Flint slowly opens his eyes. His vision is blurry, unable to make out his current surroundings. He grumbles and lets out a low groan. He pats around his body, finding that his belongings are not there. He feels his corrupted body being dragged along the ground. He looks up and sees a large grotesque metal hand gripping tightly onto his right leg.
“YOU ARE NOT THE ONE.” A robotic voice crackles from an old voice box.
Flint looks up and sees Romander rolling on a cold rugged stone floor as he drags Flint away. The creaking from the wheels and his large grotesque metal arm’s tight grip on Flint echo throughout this impossibly large dark room, seemingly almost of infinite size to Flint.
“IT IS A SHAME YOU ARE NOT HER VESSEL. YOU SHALL JOIN THE OTHER FAILURES SOON.” He tells Flint in his crackling robotic voice.
Flint struggles to break free, but he is unable to. Romander tightens his grip on Flint’s leg. Flint groans loudly, feeling his corroded bones crack. Flint looks up and notices that he and Romander are approaching a large metal dome, which is as tall as the room’s height and only large enough to occupy most of the walking space in the room.
Flint’s body trembles violently as Romander drags him closer and closer. Flint flails his long corroded arms at Romander, but Romander does not let go of his grip. Romander stops as he stands in front of the large dome. A giant metal door imposingly stands in front of them.
Flint’s body trembles more violently. He screams in agony, as his mind is bombarded with the echoes and blood-curdling screams of hundreds, no thousands of people’s suffering. He feels sharp, indescribable pains all over his body. They have fallen a horrid, agonizing fate under Romander. Now, Flint too must suffer all of their pains, at once. Then, he will finally be home.
“DO NOT BE AFRAID LOST SOUL. DO NOT LET THE PAINS CLOUD YOUR JUDGMENT. I HAVE RETURNED YOU TO YOUR TRUE HOME.” The robotic voice crackles from the voice box.
The door’s lock chunk loudly, echoing throughout the impossibly large room. The door opens ajar. The screams of anguish and agony become the only thing he can hear.
“GOODBYE.” The robotic voice crackles from the voice box.
Romander throws Flint into the dark void hidden within the dome. The closes shut. The room is dead silent. Romander wheels away.
Flint is falling. He can only see darkness and countless victims hiding within its void. He only hears silence. He has a mouth, but he will not scream. For if he screams, then those hiding in the shadows will rip him limb from limb.
He reaches out his lanky corroded arms into the air, hoping someone will pick him up from his fall. Hoping someone will free him. But even he knows the futility of his action.
He crashes into a deep pool of black sludge. The impact from his dive erupts countless corpses and limbs like a powerful bellowing geyser. He drowns in the sludge, but he does not scream. For if he screams, they will drag him down deeper.
The black sludge fills his corroded lungs like a water balloon. The suffocating weight of the black sludge and all the corpses slowly crush him alive. But it does not matter if he screams or not, those hiding within the shadows sense the life coming from within Flint.
Countless arms of many sizes from many ages drag him deeper into the abyss. The silence becomes no more. The choir of agonizing and anguished screams gradually become louder and louder. Flint joins into the choir’s bellowing performance. For he has a mouth and he must scream.
Flint is brought to the bottom of what seems to be an infinite abyss. The arms do not let go, they never will. Because now, he will become a new member of their home.
Flint’s screams of anguish become dead silent. No matter how hard he tries, there is no escaping this hell. With the little energy he has left, he lets his tears roll down his eyes. He is a failure and he let the darkness win. Those victims will never be freed from Romander’s horrid crimes. He will never return to his home.
“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry…I never wanted everything to fall apart right before my eyes. I never wanted to be the reason why our family has fallen apart. Ronlo…please forgive your stupid husband. He never wanted to hurt you and leave you so alone. Lily, please forgive your father for not being there for you. You deserve someone better. And Sercas and Serena…you deserve a better colleague…no better friend than me.” Flint’s voice mutters from the radio.
