《Time After Time》 First Encounter "¡ªke up! ¡ªey Brother! Wake up or you''ll be late!" As I came to my senses at my younger sister''s loud voice, I replied, ¡±Yes, yes, I''ll get up..." ¡°You sleep so deeply, you didn''t even wake up to your alarm,¡± she said while going to her room, I assume, to get ready for school. I sat up slowly on my bed while yawning, grumbling about having not had enough sleep. It was because I was busy studying all night for today''s test. I reached out to grab my glasses on the bedside table and looked around at my room, it was quite unfamiliar. I wasn''t used to living in this new space. Since I had started university and my sister started attending a different school, our parents sold our old house and bought this one, which was closer to the capital city center where educational institutions are usually built. Calling it new was not a fitting description though, this house is not only smaller than our previous one, but also quite old and worn down. My room was much smaller than it used to; it can fit a bed, a desk, and a wardrobe¡­ barely. But I still prefer living in this place rather than wasting hours on the way to university or living on campus. I put on my glasses after wiping them and could finally see more clearly. After hearing another prompt from my sister, I went ahead and left the comfort of my warm bed to get ready aswell. I washed up, then got dressed in the uniform required for attending The Capital University. Although its name lacks creativity, it''s still one of the most renowned educational institutes around the world, attended by only "Elites", or so they say. The uniform is the same style for all attendees with a white and black color, the only difference being that the colours are inverted for men and women. With men having a mostly black colored uniform, while women had a mostly white colored uniform. Because the uniform for the winter season is quite thick, I didn''t put on anything else. Flipping through my phone, reading some revision pages for the test. I made my way to the kitchen in order to prepare breakfast for my sister and I. Considering that I knew I would be busy with studying, I had prepared some sandwiches and stored them in boxes in the fridge beforehand, although they are a bit old, they still taste good. I heated them up. Not forgetting to make a cereal bowl along with the sandwiches for my sister. ¡°Hey, you know, I could have made us breakfast myself. I know you''re busy with exams so don''t push yourself too hard, okay?¡± I heard my sister say that from behind me. I laughed, nudging her with my elbow, careful not to drop the plates I was holding, ¡°Hahaha...You''re becoming more and more like our mother you know that? You''re still young so let your big brother handle these things,¡±. Our parents are almost never home because of work, so I usually do most of the housework and meal preparations. Although our parents have neglected spending time with us, we are still grateful for them as we live rather comfortably. Moreover, as a family, I would say we are quite close to eachother despite not spending much time together. My sister pointed her index finger at me, ¡°But you''re only 3 years older than me! And I never see you hanging around with friends like the boys in our school do! I want you to go out more! You spend all your time studying and doing chores!¡± she said loudly. I put down the plates on the table on turned to look at her, ¡°Who said I don''t have friends?¡± I asked, raising an eyebrow. She pointed her other index finger at me, ¡°I just assumed so, you never invite any friends over, unlike me. You also never talk about any of those so called friends to me! I''m worried about you!¡± I found the sight of her pointing at me with both of her hands amusing, and I walked forward and put her hands down and gave her a big hug, ¡°Ah, I''m so lucky to have such wonderful cute little sister who worries about me, don''t you say? And don''t worry, I have plenty of people I know at university, I just don''t invite them over because boys are messy and I don''t want to clean up after them.¡± She hugged me back, ¡°Shut up, don''t say those embarrassing words so bluntly,¡±. ¡°Hm? Why not? Do you want me to shout them out lo- Hey?! Why are you crying?¡± I saw her watery eyes while I was pulling away from the hug. She turned around and wiped her face, ¡°it''s nothing, it''s just that I''m lucky to have you too,¡±. I grinned, handing her a napkin, I teased, ¡°Come on, let''s eat and get going, crybaby,¡±. ¡°Don''t call me that! Is that what I get for worrying about you?¡± I could see she was also smiling now so I sighed and went ahead to sit down and eat with her. Our breakfast went by uneventfully like usual, I talked to my sister about her school matters, I also inquired if she had anything she needed me to bring her after I finish today''s test, ¡°I don''t need anything in particular,¡± is what she said. ... She''s lying, I can tell by her choice of words, she wants to have something sweet, ¡°sigh, sure, I''ll pick the same thing for you when I buy something, come on, let''s get going,¡±. I checked to see if there are any things missing from my bag, and gave my sister her allowance, ¡°Here you go, these are for today. Also, here,¡± I handed her a key with a little penguin keychain attached to it. ¡°What''s this?¡± she asked, fiddling with the penguin plushie curiously. ¡°Do you like it? Since we moved here newly, I had forgotten to give you a key these past few days. It was okay because I had been getting home earlier than you, but today I may be a bit late so you can now enter home without me having to be here,¡± I pointed at the penguin, ¡°And you like penguins, so I bought this keychain especially for you!¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Thanks, I like it,¡± she smiled at me, ¡°but why are you going to be late?¡± she asked, putting on her shoes. I answered, ¡°I have some stuff to take care of after the exam, and I also have a date to attend.