Phase 26
“C-Class 3…” I shivered, sitting on the floor of my apartment. I couldn’t decide whether I was happy or scared by this. Another sleepless night and, still, I had a commitment to make that morning. Dragging my feet, I slid into my work clothes and sloppily grabbed the car keys from the counter. Before I left, I turned and threw the keys back onto the counter. I was too harsh and they slid off and landed on the floor. I turned and shut the door behind me. I definitely should not be driving like this.
I walked to work that way, dodging slow-moving cars and people walking their dogs. I collapsed by the time I reached my desk. I threw my bag to the ground and my head hit the desk. Finally… somewhere I can relax…
I lifted my head and found that I was staring into an endless abyss of skull covered land, blanketed by the soft red and grey sky. I stood up from the ground and my feet couldn’t quite get the hang of standing on the skulls. Has it really been so long? Eventually, my feet gripped the skulls beneath me. Where did my shoes go? I then saw a pair of bare feet appear in front of me. I slowly looked up. I was lost, gazing into his black, emotionless eyes. I was so relieved to have him again. The setting and seeing him standing among the skulls flooded me with memories of how we used to be. I put my arms out and stepped towards him. He suddenly brought his hand around from his side and slapped my face with it. I lost my footing and fell backwards. My hands shot up to my stinging cheek as I lowered my jaw and looked up to him. He bent down over me, like a giant over a small ant, and he said, “you never touch me.” I was scared, yet determined. I stood quickly, then, facing him, I said, “Why, Denzel?! Why are you Class 3 now?! DAMNIT! Why couldn’t I have just stayed with Regret?! WHY DID HE MAKE ME SHOOT YOU? WHY DID HE WANT YOU AT CLASS 3? WHY!!!?!??”
“Because.” Denzel grit his teeth and his expression filled with anger and hatred. He then yelled, “YOU LOVE ME.” I felt as if the world around me began to shake as Denzel’s shadow grew around me. He grabbed my shoulders and pushed me to the ground.
“T…Then why don’t you hurt me?!” I yelled, feeling oddly powerful, “Why don’t you just torture me, like you used to!!!?!? Why don’t you hurt me, Denzel!?! Hurt me then!” I flinched as Denzel quickly stepped towards me. He grabbed the shoulder of my shirt and ripped it down. Exposed on my shoulder was several small scars.
“I already hurt you, Roslyn.” Denzel stared at the scars. I slowly brought my traumatized hand to touch my shoulder. I could feel the raised flesh where the scars were.
“Th-then w-what…?” I swallowed as the cold air breeze brushed by my shoulder. “Why are you here?”
“Stupid question.” Denzel turned around, then vanished. He reappeared sitting on top of the pile of skulls in the distance. “I’m here to torture your mind.” His voice still seemed as if he was right next to me.
.....
I blinked and lifted my head to see my desk and computer, still in front of me. It took me a moment or two, but after I collected myself, I noticed something different. The unread letter was sitting on my desk. Quickly, I snatched it from my desk and held it close to my eyes. How could I have forgotten about this?! The letter was already open because of Regret, but as I began to pull the letter out, a second piece of paper fluttered out of the envelope. I picked it up from my lap, and on it, it read:
Nice doing business.
-R
I quickly threw the small note to the desk and slid the actual letter from the envelope into my hands. It read:
I’m fine.. Have to make this short. Look, I’ll find you. Stay low.
-Lucas-
I held the letter to my chest and let out a relieved sigh. He’s okay. He’ll come for me! He’ll come for me… I found comfort in the letter and I savored it for a moment… Then, after receiving “the eye” from Jillian, I turned back to my work.
…..
When I got home, I collapsed onto the right side of my bed. My bag slid off the covers and fell to the ground along with a few other files.
My eyes finally shut with that uncomfortable burning sensation. After a minute, they stopped and I could rest peacefully.
…..