“And to you Argus, Toby, Christie, Rayne, and you kid. I’m sorry that I can’t free you. I’m sorry my failure will not allow you to rekindle and fix your broken bonds. But it isn’t only you five. That figure…I know what he means now. I’m trying to free you all! I’m trying…so, so hard. But even I know that my efforts are futile. But damn it, I’d rather keep trying than give up! Even though you have suffered long enough, please, let me free you from this hell! Let me finally bring you peace! I shall carry your pains, just please…please let me keep fighting.” Flint’s voice mutters from the radio.
Despite his plea, the arms keep their tight grip on him. Flint has a mouth, and he must scream. He screams his pleas loudly, trying to overpower the choir of anguished screams bombarding his mind. But, the choir becomes louder and louder.
“Everyone! Please listen to the mister!” a young voice shouts from the radio.
The choir’s anguished and agonizing screams cease.
“Mister has done everything he can to free us! He’s been hurt in so many ways, but he is still here. I’ve seen him free the four who have been suffering the most. And if he can free them, he will free you! Please…let him go!” the young voice pleads.
“Kid…” Flint’s voice mutters.
Flint closes his eyes and grips his hands tightly.
“I vow to pursue and reveal the truth to all. I mustn’t waver, no matter how bitter the consequences may be. No one should live in the darkness of falsehoods nor should those who harm others hide have their sins be hidden away!” Flint’s voice exclaims from the radio.
He does not hear the choir begin again but is still at the bottom. He hears the radio crackling loudly as if capturing the voices of everyone trapped in this damned hell.
“F…R…E…E…U…S.” The voices chant from the radio.
The arms let go of their grasp on Flint. Flint sees a cloudy white hand reach out to him. Flint takes the hand. He can hear their chant become louder and louder as the cloudy arm raises him out of the hell.
The chunking of the metal door’s lock echoes throughout the impossible large dark room. Flint is thrown out of the dome, and the metal door shuts tightly behind him.
Flint pukes out all the black sludge within his body, spilling it all over the rugged stone floor. Flint looks up and finds the figure of the young boy standing in front of him. As if by fatherly instinct, he hugs the young boy tightly. While unfamiliar with this warmth, the young boy hugs him back even tighter.
“Thank you, kid…” Flint’s voice mutters from the radio.
He and the figure of the young boy let go.
“No Mister. Thank you.” The young voice tells him from the radio.
Flint slowly rises from the ground, his corroded and corrupted form towering over the figure of the young boy. Flint sees a bright light emanating from the young boy.
“Mister…thank you for keeping my promise. Thank you for making me feel wanted…” the young voice from the radio tells him.
The impossibly large room is enveloped with the same bright light coming from the figure of the young boy. Flint covers his eyes from the blinding light as his surroundings slowly change.
Flint slowly opens his eyes. He stands in front of a hospital baby room with the glass reflecting his human form. Out of all the cribs and babies that are swaddled in warm white blankets, one stands out. The name tag on the crib has the name: LN. The dark-tanned-skinned baby sleeps soundly in the crib.
Flint hears the steps of three people approaching the area.
“Well, that’s the unfortunate thing, isn’t it? The parents just left after giving birth to the kid.” A doctor says out loud. “But, if you’re willing to adopt him, I’d certainly encourage you to do so.”
Flint turns around and finds an older doctor speaking to a married couple. The fair-skinned husband, Alex, has a jovial visage and wears a simple plaid button-up and jeans.
His tanned-skinned wife, Anabel, on the other hand, has a more tired visage and wears a simple white dress top and jeans. Flint notices her staring at the many babies in the room. Faint tears fall from her eyes.
She feels the warmth of her husband as he puts his arm over her shoulders.
“We would be happy to adopt him doctor, no matter how long it takes,” Alex tells the doctor.
“Fantastic to hear! You two stay here, I will get the proper authorities here, alright?” the doctor tells them.
The doctor walks away, leaving Flint and the married couple there. Alex looks over and notices his wife’s somber expression as she gazes upon the babies in the room. He wipes the tears from her face.
“Hey, look at me. It will be okay. Deep breaths for me, okay?” he tells her.
Anabel listens to his advice and tries to calm herself down. But she cannot stop her eyes from wandering towards the room of babies. More tears stream down her face.
