Deadline - A Short Story

He was given the break he longed for. As a freelance writer, he wondered whether he will have a stable income and this may have been the answer to his prayers. He didn't know that a guy he befriended on a press conference was a big official on a publishing company and so invited him to their writers' audition. It has been two weeks since their meeting and tomorrow is going to be the pitch-off event.

He wearily stared at a blank page. A laptop displayed a default layout of its document application. Its cursor continued to blink several times only to make him dazed for a while. It was dark but the laptop display made him visible enough if a visitor was to peek to his room. He groaned long and wild for he didn't have any idea for a story. He looked at the ceiling; nothing. He stared keenly from one wall to the next then finally at the floor; still nothing came to his mind. He wanted to go outside to find something; anything to inspire him but the next day deadline constrained him to stay and not go elsewhere. His frustration made him think that the small space; only enough for his bed, table and the bathroom to fit inside, close in on him. He was at his breaking point but was interrupted when his stomach started to rumble. Things went from confusion to urgency. A week had passed since his last trip to the bathroom. He went immediately to respond nature's call.

It took time. This made him observe his small bathroom. It made him appreciate the white walls all wonderfully lit by the 40-watt bulb he purchased from earlier. While waiting he used the time to ponder on what might be a good story. He didn't realize he was already daydreaming.

"Sir Rom, we've found him," a thin, stern-looking lady approached a man in his thirties, tall and lean, with grey strands starting to show and was dressed in a lab gown and was wearing thick glasses. "Really? Finally, where is he?" He asked. "Not where Sir, when" her reply. "What? Are you sure?" he needed to reassure himself. "Yes sir, we have identified his handwriting on a millennium old document recovered from the Attenborough discovery at 6:19 just this day. It's all over the news. We have 99.6% similarity" she replied. "Can you smelelell what the Ram is cooking?" he read. No doubt this was his writing.

Ram and Rom used to watch professional wrestling. That was their favorite past time. Rom looked at a younger picture of them on a closet nearby. They were twins. They founded the company together, Turing Research Industry, founded by the Aphex Twins, focusing on Research and Development, mostly centered on arms and defense enhancement for the military. They separated ways at that time Ram couldn't agree anymore to continue their current endeavor, saying Rom had lost his way. He wanted to focus back on the Tacheon particles, a research they developed during their college years. Rom didn't approve saying it is now time to face reality and helping the army was the best way to get funded. Ever since they parted they didn't mind each other's business until the day Ram went missing.Having no clues, he activated the Watcher program to search for him; a program they developed to overlook everybody, hacking every satellite feed and gathering information from the Internet to any news feed or network. They have used it to overlook any threats that might endanger the country. Now he uses it to search for anything that might lead to Ram: his facial, vocal and clothing pattern; the places and the people he had been and might had been with. Still it was hard to find Ram with his knowing they would be tracing him. Now finally they have identified his handwriting. "It's time to rebuild it," he said. "Copy that Sir, reactivating Looper Program!" she replied. He eagerly awaits meeting his brother and the expedition it will become."

Scrap it, it's never gonna work. I need a good fantasy" he thought as he came back to reality breaking himself from his dream. He repositioned himself like the thinker statue trusting it might help. "Eureka! This might be it."