At about 2 in the morning, a crash was heard in the kitchen. I bounced my body up from the bed and my hand fiddled with the nightstand drawer. I opened it up and pulled out a pistol. I quickly fiddled with it and clicked the hammer back. I was ready. Why am I so skiddish though? What if… it’s Lucas! I threw the gun down onto the bed and quickly ran to the door. I swung it open with my wide, excited eyes… but it wasn’t Lucas who was rummaging through the kitchen cabinets… Two large men stood near the counter and, when I gasped, they turned to face me. I wanted to run back into the bedroom and get my gun, but I backed into the door and it closed loudly instead. I was in shock, but I spoke with my staggered breath, “W-what are you doing here?”
The man approached me and his identity became clear. Stills said, “Where’s Lucas?”
“L-Lucas?” I swallowed then said, “I don’t know anybody by that name…”
“DON’T PLAY STUPID WITH US.” Stills approached me closer as the other man stayed behind him, “We know you two escaped from us before. We’re here to take care of some unfinished business.” The men chuckled at each other, then Stills turned back to me. “Where is he!” He yelled.
“He… He’s not here!”
“I think she’s lying.” The man behind Stills spoke with a glare under his brow.
“I swear.” I said honestly, “he took off and I don’t know where he is. What did he even do to you?!”
“We’re the relatives of someone he killed!” His harsh words surged through my mind like a lethal injection. Why did Lucas kill their relative?
“Well, I- I’m sorry…” I started again, “you won’t find him here. Look… I don’t want anyone to get hurt…”
“That’s what they all say before the get a BULLET in between their eyes!” Stills pressed his pointer finger onto the upper bridge of his nose. Then, he leaned forward, as if he wanted to whisper, but he spoke loudly, “don’t do anything stupid, we’ll be watching.” Stills pulled a gun out of his coat pocket and aimed it at me, his thumb on the hammer and his pointer finger on the trigger. He then shut his eyes, sighed and brought the gun back down. He turned to his ally, motioned to the door with the gun, and they both left.
I let out a frightened yet relieved sigh as I turned around. I SHRIEKED as I bumped into a tall man who was standing behind me. I looked up and found myself gazing into Denzel’s black eyes again. I felt a strong connection with him until he broke it and looked away. He pushed me with his arm and he walked past me. I watched him as he looked at the mess and the broken bottles the two men left. Then, Denzel surprised me. He took his bare foot, bent his knee, then slammed his foot down on half a broken coke bottle. The glass shattered underneath his foot and it startled me.
“You NEVER took my warnings, stupid girl.” He yelled, “you’re such a fool!”
“I am not!” I stood up for myself. I couldn’t help it this time. “He’s going to come back to me! He’s going to come for me! He said he would!” A squeal of tires was heard from the street and Denzel and I’s head perked up. I ran into the bedroom and looked out onto the dimly lit street. I stepped back in horror as my eyes began to burn. Without even putting shoes on, I ran through the kitchen, past Denzel, and into the hallway. I raced down the steps and ran into the street. Down the street, two men were running back to a black van, with guns in their hands. I bit my lip terribly hard as my eyes glanced down to the ground behind the van. There, under the lamp post in the damp street, was Lucas. I began to run to Lucas, in hopes that he was okay. Then, above him appeared Mercy and Denzel. I reached Lucas and fell to my weak knees as I examined him. As tears began to fill my eyes, I heard Mercy give a chuckle then say, “I guess those men finally finished the job.”
“He’s not dead!” I yelled, in disbelief. He wasn’t though, I could see his chest rising and falling. His eyes then opened slightly and his pupils rolled towards me. He looked into my eyes and his lips parted. Tears slid down my cheek as I said, “we’ll help you, just, just hang on.” I examined the holes in his chest, slowly filling and oozing with blood. His shirt was stained, his legs were broken, is this it? I began to take out my cell phone when Lucas finally managed to speak the word, “no.”
“W-What?! I can get you help! Don’t you dare say no, Lucas! Don’t! I love you!” I bit my tongue and said no more. Mercy rolled her eyes.
I then shot my gaze up to Denzel and yelled, “This is all your fault, damnit! Why did you do this?!” Mercy tried to cover her manipulative laugh with her right hand, nudging Denzel in the side with her left elbow. Denzel shut his eyes, took a deep breath, then said, “Roslyn. It’s his time to go.”
