Darkness Before Dawn

A Seed of Hope Amidst the Chill of Autumn Leaves

Sunday, October 16, 2005
Back home

"Be it evah so humble, dere's no place like home," chuckled Jou as he pulled the car into the drive, parked and killed the engine.

The three young men exited the car and made their way toward the house, Atem opening the door to let them all in, where they stepped out of their footwear and up into the house proper.

"C'mon, Até! Let's stash our shit and go see Grandpa! I know he watched us on TV. I can't wait to see his face," bubbled Yugi.

"Indeed. If not for his Exodia, it would have been my loss," smiled Atem as he and Yugi ascended the stairs.

After dropping off their suitcases, Yugi and Atem ran back downstairs, stepped back into their footgear and, hand in hand, ran for the bus stop.

Yugi and Atem settled into their seats on the bus and relaxed at its forward momentum. As the vehicle rolled along, they exchanged a glance and a smile. Soon, they would be at the Kame Game Shop, where Sugoroku would be waiting to celebrate Atem's victory with Exodia and hear his and Yugi's firsthand recounts of their adventures. Then, he and Atem would duel each other into the ground for Yugi's amusement.

Soon, the bus arrived at the stop and they exited. Hand in hand, they walked down the sidewalk, unmindful of any stares in their direction. Yugi's eyes lit when the shop came into view.

"C'mon, Até," he chirped, gently tugging Atem forward.

"Patience, habibi. Your grandpa won't disappear," chuckled Atem.

Yugi led Atem around to the side door, pulling up the keys he had dangling from the loop of his biker wallet, unlocked the door and stepped inside.

"Grandpa! We're here!" he called as he and Atem stepped out of their footwear and up into the kitchen.

Silence answered.

"Grandpa?!" he called again.

His voice echoed throughout the shop and was answered by stone cold silence.

"His shoes are in the genkan, so he must be here," observed Atem.

Yugi nodded, even as he stood rooted to the spot, uncertain of what to do, until he felt a strong hand on his right shoulder.

"You check upstairs while I search down here," rumbled Atem's voice.

"OK," was all Yugi could articulate before he went tearing into the house.

After going upstairs, Yugi looked down the hall, eyes falling on the ajar bathroom door, which was always closed, unless someone was entering or exiting the room. Yugi made a beeline to the bathroom and tried to push the door open, only for it to hit something solid as it swung in.

Heart thundering in his chest, Yugi peered round the door and found Grandpa lying on the bathroom floor, bodily against the door. His heart seemed to stop for a second.

"GRANDPA!" Yugi screamed, forcing his way between the door and wall to kneel at his grandfather's side.

Yugi rolled his grandfather over and saw dull lilac eyes staring sightlessly back up at him. Unwilling to believe the evidence of his senses, Yugi grabbed Grandpa by the straps of his overalls and began shaking him vigorously.

"Grandpa! Grandpa! Talk to me! Grandpa, please!" Yugi cried wildly, tears pouring from his eyes.

Yugi's ears heard, but his brain didn't register, the sound of socked feet pounding up the stairs and then the grunting sound of someone larger and stronger forcing their way between the door and the wall.

"No!" he protested when hands gently but firmly moved him aside.

Then Atem was kneeling over Grandpa, feeling for a pulse in the old man's wrists and neck and laying his ear on Grandpa's chest to listen for a heartbeat and over his mouth and nose to check for breath.

As Yugi watched in taut expectation, Atem looked up and shook his head grimly.

"Nooooo! Uaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Yugi dissolved into tears, legs crumpling under him.

He was only saved from complete collapse by Atem's steadying embrace.

"I'm so sorry, habibi," Atem murmured, tossing the puzzle to the back of his neck and wrapping strong arms around Yugi's trembling form.

"Grandpaaaa..." was the last thing Yugi was able to articulate before his world went black.

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c 1271 BC
Kemet

"Mom? Dad?" Hebai called as he walked through the tattered remnants of his family's tent camp.

"Hya ha ha ha!" the high-pitched, irritating laughter from behind the bushes caught Hebai's attention as he looked toward it.

From beyond the bramble and thorns emerged two large hyenas, blood dripping from their maws, whose lips were pulled back in the rictus grin of a predator.

Hebai's heart stopped beating in his chest as tears welled in his eyes at the sight of the predators.

"Hya ha ha ha ha ha!"

The hyenas lunged at Hebai, who turned and ran. He hadn't gotten more than a few feet, when he lost his footing and tumbled down the embankment, body hitting and slamming into rocks and stumps along the way. It seemed like he didn't stop rolling over and over until he felt the cold water of the Nile envelope him, carrying him away from the campsite and the marauding hyenas.
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