Swim, just keep swimming.
Naomi was strangely humming to the tune of Dory the regal tang from Finding Nemo. It was a show she enjoyed a lot, even after watching it numerous times. The movie gave Naomi a sense of youthfulness and somehow brought back her old college days. \
Pain. Ouch.
Naomi felt a throbbing pain at her neck straight down her spinal cord, it wasn’t like anything she felt before. It felt good. All of a sudden, Naomi felt the loosened grip of gravity and she started to elevate again, this time much faster. Her eyes were still opened as she moved further and further away from the whirlpool.
She began to close her eyes. The water currents started to fade, everything went into a blur once again.
“Wher- Where am I?” asked Naomi innocuously.
“Uh- uh- uh, listen I saw you in the water and fished you out. No, I mean uh- uh, I just got you out. You looked like you were drowning.”
Thoughts ran through Naomi’s head, she couldn’t think clearly. Everything was a blur. Naomi lay down by the pond, on the soft and prickly grass. She felt the frigid touch slowly fading and leaving her. Warmth took its place; lukewarm warmth. The intense sunlight impeded her vision and she couldn’t recognize the figure. It looked a shade of black and Naomi was certain it belonged to a human.
But the voice, so familiar.
“Are you okay? You looked dazed. What happened?”
Ah yes, the voice.
“Some- Someone pushed me down and- and I don’t know what happened next. All I felt was cold and my breathing became hard.” Replied Naomi
Her vision cleared as the sunlight started to dim a little. All she saw were those deep innocent eyes, the left one was blue and the right was green. There was a certain spark of ingenuity in those eyes, they were lively, and jumpy. At the same time, the pupils of different shades also spoke of serenity, they seemed to be quiet and peaceful.
“Damien?” uttered Naomi.
Chapter 7: Just a dream
“Yes?” asked Damien.
“Nothing.” replied Naomi
“Up you go then.”
Damien lifted Naomi by the hands. Naomi was visibly drenched and frustrated, not that Damien seemed to care. She desired for a longer conversation despite her unglamorous state but Damien merely strolled off.
“Ingrate.” Uttered Naomi
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The sky rained fire as the oceans ran dry. The once lush greenery was razed to ashes and the luscious air turned to a ubiquitous fog. Bodies were strewn across the blighted ground, most of them reduced to slag. Everything was chaotic, except the distant tapping sound.
Footsteps.
A dark malevolent figure emerged from within the fog. It moved closer and closer, as the tapping sound of footsteps turned into the dragging of hooves. The air started to burn more readily as razor-sharp tendrils burst out from the ground. The skeletons that were still burning were immediately reduced to dust which dissipated into the hot air. Meteors started to fall from the sky at astonishing speeds as white fire began to form on the decaying ground. And then it came.
It was him again.
“Rise and shine! Sleepyhead!” shouted Michael at the top of his voice.
“For the last time, will you shut the- oh hi there Professor Brooks,” said Damien
“It seems to me that you are a person who is so very conscious of time and its constraints. Oh and would you know, it’s already 11 a.m in the morning, not too late, don’t you think?”
“I-“
“Hush now young man, you are officially suspended from my class with immediate effect. And fortunately for you, this suspension is not permanent and will last for a mere fortnight. I expect you to know whatever I will be teaching in the 2 weeks and a test will be kindly issued to you then.”
“I-“
“You don’t have to speak. Why should you waste your precious energy talking to me? You should be writing and drawing about the wonders of astronomy. Isn’t that right, Michael?”
“Absolutely Professor Brooks, Absolutely.” Michael said as he grinned from ear to ear.
“Now, I won’t disturb your sleep anymore, Damien. Farewell.”
The door closed with a loud thud as Damien stared menacingly at his roommate Michael.
“What was that?”
“What? OH, you mean Brooks? He kept pestering me about your whereabouts and I ran out of excuses for you. So, I had to let him know the truth.”
“Why didn’t you wake me up BEFORE his class started? It isn’t all that hard, is it?”
“You were awake already, I talked to you but you didn’t answer me. All you did was go to that table and draw diagrams of planets. Oh, and you wrote something about ‘the dark force’ and ‘doomsday’.”
Damien refused to believe Michael but went ahead to his own table to take a look.
After all, he’s probably lying to me and there isn’t any harm proving him wrong. It can’t be about that dream anyway, no?
What the…
Chapter 8: Astronomy?
It was amazing and chaotic, bearing two of the common elements in art rarely found together. The wooden tabletop looked more unharmed despite the deep cuts. Oval and circular objects were carved out cleanly, with no detectable traces of splinters. From a distance, it looked like a portrait of the solar system. However, on a closer look, it was apparent that Mercury swapped places with Saturn. The planet with multiple orbital lines was also enlarged threefold, and the commonly huge size of the Sun was non existent. A tiny six sided star took its place and a distinct cross was drawn in the middle of it.
What the hell..
Damien was evidently shocked and stunned. He was a person who loved to hide his emotions but his visage betrayed those intentions. Not even in his wildest dreams could he fathom this panoramic portrait and there was no reason for him to.
After all, why would a disillusioned and pressurized teenager carve out a twisted solar system on his own table? There was simply no plausible reason and meaning. Meaning? Wait; didn’t Michael say I scribbled something about Doomsday whilst unconscious?