¡± Her eyes sparkled, ¡°A date?!¡± but quickly, she looked at me weirdly in a way I couldn''t explain, ¡°Brother?¡± ¡°Yes??¡± I was confused. ¡°What type of date is it?¡± she continued to question me suspiciously. ¡°The professor asked me to meet him on today''s date, January 5th, he said I might need to show someone around the university,¡± I looked at her weirdly aswell as she sighed exaggeratedly, then I realized what she was so excited about, ¡°No, Arina, I am not going a romantic date,¡±. ¡°I knew it! I shouldn''t have had any expectations from you anyways. You always have a unique choice of words,¡± she rolled her eyes at me. ¡°Hey! That''s a rude thing to say to your brother!¡± I said while we got out of our house. ¡°Sure, sure, I am so sorry big brother Ash.¡± she replied. ¡°That doesn''t sound sincere at all,¡± I murmured. We strolled together until we reached the entrance to the train station underground, ¡°Hey be careful on your way to school! Call me if anything were to happen,¡± I said, walking down to take the train. ¡°Sure, you don''t need to remind me everytime,¡± she said and turned around to leave. Since her school was relatively close to our house, she goes their by walking, it takes about 15 minutes. She meets up with a friend of hers after she separates from me, so I don''t have to worry about her. I boarded the train, picked a seat, and sat down on it to continue reading the revision pages I had opened earlier. Due to the train being very noisy, I put on my earbuds to listen to some music. Drowning out the sounds so I can focus more. I should have bought the printed pages instead of this... I mumbled, but oh well, that''s what I get for forgetting to buy them. I''m so tired. And my head is starting to feel dizzy. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡°¡ªevergreen trees~ temper-¡± ¡°¡ªoung -an! It''s ti-- --r yo- to ge- --f!¡± I felt someone poking me from my side while the music was still playing in my ears. It seems I must have fallen asleep at some point. I took off my earbuds and turned my head to gaze at the old lady next to me. She smirked and looked at me, ¡°Young man! You are a student of the Capital University, aren''t you? The bus will be there soon, you need to get there,¡± her eyes were deep, black, without any fluctuations. I was a bit taken aback by how off putting her demeanor was. Embarrassed, I replied, ¡°I am sorry about that. I must have not gotten enough sleep,¡±. She waved her hand at me, ¡°it''s okay, it''s okay. I saw you reading on your phone. You''ve been working hard. You must get there on time.¡± On time¡­ I paused¡­ right, ¡°Thank you ma''am, you are right. I must get there on time,¡±. She nodded and looked away, I also got up to leave as the train had reached the station I needed to get off at. I must walk out this way. I got out and started heading for the university, it''s still a far walk from this station, about 20 minutes. I must walk¡ª I''ve been feeling off since I woke up from sleep, not drowsy or anything, it''s as if I can''t control my¡ª I need to reach that place soon. I must walk this way. The streets were busy. People were walking right. Everyone is doing their own business correctly. The vendors were also advertizing by calling to someone at the right time. Everything is as it''s supposed to be. Nothing is out of the ordinary. Oh someone fell, I should h¡ª they''re fine. I have to reach my destination. Everything is going according to the correct timing. Everything is in sync. No mistakes are allowed. I hit my shoulder against someone. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± They nodded. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Great. I need to go now. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Great, I reached my destination, the universi¡ª I looked around, a stop light? Oh right. My destination is the stop light. That is my role. To be here. I should wait until the light allows pedestrians to pass. That will be in 2 minutes and 36 seconds because of a purposeful malfunction. People around me are also waiting. They are having normal conversations. My role will be fulfilled soon. Someone will come and I must talk to them when they ask me about The Capital University. ¡°Ugh, why are there so many people here, it will make it harder to spot them,¡±. Spot who? Wh¡ª 2 minutes left. Someone arrived. They looked at me. They will soon ask me ''Are you a student at The Capital University?'' I must answer appropriately ¡°Are you a student at The Capital University?¡° ¡°Yes, I am,¡± they will now ask me ''That''s cool! I want to go there too. Infact, I am going to go to an interview soon to see if I can get accepted into it as a special case. Do you have any idea as to how I should act and answer to impress them?'' I must answer appropriately. ¡°That''s cool! I want to go there too. Infact, I am going to go to an interview soon to see if I can get accepted into it as a special case. Do you have any idea as to how I should act and answer to impress them?¡° They asked, hope tinged with their tone. I should answer, ¡°I got into the university after an interview too, you ca¡ª¡± A booming voice came from behind me, ¡°Ahh! This is so boring! Now I know that that person is here because everyone''s acting so stupid! I just need to find them now!¡± They are not sticking to the correct timing. This must not happen. The person next to me came close to my ear and whispered, ¡°What''s that guy saying?¡± This shouldn''t be happening. This isn''t the question they should ask. My head is hurting! ¡°Get out of my way everyone! Ah what am I even saying?! They probably don''t even understand what I''m saying!¡± the voice drew closer to me and I felt a hand hitting me from the side with strong enough force for me to be pushed down to the ground, causing the person next to me to fall aswell. At that exact moment, I felt an intense sharp pain in my head. And as if something had snapped within my head, I felt like I can finally think for myself, like I can breathe freely. My glasses fell off. The guy next to me was pushed down with me on top of him. I managed to slip my hand beneath his head so his head would be atleast okay, ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked him, my hand aching. ¡°You fucker! Dare to get in my way?!