The air remained unsettling inside and outside the reaper’s presence. She certainly did not take the argument well and sent turbulent clouds above her head, sitting moodily on a tree branch brooding away like an angry blob. “Syth, you dummy…!”
Arthur gripped her head and flailed her feet aggressively. “Why must you be like this!?”
After calming herself down, she went back to what she was supposed to do in the first place— find the lost souls who have met their untimely demise. But excluding the pursuit for the lost souls, she also has to pursue the ones nearing their departure. And right now, her attention was drawn to an individual amongst the bushes.
“A sorry state indeed. I hope someone finds her before I personally meet her myself…” Arthur showed indifference towards the suffering individual, but watching the scene distracted her from her troubles not too long ago.
The individual was breathing but very faintly, she was in no condition to walk away, she needed medical attention to cure her of dehydration.
“I can feel the life force draining… is it time already?” Arthur thought to herself, wondering how measly mortal life truly is. “Huh?”
The energy emanated from every living thing—the very Life Force that drives mortals— soon incapsulated her. “How..? How could this be? How did she managed to regains her strength so quickly?”
The world always holds surprises and even in the most darkest of times, a tiny spark of light brightens the world just a little and all else will accordingly fall into place. And to the yet-to-be corpse, her time has yet to complete. A feeling of warmth reaches her finger tips and soon spreads to her body. No more does she feel her body being turned to ice and her slipping consciousness had finally gripped on to a god sent figure.
A faint and hazy voice, full of worry and despair, screamed at the fallen body to awaken her. Soon the trickling of tears that had reached her face, shook her awake. “Valerie..?” She let out slowly with her hoarse and breathy voice.
“Gabbie..! Thank goodness, you’re alright!” Drowning in her own tears, she couldn’t bear to see her friend in such a state. “I was searching for you for two days, Gabbie. Where did you go..?” She wiped away her tears.
Gabbie rose in a restrained manner, her body ached but most importantly her head was throbbing and felt that if she were to let go her head would certainly topple over any minute. She rested her head on her palms, hoping to press away the pain. “Wait, how long was I gone for..? Ack-”
“Two days.”
“What?!”
“Yes. You left on Sunday and never came back. I was so worried, you left your phone locked up inside your room and I ended up contacting your workplace and even they didn’t know where you were, and now I find you fainted on the streets..! Gabbie… tell me what’s wrong? I want to know… I need to know…” Her vision started to blur from tears welling up inside her eyes. Gabbie did not wish to involve Valerie, her complicated life wasn’t something she wished to share to anyone, especially Valerie. Her roommate being oblivious to all her troubles gave her immense comfort and the little enjoyable experiences that everyday life had to offer. It was a great distraction and Gabbie couldn’t be more grateful to her for it.
“I… was here for two days..?” As reality started to sink in, she realised that she had lost all sense of direction and time during those two days. She needed to think, but the more she tried to grasp any sense at all, she kept remembering all that she had to experience for the second time. The past that she wanted to forget came back to haunt her again, and it became something she couldn’t win against.
Gabbie’s condition was the worst yet and staying any longer in the cold would be detrimental to her body. They had to go back home and quickly at that.
She scraped the floor with her almost paralysed feet assisted by Valerie. Gabbie couldn’t help but stare at her continually.
“Stop looking at me with those puppy eyes! I forgive you for scaring me half to death.” She said whilst readjusting her grip on Gabbie’s arm around her shoulders.
“Sorry, Val…” It took all her might to muster up a smile. Her apparent emptiness reflected on her dull glow-less eyes. But as the moments pass, she could feel her hollow heart filling up, but not the kind one can expect. “Valerie, you’re amazing…”
I could never say it to her face. How could she possibly react? I don’t want to know. She would be better off with knowing…
She would be better off without… me.
Mum and Dad wouldn’t have had to suffer if it wasn’t for me.
Kae and Ky, wouldn’t have to hide away because of me. They were never meant to be involved.
What is the point of it all? All the harm that I’ve inflicted upon me, my family and my friends, they did not deserve this.
What’s the point of living..?
The grip of her friend’s hand grew tight and with a sudden jerk, they came to a halt. Valerie moved herself in front of Gabbie, face to face, she looks at her friend straight in the eye. And a second later, throws her arms around Gabbie and held her tight.
