CHAPTER NUMBER 13

Jack replying back nonchalantly.

“You don't need to scream Ainmosni, I can hear you loud and clear.”

Ainmosni.

“You said that you didn't regret doing this to me, from now on I will make sure you will.”

Jack ends the phone call.

Even after ending the call, I could hear him.

His voice echoing in the whole room, with a taunting tone.

“That's if you can figure out what I actually am doing to you or if you can even get out of here.”

I got confused, starting looking around the room to find where the voice was coming from.

“What do you mean by getting out of here? It's not like I can't do anything else.”

Jack stops responding.

I start to get paranoid, I start walking around the room thinking what to do, I leave the house to see if I can find anything which would lead me to Jack.

I asked all of Jack's acquaintances to see if they knew where he went, because even if we were friends, the one thing he didn't tell me was where his hometown was.

I went to his house without getting any useful information. I knew a way into his house. Upon entering, the house didn't have anything special but it was clear that he hadn't been in his own house for the past few days.

I was searching around the house when again like last time Jack started talking to me with nowhere to be seen.

Jack laughed.

“Why are you wasting your energy, it’s no use, you won’t find anything because it isn’t possible to escape this.”

While gazing my eyes everywhere I asked.

“Escape what, what am I trapped in, this is reality not a dream or thought which you can control, I don’t know how you are talking to me but I will find you.”

Jack clicked his tongue in disapproval.

“Ch ch ch, how naive you are thinking that this is reality, why don’t you think again.”

I was about to reply to his sentence when suddenly

“What do you mean by thin—”

Tring Tring, alarm clock ringing,

“HAH, HUH, HAH, HUH, HAH, HUH.”

I again woke up in the same position, laying on the floor.

I was baffled as to what just happened, it was slowly starting to sink in, that I still was in one of my controlled thoughts, I walked out of the house to see if I was the only one in this made up reality but upon looking there were people walking around and it seemed like real reality.

Then I started doubting whether this was reality or fake because I still hadn’t heard Jack’s voice, thinking that this is reality I again went to places where I would find Jack’s acquaintance to get information and like last time not getting any.

I went to Jack’s house, repeating the same process I didn’t find anything, not hearing Jack or having the courage to call Jack to fact check, I started to think that this was reality, I started walking back home to calm myself down from the set of hectic events suddenly a loud.

“Surprise!”

And as soon as I heard that surprise, instantly it happened again.

Tring Tring, alarm clock ringing,

“HAH, HUH, HAH, HUH, HAH, HUH.”

Instantly upon waking up, I scream out loud feeling impotent while still laying down on the floor..

Jack voice,

“Haha, Ainmosni you don’t know how fun it is to watch you like this, being able to control your mind whoever I want, make you see whatever I want, it’s so much fun.”

Me being enraged, I stood up and started mocking Jack.

“Yeah, what can you really do? Huh, in what way are you affecting me, you think I will break, just from this, my previous actions were like that because I didn’t know the reason behind it, now I know and there’s nothing you can do.”

Jack with a smug tone,

“Oh really, then let me show you.”

I got transferred to the same car which I was driving in the first experience I had, driving insanely fast to the point of not saving oneself while my car driving itself to death Jack making me realize the situation I am in.

Jack,

“I can put you in these situations whenever I want and how many times I want.”

My car was just about to hit the back of the truck, when suddenly I got transferred to the same car at the time when it was 3 miles back from the truck.

Jack,

“And make you experience near death again and again and again.”

He kept transferring me back just before the car could make collision with the truck, a millisecond before.

Jack makes me appear in the situation when I was about to get hit with a bullet as Ace.

“Or I could make you experience Death.”

I would be standing before Spade and would get shouted in the head over and over again experiencing the taste of death again and again, that’s when I realize that even if all of this is fabricated, I am still feeling all of the pain which one would in reality.

After Jack got his fill for some time, I was again moved back.

Tring Tring, alarm clock ringing,

“HAH, HUH, HAH, HUH, HAH, HUH.”

I woke up exhausted feeling excruciating pain, my will was slowly breaking.

“Ahh, I get it, I get it, I understand the situation I am in but please make this pain go away.”

Jack replying with ignorance,

“ch, this isn’t fun anymore and I am also getting tired, rest for a while you

won’t feel any pain for the time being, take this sympathy from me as a gift.”

After that I stopped hearing Jack’s voice, my breath was pent up, I slowed down my breathing to regain control on it, after calming myself down, I sat down with my back to the bed.

My mind had taken a lot of toll with the constant change in scenarios but the pain had vanished due to Jack’s pity of sympathy.

I was getting furious by the second, I started punching the air, the bed, making a mess of the apartment, venting out my anger but then I calmed myself to start thinking rationally. I sat down with pulling my knees to my chest and putting my head on my knees, I sat as if a snail had gone back into his shell.