“Michael.” Damien uttered in a dead and solemn tone.
“Yes?” Michael answered in a quirky voice.
“You said I wrote something. Where is it?”
“Oh, I took and read it. It’s quite interesting, nothing like you’ve ever written. It was-“
“Where is it?”
“Um, Brooks took it.”
Shit. No way. How can that bastard come in and take my stuff. Curse you, old mongrel! I hope you’ll die in your sleep after experiencing my stupid and illogical dreams. Now, how do I find him? It’s 11:30 A.M now. I don’t think he’s in his office, considering the number of classes he’s privileged to torture.
“Any idea where Brooks is now?”
“Um, I think I overheard him saying that he’ll be in his office for consultation of that project of yours. What was it called? Uh-uh…”
“The Pseudo Genome Project.”
“Yes, yes, that one.”
Screw this, you’ll pay for this, Brooks. You’ll pay for infiltrating my territory, you’ll pay for your misdeeds, you’ll pay…
“What’s up with you lately, you don’t seem yourself.” Michael asked, snapping Damien’s train of vengeful thoughts.
“Oh shut up, I’ll be back in ten.” Damien said as he left the room.
Damien slammed the door forcefully, convulsing it like aftershocks of an earthquake. Michael opened the door and peered outside, his friend was stomping away at the hallway, ignoring any calls and gestures made at him. Immediately, Michael closed the door and locked it. He slid his hands into his back pocket and took out a piece of paper. Summoning his courage and concentration, he looked at its content.
Just what could this be?
Chapter 9: Conundrum
It doesn’t make sense at all. Not a single hint of logic. What could this mean? Perhaps the meaning of this prose is hidden between the stanzas. Perhaps one more read will do, just one more.
Seeking wrath among the walkers
That which is not mine is theirs
Devoid of emotions and faces
My comrades strewn across oceans
Of Fire, flame and the weary
They lie dormant in fatigue
They will once again rise up
To the young one of servitude
Of Loyalty towards me
All in his path shall perish
Forever and ever in eternity
And twilight will descend
He must take this up
And answer to my call
For the archangel is near
As the gates of hell loom
Closer.
Clueless. What is this? Why would Damien scribble something like that? And to think he has no idea of what he has written...
Michael heaved a sigh of frustration; it was his fifth time reading through the paper and he was still as ignorant and clueless as he was when he first browsed through. There was no apparent flow in it, not in content or in words. It was definitely one of the worst poems that Michael has ever read but unlike the usual poor prose, its meaning eluded him. There was simply no way Michael could grasp the meaning without first asking its creator.
But that would mean telling the truth to Damien.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The hallway was bright as day. The translucent windows could barely block off the intense rays of light as they revealed the obscene amount of dust in the air. It was apparent. The alley hadn’t been swept and cleansed for a long time. So much so that Damien had difficulty even drawing small breaths.
214, 215, 216, 217
Damien waltzed past the rooms with rhythmic pace. However, he was still far from reaching his destination. Professor Brooks’ office was stationed at the far end of the building. It was just beside the detention room where students were often retained for even the trivial matters. To make things worse, Damien’s room was located at the opposite end of the same building. And he had to walk a considerable distance just to reach the office, with no guarantee of getting what he wanted.
How fitting. If only the bastard had the slightest idea how far I have to walk just to reach his office. If only he had enough decency not to infiltrate our room and take away that piece of paper. Wait a minute… Our?
Damien’s train of thoughts was once again put to a screeching halt. This time, it was Gabriel.
Chapter 10: Gabriel
“Hey Damien, I need to talk to you about something, a certain matter that concerns me.” Gabriel inquired in a polite manner.
“Not now, Gabby. We adults have better things to do than to indulge in your childish concerns.” Answered Damien.
“We?”
“Damn right you are, it’s me and my…”
God damn it. Why did I say that? Why we? Me and who? There’s no one else here.
A moment of silence descended upon the hallway as Damien struggled to reply coherently.
“We?”
Come on, think! Think! It can’t be that hard to give a plausible answer!
“Uh, uh, right. I got lost in my thoughts then. What were you saying again?”
“Follow me, I think it’s safer to talk in my room.”
“Safer?”
“Just follow me.”
Strange. Why would Gabriel invite me into his room? It’s been ages since I’ve talked to him. Maybe he has forgotten what happened then…
It was true. Damien and Gabriel haven’t talked to each other ever since Hilda died in a car accident. They could barely look at each other in the eye ever since that incident occurred.
*Flashback (Aftermath of Hilda’s death)*
“I’m terribly sorry.“
“For?”
“For-“
“Be quiet! She’s still inside.”
“She’s…not.”
Chapter 11: Flashback: Operation failed?
Gabriel stared intently at the man draped in a white coat. The doctor started to sweat profusely. He could barely keep up with the imaginary onsets Gabriel was dishing out. The doctor was on the verge of fainting but was rescued by the surgeon who had just exited from the surgery room.
“Jones. I need to speak to you.”
The doctor nodded and followed the surgeon to a deserted corner of the hallway.
“You knew it, didn’t you?” asked the surgeon.
“Yes.” The doctor replied casually, showing no signs of nervousness from Gabriel’s psychological assault.
“Then why didn’t you tell them that the operation was bound to fail?”
“I wanted to give them a ray of hope. After all, the operation had a 1% chance of success.”