¡± I heard the other guy shouting at me from behind and then a blunt pain hit my side once again. I had been kicked. My head is still hurting so much, I''m confused, what''s happening? Another kick landed on my stomach, this time more powerful than before. The air escaped my lungs from the harsh force put into it. ¡°I''m already so fucking annoyed because I need to find out where that bitch is, and you try to get in my way?! This world is so stupid! If I just mess up an interaction the ---ta--n--t has I will be able to enjoy a peaceful rest on this world until he dies and I will be able leave! And yet what do you do?! You get in my way!¡± More and more kicks kept landing on me. I curled up on the ground and put my hands around my head. Failing to comprehend what''s happening. I looked around to call out for help, but I felt my blood cool down as I watched everyone not even turning their head to give me a glance. They just waited and when the stoplight turned on, they crossed the crosswalk. They didn''t even spare a look at this chaotic mess. The boy that had fallen down with me was frozen, I couldn''t tell much without my glasses but he was curled up on the ground. As if he''s experiencing something terrifying. ¡°This isn''t even entertaining anymore to me! Look at you! Not even giving a reaction and just lay down stupidly! Forget it! I''d be better off looking for them,¡± the beating finally ended and that guy stormed off pushing people left and right. I was sprawled over the ground for a moment, unable to move a muscle, ¡°What''s with that bastard?!¡± I couldn''t hold it in anymore and screamed at the top of my lungs. Still, nobody even as little as stopped walking after hearing my shout, some even walked on top of me or walked pushing the boy around while he was curled up. If I had to put it into words; we were invisible to them, we didn''t exist. Still confused, I used all of my strength to sit up and made my way to that boy, almost crawling, ¡°Hey! He''s gone, stop trembling! It''s okay,¡± I patted him on the back. After a couple minutes it looked like he calmed down. He looked at me, ¡°I''m so sorry, I should have helped you,¡± his voice sounded hoarse, I''m guessing he was crying? But why? I''m the one who got beat up, ¡°... it''s okay, he seemed quite strong, I don''t think intervening would have helped us much¡­¡± ¡°Can I ask for something else though?¡± I asked and he nodded, ¡°can you find my glasses? I can''t see well without them.¡± as he got up to look for them he made a surprised noise and then said, ¡°they''re¡­ cracked,¡±. ¡°Shit,¡± he came to me and helped me get up. I put on the glasses even though they were cracked. I can barely see without them after all. Getting my phone out of my pocket, I looked at it and luckily, although the screen was cracked the phone itself was working, ¡°Shit! There''s no time my exam is starting in 9 minutes!¡± with a new found vigor that came out of nowhere I started making my way to where the building the exam was held in without saying goodbye to the boy or addressing the bizarre situation any further. Grades were my top priority if I still wanted to attend this place. As I entered the building, people were still acting weird. I went into the testing site, sat down on my desk, and started the test without anyone noticing my cracked glasses, tattered clothes, or my wounds. I was bewildered, nothing is making any sense. The exam questions were easier to think of than to think of my current situation. The pain coming from my head was gone, giving way to the pain from my wounds and bruises. Gritting my teeth, I started writing on the answer sheet. The exam period was 3 hours, I answered questions while ignoring my pain that was getting worse and worse. Near the end of the exam something abnormal started happening. As if people were finally aware of their surroundings, when they noticed me they gasped and called the person in charge of overseeing the exam. He came to me and immediately said with surprise, ¡°Hey! Ash Valen! Why are you like this?! Are you alright?!¡± I turned to look at him, and through my cracked lenses I could tell he was the professor I had to meet later on who said I might have to show someone around. I had just finished answering everything so I handed him my papers and said, ¡°Ah, professor Adam, some guy bumped into me earlier and was mad that I got in his way so he beat me up. I''m sorry but I don''t think I will be able to meet you lat¡ª¡± and that was the last thing I could remember before everything went black. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­
Post chapter comment: I have written all of this manually and checked the grammar myself. Please do tell me about any mistakes you notice during your read. Also, if there are any grammar checking programs, do recommend me one. I would appreciate it! Thanks for reading! The Case I opened my eyes, but it was really bright so I closed them immediately. Taking time to adjust I was finally able to take in my surroundings; I was at a hospital, as expected. Though what I didn''t expect was my mother sleeping with her head resting on the side of the hospital bed. Sensing my movement, she opened her eyes, stared at me for a while, then came close and hugged me carefully, ¡°How are you feeling? Are you still in pain honey?¡± her voice was choked. ¡°No¡­ Mother why are you crying? It''s okay, it''s my fault for getting involved with the wrong person. And it only hurt for a bit. Don''t cry¡­¡± I wiped her tears with the hand I could lift up, my right hand was broken, as it seems. ¡°I''m so sorry, son, I didn''t know what had happened to you until one day later, I feel horrible for not coming to you sooner¡­¡± Wait, ¡°One day later?! How long was I asleep for?