“Val..?” Gabbie was startled by the sudden change.
“Wha…wh.. What’s…the..point..?” She had never heard a voice so disfigured and distorted, atleast not in real life.
“What are you saying Val..?”
Finally, the words blared out her mouth like a siren, “What is the point of living?”
And just as a siren uses it’s voice to lure sailers into the sea, Gabbie was lured into the temptation of seeing the end of it all.
“Was that Forsyth again? What did she make you do?” William asked with severity.
“She destroyed all the blanks in the school.” Demi answered with optimism.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“But the problem doesn’t end there. Some have most definitely escaped and are on the run. Also, read this article, Will.” Dylan pulls out his phone and scrolls through a bit and presents the article of importance which had a connection to blanks.
William carefully goes through it and looks at them with a foreboding expression. Suicide cases in the same region, all around the same age group, and death due to similar injuries— multiple bashes to the head. “How exactly is this the same as the blanks we’ve encountered? Besides mimicking what else can it do..?”
“The spider. It was possessed by a blank and it caused it to kill itself.” Demi proposed.
“We don’t have proper evidence, but it’s very probable that the blank has an influence on its face’s mind.” Dylan added.
“It could be roughened down to saying that, there can only be one of the two and naturally the perpetrator eliminates the original.” Demi concluded.
William thought for a second as he slowly pieced together everything that has happened in a sequence. The first few encounters of the blanks, did not pose any threats, rather it was William who tried to pursue them not the other way around. The last time was the most terrifying moment and pricey to clean up as well. As much as he tried to understand the situation, he couldn’t possibly figure out the relation between the spider and the other blanks, they have come to witness. Do they behave differently in and out of the body? Is mimicking a way of marking the target? Do blanks enter your body to take over you? Once they leave your dead body would they become a fully mature version of you and live out your life in your stead?
With all these questions bombarding him from every corner of his brain, he finally asked, “Are the blanks we’ve seen and the blank that took over the spider the same, or different?”
The twins looked at each other with uncertainty and bowed their heads with no prevailing response.
“Not sure, huh?” William sighed and ruffled his hair. “Regardless, we still can’t stop to think about this, we don’t have much time… Forsyth wanted us to meet her tomorrow, then that is what we will be doing…”
“Sigh… I’m scared. What if something happens to us-” Dylan fiddled with his fingers.
“Dylan…” William looked over and studied his face. He’d never have imagined the frisky and energetic boy could ever make such a face.
“I know the situation is bad, but I want to be selfish, I want us to be alive and well. We should have never gone into that forest…”
Demi, who remained silent the entire time had a lot to say but her views barely surfaced. Seeing her brother down always had an influence on her as well. “Dylan. Regardless of whether we entered the forest or not, whether Will found a blank or not, makes no difference to their existence. We would still have been in this position irrespective of all the things we have been through.”
“It’s actually a good thing that we know. Knowing the reason for all of this madness will bring us closer to the truth.” William added.
“Why does it matter if we know the truth or not? We are most definitely not capable enough to be stopping this calamity head on…”
“Of course we aren’t! Y’know what, Dylan? Let’s be selfish and just stay alive and try not to be the heroes the world needs. What matters more than keeping yourself alive?” Demi was peeved by her brother’s remarks. He wasn’t wrong, but the way things are headed his ideology was flawed. Wanting to be a hero when they have no power or understanding is pointless.
William gently gripped both the siblings by the shoulders. “Guys, that’s enough. All of this… is tearing us apart. That’s the last thing we would want. So please, let’s just get home safe.”
“Sorry…” Dylan looked down facing the floor.
“Wanting to be someone who wants to better the world shouldn’t be apologising…” William let out a restrained smile.
“You’re making it seem like we can actually do something revolutionary.” Demi chuckled as she glanced back at Dylan. She sent a sudden jerk to his back, not painful in the slightest, and said, “Stop with that mopey face. Being a hero takes courage, you are lacking in that department though, but you can work on it.”
Dylan cracked up listening to her terrible attempt at consolation. “Is that the best you’ve got?”
“As if you haven’t said worse!”