“Hey, just look at me, alright?” he again tells her.
“Right…right…” she mutters.
She hugs him tightly as the doctor enters the room again. Flint sees his surroundings slowly change around him.
They change into a small bedroom. The walls of the room are painted light blue with large yellow stars. He notices a small wooden crib in the center of the room. Soothing piano music plays from the radio attached to the crib. Flint quietly approaches the crib.
He finds LN sleeping soundly, under several soft blankets. The sight of LN in the crib reminds him of memories of when he and Ronlo first adopted Lily. She has slept so soundly in the crib, just like LN. Flint lovingly caresses LN’s face, just like he would do with Lily when she was a baby. LN though, does not react to his touch.
He overhears a violent commotion coming from outside the room. Flint sees LN crying and whining in his bed as the commotion becomes louder. Flint lowers to the ground and tries his best to ease LN’s crying by gently rocking the crib back and forth, but it is ineffective.
Flint stands up and exits the room. He walks down the dark hallway, hearing the noise becoming louder. He enters the large living room and sees Alex and Anabel berating and shouting at each other.
“Damn it, why don’t you spend more time with our son?” the husband shouts at her.
“Me? You’re the one who’s at work every damn day! It shouldn’t only be me here!” she rebuts.
“You know I’m busting my ass off at work so I can provide for you guys here!” he argues back.
“Well you’re the one who wanted to adopt him, so he’s your responsibility!”
“Me? You also wanted him as well, don’t tell me that bullshit now!”
“I never wanted him! He’s not my child!” she shouts at him.
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The husband grimaces at her response.
“Damn it, he is our child! Why won’t you let it get through that thick skull of yours? Oh wait, it’s because all you do is drink, drink, drink!” he shouts.
Flint can only watch as he sees this argument devolve into a bloodbath of insults and horrid language. His body shivers at this brutal and painful sight. He walks away to LN’s bedroom, hearing the fight becoming worse and worse.
He stands by LN’s crib, seeing him cry and whine. But Flint knows they are too busy fighting to notice.
“This has to be what Lily feels…” Flint mutters.
Flint tightly grips the handles of the crib. Tears stream down Flint’s face.
“Damn it…I never wanted to hurt you Lily…I…I just wanted to be a good father for you. I swear…after all of this is over, I’ll be the best dad for you. No more fighting, no more running.” Flint mutters again.
Flint wipes his tears from his face. He lowers himself to LN’s level, rocking back and for the crib, in hopes that it soothes him.
Flint sees the room slowly change around him, with the argument omnipresent in the background during the change. The room once for the baby LN, transforms into a simple boy’s bedroom. The light blue paint and stars on the walls have become faded and are covered with posters of space and planets. The shelves are full of books about astronomy and various plush animals.
Flint sees a now five-year-old LN reading a book about a book of complex astrophysics concepts on his bed, letting himself get lost in the literature as he hears his parent’s arguments in the background.
Flint sits next to LN, impressed that LN is reading such an advanced topic at this age. Though LN cannot understand all of the theories and equations, he finds solace in how these theories and equations describe the boundless and mysterious beauty of space.
After LN has finished reading the book, he puts it away on his shelf and goes to sleep, facing away from Flint. Flint leans over and sees LN hiding under his pillow and covers, hoping the noise from his parent’s argument is muffled.
Flint sees LN drifting off to sleep, seeing tears stream from his eyes. Flint hears the argument die down after some painstakingly long moments after LN has fallen asleep.
Flint sees the door open and finds Alex peeking through the small opening. He sighs in relief, seeing LN asleep. He quietly enters the room and kneels. He kisses LN on the cheek before leaving.
Several moments later, Anabel enters the room. Flint smells the familiar scent of alcohol coming from her breath. Anabel kneels to the ground. Her shivering hand caresses LN’s face. She focuses on the clear difference in their skin tone, making her hand shiver more. She stands up and walks away to the kitchen.
More time passes by for both Flint and LN. Flint sees LN age right before his eyes, though his bedroom is relatively the same. During this passage of time, Flint does not hear their arguments in the background.