¡± I inquired, ¡°it''s been three days, I took a break from work to stay with you and your sister for a while until you get better.¡± she smiled weakly at me. ¡°That won''t do. Wouldn''t that hurt your career? I don''t need it, it''s already hard enough for you and father, I can''t be a burden,¡± I firmly commented. She looked at me sternly then said, ¡°¡­ This isn''t something for you to decide, I have already chosen to do this. Not only for you, but for your sister and me aswell. We already have plenty of money saved up. Also here, take these glasses, I bought you new ones,¡± she put them on for me, and my vision returned to normal. My mother has very sharp eyes, she''s especially threatening when she wants to be, so I could only nod my head and agree with her, ¡°speaking of which, do you remember the face of the bastard who hit you?¡± she then went on a rampage of swear words directed to that guy, cursing his entire family line. Everytime I heard her swear I trembled more and more until I couldn''t keep it in and burst out laughing. It was the first time I had seen my mother curse so much, ¡°What are you laughing at?! Are you still so young to laugh at swear words?!¡± she looked disapprovingly at me¡ª or atleast she tried, because her smirk betrayed her. However, I soon stopped laughing because I started to feel pain from my chest, I said to her, ¡°No, I don''t remember his face. I didn''t even see it clearly in the first place since my glasses had fallen off at the time. And I am laughing just because I am glad that you believe me and worry for me. It''s the first time I have seen you so serious, thank you,¡± I hugged her again. She hugged me back, ¡°of course I will believe you, you''re my son and you have been well-behaved since you were young. You have never gotten yourself into trouble, so how could I not believe you? I wonder who you take after for you to be so clueless,¡±. ¡°Oh, maybe you can try to look at the security camera footage to identify him?¡± I suddenly proposed, remembering that there are cameras around the Capital University to ensure security. My mother stiffened and looked a bit unnatural, ¡°Speaking of which, that''s the weird thing, Ash, I have already went to request the footage along with your professor and after we finally found where the event took place. We were confused as to how this whole bizarre thing transpired. You and a boy your age were talking and suddenly a man whose face was blurry knocked you down and started hitting you. His face was not visible at all. Passerby didn''t seem to notice anything out of the ordinary and kept walking. When interrogated by police, non of them could remember anything. Infact, they gave a whole different recollection of what had happened. Weirdly enough, it was the same description from every person¡­¡± she bit her finger while thinking deeply. ¡°What was the description they gave?¡± I asked, curious. ¡°¡­ They said that man didn''t exist, and that you and that boy walked together into the university after having a friendly chat. Then you both separated, you went into the exam hall, while the boy went to do an interview, and both of you were perfectly fine. However in reality, you went into the exam hall with heavy injuries and the boy had gone into the cafe nearby and went back after about 2 hours, without doing an interview,¡± she looked puzzled, and honestly, I was just as, if not more puzzled than her. ¡°What did the boy say?¡± I asked, ¡°He recounted everything as the camera had recorded, but he said he was confused at the time so he couldn''t remember in detail what had happened. Speaking of which, an officer will be coming soon to take your account and recollection of the matter,¡± she answered. ¡°Oh yeah, I do remember that man saying some weird stuff about searching for someone and me getting in his way,¡± I scratched my head, trying to recall anything more to this whole thing, but my brain didn''t have any other memories whatsoever. ¡°Stop pushing yourself and have some rest. I heard from your sister about how you''ve been taking care of all the housework and how you have not been getting enough sleep. I know you''re trying to be helpful honey, and I appreciate it, but look at you now. I don''t want to see this happening again. Part of the reason why you slept for so long was overwork,¡± she said while peeling an apple and giving it to me. I took the apple and hummed. Still not being able to understand what had happened that day. I thought of the words the man said; about how people act stupid around someone, ofcourse, unless the man has split personalities, I don''t think he is referring to himself. Then who can it be? Is it that boy? But if that guy can identify that person then why didn''t he identify the boy? Then is it not the boy? Then why were only the boy and I able to remember the man? I give up¡­ haah¡­ this apple is sweet¡­ Creak! Bang. The door opened with force and my sister came in running and threw herself on me, as I was preparing for the pain, my mother held my sister in place, ¡°Arina! Your brother''s hurt and his ribs are broken, you shouldn''t recklessly jump on him!¡± ¡°I- I''m- I''m *sniff* sorry I *sniff* just worried, when I saw him a dew days ago, I- I, he looked like he was dying,¡± she was crying so much her eyes were blood shot, I felt guilty that I had worried her so much, I reached out and patted her head softly, ¡°Don''t worry Arina, it wasn''t that serious I''m here..¡± ¡°Not that serious my ass stupid¡ª¡± she gasped, realizing our mother was behind her she turned her head to our mother who was crossing her arms and looking at me, not Arina, ¡°I''ll let it slide this once, because really? Not that serious? Your sister''s right! Not that serious my ass! You have many fractured ribs, a broken arm, and even some internal bleeding!