“No!” The tears fell from my burning eyes onto my pants as I quickly swung my head back to Lucas. “No, no! It is NOT!” Lucas’s eyes shut. His chest was still moving though, but I was still afraid. I threw myself onto Lucas and began to sob. “This can’t be the end!” I yelled, “I need you here for me! How can I go on? We have so much in common! Please!! … Lucas?”
A breeze had squeezed its way, slowly, into the street and chills were sent down my spine. The alley became a black landscape in my mind, as I could only focus as to what was dying and barely breathing under the dull street lamp. The ground’s damp chill creeped it’s way through my jeans and made goose bumps all along my skin. Not a thing was heard in the alley, until Lucas spoke.
“I came to find you.” He struggled to say, “and I will never leave you. T-Trust me. We’ll be friends for… for eternity.”
At that moment, on that dreary Thursday night, Lucas’s bullet ridden chest was still and his final breath was taken by the crisp air. As I slid my hands up his arms and fell onto him once again, I cried out his name. Then, I was pulled back by Denzel’s hands and Mercy picked Lucas up in her thin arms. The folds of his coat fell over her arm and dangled below him. His legs were limp and swayed back and forth, and his head fell to the side, facing Mercy. I stood to my feet and pushed Denzel away. I ran towards Mercy- Lucas is NOT dead! He can’t be! Impossible! I felt a strange presence around Mercy, and it made me keep my distance. I watched in wide-eyed disbelief as Mercy slowly faded into the landscape, along with Lucas.
I staggered back to the apartment complex and walked to my third floor room. I slogged into the bedroom, with eyes as open as the sun, and I opened the window. Lucas had been following me and he asked, “what are you doing?” I took the gun from my bed and held it out to Lucas. I said, “will you shoot me?”
“What?” Lucas stepped back, “No, why would I do that? It’s not your time to go yet.”
“Then when is my time to go?!” I cursed. I put the gun to my heart. I am done with all the abuse, the confusion, the torture. I’m finished with it all. I unlocked the safety and looked back up at Denzel. I put a leg out the window. This is it. This is finally the end. Staring Denzel in the eyes, I pulled the trigger.
I didn’t even flinch.
Then, I dropped the gun to the floor, and slid out from the window and began my descent. I hit the ground, it felt like I had fallen onto a table of long, long tacks. Above me, I saw Lucas, and he said, “Now is your time to die.” Then, it was amazing, I died. So quickly…
I walked to work that way, dodging slow-moving cars and people walking their dogs. I collapsed by the time I reached my desk. I threw my bag to the ground and my head hit the desk. Finally… somewhere I can relax…
I lifted my head and found that I was staring into an endless abyss of skull covered land, blanketed by the soft red and grey sky. I stood up from the ground and my feet couldn’t quite get the hang of standing on the skulls. Has it really been so long? Eventually, my feet gripped the skulls beneath me. Where did my shoes go? I then saw a pair of bare feet appear in front of me. I slowly looked up. I was lost, gazing into his black, emotionless eyes. I was so relieved to have him again. The setting and seeing him standing among the skulls flooded me with memories of how we used to be. I put my arms out and stepped towards him. He suddenly brought his hand around from his side and slapped my face with it. I lost my footing and fell backwards. My hands shot up to my stinging cheek as I lowered my jaw and looked up to him. He bent down over me, like a giant over a small ant, and he said, “you never touch me.” I was scared, yet determined. I stood quickly, then, facing him, I said, “Why, Denzel?! Why are you Class 3 now?! DAMNIT! Why couldn’t I have just stayed with Regret?! WHY DID HE MAKE ME SHOOT YOU? WHY DID HE WANT YOU AT CLASS 3? WHY!!!?!??”
“Because.” Denzel grit his teeth and his expression filled with anger and hatred. He then yelled, “YOU LOVE ME.” I felt as if the world around me began to shake as Denzel’s shadow grew around me. He grabbed my shoulders and pushed me to the ground.
“T…Then why don’t you hurt me?!” I yelled, feeling oddly powerful, “Why don’t you just torture me, like you used to!!!?!? Why don’t you hurt me, Denzel!?! Hurt me then!” I flinched as Denzel quickly stepped towards me. He grabbed the shoulder of my shirt and ripped it down. Exposed on my shoulder was several small scars.