“And you told them it was 10%?”
“If I’d said 1, they wouldn’t have agreed to the operation.”
“So siphoning their cash is more important than telling them the truth?”
The doctor was silent again. He knew that the surgeon already had that reason deeply etched in his mind. He knew that he could not convince the surgeon further, that greed was not the primary catalyst in the surgery, not that he tried. He also knew that the surgeon was wrong in his judgment.
The surgeon stormed off to the other side of the hallway. He could hardly believe it, that Doctor Jones, that reputable an individual could place greed above integrity.
“That doctor said something about Hilda not being in the room. What did he mean by that?” Gabriel asked in a menacing tone.
“We’ve tried our hardest but it wasn’t to be.” The surgeon replied in a “matter of fact” manner.
“What do you mean by that? What kind of hospital is this?”
The surgeon pointed to the surgery room and signaled Gabriel to follow him. He had something to show him.
“What about us? Where are you going, Gabriel?”
“Is it not obvious enough? I’m going to the surgery room. You two just stay here and wait for Damien. He should be arriving soon.”
He better be.
Chapter 12: Flashback: Fervent
“So your name is Gabriel Cristo? What we have here is-”said the surgeon.
“Is-is-is that Hilda?!” asked Gabriel.
A badly burned and scarred body was lying on the table. Patches of dried blood littered the corpse and deep gashes were quite omnipresent. The body obviously belonged to a woman and was no taller than 5’7. Coincidentally, Hilda was just a little taller.
Hilda? That can’t be! We were in the car when it crashed. Damien and I got off unhurt, so Hilda couldn’t be hurt so bad. She was still breathing when we got here.
“Nah, that isn’t your friend. This corpse has been here for several days and it is quite amazing.”
“Where’s Hilda? Is she alive? Take me to her now!”
“Calm down Gabriel, I’ll take you to Hilda right after this. Now, I want you to-”
Gabriel could not hold back his emotions any longer. He confronted the surgeon and lifted him by the neck.
“WHERE IS HILDA?! I WANT TO SEE HER NOW!”
“Ack. I-I- can’t take you there. The entry card is with Doctor Jones. L-L-Let me down now…” the surgeon choked on his words.
In an instant, Gabriel loosened his vice like grip on the surgeon’s neck and flung him at the table. It was apparent. He was letting his frustration and anger take control of his emotions. Gabriel stared furiously at the surgeon who was still reeling from the impact of the throw and stormed out of the room immediately.
This child. Such strength. Such youth. Perhaps he really is the one.
Back in the hallway, Jones was still at the corner, deep in thought.
The young one, what’s his name? Gabriel. Yes. Him. The way he looked me in the eye, I could see the fire burning. The pale fire burning ever so brightly. He must be the one Master’s looking for. I must inform Master of this.
“You there! Doctor! I need the entry card NOW! I need to see Hilda!” shouted Gabriel.
The doctor spun around and stared at Gabriel. Gabriel was sprinting towards the doctor at full speed, fueled by his concern for Hilda. All of a sudden, Gabriel stopped right in his tracks.
“Don’t do it!”
“Amen.”
A deafening bang resounded in the air as the surgeon and the people in the hallway gathered to see what had happened.
The brilliant lights of New York shone on those who embraced its artificial warmth. Mother Nature could not care less, for Man would and could never replace the sun. The magnificent rays of its illumination surpassed any of Man's creations.
His birth was deemed unfit for the heavens. His creation was put down as unholy and devil-like. Yet, he emerged with the breaking of the 6th Dawn. The son of morning, some would call him. Others preferred to label him as the Devil, with names such as Sammael, Daeva and Baal coming into play. Some simply called him Lucifer. Upon his creation, the skies shook with anger and bursts of inferno poured down from the heavens. Yet the being was untouched; he was fire personified. Be it corporeal or ethereal, the creatures juxtaposed against him never came to realise the severity and plenitude of their burns. For they slept in the day, and perished in their slumber.
Tears flowed profusely from his burning eyes. Visages of his comrades were turned to ashes. His was blank. The soul beneath that facade drenched itself in vengeance and grief. Never could the heavens seek salvation in his kingdom...
Chapter 1: Damien
The reverberation of his roommate’s all time favourite single woke Damien to his senses. Brett Arnold, though peerless to Michael, seemed ceaseless to Damien. Incessant vocals had been Damien's alarm ever since he entered Truth University.
This has to be the weirdest dream ever.
Weird. Weird differed from strange and its synonyms in his opinion. Weird was incompletely strange, familiarity played a certain role in weird. In fact, familiarity played a weird role in weird. Somewhat familiar, yet a deviation of mystery
Damien sat straight up, hurting his back while doing so.
Twenty years of living and my back hurts already.
Unlike most of his friends and acquaintances, Damien was neither brilliant in studies nor impressive in sports. He seemed to be more Jack than Joe. Self consciousness did not matter as much to him than to many others. He carried himself with and in open arms. On the other hand, Damien’s roommate, Michael, was much different. He could not live without music and went everywhere with his Sony MP3 player. Brett Arnold was his idol and the many failed attempts at emulating his vocals only served as fuel to fire.
Damien turned his head to look at Michael, and said in a sarcastic tone, "One day when you really sound as good as him, tell me about it."
Michael gave Damien an awkward stare and looked away.