Even as William smiled along, there was something deep inside he couldn’t quite shake off. Being a hero meant something more than saving the world. Being your own hero, posed many wonders and he felt it was finally his time as well. But the thought didn’t last long because it was soon intervened by a phone call. “Hello?”
“Did you find the kids?”
“Yeah, they’re safe.”
“Good.”
The way the conversation was going smoothly, Will assumed that the previous situation they were in had been sought after and accomplished. “So, did you call him?”
“I did. I just asked him if he knew where Gabbie was, and obviously he said no. But now…”
“What is it?”
“I should have just told him his sister was missing instead.”
It took a moment to process what he had just heard. “WHAT? MISSING?!”
“Did I not tell you?” He answered casually.
“Of course not!”
“Anyway, I’ll have to go find her now. See you.”
“Hey! Don’t hang up!!” Before he could even finish his sentence, his friend hung up on him, leaving him stranded with a dangerous thought eating up his mind.
“What’s missing?” Dylan asked with pure curiosity.
“Uhh…” William was stumped.
“Was that Ray? Did he call Lin? What exactly did he want with him?” Demi’s questionnaire was certainly packed probably because of the person involved.
“How did you know it was Ray?”
“What a stupid question to ask? Who else would you get mad at besides him?” Dylan interjected smugly.
“Can we get back to the point?” Demi responded a little irritated.
“Well…” William was stalling way too hard in the most apparent manner possible to the extent of giving the twins enough time to have already come to the conclusion that something was indeed wrong.
“Out with it already, Will! What are you waiting for?” Demi was getting a little frustrated but still trying to keep it together without blowing a fuse.
“How do I say this with subtlety..?” He continued, “You see, Kaelin’s sister is missing…”
“WHAT?” Dylan screamed almost instantly. He would not have guessed that in a million years. “Wait, which sister? Is it Kyra??”
Before William could answer, Demi started bolting towards the opposite direction sending a strong gale his way. He protested almost immediately, “Demi.!!”
Dylan, who was the closest, instantly caught hold of her arm and with a sudden jerk they both stopped. “Where do you think you’re going?!” He yelled clenching his teeth, as he restrained her with both his arms.
Demi didn’t say a word but kept trying to press on.
“This is an awfully good time to use your head right about now! What difference will you make if you race to him?”
“But..!”
“But, nothing!” He was turning red from all the pulling. “Will! Stop standing there and help me!”
“I don’t think I can help stop an unstoppable force.” William stood there dejected, he knew this would happen but he couldn’t have possibly kept it from them.
Regardless he tried to ease the situation, “Demi, please, I know you want to see him but it’s dangerous for us at night and you know it. It’s a long way back to his home anyway, we don’t want to risk anything, remember? And besides, I don’t think he knows this yet. Ray didn’t tell him, he simply asked if he knew where his older sister was…”
“You hear that! Lin doesn’t know yet.”
Demi finally stopped and gave in. “Then who is going to tell him..?” Her face grew concerned.
“I’m not sure… if we can’t find her in time, her family will have to know.” William looked away, he couldn’t bare to see their faces.
“How long has she been gone..?” Dylan asked.
“I’m assuming it’s only been about a day and by the end of today, that’ll be two.”
“Hmm… it hasn’t been long though…”
“We can’t risk anything. Besides, her roommate was gravely worried and so is Ray… for some odd reason?”
Dylan studied his expressions of bewilderment as he made the remark. He scoffs and turns back to Demi. Usually met with the same smug expressions as him, he witnessed her face as it appeared pale. “Demi..?” He gently called out.
“Huh? Yeah, what is it?” She released herself from her trance.
“Nothing. We should hurry home.” He willingly chose to ignore her sadness because it wasn’t the right time to ask her to stop worrying because the situation still saw no bright end. He proceeded to casually confront William about his predicament. “Is it strange that Ray is actually showing someone concern?”
“Yes…”
“Bro! What did you take Ray for? He’s not that evil. You should read the room more, Will! Open you eyes a little, then you’ll know that he has always been like that.”
“Is that right?” Will pondered with a serious look on his face.
“Wait a second! Are you jealous?!”
“Jealous about what exactly..?” Will turned to him with a tired expression on his face.
“I don’t know how much longer you’re going to take to figure it out.” Dylan ended and wished to speak no further.