“I already hurt you, Roslyn.” Denzel stared at the scars. I slowly brought my traumatized hand to touch my shoulder. I could feel the raised flesh where the scars were.
“Th-then w-what…?” I swallowed as the cold air breeze brushed by my shoulder. “Why are you here?”
“Stupid question.” Denzel turned around, then vanished. He reappeared sitting on top of the pile of skulls in the distance. “I’m here to torture your mind.” His voice still seemed as if he was right next to me.
.....
I blinked and lifted my head to see my desk and computer, still in front of me. It took me a moment or two, but after I collected myself, I noticed something different. The unread letter was sitting on my desk. Quickly, I snatched it from my desk and held it close to my eyes. How could I have forgotten about this?! The letter was already open because of Regret, but as I began to pull the letter out, a second piece of paper fluttered out of the envelope. I picked it up from my lap, and on it, it read:
Nice doing business.
-R
I quickly threw the small note to the desk and slid the actual letter from the envelope into my hands. It read:
I’m fine.. Have to make this short. Look, I’ll find you. Stay low.
-Lucas-
I held the letter to my chest and let out a relieved sigh. He’s okay. He’ll come for me! He’ll come for me… I found comfort in the letter and I savored it for a moment… Then, after receiving “the eye” from Jillian, I turned back to my work.
…..
When I got home, I collapsed onto the right side of my bed. My bag slid off the covers and fell to the ground along with a few other files.
My eyes finally shut with that uncomfortable burning sensation. After a minute, they stopped and I could rest peacefully.
…..
At about 2 in the morning, a crash was heard in the kitchen. I bounced my body up from the bed and my hand fiddled with the nightstand drawer. I opened it up and pulled out a pistol. I quickly fiddled with it and clicked the hammer back. I was ready. Why am I so skiddish though? What if… it’s Lucas! I threw the gun down onto the bed and quickly ran to the door. I swung it open with my wide, excited eyes… but it wasn’t Lucas who was rummaging through the kitchen cabinets… Two large men stood near the counter and, when I gasped, they turned to face me. I wanted to run back into the bedroom and get my gun, but I backed into the door and it closed loudly instead. I was in shock, but I spoke with my staggered breath, “W-what are you doing here?”
The man approached me and his identity became clear. Stills said, “Where’s Lucas?”
“L-Lucas?” I swallowed then said, “I don’t know anybody by that name…”
“DON’T PLAY STUPID WITH US.” Stills approached me closer as the other man stayed behind him, “We know you two escaped from us before. We’re here to take care of some unfinished business.” The men chuckled at each other, then Stills turned back to me. “Where is he!” He yelled.
“He… He’s not here!”
“I think she’s lying.” The man behind Stills spoke with a glare under his brow.
“I swear.” I said honestly, “he took off and I don’t know where he is. What did he even do to you?!”
“We’re the relatives of someone he killed!” His harsh words surged through my mind like a lethal injection. Why did Lucas kill their relative?
“Well, I- I’m sorry…” I started again, “you won’t find him here. Look… I don’t want anyone to get hurt…”
“That’s what they all say before the get a BULLET in between their eyes!” Stills pressed his pointer finger onto the upper bridge of his nose. Then, he leaned forward, as if he wanted to whisper, but he spoke loudly, “don’t do anything stupid, we’ll be watching.” Stills pulled a gun out of his coat pocket and aimed it at me, his thumb on the hammer and his pointer finger on the trigger. He then shut his eyes, sighed and brought the gun back down. He turned to his ally, motioned to the door with the gun, and they both left.
I let out a frightened yet relieved sigh as I turned around. I SHRIEKED as I bumped into a tall man who was standing behind me. I looked up and found myself gazing into Denzel’s black eyes again. I felt a strong connection with him until he broke it and looked away. He pushed me with his arm and he walked past me. I watched him as he looked at the mess and the broken bottles the two men left. Then, Denzel surprised me. He took his bare foot, bent his knee, then slammed his foot down on half a broken coke bottle. The glass shattered underneath his foot and it startled me.
“You NEVER took my warnings, stupid girl.” He yelled, “you’re such a fool!”