Being sarcastic isn’t the best way to express gratitude. You should be thanking me for the many times I’ve rescued you from detention.
Damien dragged his feet to the bathroom and stared into the mirror. He had brown hair, or at least he thought he had. There appeared to be a slight shade of red in the brown canopy. Damien was also quite unkempt; he never bothered to use a comb. His eyes, however, were quite unique. He had two pupils, one of which was azure in colour and the other hazel. They instilled a strange sense of awkwardness into others, as proven by his possession of the coveted 'Extraordinary Joe' trophy.
That was a contest held in Truth University, where students had to be nominated for participation. There was no prize money, although the trophy could have fetched a small bundle of twenty.
Damien ran his fingers through his hair before picking up the toothbrush.
God damn it. Dandruff.
He rinsed his hands and started to brush his teeth. All of a sudden, he heard a call from Michael.
"You've got mail, man. It's from Professor Brooks, looks kinda big for a parcel. I'll leave it by your bedside, little man."
Damien was a midget compared to Michael, but acted otherwise. Despite them staying under the same roof for a mere annum, they behaved as if they were long time buddies. It was a rarity in Truth University that room-mates share a good rapport.
Michael threw the parcel on Damien's bed and continued reading a book he had recently borrowed. It was a dummies guide for doing renditions of alternative singers.
Damien ambled out as if gravity was crippling him and picked up the parcel. It was heavy. He began to rip apart its cover, hoping to discover something interesting or beneficial inside. The wrappings of the parcel were many and it bore a wicked resemblance to those pointless plastic paper gifts used as pranks. Michael turned and grinned at Damien. The harder Damien shredded, the wider the grin grew. It was as if Michael played a part in Damien's torture.
Chapter 2: The Gift
The wrappings fell one by one, and it ended abruptly with a tiny piece of paper lying at the base of the gift box. Damien was still reeling from the shock he had received from the seemingly ceaseless removal of the wrappings when Michael reached for the note. It had an insignia printed on it. The symbol was unmistakable. It was found on many other prank gifts he had received. As a matter of fact, Damien possessed a bookshelf of such ridiculous monstrosities.
Naomi.
Naomi was a figure of ridicule at Truth University and never once stopped to consider her reputation. Damien bore the brunt of her pranks but the strange thing was, she had no reason to do it.
“Whoa, so it’s that Naomi girl again? I bet she has something for you.” exclaimed Michael through his mockery coated lips.
“Oh and how much are you betting?” Damien rebutted with sarcasm.
“Enough.”
As if he had expected the satire, Damien turned to give Michael a stern gaze.
‘The end is nigh, the world is doomed, and see me at my office today. I need to speak with you on certain issues.’
In a fit of frustration, Damien crushed the note and threw it in the waste basket. He then ambled to his desk and looked at the white canopy.
Assignments.
Lessons were starting in two hours time and Damien still had half of his workload untouched. Michael, on the other hand, had done nothing. Unlike his roommate, Damien had the inhuman pressure weighed down on his human shoulders of excelling in school. His parents were of a French descend and were living advocates of education. As subtle as it might have seemed, they had huge expectations of their son.
Two hours wasn’t a long time and Damien realized he was on the brink of suffering Brook's punishments. Brooks was Damien's Physics lecturer. He had no tolerance for lies and late assignments, and often had no qualms about forcing his students to stand naked on their desks in class if they had failed to meet his high standards. Although many complaints were lodged, Brooks somehow managed to hold his ground and his post in the university. Nevertheless, his ability to teach was indisputable and undeniable. Brooks can, by hook or by crook force his students to achieve excellent results in their examinations. However, Damien was that one exception, and it came as no surprise that Brooks had burdened with tons of assignments, knowing full well the situation his protégé was in.
Chapter 3: Burden
Explain reverse polarity and its applications.
Just as Damien was about to dig out his reference books, there was a knock on the door.
“I’ll get that, little buddy.” Michael said as he strolled towards the door, before opening it with his muscular arms.
Damien took a glance at Michael's face and immediately knew who it was.
A sudden tinge of fear gripped Damien. He knew extremely well who the visitor was
“Well, well, it seems that your roommate hasn’t been submitting his work. Tell him that he will have to see me later during the afternoon. No excuses whatsoever.” said Mr Brooks.
“Uh, he’s not in right now, I think he went to the library. I’m not too sure when he’ll be back, but I’ll leave him your message, Mr Brooks.” Uttered Michael.
“Oh, so the kid isn’t in huh. Well tell him to stop hiding and come out to face reality. His results are falling drastically, not that it was fantastic before. And do tell to stop using his roommate to take everything for him.”
The teacher had close to zero tolerance for irresponsible people and deemed them parasites to the society. Damien had expectedly one of the most irresponsible attitudes in Mr Brooks’ class.
“Looks like you’re in hot water, little man. Brooks one hell of a teacher and his reputation says that he’s not one to give up easily. You gotta see him later.” Michael advised.
Damien stared deeply into his assignment sheet and heaved a sigh, “Well, I’m one to give up easily either, if only he understood the plight I am in…”
Damien was the only child in his family and he had to deal with the different types of pressure from his divorced parents. His father wanted him to excel in sports and often bought different sports equipment for him to use. Damien was also expected to send letters to his father regularly, writing about how well he fared in a particular sport. The hard part was lying to his dad; Damien’s father participated in a wide array of sports events and hence was almost a walking encyclopedia on the topic.
