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“Thank you, Mr. Sharp. Your actions have given me more than I deserved in my lifetime,” I say before I exit through the door. Walking to my car, I drive home.
Sitting in her chair looking over the backyard, I plan what I will do tomorrow.
From my car, I can see the sign for the mental health centre, its letters casting a shadow on the building's facade. Despite sleeping as best as I could, I woke up this morning feeling just as troubled as the night before. Marla is the centre of my world. Without her, my life is meaningless.
Since these mother fuckers added the kerosene to the fire that incinerated my life, they will all have to pay for not helping her the way she deserved. I walk into the centre, the chemical cleaner smell hitting me in the face. Many people sit in the chairs, lining the walls and I didn’t think about the innocent lives, the people waiting for help they will never get.
As the door opens and people in blue scrubs come out searching for their next victim, I pull the gun from my pocket and tick off three of them. The rest scurry behind the door and everyone in the waiting room stands. “Everyone get out! Go live your life! Whatever is left of it is better than waiting around here!” I scream as they rush around like chickens without their heads. Finally, they are all out the door. I look around, but I’m alone.
I sigh. Eight bullets left and all the time in the world.
“Sir, let’s talk this out. You don’t want to do this. We can help you.”
The laugh that leaves my chest is sinister. The doctor steps out of the door with his hands held in front of him, like he is going to negotiate a deal with me.
“Son, listen, we can get you help. There are more than enough resources to do so.”
I don’t hesitate as I aim for his head and he falls to the floor. I walk towards the door he came out of and find four more people in blue scrubs. Another doctor comes out in a lab coat and the fucking bitch who announces when everyone can go home walks towards me. Although I hear the sirens, I don’t hesitate and shoot both of them.
Around the corner comes the sound of people whimpering. There are more lying in wait, but as I walk toward them, I hear “POLICE! DROP YOUR WEAPON!”
As I turn the corner, I see three women in blue scrubs, huddled together. They shake and, as the police close in on me, all I can think of is Marla.
“This all happened because you didn’t save her. One job. You could have fucking helped my fiancé,” I whisper as I bring the gun to my mouth, shoving it in and paying attention to my angle. I want to die in one shot, not after years of suffering.
As a policeman turns the corner, he lowers his gun, and his partner behind him holds his aim on me. I cock my eyebrow, and picture my dove’s face, before I take my final shot. Blackness surrounds me, but this time I welcome it. I will spend an eternity looking for Marla. I’ll find her again and we will live wrapped in each other’s souls.
Thirty
Marla
When I open my eyes, I find myself no longer in the bathtub, although there aren’t pearly white gates or a ring of fire, either. I’m lying on what appears to be a forest floor, except thetrees don’t have leaves. The decay that covers the branches as they twist at awkward angles is haunting.
Dampness sinks into my clothes and as I pull myself into a sitting position, I look up and the sky is red and orange. The air is hazy with no sun or moon. There are thundering noises in the distance, but silence encompasses me as I rise to my feet.
My body aches for Sebastian. What I did tore us apart and it’s my fault that I’ll never find him again. I love him so fucking much. If I could have had just a moment away from the darkness that intertwined within my mind, I might have stayed.
My heart doesn’t hurt, but apprehension fills me. The fear that grips me surprises me, I hadn't expected it. I walk through the dense trees, and the sound of rustling leaves surrounds me until I reach a path. I follow it for a while, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end as I feel the weight of someone's gaze on me. I turn my head over my shoulder, but no one is there. The path is empty but the feeling doesn’t go away.
Heavy footsteps follow me as I continue to walk, I look back once more only to be greeted with more shadows and no movement. Fear pulses through my veins, and my head whips around to see but nothing is here. In my quest to find the source of the eyes, presence, and noise, I collide with something.
No, someone. I observe the person in front of me. He can’t be any older than I am. His eyes whip around the trail we are on, filled with trepidation, and I wonder if he feels it too.
“Who are you?” I whisper.
His head swivels quickly as he continues to look around us. His eyes finally focus on mine. “I’m Sid. Who are you?”
“Marla. Is this hell?” I ask, pushing myself to continue walking to follow this person, even though I don’t know where we are going.
“No, I don’t think so. I feel like I’m in a weird video game. Like I was spawned over there in the woods, and now am supposed tofigure out what the goal is.” He isn’t wrong, but it would be the worst video game that ever existed.
“Have you seen other people?” He slows his pace so I can walk beside him. “Not yet. You are the first, but there have been dark shadows following me.”
I have seen no shadows yet. Despite my searching gaze, there are no signs of them anywhere. Upon reaching a bridge, my eyes automatically glance downward, hoping for a tranquil waterway, only to be met by a desolate expanse of jagged rocks. A person is looking over the edge as we reach them. She lifts her head from looking down and walks towards us.
“Who are you?” she asks. This is going to get redundant.
“I’m Marla, this is Sid. We woke up in the forest. Who are you?”
