An unbearable, blistering pain erupted behind my eyes, as if boiling water had been poured from inside the sockets.
As my breathing quickly intensified, my heart pounded in agony; an excruciating whimper slipping free.
My eyes blurred, then burned; literally burned. The edges of my view distorted, slowly invaded by the streaks of red and white.
Poison… It had to be. Medicine tasting good was a myth.
The warmth stormed into my veins, through my heart, all the way to my scorching retinas.
Stumbling and hushed panic pierced my ears, but I couldn't make out her words over the blistering of skin.
My fingers violently twitched, every muscle jerking and contracting as if forcing itself from my body.
It was happening. I'm dying.
My body was rejecting the substance.
I could tell she was hiding something. But, this? It's hard to imagine that warm smile could also be capable of poison.
To show no malice, fake genuine kindness. One hell of a professional.
Suddenly, a panicked, out of breath shout cut through the ringing in my ears.
"I messed up, This can't be happening…"
The woman was kneeling beside me now, her hands shaking as they lifted my head. Too close. Too fast. Too frantic.
I could feel my face redden, erratic breathing against my skin. Her frantic muttering and scrapping of wood barely registering colliding against my face.
Suddenly, she shoved a piece of wood in my mouth, poking around my tongue. As it left my mouth, I heard a distant *clunk* from across the room.
"That's not good. I knew I forgot something…"
Her breathing paused as she lurched forward, the breeze smacking against my inflamed skin.
Uncomfortably close, she was lifting my head, her palms moist from sweat.
Forgot something…? Again? This doctor is really absent-minded.
"It's Too Late…" I whispered weakly. My body had already started shutting down, I stared deeply into the smears of red and white.
Her tears fell against my cheek, her voice muffled.
"No, I can fix this. I forgot to dilute the potion. I'm sorry for what I'm about to do…"
It wasn't malice I noticed earlier. She knew the "potion" was wrong.
Yet, she still gave it to me?
Slowly, she lifted my shirt to my mouth. I clamped it tightly against my teeth, whimpering as she placed her cold hand against the middle of my chest.
Shocked and nervous, I tried lifting my hand to grab hers but it wouldn't move.
Consequently, I quickly spat the shirt out of my mouth, and softly reassured her.
"It's okay.... I can't see what you're doing, but don't be sorry. Let me die, please."
Death... was a way better alternative than having her press against me.
The moment was quickly interrupted as another wave of flames tore into my heart.
Impulsively, I let out a screechy groan. The shock turned against my stomach, flipping as the sound of fluids and nausea sloshed in my gut.
"Don't talk like that," she shot back, her voice trembling.
"If you die, I'm as good as dead too… so just hold on!"
With that, she quickly shoved the shirt back into my mouth and I admitted defeat.
Damn. She's stubborn…
She pressed her palm firmly against my chest again and suddenly, a rush of warmth surged through my body.
It wasn't like the fire from before. It was... different. Softer. Kinder.
The sensation spread outward, wrapping itself around my limbs, like a silky web. Invading my bones, as it flooded my veins with warmth.
A sharp pain struck my side. As if my body was being ripped apart, stitched and unraveled over and over again. I gasped, my back uncontrollably seizing against the mattress.
As the pain intensified, the more I whimpered, her hand pressing further into my stomach.
The last thing I heard before the darkness swallowed me was her desperate, shaking voice,
"Stay with me... Please!"
Why am I so helpless…
"Hey! Open your eyes!"
Then...
dark silence.
I shot up in a panic, frantically looking around. My body was hot, sweat slowly dripping from my forehead.
Where am I?
It was my bedroom. Everything was as I left it.
With a huge sigh of relief, I flopped back into the bed, slowly sinking into its familiar comforter. I realized, I could move. I could see.
I remembered the pain, the burning fire inside my chest. My mind tearing itself from the weight of it all. Blindness. The paralysis. Instinctively, my fingers reached out, squeezing my fingertips against the cold sheets.
Yep, I'm definitely moving.
I looked towards the window as the moonlight crept through the curtains.
My breathing steadied, the panic subsiding. But, there was something… Wrong. A nagging feeling that lingered in the back of my mind.