On the other hand, Damien’s mother expected her son to be excellent in academics. Like his father, Damien’s mum demanded a regular flow of letters from her offspring. The only difference was in the content, she wanted him to write and elaborate on the progression of his studies. However, Damien was sick and tired of writing such letters; what he really desired was a single letter from either parent that questioned his spiritual and personal welfare.
“Tell me about it, little man. I, for one, think that you should come out of your brooding shell and take the advice of Brooks.”
Damien ignored Michael and got up from his seat. He had to take a breather from all the homework and taking a stroll at the park was the best alternative.
“Where are you off to? Little man?” asked Michael in a genuinely caring tone.
“Where else?” replied Damien with his usual indifferent manner.
“To the park, and I’ll be bringing along my cellphone, so if there’s anything urgent, just give me a ring. And before I forget, if it’s possible, could you give me a reminder message or call to inform me about the time I’ve got to meet Brooks? Thanks.”
“I’ll give you a ring.”
Upon hearing his roommate’s word of assurance, Damien opened the door and walked out.
Chapter 4: Short-lived happiness
The corridor was deserted; there was an uneasy silence to it. It seemed too quiet, like a rainforest without crickets. Damien moved down the path with haste. Just as he walked past the second door from the stairs, he felt a presence nearby. Immediately, Damien turned.
Nothing.
The entire stretch of corridor was still empty. Damien continued his speedy walk to the stairs and paced all the way down to the exit. He was duly greeted by a slight refreshing breeze. Instantly, he looked up.
It was a sight to behold.
The sun reigned supreme over the azure expanse, which was littered with magnolia clouds. There was a discerning pattern to the cloud distribution. It was somewhat artistic. The large fluffy ones were surrounded by the smaller ones. They were spaced almost evenly from each other, and the little white dots that surrounded the bigger clouds served only to amplify their already immense statures.
Damien knew beauty could not be experienced fully rooted to a spot. He began to stroll down the granite path. The stone patterns on it were intricate, and the beautiful thing was that they were not fixed. Not in shapes or sizes, not even in the way they were plated on the pathway. There was almost a rhythm to Damien’s movement, all he lacked was a melody to move to. As if Damien could control the scene, a mockingbird descended on a tree beside him. It started chirping. There was a apparent and audible melody to it. Damien made no hesitation and danced to the tune immediately. He started skipping down the pathway.
Damien looked across the granite pavement and saw Naomi sitting alone. His intuition told him to go up and talk to her, but Damien had nothing of the sort. He continued skipping down the path, secretly hoping Naomi would spot him and spout a greeting.
Naomi was sitting by the pond, throwing pebbles into the water.
Gosh, now everyone thinks it’s me who sent the damn boxes filled with trash. How would I know Brooks was such a weirdo?
Apparently, Mr Brooks had to brush up a few of his students’ physics results and decided that meeting them was the best alternative.
At least the day is beautiful, I shouldn’t be thinking about how I would avoid them. The sun is shining brightly and the skies are blue.
She started to throw more pebbles into the water. Ripples formed as Naomi stared into her reflection. It had been long since Naomi last looked at herself.
Her wispy hair hung by her narrow shoulders. She was barely 5’7. Her skin was beautiful, not that she went to great extents to take care of it. It was natural. Her almond shaped eyes carried hazel pupils, and her cheeks were round. Beyond her over the top playfulness, Naomi was a beautiful girl inside and out. Before she entered Truth university, Naomi was a caring girl. She often helped out those less fortunate students in college either by tutoring them in their weaker subjects or by just by helping them with their problems. Naomi was likeable then. However, ever since her parents divorced, Naomi changed into another person. Although her caring personality revisited her occasionally, people viewed her as a selfish and very childish person.
Naomi closed her eyes. She wanted this moment of reflecting to be appreciated alone. Suddenly, she felt a hard shove on her back. Naomi completely lost her balance and fell straight into the pond.
Naomi opened her eyes but she could not recognize the culprit. It didn’t matter anymore; she was already in the water. Her breathing became harder, her heart starting pumping faster. The chill ran down her spine, and into her lukewarm blood. Patches of darkness started to cloud her sight and the frigid liquid touch embraced her tightly. Naomi was drowning.
Chapter 5: Presence
Darkness. Everywhere. Naomi looked around her, nothing could be seen. It was just black, filled to the brim. There was that chill, all too familiar. It was as if she had been to this place before.
Okay, calm down now. How did I get out of here the last time, yes, by waiting patiently.
It was true. Naomi had escaped this situation many times before, mostly by doing nothing. All of a sudden, a flash illuminated the scene, and everything brightened.
An urban backdrop came into view. Naomi looked up. She was surrounded by tall greyscale buildings plated with black tinted windows. This was far from supernal. Naomi could sense it. The sun seemed too real. The buildings looked too rigid, and the roads were devoid of vehicles. There was just the mysterious feel to the environment. The skies were azure, but it spoke a different blue. Naomi could feel a strong essence of melancholy just by staring at them.
“Ahh, so you’re the one they call Naomi? I’ve been expecting you.” A voice echoed.
Naomi looked around nervously, her pupils peering at every direction and angle.
“You can’t see me, Naomi. I am invisible.”
Naomi scanned the environment again.