It is late at night and Flint sees LN putting on a sweater in his room. LN grabs his telescope in his room. LN quietly opens his bedroom door with the telescope in his grasp.
Flint follows LN down the hall. They pass by Anabel sitting by the dining table. Several empty beer bottles lay on the table. Anabel opens another beer bottle and drinks its numbing amber liquid.
Flint and LN are standing in the front yard. They gaze at the beautiful and clear starry night up above. LN sets up his telescope and peers into the lens. Looking through the telescope, he finds a large cluster of stars. He takes out a small notebook and multi-ink pen from the pockets of his sweater.
As Flint looks over, he sees LN flipping past pages of colored sketches of star clusters LN has seen. LN lands on the last empty page of the notebook. Flint is impressed with the amount of detail and effort in LN’s sketch of the cluster of stars.
From what little Flint has seen, this particular star cluster seems to be the largest out of the ones in the notebook. Flint looks up at the starry night sky, admiring the bright shining stars existing within the vast, limitless cosmos.
“Maybe…there’s a home somewhere out there for me…” LN mutters.
Flint turns to LN, who is still sketching the large star cluster. Flint sees tears stream down LN’s eyes and land on the sketch. Despite the downpour of tears, LN continues sketching the rest of the star cluster.
Flint kneels to LN’s level and does his best to comfort him, even though he knows his efforts are in vain. After comforting LN for some more moments, Flint sees LN finishing the sketch of the large star cluster.
The sketch captures the countless bright stars in the sky, surrounded by vibrant splashes of magenta, orange, indigo, and black to represent the vast cosmos. With the little space left on the page, LN writes the name of the cluster: Home.
LN puts his notebook away and looks through the telescope again. LN gazes again at the cluster of stars, letting himself get lost in the vast cosmos of space.
The cricking sounds from the grasshoppers and cicadas during the night are overpowered by the blaring of loud sirens. LN sees flashes of blue and red passing through the telescope lens. Flint looks over and sees a police car parked in front of the yard. As LN takes his eye off the telescope, a police officer approaches him. Flint sees an immediate distraught expression form on her visage.
As the officer is near LN, she kneels at his height.
“How are you doing bud?” she asks.
“Good…” he weakly mutters.
Flint sees the officer’s distraught expression worsen.
“Look, I have terrible news for you…”
Flint sees his surroundings change before his very eyes before their conversation ends. He is now standing on the sidewalk of a dark street, earlier the same night. He sees Alex with a backpack getting off the bus and resting at the bus shelter on the other side.
From this distance, Flint notices Alex pulling something out from his bag. It is a box wrapped in simple striped wrapping paper.
“Sorry I can’t be there for you on your birthday, sport. Hopefully, you’ll at least love the gift I have for you.” Alex mutters.
Alex puts the gift back into his backpack and exits the bus shelter. He takes in the cool night, trying to relax himself from the stress of work.
“Damn it…if only I had a less demanding job.” Alex mutters. “Then…then old sport would have someone in his life…”
Alex takes a deep breath while walking.
“Anabel, please be there for him. I know we have been suffering and I know we’ve fought so many times, but at least try to be there for him when I can’t. I’m trying on my end to find a better job, so please try as well. Don’t give up…” Alex mutters.
Alex looks both ways before crossing the road. Flint hears the roaring of a motor grow louder and louder as Alex is in the middle of the road. A sudden bright erupts from the darkness. Alex is blinded by the light, stumbling around. By the time he regains his vision, he is met with a terrible fate.
A van collides with Alex. Alex flies back on the rough concrete road, splattering blood all over it. The van does not stop and speeds away, crushing the rest of his body. Alex is left unrecognizable lying on the ground. Flint keeps staring at the familiar van driving away. A look of utter hatred forms on his face.
“Romander…you bastard!” he shouts.
Flint sees his surroundings change around him. They form into the dining area of LN’s home. Weeks have passed since Alex’s death. LN sits at the table, holding the notebook of his star cluster sketches underneath. His mother sits across from him, drinking her fourth bottle of beer.