¡± she pointed at me, scolding me. I felt a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu... The words are quite harsh, but I feel warm. I have a higher pain tolerance than most people, I believe. Sometimes I don''t notice how serious my injuries are because of it unless I look at them. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I studied myself by lifting up the hospital gown¡­ but there was nothing to study, I was all wrapped up¡­ I guess that in itself says a lot. During the time I had been distracted observing myself, a sturdy man with a cheerful smile had already entered the room. He was conversing with my mother. After they exchanged greetings, my mother turned to look at me then she called my sister and both of them went out. I tilted my head at the man and his smile became even brighter, he introduced himself, ¡°Hello Mr. Valen, my name is Felix Amberson. I am the detective officer working on your case, feel free to call me Felix!¡± he extended his right hand. ¡­ An awkward silence stained the air, he also looked quite shocked after realization struck him, with his smile fluctuating. Before he could take his hand back, I extended my left hand and shook his hand somehow. ¡°It''s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Felix,¡± he returned to his composure and usual smile, ¡°Though I must ask, is this such a big problem that a case was opened for it?¡± I inquired. Sure, I had been beaten severely, but do they open a case for a trivial matter such as this so easily? His lips widened even more, ¡°Hahaha! You''re a funny guy!¡° What a weird person¡­. I whispered in a hushed tone. ¡±To answer your question, there are many things that went into consideration before opening this case. First of all, you are a student of The Capital University. Of course the university will try to uphold it''s reputation by solving any troubles that may affect it. Second of all, this isn''t a simple matter of a beating, as the cameras were tampered with and the stoplights had been malfunctioning at the time. Which is a mystery considering how only the man was blurred and inaudible while everything else was clear. It doesn''t seem to be a coincidence either,¡± Felix said. He paused for a while, ¡°Third, someone in our department couldn''t control themselves and published the case''s information to the public. By the time we realized, it was too late. The case is already a hot debate on online websites and social media. Also with the fact that the guy in our department had posted everything online with enough proof and official police documents without censoring anything, it was something that we couldn''t deny,¡±. So that''s the reason. He bowed to me, ¡°I apologize, you probably don''t want a video of your face around the public in which you get beaten. That guy has already been fired. To compensate you, we have decided to give our all to find out who the assaulter in the video is. And as a personal service, if you have any request, you should tell me. The officer who published your information was under my supervision, I should be held accountable as much as him; yet I was only given a warning,¡±. ¡°¡­ It''s okay, I suppose¡­ I accept your apology. You weren''t the one responsible for the leak of information after all. Now, Mr. Felix, how may I help with the investigation?¡° I said, my tone sounding impatient. I was a bit ticked off, as he said, I don''t want a video like that of me circling online. He stiffened, looked down, his face looked a bit gloomy. Is a detective supposed to be so easy to read? I frowned. A serious look formed on Felix''s face as he started asking me many questions regarding that day. Many of which I found unnecessary, for example, what time I had woken up. After a long time of questions and answers, he finally put down his notes with a thoughtful expression, ¡°You said you felt like you were not in the normal state of mind when the incident happened, do you happen to have an idea as to why?¡± he asked, leaning forward on the chair. I took my time to think, ¡°there are many, reasons¡­ I hadn''t had enough sleep that day, and I slept for a while on the train, so I could have just been drowsy or confused because of t¡ª¡± A memory flashed in my mind, because I stopped mid way, Felix also thought I must have remembered something, so he leaned even further to listen carefully, ¡°I don''t know if it''s useful, but I did hear that guy saying something about how ''people'' act ''stupid'' around ''someone'' and he is looking for that ''someone'' to intervene in their affairs and let them ''die''¡± I scratched my head with my left hand. ¡°I also think it''s nonsense, but that''s the only thing I can think of that could be a reason that people were acting weird that day¡­ it''s still farfetched to believe such incomprehensible words though. All I can take from those words is that he is a dangerous person who wants someone dead," Felix wrote something on his notes and then bit the pen, pondering, ¡°that boy, Yury, said something similar¡­¡± ¡°Yury? Is he the one who was next to me?¡° ¡°Yes, I questioned him that day,¡± Felix stood up, ¡°I should get going then, you have provided helpful information. Here''s my number. If you were to run into trouble, don''t hesitate to call me. I should take my leave,¡± with those words he opened to door and left, walking confidently. I took my phone which was next to me, the screen was still cracked, and opened social media. It didn''t take long for me to find several articles regarding me.
[Shocking! A crime committed in broad daylight! No one to help the poor student!] [Assault on The Capital University student! Is the university as secure as it boasts to be?!] [A mysterious incident! Police have verified the validity of the video themselves!! Triggering!!!] [Is it a Ghost??! Is it a well thought out plan!?? No one knows! Watch this absurd video!] ¡­ ¡­
¡­ Wow, so dramatic. I clicked on a random article. Some of the content was true, but very exaggerated, and some was just made up. I also noticed that only my shout was audible since it was so loud. Why is there audio anyways? I went to look at the comments.