Nothing.
“I am just here to talk to you. A lot has been said about you and your…misdeeds. Yes, I’ve come to rectify them for you. It’s really for your own good.”
“W, W, Who are you?” stammered Naomi.
“I am your teacher Naomi, your guardian angel. And you, obviously, are my disciple. It’s a tough job being me, having to overlook so many errors.”
“Are you Mr Robertson? I’m sorry I played all those childish pranks on you. I really am.”
Mr Robertson was the only teacher Naomi dared to prank on. He was her Economics lecturer and had much patience towards Naomi. More than often, the teenager unleashed her repertoire of jokes and pranks on the teacher. There was even once Naomi stuck a thumbnail on Robertson’s seat before he arrived in class.
“No, I am not. And you don’t have to be sorry for anything. After all, it is my responsibility. Follow my voice Naomi, and you’ll attain salvation.”
“Why should I? I’ve better things to, like getting back to where I came from.”
“I am taking you back to where you came from, Naomi. Follow my voice. The hour is upon us! We must hurry!”
All of a sudden, Naomi felt a force at her feet. It was dragging them towards the top of a building. Naomi struggled and tried to shuffle her feet, in hope of breaking free, only to realize that another parallel force came along and started pushing her small frame in the same direction.
“Le, Le, Let go of me! Set me free! What have I done?!” shrieked Naomi.
“This will be all over soon, Naomi. Salvation awaits you. There will be no more pain, no more suffering.” The voice replied maliciously.
Suddenly, a dark shape started to form in the sky, blackening everything in its wake.
“No, this can’t be happening. You cannot do this. Not to Naomi, not in this place. No, Noooo!”
Naomi looked up and her vision went blank.
Chapter 6: Breathless
Swirling currents of blue twisted and turned amidst the calm ocean expanse. Naomi could see both the surface and the tumultuous activity beneath; it was strange, to say the least. There were no fishes present, nothing beneath the ocean surface, just that ceaseless whirlpool. It moved in an uncanny circular motion, resembling that of a merry go round. Suddenly, the currents picked up speed and started moving in a direction; towards Naomi. She tried to swim away, but to no avail. The whirlpool was just too fast.
Swim, just keep swimming.
Naomi was strangely humming to the tune of Dory the regal tang from Finding Nemo. It was a show she enjoyed a lot, even after watching it numerous times. The movie gave Naomi a sense of youthfulness and somehow brought back her old college days. \
Pain. Ouch.
Naomi felt a throbbing pain at her neck straight down her spinal cord, it wasn’t like anything she felt before. It felt good. All of a sudden, Naomi felt the loosened grip of gravity and she started to elevate again, this time much faster. Her eyes were still opened as she moved further and further away from the whirlpool.
She began to close her eyes. The water currents started to fade, everything went into a blur once again.
“Wher- Where am I?” asked Naomi innocuously.
“Uh- uh- uh, listen I saw you in the water and fished you out. No, I mean uh- uh, I just got you out. You looked like you were drowning.”
Thoughts ran through Naomi’s head, she couldn’t think clearly. Everything was a blur. Naomi lay down by the pond, on the soft and prickly grass. She felt the frigid touch slowly fading and leaving her. Warmth took its place; lukewarm warmth. The intense sunlight impeded her vision and she couldn’t recognize the figure. It looked a shade of black and Naomi was certain it belonged to a human.
But the voice, so familiar.
“Are you okay? You looked dazed. What happened?”
Ah yes, the voice.
“Some- Someone pushed me down and- and I don’t know what happened next. All I felt was cold and my breathing became hard.” Replied Naomi
Her vision cleared as the sunlight started to dim a little. All she saw were those deep innocent eyes, the left one was blue and the right was green. There was a certain spark of ingenuity in those eyes, they were lively, and jumpy. At the same time, the pupils of different shades also spoke of serenity, they seemed to be quiet and peaceful.
“Damien?” uttered Naomi.
Chapter 7: Just a dream
“Yes?” asked Damien.
“Nothing.” replied Naomi
“Up you go then.”
Damien lifted Naomi by the hands. Naomi was visibly drenched and frustrated, not that Damien seemed to care. She desired for a longer conversation despite her unglamorous state but Damien merely strolled off.
“Ingrate.” Uttered Naomi
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The sky rained fire as the oceans ran dry. The once lush greenery was razed to ashes and the luscious air turned to a ubiquitous fog. Bodies were strewn across the blighted ground, most of them reduced to slag. Everything was chaotic, except the distant tapping sound.
Footsteps.
A dark malevolent figure emerged from within the fog. It moved closer and closer, as the tapping sound of footsteps turned into the dragging of hooves. The air started to burn more readily as razor-sharp tendrils burst out from the ground. The skeletons that were still burning were immediately reduced to dust which dissipated into the hot air. Meteors started to fall from the sky at astonishing speeds as white fire began to form on the decaying ground. And then it came.
It was him again.
“Rise and shine! Sleepyhead!” shouted Michael at the top of his voice.
“For the last time, will you shut the- oh hi there Professor Brooks,” said Damien
“It seems to me that you are a person who is so very conscious of time and its constraints. Oh and would you know, it’s already 11 a.m in the morning, not too late, don’t you think?”