"Dragon!" the people exclaimed. The village was under attack. Bells were rung to alert the castle nearby and summon the cavalry for their help. The terrifying beast was now hovering above them, flapping its enormous wings. It created huge winds consequently destroying the wick houses, scattered the fruits and vegetables of the village market. The villagers were thrown down including the men ringing the bell. "Summon the knights! Call in the cavalry!" shouted the people. The dragon then went to the piggery; roared and huge flames quickly engulfed the swine and roasted them. It then landed and started to chomp the roasted pigs. It came to feed. On the streets, the villagers were wailing and lamenting for their fallen companions.The cavalry had now arrived. Forming a V formation, they slowly headed towards the dragon with their captain leading the attack. The captain is distinguished by having worn a different gallant armor from the rest. Meanwhile the dragon was busy eating the swine not knowing the knights were behind it. "Steady, my brothers" said their captain as he slowly raised his sword intently at the beast and the rest followed. Some were novice, it being the first time they encountered a dragon and their armor plates were audibly clanking. One got immediately excited and charged towards it shouting incessantly destroying their formation. "Vandolf! No!" shouted their captain which ran after the novice but caught the captain off guard and was already far off.The dragon noticed them so it waited and when the novice knight was close by it whipped him off. Its tail crackled, crushed and threw the novice knight, who landed on the captain, pinning him to the ground. The other knights rushed towards the dragon completely forgetting their defense formation. The humongous beast now turned around and burst off its flames. It burned and killed all of them except for their captain who was protected by the knight covering him. It then went back to feeding. "May all your spirits live on and protect Khevlon" the captain sadly thought but composed himself to finish the task. His armor was also burned so he took it off and so carried his sword with him. He ascended the bell tower to find a higher ground and strike the dragon below. Finally he plunged towards it with his sword thrusting unto its neck shouting "For the realm of Khevlon!" The dragon was alerted and looked at the captain above, opened its mouth to breathe fire again while the he was nearing him....

"Woah, where did that come from?" He tilted his head thinking it would help him remember at what he had just conjured and write it back in his laptop. But he felt he is not done yet, something still had to come outside. He had to wait. "What's another good idea?" smirking as he found out this was a good place to think. "How about a love story, that's a catchy one" He thought as his mind drifted again.

 "Hold on dear! Just a little bit longer." He held his wife's hand firmly as she was carried on a stretcher heading to the emergency room. A large amount of blood was spilling out of his wife's bullet wounds. She was shot at the chest. They were walking at a park when it happened. 

 "You must get out... here, they're...here... to get him..." her weakening response. 

"What are you talking about? Hold on, we're almost there, you'll be okay" he tried to calm her down. 

"They mustn't let the baby die" she replied 

 "What!? When?!" the husband now was trying to calm himself. 

"It has been two months, I'm so..sorry." her reply. 

"No don't be, this is great news, we'll be a family now, I love you!" He tried to reassure her.

"He will become king; they will... they will take him away." her odd response.

"Wha..?" He was transfixed as his wife entered the emergency room then a nurse stood in front and blocked him to enter. 

"Sorry Sir, but you must wait here." interrupted the nurse as she held him in the doorway. 

"No! I need to be with her. She needs me!" his reply as he tried to push her away. 

Suddenly military uniformed men with their rifles intact surrounded him and blocked again his entrance from the door. "It's a delicate situation right now, Sir. We need you to cooperate." replied one of the men in uniform as they sternly stood there."Who are you? That's my wife right there! I need to be with her! You! You did this to her!" he shouted. He didn't understand. Who are these people here? What do they want? His mind scrambled to make a sense of it all. He demanded for his wife. One of the men struck the stock of his rifle at his neck. He broke down and fell to the floor. He was fainting slowly. Suddenly he heard his wife screaming so loud it deafened all the people around and a white flash of light emanated from the emergency room then surrounding the whole building. 

THUD! THUD! THUD! Loud knocks were heard on the main door. "Who was it?" He thought. "Wait a second!" He shouted but the loud knocking continued. "I'm coming! I'm coming!" his irritated reply so he quickly finished his business in the bathroom then opened the main door. It was the landlady. She was asking for the rent. He assured her he'll pay next week. She didn't agree. He complained why she's always snooping. She wailed that it was the policy of the house. Naturally it led into an argument. After an hour of negotiation they finally agreed he will pay her once he published his story and pay her two months in advance. He was now alone so he went back to his laptop and start writing but still he looked at the blank display and the blinking cursor wearily. He had forgotten every story he created in the bathroom because of the ruckus he had with the landlady. All the confidence he had earlier now suddenly vanished. He bellowed a loud shout that someone came knocking hard on his door again.