[User#303: i don''t believe this is true!] [User#532: @User#303, the police have come forward and verified that this is indeed true and under investigation. It is also said the student is in a coma!] [User#8690: lololol look at that dude sitting in the corner so dumb not even being beaten but acting like hes the one getting their ass kicked] [User#303: @User#532, where did you get that information from?] [User#5751: am i the only one creeped out by how everyone walked forward like nothing is happening? ;-;] [User#1924: Lmao ¡°What is with that bastard~?!¡± dude getting beaten has a good temper, I would have cussed out his whole generation if I were is his place] [User#532: @User#303: i know the guy he went to take a test in his state of being like that he fainted after he finished the test¡­] [User#2463: @User#532, a test?!!! in that condition?! No wonder he got beat up what a nerd] ¡­ ¡­ ¡­
I was distracted by the comments for a while, reading through them. There were plenty of people not even taking the situation seriously. I don''t blame them, it is outlandish. Having had enough of those articles, I closed my phone. My sister and mother said they''ll come back soon; so I''ll stay awake in order t¡ª ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Two head peeked into the hospital room, seeing Ash asleep they both sighed with relief. One of the two said to the other ¡°He''s really stubborn, if we had gone in he wouldn''t have slept, who does he take after? Mom?¡° ¡°I really don''t know, even your father is nowhere near as stubborn as him¡­¡± the other one replied. ¡°So he takes after you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Ouch! It hurtsh! Shtop it!¡±
Four days later¡­ I had recovered enough to be discharged. However, I still had to sit at home in order to recover fully for atleast a couple weeks. My mother had insisted on me staying in the hospital, but I firmly opposed it. It would be costly. On top of that, I would feel more relaxed at home. On the day I was supposed to discharged, to my surprise, my father showed up. A gentle big bear hug, and a sniffle. A sniffle?! ¡°*Sniff* Son, I should have come earlier to check on you *Sniff* I''m sorry¡­ u¡ª¡± I patted his back, to console him. ¡°Come on, Theo! Cry later your son is tired,¡± my mother urged my father. Why are my family members such crybabies? I had seen my father cry before, so honestly, seeing my mother cry was more surprising. But still, it doesn''t fit his image nor temperament. After arriving home, we had a family dinner together for the first time in months. I should get beaten more often¡­ I felt a sharp stare from my front, it was my mother. As though she could read my mind, ¡°We''ll try to have more dinners together from now on,¡±. I grinned clumsily, trying to hide my previous thought, ¡°I would be glad if that can happen,¡± I said, biting a piece of bread.
Days passed by peacefully, they were one of the best days in my life. Where our family sat together and had fun, carefree. But soon, my parents went back to work. Morning and noon were also spent alone, because my sister is at school. I also had to study for university. Thankfully, that exam I did after the incident was the last one for a while, so I didn''t have much to do. I had gotten better enough to walk around. Feeling bored, I dressed up casually, put on a thick coat, packed a little shoulder bag, and went out on a walk to the nearby park. It had gotten colder, today is the 27th of January. The park was fully white, covered with snow. The trees had a layer of white above their dark branches, creating a striking contrast. And with intermittent sunlight passing through the sparse clouds, It was an alluring sight, to say the least. Spotting a shop selling candy close by, I went in to buy some for Arina. I hadn''t bought her any that day and I still felt like I needed to get her some. Picking a strawberry flavoured cake along with some other sweets. I asked the shopkeeper to wrap them up for me. While I was counting the bills in order to pay, I spotted someone running across the park in my peripheral vision. Isn''t that¡­ Yury? I paid swiftly and tried to walk out in order to follow him, but I was held by my arm. ¡°Excuse me?¡± I looked at the shopkeeper, confused. ¡°What are you doing? You shouldn''t go. Everything is in sync. You shouldn''t do things out of order. Let the story flow.¡± he said, his hand squeezing my arm tighter and tighter with each sentence he said. I felt a bad premonition... Run! The shopkeeper had no expression. His eyes were dreadful, dark, lifeless... This seems awfully similar to that time. I froze, feeling a familiar pain in my head. However, it didn''t last long this time. I shook my hand free, pushed the shop keeper away, and ran after Yury. Now I''m sure this has to do with Yury. Spotting him in the distance, he had his hands on his knees, catching his breath. I approached, ¡°Hello, you are Yury, aren''t you?¡° Yury looked up, startled, ¡°Ah! It''s you. You know my name?¡° ¡°Detective Felix told me your name. My name is Ash Valen, nice to meet you. Furthermore I want to ask you something,¡± I extended my left hand for a handshake, and he shook my hand. I was taken aback by how haggard he seemed. ¡°¡­ Sure, let''s go sit there, I want to ask something too,¡± he pointed at a bench. We sat and he immediately asked me something, ¡°Are you doing things in order?