“I-“
“Hush now young man, you are officially suspended from my class with immediate effect. And fortunately for you, this suspension is not permanent and will last for a mere fortnight. I expect you to know whatever I will be teaching in the 2 weeks and a test will be kindly issued to you then.”
“I-“
“You don’t have to speak. Why should you waste your precious energy talking to me? You should be writing and drawing about the wonders of astronomy. Isn’t that right, Michael?”
“Absolutely Professor Brooks, Absolutely.” Michael said as he grinned from ear to ear.
“Now, I won’t disturb your sleep anymore, Damien. Farewell.”
The door closed with a loud thud as Damien stared menacingly at his roommate Michael.
“What was that?”
“What? OH, you mean Brooks? He kept pestering me about your whereabouts and I ran out of excuses for you. So, I had to let him know the truth.”
“Why didn’t you wake me up BEFORE his class started? It isn’t all that hard, is it?”
“You were awake already, I talked to you but you didn’t answer me. All you did was go to that table and draw diagrams of planets. Oh, and you wrote something about ‘the dark force’ and ‘doomsday’.”
Damien refused to believe Michael but went ahead to his own table to take a look.
After all, he’s probably lying to me and there isn’t any harm proving him wrong. It can’t be about that dream anyway, no?
What the…
Chapter 8: Astronomy?
It was amazing and chaotic, bearing two of the common elements in art rarely found together. The wooden tabletop looked more unharmed despite the deep cuts. Oval and circular objects were carved out cleanly, with no detectable traces of splinters. From a distance, it looked like a portrait of the solar system. However, on a closer look, it was apparent that Mercury swapped places with Saturn. The planet with multiple orbital lines was also enlarged threefold, and the commonly huge size of the Sun was non existent. A tiny six sided star took its place and a distinct cross was drawn in the middle of it.
What the hell..
Damien was evidently shocked and stunned. He was a person who loved to hide his emotions but his visage betrayed those intentions. Not even in his wildest dreams could he fathom this panoramic portrait and there was no reason for him to.
After all, why would a disillusioned and pressurized teenager carve out a twisted solar system on his own table? There was simply no plausible reason and meaning. Meaning? Wait; didn’t Michael say I scribbled something about Doomsday whilst unconscious?
“Michael.” Damien uttered in a dead and solemn tone.
“Yes?” Michael answered in a quirky voice.
“You said I wrote something. Where is it?”
“Oh, I took and read it. It’s quite interesting, nothing like you’ve ever written. It was-“
“Where is it?”
“Um, Brooks took it.”
Shit. No way. How can that bastard come in and take my stuff. Curse you, old mongrel! I hope you’ll die in your sleep after experiencing my stupid and illogical dreams. Now, how do I find him? It’s 11:30 A.M now. I don’t think he’s in his office, considering the number of classes he’s privileged to torture.
“Any idea where Brooks is now?”
“Um, I think I overheard him saying that he’ll be in his office for consultation of that project of yours. What was it called? Uh-uh…”
“The Pseudo Genome Project.”
“Yes, yes, that one.”
Screw this, you’ll pay for this, Brooks. You’ll pay for infiltrating my territory, you’ll pay for your misdeeds, you’ll pay…
“What’s up with you lately, you don’t seem yourself.” Michael asked, snapping Damien’s train of vengeful thoughts.
“Oh shut up, I’ll be back in ten.” Damien said as he left the room.
Damien slammed the door forcefully, convulsing it like aftershocks of an earthquake. Michael opened the door and peered outside, his friend was stomping away at the hallway, ignoring any calls and gestures made at him. Immediately, Michael closed the door and locked it. He slid his hands into his back pocket and took out a piece of paper. Summoning his courage and concentration, he looked at its content.
Just what could this be?
Chapter 9: Conundrum
It doesn’t make sense at all. Not a single hint of logic. What could this mean? Perhaps the meaning of this prose is hidden between the stanzas. Perhaps one more read will do, just one more.
Seeking wrath among the walkers
That which is not mine is theirs
Devoid of emotions and faces
My comrades strewn across oceans
Of Fire, flame and the weary
They lie dormant in fatigue
They will once again rise up
To the young one of servitude
Of Loyalty towards me
All in his path shall perish
Forever and ever in eternity
And twilight will descend
He must take this up
And answer to my call
For the archangel is near
As the gates of hell loom
Closer.
Clueless. What is this? Why would Damien scribble something like that? And to think he has no idea of what he has written...
Michael heaved a sigh of frustration; it was his fifth time reading through the paper and he was still as ignorant and clueless as he was when he first browsed through. There was no apparent flow in it, not in content or in words. It was definitely one of the worst poems that Michael has ever read but unlike the usual poor prose, its meaning eluded him. There was simply no way Michael could grasp the meaning without first asking its creator.
But that would mean telling the truth to Damien.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The hallway was bright as day. The translucent windows could barely block off the intense rays of light as they revealed the obscene amount of dust in the air. It was apparent. The alley hadn’t been swept and cleansed for a long time. So much so that Damien had difficulty even drawing small breaths.
214, 215, 216, 217
Damien waltzed past the rooms with rhythmic pace. However, he was still far from reaching his destination. Professor Brooks’ office was stationed at the far end of the building. It was just beside the detention room where students were often retained for even the trivial matters. To make things worse, Damien’s room was located at the opposite end of the same building. And he had to walk a considerable distance just to reach the office, with no guarantee of getting what he wanted.
