Chapter 57: The Least She could Do

Chad looked around the space. He was back at his old house. It was exactly as he remembered it. The same silence and darkness despite the sun shining brightly outside. The old feelings hit him all at once – loneliness, uncertainty, and what he perceived as fear for the unknown. The feeling, however, wasn’t really distinct. If anything, it’s kind of dull, like it’s buried under the surface.

Curtains were down, blocking the light from entering. The space in the house was like a little depressing world, all of its own.

He looked around, feeling lost. What was he doing there? He kept going in circles, feeling like there’s an unfinished task. He knew he had to do something. He kept moving, but he felt like he’s not going anywhere at the same time. It’s an endless loop. A vicious cycle he was stuck in.

Time passed and he started to feel annoyed. Increasing his pace, he pushed through the house, trying his best to complete what he started. He couldn’t remember what it was, but he knew he had to finish it.

As the number of loops increases, he started to forget what he was doing or what he was fighting for. All that was left was the annoyance. It burnt in him, threatening to take over the last thread of sanity left in his being.

He couldn’t control the emotion any longer. He rushed forward with all his strength. In just a blink of an eye, he was going straight for the window, pushed forward by his own momentum. Unable to stop, he felt panic rising. His whole body went through the window and out of the house.

Before falling, he managed to hold on to the window sill. He grabbed it hard, not willing to give up. He knew once he were to fall, it would be the end of his life.

He started to feel the last shred of strength leaving him. ‘I’m going to die.’

That was when he sensed a movement from the room he fell out from. He raised his head and saw a figure standing at the window. It’s a woman. He couldn’t see her face clearly, but he had a feeling he knew her. The feeling was very familiar. “Help me,” he pleaded.

The figure ignored him. She didn’t make a move to help him at all, as if she didn’t see him there. It wasn’t deliberate. She really wasn’t able to see him. Chad tried his best to get her attention, to no avail.

He slipped down lower, towards the pull of gravity. His fingers dug into the material of the sill. “Help me!” He tried again, more urgently. There wasn’t any reaction from the woman. Chad felt something building inside him. A feeling. Anger, bordering on hatred, stemming from helplessness.

“Why won’t you help me?” He asked, feeling the emotions rising. He squinted at her, trying to see her face. He wanted to know what she was feeling, or what her intention was towards him. He couldn’t see her expression no matter how hard he tried.

“At least help me, would you?” His tone revealed the hurt he was feeling, physically and mentally. He pleaded for the last time before his last finger gave out. He fell facing the woman in the room. He saw her eyes. They were dead, unfocused and staring into the distance. The look was very much familiar. He couldn’t point it out, but it was awfully familiar.

He fell. His heart almost leaped out. But he kept falling. And falling. And falling. It was a fall with no end. He could feel the velocity but never the ground. Slowly, he got used to the state of falling. The panic reduced, replaced by confusion. ‘The house’s on the ground floor,’ he suddenly realized. He should hit the ground right when he let go. His heart skipped a beat. He had a feeling he’s going to hit the ground soon.

He hit the ground so hard, he thought that it was the end of him. The next moment, he jerked awake, still reeling from the impact of the fall. His eyes were wide open as he looked around his room, sweating profusely despite the chilling weather.

‘It’s a dream,’ he comforted himself. A feeling lingered in his heart. The feeling that something’s wrong. Slowly, he got out of bed. The sky outside was still dark. It’s the first time in a long time since he was able to get some sleep at night and he had to have that nightmare. It was as though the universe itself denied him a peaceful sleep.

A knock on the door caused his heart to speed up again. He opened the door so quickly, he scared the shit out of the man behind it. He jumped a little when the door opened. “What happened?” Chad didn’t waste a second.

“Sammy,” the man said, pointing at the direction of her room. He didn’t show any sign of wanting to continue the explanation. Chad didn’t bother to wait for it either. He turned his foot sharply and lunged towards the room.

As he approached the room, he saw Nelly coming from the opposite direction. She wasn’t any slower than him. That’s her professional self, running to save a life.

The moment they opened the door, the sight took them aback. Chad froze on the spot, feeling all the energy draining from his body.

Stacy laid on her side on the floor, surrounded by a pool of blood. There were dried tear marks on her face. Her eyes were closed.

Nelly immediately rushed past Chad into the room. She knelt down at her side to check on her. Chad couldn’t move. He stared at the scene in front of him. Nelly looked anxious. She was screaming something. Probably barking orders. Men rushed past him into the room to help. Everything happened in slow motion.

The sound around him faded out, leaving him in silence. Everything around him spun, slowly at first. Then, the spinning got faster. He heard remnants of people talking around him but he couldn’t make out their words.

That was the last thing he knew before losing consciousness.