¡° Flinching, I answered, ¡°No¡­ that brings up my question; why do people act like this around you? At first I was like this too, but after I felt pain in my head I became normal,¡±. He scrutinized me, perhaps after he was convinced by me he said, ¡°I didn''t know about it either until January 5th¡­ after that day, sometimes people act normal around me, other times they start telling me about following the order and being in sync. In order to achieve my purpose in the story¡­¡± He took off his coat, and lifted up his sleeves, showing me horrible blue bruises, all shaped like human hands, ¡°it''s completely random too. I can''t tell when they''ll be sane or not¡­ and they''ve been getting more violent lately, so much so that they force me to do certain things to satisfy the ''order''. And I can''t even fight back; they become stronger than when they were sane. Even little kids¡­ I- I''m scared. Even on my birthday today, I was planning to celebrate it by buying something for myself, but I can''t even enter the shops,¡±. He talks a lot¡­ Maybe it''s because he hasn''t found a person to vent to yet who could understand him? ¡°I''m not sure what to do. This is so frustrating. I feel like I am living amidst things that are not even people¡­¡± The further he talked, the weaker his voice got. He even started to shake by the end of it. I handed him a tissue, just incase¡­ ¡°Thanks,¡± he thanked me. I fiddled with my bag, looking for the bruising cream I had on me. My bruises were mostly gone, and I didn''t use the cream. I had forgotten to take it out though. ¡°Give me your hands,¡± I demanded. Who would have thought that I would be able to find a use for it? ¡°Huh?¡° ¡°Just do it.¡± He stretched his hand and I lifted up his sleeve until there was no further bruising. I applied the cream carefully and bandaged both of his arms, ¡°You''re surprisingly good at this, despite using only one hand¡­ But why are you helping me?¡± Yury commented, his voice still shaking. ¡°I went to course to learn basic nursing skills. And do I need a reason to help?¡° I looked him sharply. He shivered. I guess inheriting my mother''s eyes is helpful after all. Looking at the carton box beside me, I made an ''Oh'' sound and gave it to Yury, ¡°Take this, happy birthday. Although it may be lacking, it''s full of love; I think that makes up for it.¡± ¡°Full of love?!¡± Yury said, stunned. I looked at him weirdly, not understanding his outburst, ¡°Yeah? I bought it for my sister, so I put a lot of thought and love into it,¡±. ¡°¡­¡­Then, I can''t take it, it was meant for your sister,¡± he tried to hand it back. ¡°Hey, when someone gives you a gift; it''s rude to return it,¡± I drove it back into his hands, ¡°consider it a gift from a friend,¡±. ¡°Friend¡­ Alright, thank you Ash. I am really grateful,¡± he beamed at me. I hadn''t mentioned it before since I had never gotten a good look at him, but he''s quite handsome. I would believe it if someone said he''s a famous actor, or the protagonist of a story. With his blonde hair and blue eyes, he almost looks like the prince of a fairytale. I think my sister would like him, he''s dangerous. ¡°By the way, do you remember that man? I''m now sure he''s looking for you. He did say that he''s looking for the person that turns people around him stupid,¡± I suddenly remembered to mention. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Did he say that?¡° Yury furrowed his brows. ¡°¡­ Yes, if my memory doesn''t fail me, he said that if he were to meddle with that person''s affairs even a little, it will lead to¡ª¡± I paused, ¡°their death¡­¡± Yury wrinkled his eyebrows. It was a more tame reaction than what I had anticipated, ¡°Thanks for telling me, Ash. It''s helpful,¡± I saw a determined look etched on on face. He''s up to no good. ¡°What are you planning to do? Don''t even think about searching for that person; the police are already doing that part,¡± ¡°But I want to get rid of this right n¡ª¡± Pointing at his thin arms, ¡°No buts, you''re way too frail to deal with him too. You also look like you''ll drop unconscious any second now. Think carefully,¡±. ¡°What am I supposed to do then?! Put yourself in my shoes! What would you do if all people suddenly turn into emotionless robots trying to control you?! I have a chance I want to seize! Otherwise I wouldn''t mind d¡ª¡± he cut himself off, his eyes widening. ¡°No no no, I''m so sorry Ash. Please forgive me. I didn''t mean to yell at you. I know you only said that looking out for me¡­¡± regret was evident in his words, he bowed his head down and caught it with his hands, ruffling his hair. As if that motion would calm him down, ¡°I''m just so on edge because of, well, everything that''s been happening lately...¡± ¡°Don''t apologize to me, it''s alright. I know you must have suffered through a lot and I said that without considering how you''d feel. I won''t fault you for a few words. It''s normal to be on edge if something that unnatural keeps occuring,¡± I said, ¡°Stop doing that too, you''re hair''s a mess,¡±. Yury stopped, lifted his head, and started tidying his hair by running his hands through it a couple of time. After sitting in silence for a few minutes, ¡°Has anyone ever told you that you act different to how you look?¡° He turned to me. ¡°No?¡° I tilted my head to the side, pondering this sudden question; this is the first time I''ve heard such a thing. Well, it''s not like I talk to many people other than my family¡­ I don''t know how people perceive me. ¡°You look cold and talk in a slow and flat tone, but you''re surprisingly nice,¡± ¡°Seeing as how you''re now well enough to talk nonsense, I think I was worried for nothing,¡± I glared at him ¡°Hahahaha! It''s a compliment I swear!¡± He hit my chest playfully and I winced. As if remembering something, Yury stopped laughing, ¡°Crap! I''m sorry, how are your injuries? I should have been more careful.¡± ¡°It doesn''t hurt much. I need more time to heal, specifically, my arm. My ribs weren''t as severely injured since I protected them¡­ Somehow,¡± memories of that day flooded into my head. Having finished with the topics of concern, Yury started talking to me more casually. I learned quite a lot about him. Apparently, he was an orphan. He did have parents but they died early on so he doesn''t remember much about them. He grew up in an orphanage along with some other kids that were like brothers and sisters to him. He decided along with a few kids of his age whom he was especially close to that they would go to The Capital University in order to achieve their dream of being independent and giving back to the orphanage that housed them when no else would. And that is the reason as to why he''s here. After arriving to the capital city center to conduct an interview on January 5th. The incident happened and his interview was put on hold in consideration of the incident. Yury did most of the talking, I was just by his side nodding and making sounds of acknowledgement. One thing I noticed is how he''s able to talk on and on