I went deep into my thoughts thinking where it all went wrong, during that process I got so immersed in it that just like how Jack could change the situation I could be in, I was able to see what I was actually thinking and I knew that it was my own thoughts because what I was seeing was not some made up fantasy situation but my past memories which I was seeing and that I was not being controlled by Jack because I could move freely.

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I was only able to get a third person view of the situation but I was able to move around, nobody was able to see or hear me, I was standing behind myself when my past self was telling Jack about my past difficulties. I was thinking of all the incidents in which Jack could have done something to me to which this came to mind and I was transferred here.

My past self was about to tell Jack, I knew that I should stop him from telling, I started screaming for me to stop myself from telling.

“No! don’t say anything! He will ruin you! He is the one behind everything! don’t tell him! don’t!”

But I was not able to hear myself, I started panicking, I knew I had to stop myself at all cost, I grabbed myself and leaned towards my ear, focused intensely to get my voice through.

“Don’t I beg!”

I knew that this time my voice went through because my past self-turned around to see if it was anyone but he ignored it. I also remembered how I ignored it, but thanks to this I knew that I had a way that I could somehow stop Jack from gaining control over me, all I would need to know is when Jack did the deed.

Suddenly I heard Jack's voice.

“It seems that you are already tired seeing the way you are sitting.”

I came back to the present, out of my thoughts, gaining valuable experience, I was not scared of Jack anymore, it was only a matter of time before I break his control over my mind, but my suffering didn’t end because whenever he would come back from a break I would experience hell in one way or another, death, torture, they were common thing for me now.

***

Tring Tring alarm clock ringing.

I woke up at 6:30 am, I was in my apartment, I went for a jog, did some exercise, came back, had breakfast and went out to go to college.

I took the bus to college, after arriving at college I took my morning class, which was on psychology, after the class I heard a distinct voice coming closer, calling my name, Jack came and greeted me and asked me to hang out tonight, I didn’t agree at first but then my mood shifted and went along with Jack.

We hung out all day along with Jack’s other friend, after goofing around all day, went to a small roadside pub in the evening to have some drinks, during that a topic arose about how the thoughts which came to our mind before sleeping are so fun to dive into but I didn’t relate one bit.

Every felt a need to make a part of this activity, Jack was about to tell me about it, as he was about to put his hand on my shoulder, I suddenly fell of my chair, I was so baffled as to how I suddenly fell off, it felt like someone pushed me off or my chair.

All of them looked at me surprised, some of them started laughing but Jack didn't. He came up to me to give me his hand to help me get up but once again instead of me Jack ended up falling over. It felt as if someone was deliberately trying to mess with us or not have me and Jack make physical contact.

This happened throughout the whole night, whenever Jack would come inches close to touching me, some incident would happen making contact impossible suddenly…

***

A sound as if glass had broken. AS if I had broken through or out of something.

My eyes opened to see that I was sitting in a chair, at the same pub, in front of me was Jack, his expression of indescribable shock. When I saw that I knew that I had done something. I started feeling my body, staring at the environment around, to confirm if what I had did actually work or not.

Jack, shock in his voice, stuttering.

“Ho- How, how did you do it? How did you break my control over you?”

When Jack said this, I knew that it worked. I immediately ran over Jack and pushed him to the ground. I immobilized his hand by putting my knee on his forearm and applied pressure so his arm wouldn't move.

I punched Jack in the face a couple of times to vent out some anger, frustration and to take some revenge.

Jack.

“Wait, wait! hold on your punches, let’s talk first, then you can hit me or do whatever you want with me.”

I stopped hitting him.

“ALright let’s talk.”, I said that then punched him two more times before stopping, my breath pent up from the punching.

I asked Jack with anger and slight relief.

“What is there left to talk about?”

Jack with confusion in his voice.

“You could at least tell me how you broke through my control or what you are going to do to me now.”

I laughed back in remembering the torture I went through.

“Haaha, now you are interested in talking, now you want to hear what I have to say, isn’t it pathetic that when you are in a bad position you feel like talking, don’t worry we will talk because I have some questions of my own.”

I looked around to see if there was something with Which I could immobilize Jack, I saw that the owner of the pub was looking at us all confused as to what was happening, I asked the owner to bring me some rope while still holding down Jack, the owner seemed like he didn’t wanted to but then I raised my voice and looked at him with anger and seriousness so that he would and he did.

After he brought me the ropes, I tied Jack’s hand around his back and put him on a chair. I then dragged a chair and sat in front of him. This time I got a completely new feeling, it was like now I am the one in control, I am the one in power now, it felt really good after feeling like shit for so long.