“Hey…mom?” LN softly asks her.
Anabel’s face twitches after hearing him say that to her.
“What did you just call me you ingrate?” she asks back. “I told you never to call me that you damn piece of human filth!”
LN sits there quietly as she downs the rest of the beer. LN looks down at his notebook and lets his mother unleash all her anger at him. Flint is horrified by all the degrading and harsh language she tells him.
“I don’t want you to ever talk to me! You’re not my son, no you’ll never be my son! NOW LEAVE!” She shouts at LN.
LN quietly stands up from the table and walks away. His notebook drops to the ground as he exits his home.
“Hey! COME BACK HERE!” she shouts at him.
She drunkenly chases after him, but she immediately gives up after hearing the front door close shut. She approaches the table with shaky steps. Her once angry expression turns into one of remorse. She sits down on her chair, gazing upon the four empty bottles of beer.
She can no longer hold her tears back and they stream down her face.
“How…how could I say that to him?” she asks herself. “I’m…I’m such a horrible mother…”
In her emotional state, she knocks over all the empty beer bottles on the table.
“Damn you! Damn you alcohol! Damn your addicting…numbing sensation…” she mumbles.
She lowers herself back on the chair, slouching. Though Flint is appalled by her previous outrage, he knows the feeling all too well.
“Why? Why are you so addicting? Why can’t I stop?” she asks herself. “I…I just wanted to be a mother…a good mother. But…I let this bastard cloud my judgment. It…felt so relieving to drink it…but at what cost? There’s no going back…there’s no fixing what’s broken…”
She somberly stands up from the table and shambles to the fridge. As she walks to the fridge, she feels something other than the hardwood floor on the ground. Anabel looks to the ground and finds LN’s notebook. She bends down and picks it up.
Anabel sits back down and opens the notebook. The first page of the notebook has “TO YOU MOM AND DAD” in basic and somewhat crude handwriting.
She flips through the pages finding stunning colored sketches of star clusters. Each page connects some of the stars in the sketches, forming constellations of famous scientists and places. With each page, more tears stream down her face.
Then, she finally reaches the final page. It is the large star cluster Flint has observed LN drawing. Unlike before, he and Anabel see a constellation of LN, Alex, and Anabel on the cluster. She breaks down when she reads the title on the bottom: Home.
Though Flint cannot excuse her earlier outburst, he will not let her wallow in her self-pity.
“Damn it, woman! Don’t give up now and let your son run away! Even after all you did to him, he still loves you! You are his mother! You are his home!” Flint shouts at her.
Anabel stops crying as if she has heard his words. She stands from the table, immediately sobering up.
“LN! LN! I’m sorry!” she screams, running out of her home.
Flint’s surroundings change once more. He sits on a swing on a swing set in a local park on a clear starry night. LN is sitting on the swing next to him. He sees LN again looking up at the starry night sky.
Looking at the night sky, he is reminded of his current state. He is like a lone, insignificant star among the sea of billions. No matter how bright he glows, no one will pay him any mind. Yet he still holds onto the hope that just one day, if that day ever comes, he will have a place to call home. A home where it isn’t just a place for him to sleep, but also a place where he will have good friends and family to be with him, no matter what.
Flint hears the steps of someone approaching them. He looks up and grimaces at the person approaching him. It is Romander, yet he appears like his younger self.
“Hey there,” he greets LN. “What are you doing out here so late?”
LN looks at him, though remains silent.
“Hey now, don’t be sad. You can talk to me.” Romander tells him.
LN remains silent. Flint nudges LN, hoping that he will not talk to this depraved man. Yet, he knows his actions are in vain. Romander looks to the sky.
“Ain’t this a beautiful starry night?” Romander comments. “Wouldn’t be amazing if you could take an amazing look at all these stars?”
LN perks up at him mentioning that.
“Really?” he asks.
“Oh yes,” Romander replies. “You’ll be in a nice warm place where you can gaze at the stars all you want. And I’ll be there with you, no matter what!”
Romander sees LN’s hesitancy and sighs.
“A shame that you will not take this opportunity. Alas, I cannot force you to come with me.” Romander comments.