without stopping or feeling awkward. Even when the topic that he brings up in utter nonsense. I could never do that. He''s like a radio station¡­ when''s he going to stop talking? It''s been an hour already. it looks like it''s going to snow soon too. I lifted my head up to look at the clouds gathering. The previous sunshine that peeked through the clouds every now and then was completely gone. And the overall bright and refreshingly cold feeling the weather gave beforehand vanished, in place of it a harsh wind with big snowflakes started coming down. ¡°Yury, we should probably start heading back, you''re going to that train station is that correct? I''ll go there with you,¡± I offered. ¡°Hm! There''s no need! I can go there on my own, hopefully people will have started to act normally,¡± He smiled, munching on a piece of cake, ¡°This is delicious, your sister has good taste! Thanks for giving it to me, how much does it cost?¡± ¡°I already told you it''s a gift. I won''t accept payment,¡± I answered, standing up and patting the snow off my coat. Yury, also standing up, said, ¡°No way! I already feel indebted to you for many things! At least let me do this for you. It''s been a while since I ta-- -o s-m---e -nd I ¡ª¡ª¡± I felt shivers down my spine. I''m not that cold yet though¡­ My heart started racing, I felt a headache creeping up on me. Yury''s words became unclear. While I was trying my best to pay attention to what Yury was saying, I noticed something at the other side of the park. The one facing the more crowded part of the city, right behind Yury. Far away figures, obscured by the falling snow, seemed to be running our way. Not two or three, not even ten or twenty. It was far more than that. What in the actual¡ª... there''s no time for this. I was flustered, pushing down my urgency, I held Yury with my left hand, ¡°We should run. Right now,¡± I motioned with my head behind Yury and without giving him the time to look back, I darted to the opposite side of those figures. Confused, Yury turned his head back while we we were running, ¡°Fuck!¡± he exclaimed. Then went ahead and started running in earnest. ¡°Do you usually get chased like this?¡± I managed to question through my hasty breathing. ¡°NO! This is the first time this has happened! If I get out of their sight or walk a certain distance away they usually stop bothering me!¡± Yury turned his head once more, ¡°Ahh what the fuck?! How are they so fast?!¡± ¡°Let''s turn towards the woods. I think getting closer to the city center would likely only net more people to follow us,¡± I turned to the trees surrounding the park. The park was built near the outskirts of the central city, where there''s a relatively large forest. The forest was preserved to be used in a future project of a wildlife zoo. There are barely any people here so it''s perfect. ¡°Ah? Yes!¡± Yury was dragged, clueless. We ran into the forest, breathing roughly. We didn''t stop running though. We kept going deeper into the woods, because we could hear the tremendous noise brought by who knows how many people were running after us. Shouting and screaming about how today was an important event that can''t be missed, that the story should not be interrupted, that 1 hour, 3 minutes, -- seconds was the limit until it can''t be salvaged anymore. The only difference we kept hearing as we were running is the time they were shouting dropping down. We could tell that the number of people wasn''t a small number at all. It was dangerous. We didn''t even talk unless necessary. All of our energy was spent on running. My ribs were aching, but I couldn''t complain. I didn''t even know if I should run or not, considering how their target is Yury. But I am not taking the risk. Yury, plainly speaking, was not fit at all. I am not that fit either, I do workout in order to do the house chores without getting tired, but that''s all. And taking into account my injuries, we were both miserable at running. The one thing that kept us going was perhaps the urgency of the situation and our willpower. The people running after us were not tiring, they just ran. Everytime their voices drew closer, a rush of adrenaline kicked in and we put some distance between us and them. This cycle repeated itself, time after time. 50 minutes. 40 minutes. 30 minutes. 20 minutes. 10 minutes. 5 minutes. Yury''s legs gave out, I cursed under my breath. As if I had any breaths left. And put his arm around my shoulder and commenced running. 2 minutes. It was my turn now, I couldn''t stand anymore. Falling onto the snow head first with Yury. We flipped so that we faced upwards, ¡°hah, I, hah, wish I didn''t, hah, meet you,¡± I put what strength was left in my left arm, and smacked him. Yury didn''t say anything, just laughed, ¡°I''puh sorruh,¡± Hearing the voices drawing closer, counting the seconds, we both froze. We didn''t even know if these people will stop after the countdown finishes. The first person we saw was a guy who looked quite athletic. It made sense that he would be the first person to catch up to us. He looked at Yury, ¡°Target. Yury Avalon. Spotted,¡± then turned to me, ¡°Unnecessary target. Role finished. Deemed the cause of desynchronization. Eliminate the unnecessary target,¡± he took out what looked like a camping dagger and started ''running'' towards me. It was more like walking, though, I guess even someone like him would get tired running for this long. ¡°Hah, it seems, I am in more danger, hah, than you, Yury,¡± I commented between my struggling breaths, looking into my bag. Yury glanced at me, then stood up to shield me¡­ Tried to, though he just fell infront of me, ¡°don''t hurt him! If you need me! I''ll go!¡± But as though his words were not heard, the man kept approaching me. Stepped on Yury, and stood at my front, with me still laying on the ground. The surroundings were more noisy. People started to show up from beyond the trees, counting 30! 29! 28! As time got slower, his dagger slashed down on me. Now how am I meant to handle this? I fought the urge to close my exhausted eyes and accept my fate. I looked at the descending weapon, that could be the end of me, and tried to dodge. But the dagger ultimately met it''s target. "ASH!"