“I am not!” I stood up for myself. I couldn’t help it this time. “He’s going to come back to me! He’s going to come for me! He said he would!” A squeal of tires was heard from the street and Denzel and I’s head perked up. I ran into the bedroom and looked out onto the dimly lit street. I stepped back in horror as my eyes began to burn. Without even putting shoes on, I ran through the kitchen, past Denzel, and into the hallway. I raced down the steps and ran into the street. Down the street, two men were running back to a black van, with guns in their hands. I bit my lip terribly hard as my eyes glanced down to the ground behind the van. There, under the lamp post in the damp street, was Lucas. I began to run to Lucas, in hopes that he was okay. Then, above him appeared Mercy and Denzel. I reached Lucas and fell to my weak knees as I examined him. As tears began to fill my eyes, I heard Mercy give a chuckle then say, “I guess those men finally finished the job.”
“He’s not dead!” I yelled, in disbelief. He wasn’t though, I could see his chest rising and falling. His eyes then opened slightly and his pupils rolled towards me. He looked into my eyes and his lips parted. Tears slid down my cheek as I said, “we’ll help you, just, just hang on.” I examined the holes in his chest, slowly filling and oozing with blood. His shirt was stained, his legs were broken, is this it? I began to take out my cell phone when Lucas finally managed to speak the word, “no.”
“W-What?! I can get you help! Don’t you dare say no, Lucas! Don’t! I love you!” I bit my tongue and said no more. Mercy rolled her eyes.
I then shot my gaze up to Denzel and yelled, “This is all your fault, damnit! Why did you do this?!” Mercy tried to cover her manipulative laugh with her right hand, nudging Denzel in the side with her left elbow. Denzel shut his eyes, took a deep breath, then said, “Roslyn. It’s his time to go.”
“No!” The tears fell from my burning eyes onto my pants as I quickly swung my head back to Lucas. “No, no! It is NOT!” Lucas’s eyes shut. His chest was still moving though, but I was still afraid. I threw myself onto Lucas and began to sob. “This can’t be the end!” I yelled, “I need you here for me! How can I go on? We have so much in common! Please!! … Lucas?”
A breeze had squeezed its way, slowly, into the street and chills were sent down my spine. The alley became a black landscape in my mind, as I could only focus as to what was dying and barely breathing under the dull street lamp. The ground’s damp chill creeped it’s way through my jeans and made goose bumps all along my skin. Not a thing was heard in the alley, until Lucas spoke.
“I came to find you.” He struggled to say, “and I will never leave you. T-Trust me. We’ll be friends for… for eternity.”
At that moment, on that dreary Thursday night, Lucas’s bullet ridden chest was still and his final breath was taken by the crisp air. As I slid my hands up his arms and fell onto him once again, I cried out his name. Then, I was pulled back by Denzel’s hands and Mercy picked Lucas up in her thin arms. The folds of his coat fell over her arm and dangled below him. His legs were limp and swayed back and forth, and his head fell to the side, facing Mercy. I stood to my feet and pushed Denzel away. I ran towards Mercy- Lucas is NOT dead! He can’t be! Impossible! I felt a strange presence around Mercy, and it made me keep my distance. I watched in wide-eyed disbelief as Mercy slowly faded into the landscape, along with Lucas.
I staggered back to the apartment complex and walked to my third floor room. I slogged into the bedroom, with eyes as open as the sun, and I opened the window. Lucas had been following me and he asked, “what are you doing?” I took the gun from my bed and held it out to Lucas. I said, “will you shoot me?”
“What?” Lucas stepped back, “No, why would I do that? It’s not your time to go yet.”
“Then when is my time to go?!” I cursed. I put the gun to my heart. I am done with all the abuse, the confusion, the torture. I’m finished with it all. I unlocked the safety and looked back up at Denzel. I put a leg out the window. This is it. This is finally the end. Staring Denzel in the eyes, I pulled the trigger.
I didn’t even flinch.
Then, I dropped the gun to the floor, and slid out from the window and began my descent. I hit the ground, it felt like I had fallen onto a table of long, long tacks. Above me, I saw Lucas, and he said, “Now is your time to die.” Then, it was amazing, I died. So quickly…