How fitting. If only the bastard had the slightest idea how far I have to walk just to reach his office. If only he had enough decency not to infiltrate our room and take away that piece of paper. Wait a minute… Our?
Damien’s train of thoughts was once again put to a screeching halt. This time, it was Gabriel.
Chapter 10: Gabriel
“Hey Damien, I need to talk to you about something, a certain matter that concerns me.” Gabriel inquired in a polite manner.
“Not now, Gabby. We adults have better things to do than to indulge in your childish concerns.” Answered Damien.
“We?”
“Damn right you are, it’s me and my…”
God damn it. Why did I say that? Why we? Me and who? There’s no one else here.
A moment of silence descended upon the hallway as Damien struggled to reply coherently.
“We?”
Come on, think! Think! It can’t be that hard to give a plausible answer!
“Uh, uh, right. I got lost in my thoughts then. What were you saying again?”
“Follow me, I think it’s safer to talk in my room.”
“Safer?”
“Just follow me.”
Strange. Why would Gabriel invite me into his room? It’s been ages since I’ve talked to him. Maybe he has forgotten what happened then…
It was true. Damien and Gabriel haven’t talked to each other ever since Hilda died in a car accident. They could barely look at each other in the eye ever since that incident occurred.
*Flashback (Aftermath of Hilda’s death)*
“I’m terribly sorry.“
“For?”
“For-“
“Be quiet! She’s still inside.”
“She’s…not.”
Chapter 11: Flashback: Operation failed?
Gabriel stared intently at the man draped in a white coat. The doctor started to sweat profusely. He could barely keep up with the imaginary onsets Gabriel was dishing out. The doctor was on the verge of fainting but was rescued by the surgeon who had just exited from the surgery room.
“Jones. I need to speak to you.”
The doctor nodded and followed the surgeon to a deserted corner of the hallway.
“You knew it, didn’t you?” asked the surgeon.
“Yes.” The doctor replied casually, showing no signs of nervousness from Gabriel’s psychological assault.
“Then why didn’t you tell them that the operation was bound to fail?”
“I wanted to give them a ray of hope. After all, the operation had a 1% chance of success.”
“And you told them it was 10%?”
“If I’d said 1, they wouldn’t have agreed to the operation.”
“So siphoning their cash is more important than telling them the truth?”
The doctor was silent again. He knew that the surgeon already had that reason deeply etched in his mind. He knew that he could not convince the surgeon further, that greed was not the primary catalyst in the surgery, not that he tried. He also knew that the surgeon was wrong in his judgment.
The surgeon stormed off to the other side of the hallway. He could hardly believe it, that Doctor Jones, that reputable an individual could place greed above integrity.
“That doctor said something about Hilda not being in the room. What did he mean by that?” Gabriel asked in a menacing tone.
“We’ve tried our hardest but it wasn’t to be.” The surgeon replied in a “matter of fact” manner.
“What do you mean by that? What kind of hospital is this?”
The surgeon pointed to the surgery room and signaled Gabriel to follow him. He had something to show him.
“What about us? Where are you going, Gabriel?”
“Is it not obvious enough? I’m going to the surgery room. You two just stay here and wait for Damien. He should be arriving soon.”
He better be.
Chapter 12: Flashback: Fervent
“So your name is Gabriel Cristo? What we have here is-”said the surgeon.
“Is-is-is that Hilda?!” asked Gabriel.
A badly burned and scarred body was lying on the table. Patches of dried blood littered the corpse and deep gashes were quite omnipresent. The body obviously belonged to a woman and was no taller than 5’7. Coincidentally, Hilda was just a little taller.
Hilda? That can’t be! We were in the car when it crashed. Damien and I got off unhurt, so Hilda couldn’t be hurt so bad. She was still breathing when we got here.
“Nah, that isn’t your friend. This corpse has been here for several days and it is quite amazing.”
“Where’s Hilda? Is she alive? Take me to her now!”
“Calm down Gabriel, I’ll take you to Hilda right after this. Now, I want you to-”
Gabriel could not hold back his emotions any longer. He confronted the surgeon and lifted him by the neck.
“WHERE IS HILDA?! I WANT TO SEE HER NOW!”
“Ack. I-I- can’t take you there. The entry card is with Doctor Jones. L-L-Let me down now…” the surgeon choked on his words.
In an instant, Gabriel loosened his vice like grip on the surgeon’s neck and flung him at the table. It was apparent. He was letting his frustration and anger take control of his emotions. Gabriel stared furiously at the surgeon who was still reeling from the impact of the throw and stormed out of the room immediately.
This child. Such strength. Such youth. Perhaps he really is the one.
Back in the hallway, Jones was still at the corner, deep in thought.
The young one, what’s his name? Gabriel. Yes. Him. The way he looked me in the eye, I could see the fire burning. The pale fire burning ever so brightly. He must be the one Master’s looking for. I must inform Master of this.
“You there! Doctor! I need the entry card NOW! I need to see Hilda!” shouted Gabriel.
The doctor spun around and stared at Gabriel. Gabriel was sprinting towards the doctor at full speed, fueled by his concern for Hilda. All of a sudden, Gabriel stopped right in his tracks.
“Don’t do it!”
“Amen.”
A deafening bang resounded in the air as the surgeon and the people in the hallway gathered to see what had happened.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
