Retribution

I - quietus

Chapter One - Quietus

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A bittersweet feeling swept over me when my fingers brushed against the thin page of my book. It was the last page of the very last chapter; no longer could I escape the modern world with the ending of this book. Yet, I was glad it was over. The train ride of uncertainty, joy, anger, and amusement had reached its last stop, and I was happy to get off. I should have taken a break and waited for the next train to prolong the trip, but my curiosity grew with each chapter. My interest wouldn’t allow me to turn away, and eventually, that curiosity morphed into an obsession. Compared to my mundane, single life, this book was like heaven! There was nothing better than escaping into a world about kingdoms, magic, godly men, and a tolerable heroine. 

As my eyes grazed over the last word, a sudden feeling of pity overpowered my joy. The villain, Ezra Kingston, was cheated out of a good life. He had a terrible childhood and a temperament made to please the God of Disaster. Born into a family where verbal abuse was constant, he grew up not knowing how to communicate with other people. Ezra lived a sad life that created a feeling of pity within me and fueled my attraction toward villains. He was naturally a twisted boy and by no means innocent, but he lived an awful life only to meet a dreadful end! 

I gently closed the cover of my book and let out a deep sigh. As I glanced at my alarm clock, I grimaced at the time shown: 2:13 am. I let out another deep sigh and decided it was too late to sleep. Looking down at the chapter book on my lap, I frowned. It was this damn book that kept me from sleeping. Well, sleep is overrated. Plus, this means I can take a midnight walk. I'm not one for exercise, but I love walking beneath the stars and, fortunately, I don't live in a big city! There's just something about gazing up at the night sky. It gives the world a romantic mood. Before I fell back into my fantasy world, I set my book to the side and stood up, stretching my stiff limbs and aching neck.

When I’m ready to leave, I exit my apartment and head out on the street. I may not live in a big city, but it's a city big enough for some shady areas to exist. I lived near a sketchy part of town, not my first choice, but it was undeniably the cheapest. Despite the risky neighborhood, it was quite a beautiful place. Well, the sky was. The cool air nipped softly at my nose as I gazed at the dark blue sky. As the stars sparkled beautifully, I suddenly thought of Ezra. He often gazed at the stars and compared them to his late mother. It may have been that moment that I pitied Ezra.

Suddenly a bout of pain hit my body. It was almost as if someone had punched my side. My eyes quickly found a bulky man standing right next to me. The distance between his body and mine was so close I could feel his chest against my arm. He roughly pulled away and ran off into the dark. Stunned by his sudden appearance, I stayed still. Shortly after he ran, the feeling of warm water ran down my side. Instinctively, I touched my side and looked down. Even in the darkness, I knew that what I had felt wasn't water... it was blood, my blood. I was stabbed?

As quickly as I realized my situation, the pain rose, and I immediately felt billions of needles puncture my body. My legs took the brunt of this tingling sensation. The awful pain pulsed with my heartbeat as my breathing got heavier and heavier. I was suffocating. Breathing became much harder. It hurt to try. Despite the pain, I tied to take a deeper breath, but my body screamed in protest and forced me to stop. The suffocation was slow and tiring. I want to breathe! Although my mind is clouded, I still feel fear running through my body. Then, as my mind shut down, my legs lost their strength, and I crumbled to the ground, my body hitting the concrete like a ragdoll. By this point, I know I'm dying; everything thing is numb, I can't hear, my vision is riddled with black dots... I'm dying.

As soon as my vision and hearing went out, I felt a weird sense of peacefulness. There was no pain in my body. I was not comfortable or uncomfortable. I just existed. It was a feeling in time that was there but wasn't. Then it was gone. I was gone.

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UPDATED 10/22