Romander slowly walks off. LN sits on the swing, still contemplating his decision. Flint keeps urging LN not to go with him, even though his efforts will be in vain. LN gets off the swing and runs up to Romander. Romander turns around, hearing LN run after him. Flint sees a devilish smile on Romander’s face as LN approaches him.
“Come on, let’s gaze at the stars, together,” Romander tells LN.
Romander takes LN’s hand and they walk to Romander’s van. Flint rushes after them.
“NO DON’T TAKE HIS HAND! DON’T GO WITH THAT BASTARD!” Flint screams.
But it is all in vain. Romander places him in the back of the van and he drives off.
“LN? LN, are you here?” Anabel asks.
Flint turns around and finds Anabel looking around for LN.
“LN! LN! I’m sorry! I shouldn’t treated you like trash! I’ve been a terrible mother, but please come back! You’re my son!”
Flint is suddenly surrounded by darkness. Flint sees a young Romander stand in front as they are surrounded by the dark void.
“Oh young LN you were not clever,” Romander mutters.
Flint hears LN’s cries for help. The grinding of metal tools to a fine sharp point and roaring, crackling flames ring through Flint’s ears. LN’s cries for help become replaced with the screams of pain and agony. He hears the slicing and scorching of flesh. LN’s screams gradually become louder, making Flint collapse to the ground and cover his ears.
Flint sees Romander’s face slowly droop and rapidly age right before his very eyes. Romander’s skin becomes shriveled and wrinkled. The makeup falls off showing Romander’s lifeless, gray skin.
“Now your mother shall know the true suffering forever.” Romander again mutters.
Then, the screams cease. Flint uncovers his ears and stands up. He is still in the same dark void.
He sees a white cloud form in front of him. The cloud shapes itself into LN, like how Flint has seen him through the entire facility.
“Thank you mister…” LN tells him.
Flint notices LN looking up at the dark void.
“I looked up into the sky so I could see space. Space is so, so large that maybe I could find a nice proper home one day. But instead, I found the sea of bright, shining stars in the sky. So maybe, if the day never comes, I could become one of those bright shining stars. I’ll shine so bright for those who observe me. That way…that way they will have something that knows they exist. Even if it is just a star, they can see something so far away cares for them, even if others don’t. And…I won’t ever be alone. I’ll have people who really care for me.”
Flint lets his tears stream down his face as he sees LN walk away from him deeper into the void.
“Hey, kid!” Flint shouts out.
LN stops moving away.
“Kid, there are people who care about you. Even though they weren’t around, your parents still love you. I have a daughter, a sweet, beautiful daughter. I have brought so much pain and sadness into her life by arguing with my dear husband. But, we argued because we wanted to care for you better. But we were blind to see how our fights hurt you. That’s what your parents have gone through. Your dad was determined to find another job that allows him to be with you and your mom, despite her anger and denial, still saw you as her son. As parents, we cannot excuse our actions, but we will do our best to better, all just for you. So please…forgive them, be with them, and trust them to do the right thing for you, just like you trusted me!”
Flint sees LN standing there, silent.
“Mister…I have a home?” LN asks him.
“Yes, yes you do kid,” Flint tells him. “And I have a home waiting for me after I fulfill my promise.”
LN runs up to him. Flint kneels and they embrace each other tightly.
“I’ll miss you, mister,” LN mutters.
“I’ll miss you as well, LN,” Flint tells him. “Now, go, you have a family.”
Flint sees a shadowy hand resting on LN’s shoulder. Flint looks up and sees the tall shadowy humanoid figure standing there.
“It is time for you to return home, LN. Trust in this detective that he will free you.” The shadowy figure whispers into LN’s ear.
LN and Flint let go of their embrace. The tall shadowy humanoid figure guides LN away.
“Detective, you have seen all these souls, but there are still more. Now go forth, complete your task, and free these lost souls. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. I know you free them all.” The shadowy voice whispers into his ears.
“I will,” Flint says with pure determination.
Flint stumbles around, feeling his body and eyelids become heavier. He falls to the ground, passing out.