It was a starless night, with heavy rain obscuring the sky from view. The rain was cold, ceaseless and heavy, muffling the screams that should have stretched across the plaza. The source of the screams was a young man, whose lungs had long since froze and throat long since given out. Tears could not be seen, wails could not be heard; the young man’s emotions were hidden from the view of the world.

The young man was scared. His knuckles turned white as he continued to clench the metallic object in his hand. He remained hunched over what was being stolen from him, knowing he was losing something precious.

The girl beneath the young man didn’t open her eyes. She didn’t smile up at him. Her body was already beginning to turn cold, the heat slowly draining away.

If the young man was crying, no one would have been able to notice. His face curled into a smile as he started to laugh. It was a laughter that came from deep within. A laughter twisted by insanity, melded with sorrow, and meshed with emotions unknown to him.

He couldn’t understand why he was laughing.

The young man wished the rain would sweep him away. He wished the rain would sweep his sins away, take away his mistake. It was all his fault.

“If I hadn’t been late…”, he whispered to no one in particular. “If I hadn’t been late…”

The young man’s laughter died and he let the rain berate him. He could no longer feel his heart beating, it had already broken. The young man was growing cold, just like the girl in his arms.

“I promised I wouldn’t be late. I knew she would be mad. I told myself I wouldn’t be late…”

The words struggled to come out. The man had channeled everything into his screams: his anger, his sadness, and his love for the girl. They tore away at his throat, slowly robbing him of his ability to speak.

The young man’s words came out hoarse and monotone, “Why was I late? It wasn’t my fault right? It wasn’t my fault.”

He tried to loosen his grip, but the young man’s knuckles continued to cling to the knife. If he let go now, he could run. If he let go now, he could abandon her to save himself...

The puddle beneath him, looked like a spilled bottle of claret wine. The liquid spreaded thin under the heavy rain, and crept around the base of the fountain. The pure water of the fountain still shone silver, even while surrounded by scarlet wine.

He hated himself for finding it beautiful.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

He hated himself for holding this knife.

He hated himself for being late.

He hated himself for…

The young man found himself skidding across the cement. Someone had wrenched him from the girl, and thrown him across the ground. The young man struggled to rise, but a strong force was holding him down. He wanted to keep the girl within his vision. He thought that if he looked away from her now, he would never see her again.

The pulsating red light tried to pull him back to his senses. It barely reached his vision, just adding another shade of red to the scenery around him. His arms felt heavy, his eyes fought to keep themselves open. The young man wondered if it would be better if he fell asleep now and never woke up.

After all, in a dream, he could act like none of this had happened. In a dream, he could actually be here on time. In a dream, he could see her smile once more. In a dream…

Some men lifted the girl up, taking her to the pulsating red light.

Screaming, “Don’t take her!”, the young man struggled to reach for the girl. His arm outstretched, trying to grasp something that was now beyond his reach.

The person holding him slammed down with more force. The young man’s face was shoved against the cement, pressing up against the pool of claret wine. Every breath was filled with the smell of iron. The wine seeped into his mouth, forcing its taste upon him. It tasted nothing like the sweet claret wine he had once drank with the girl.

The young man was alone.

Alone in the puddle of red.

Alone in the rain.

Alone in a dark and frigid world.

-----------------------------------------------

Spoiler :

As some of you might have noticed, some of my chapters vanished. So I shall be reposting them all. That is the reason for all these post dates to be so closely linked. I was able to save all the chapters, but none of the comments ;_;

Sorry for the trouble,

Tui {[999aba}]

T.O.C/Next