I stared directly into Jack’s eyes and asked the question which was bothering me.

“Now that we have accomplished a suitable environment, talk, how I am back at the pub, it seems like the time when we were having drinks talking about the thoughts before sleep, where it all started.”

Jack replies back, while fidgeting around in the chair.

“You are right, you never left, in reality only about an hour or two has passed, all of the things you had seen from leaving the pub, living your thoughts, experiencing pain, to me relieving myself, it was all shown by me to you, I had gained full control over you.”

After that Jack stopped, looked at me and asked his question.

“But how did you break that control?”

I first thought of not answering to keep him curious but then It felt like words should be said.

“It wasn’t easy, when you left me for a while after making me experience death, I started to think where it all went wrong, that’s when I found out that I was able to make slight changes in my past memories, and those changes take effect real time.”

(I started to raise my voice in anger)

“I would ponder on my memories whenever you would go, try everything little thing I can to see if it would change anything, when I came back to this point. I noticed that you were trying really hard to gain the slight physical touch on me you could get, I knew that there was something to it, so I did everything I could to avoid that and instantly my eyes opened to see your blood boiling face.”

We both looked at each other, not saying a single word, when Jack didn’t talk for a while I got ticked off, I walked towards him and grabbed him by the collar, screaming at his face.

“What now! huh? What did you gain by doing all of that to me? What did gain by putting me through torture? You put me through hell over a mere pair of shoes!”

Jack cuts me off and screams back at me.

“They were not a mere pair of shoes…”, Jack voice starts to shake,

“They were a gift, a special one. I saved up money for two weeks and did some chores to get extra money just to buy you those shoes. I felt bad seeing you wear those worn out shoes. I was so excited to give you those but what did you do with them? you threw them away, why? just because you weren’t in the mood, if you would have told me about yourself, about how you were living. I would have bought you something else, but you didn't. You always kept to yourself and expected everyone else to know about your feelings themselves, that’s called stupidity.”

I listened to Jack lay out his heart in front of me, my heart started to ache, I started to think that maybe I was wrong but then.

“But that’s doesn’t give you the right for what you did to me, you could have talked, you are saying I keep to myself but you also didn’t tell me how you felt from my action and even if you didn’t, I came and apologized to you, even took the shoes and appreciated you for buying it for me. Didn’t I? So, stop making it look as if I am the one in the wrong here.”

Jack,

“So what are you going to do now, even if you say that I am the one who

was in the wrong, tell me what are you planning to do now, you are in control now, are you going to take revenge. It’s not like you have lost something, only a few hours have passed in reality.”

I was baffled to hear Jack say this, my anger went through the roof.

“What did you just say? Only a few hours have passed?! I have been feeling misery for a whole week, pain, suffering, depression, anxiety. Those emotions have become common to me, and death a joke, yet you still have the audacity to say that only for a few hours.”

I decided at that moment what to do with Jack.

“You keep asking me what I am going to do now right, then listen I will not take revenge, I will take pity on you (a mocking tone), I will be the bigger person and release you but you will leave this city and will never come back and if you ever do.” I leaned towards him, “I will kill you myself.”

I looked at the owner who was witnessing all of this as some lovers’ quarrel, and said to him that,

“Hey you, after I leave, untie his ropes, and make sure he doesn’t touch you, he won't but still be careful.”

I took one last look at Jack and remembered the good moments we had, our friendship of almost a decade but then that one week was enough to tarnish all of that, I then walked back to my house with slight tears in my eyes.

THREE MONTHS LATER.

I was back to my daily life, attending my last year of college, I already had gotten a few jobs offers. Jack complied with my words and had left the city but his effects lingered on, I had developed a trauma, as I would go to sleep I would get scared and my eyes would open along with I would have slight hallucinations and mind break thinking that I was still being controlled, It took three months but now it has gotten better, now I can easily sleep and go on with my daily life.

I would think from time to time that if I had accepted his gift back then, would our friendship be still intact or something else would have broken it but it doesn’t matter anymore. My life has changed and is taking a turn for the good. I do wish that even after what Jack has done to me, I wish that he is also living his life not thinking about our past and focusing on his life.

I was thinking about this walking down the road when I felt a hand on my shoulder, I looked to my side to see a person standing beside me, who was wearing a hoodie, I looked at him to see if I could see his face, that’s when I heard the voice which I could recognize in a cluster of voices say to me.

“How can I focus on my life when I am still unsatisfied!”, Jack

When I heard and saw Jack, the ground was taken away from my feet, I froze in fear, my mind started playing all the past events when suddenly that traumatic voice started playing in my ear and…

Tring Tring, alarm clock ringing,

“HAH, HUH, HAH, HUH, HAH, HUH.”

THE END