Was it all really a dream?
It felt too real.
Too... Immersive.
The way flames coiled themselves around my heart, as poison slowly squeezed the life from every inch of my body. Frantic cries from the young nurse, who's face I never saw and name I never was told.
It had to be.
A dream.
I sat up slowly, my body stiff and achy, but otherwise normal.
The familiar scent of incense filled the room. My entire life laid inside these four walls. From my childhood collectibles, to my gaming setup. This was real.
My hand reached for the nightstand, lightly tapping the wooden surface for my phone. 10:30 pm. It was late, way earlier than I expected. Seeing how I usually stay up until four in the morning, I'm quite surprised I took a nap.
My eyes glanced even further down the screen, my fingers shaking in realization.
As a hermit, I rarely got texts or messages from anyone. But it wasn't a text message that caught my eye. It was a missed call.
I stared at the name on my screen, my pulse getting louder as it reverberated through my eardrums. It wasn't just one missed call. It was three. Three missed calls.
10:07 PM. 10:12 PM. 10:17 PM.
Each call, just minutes apart.
I pressed the button to call back, my body shivering. Why did she call? Tenshi never called. She was fifteen in her rebellious stage, only texting me when she wanted something.
The dial tone never came. The moment my thumb hit the call button, a voice broke through the silence...
"It's too late for that, Hiro."
My heart stopped. The voice wasn't coming from the phone.
I slowly turned my head towards voice, the direction of my door.
And there she was. Just standing there.
Tenshi…
She looked just like I remembered, except for her eyes.
Frozen in time. Wearing the same outfit she hated. Our parents made her wear for going out on dinners.
"Your a young lady, you need to look presentable. What if we meet your future husband," harped my mother.
A black blouse, etched with pink floral designs. It was always about appearances in my family. The sleeves were wrinkled, not from wear, but from habit. She always crossed her arms when she was annoyed, her icy glare able to pierce the firmest of stares.
Her chestnut-brown hair, usually a mess of cowlicks and bedhead, was perfectly straightened, flowing past her shoulders. For once, she looked like she didn't just roll out of bed.
But her eyes made me freeze.
Tenshi…
She stood in the doorway, arms crossed. Her gaze told me... this wasn't the same Tenshi I knew.
Her sharp, usual teasing glare was gone. The fire behind her eyes, the light that dared anyone to challenge her…
Smoldered.
In its place… was a blue hue. A soft pain.
Not anger. Not even sadness.
Betrayal.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, her expression unwavering. Her lip quivered. Shoulders shook. But never looked away.
A look radiating disdain. As if I was the one who betrayed her…
Utter disappointment as if she was searching, desperately awaiting an answer.
No answer would ever be enough…
I tried to breathe. To speak. To say anything.
But.. only moved. Walking towards the door as I reached out to her. My throat locked, cowering as my memories returned.
Driving. Crashing into water.
A soft, trembling voice broke my trance,
"Hiro… Why did you kill us?" whispered Tenshi.
I stopped dead in my tracks, my mind screaming to deny it.
To tell her she was mistaken.
But no words left my lips.
I knew what she meant… I accepted it long ago.
But, facing her, telling her. Was something else entirely.
Something... Impossible.
Suddenly, my body felt heavy, my knees buckling from added weight. The walls closed in, literally moving towards me. I stood there, shaking, the feeling of suffocating washed over me... Like I was drowning.
Kill? US?
The sound of heartbeats intensified, unsteady as my head throbbed; repeating the words.
As my Knees buckled, my body forced itself into a bow before Tenshi. Her heartbroken stare piercing my heart.
Behind her, the shadows of my mother and father smiled down on me.
I'm sorry… It wasn't my fault.
I slammed my fist into the polished floorboards, repeatedly as my screams overlapped the laughs of my parents.
Flashes of something entered my mind, something familiar but foreign. Like flames, metal twisting, a voice screaming my name. Tears clouded my eyes, suddenly evaporating in my right eye. The shape of a woman, panicking, was just barely in view.
"Tenshi…" I finally managed, my voice barely above a whisper. "I—"
The words died on my tongue. She was still staring. Still waiting…
The only one not laughing.