章 4: Chapter 3: The invasion.
"I'm glad that your mom is dead now, she was such a nagging old bag, making the whole neighborhood sick and tired of her voice," An elderly woman peered at the freshly dug grave, a coffin resting within its depths. "But now that she's gone, it's time for you to pony up the rent. You're already late this month," she scolded Rigel.
The old lady bumped into Rigel who was like a stick five years ago and made him fall to the ground. Nobody was showing any sympathy or empathy toward him because they knew how hopeless he was.
Rigel stood up and took the humiliation like it was nothing to him because he was no longer the same. He realized that he needed to start working out and get rid of his pathetic and weak body.
"Hey there, Rigel! What's with the dirty trousers" A man in baggy clothes and jeans patted Rigel's back. "Is that your mom in there?" He pointed at the coffin with a malicious grin on his face.
"Oh right! Your mom killed herself! Anyway, now that she's gone, you must be rolling in dough, huh? That's why I'm here. You better bring over four crates of beer to my place tonight. If you don't, well, remember what happened last time? I'm going to break your arms. I'll see you tonight!" The man playfully smacked Rigel's cheek, leaving a noticeable red mark.
Once again, nobody seemed to care about Rigel, and they all looked at him with disgust. It was clear that everyone was itching to leave, completely heartless in their disregard for him. If it weren't for Father Richard, they probably wouldn't have shown up at all and would have been having a party to celebrate his mother's death, without a shred of remorse.
After Father Richard gave his final speech, everyone left and didn't care about the burial. Father Richard stayed until the burial was over, and then he looked at Rigel who was standing still.
"Rigel, come with me. Let's have some coffee," Father Richard said as he put his hand on Rigel's back.
"I'm sorry, Father. I have some business to take care of," Rigel answered calmly and didn't show any sadness or anger.
Father Richard noticed the changes in Rigel, and he could see it in Rigel's eyes. He was glad that Rigel didn't look depressed, but he pitied him for how people treated him. He couldn't do much for him, and he had nothing to offer to comfort him either.
"You're on your own now, but if you need anything, you can see me, okay?" Father Richard said as he forced his smile and patted Rigel's shoulder.
Rigel didn't say anything and just nodded his head and left as Father Richard watched him leave.
*Smack!*
"You're not my son! You're his son! Don't you dare call me mother or mom!" The woman's eyes bore into Rigel with a potent mixture of loathing and fury. "I should have aborted you and killed you four years ago when you were still a burden inside me! You're nothing but a mistake!" With her harsh words, she spun on her heel and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut and locking it behind her.
"Mom! Mom!" Rigel yelled as he started crying and banged on the door. "Mommy!" Rigel started to sob as he tried to open the door.
"Be quiet! I'm not your fucking mother! If you don't stop, I'm not feeding you!" The woman yelled and her voice pierced through the door.
In the dim, solitary corner of the room, Rigel retreated, his tiny frame trembling as he wept silently, hugging his knees. The shadows swallowed him, intensifying his fear of the dark, his cheek stinging from the harsh slap and his heart aching from the heartlessness of the woman who had given birth to him.
*Beep!*
"That's sixty bucks, buddy," the cashier reminded Rigel, eyeing him curiously, but Rigel's face remained a bit distant. "Sir?" He asked with his eyebrows raised.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Rigel responded with a sudden snap back to the present, quickly grabbing his wallet. He realized he didn't have any cash on hand, so he used his debit card to cover the beer bill.
With the beer safely stashed in the backseat of his car, Rigel settled into the driver's seat, lost in a sea of memories. He never thought he would think about the past life's memories that he had buried deep inside. It was unpleasant, but he had spent almost all his life thinking about it that he got numb and it no longer affected him.
"You got the beers?" The man leaned over for a glimpse of the car's contents. "You did! Good on ya!" He playfully patted Rigel's head, then gave him a rough shove.
The man's name was Derek McCoy, Rigel's elementary school friend who turned out to bully him all the way to high school. Derek knew everything about Rigel and what kind of situation he was in, and he had been using Rigel for a decade.
Rigel glanced into the house, where people were reveling, dancing to thumping house music. He never experienced it in his previous life, but he didn't regret it because soon the invasion would occur. He didn't want to make a scene and he knew that his current body was too weak to fight anyone.
"Party time, boys!" Derek shouted, showing the crates in his hands to his friends.
Rigel observed as Derek made his way into the house, the enthusiastic cheers of the crowd fading as the door slammed shut. He wasn't bothered by it and went back into the car, waiting for the announcement on the radio.
Rigel still remembered all the wounds on his body and they were all because of Derek and his friends. He didn't remember exactly how many times Derek broke his nose, shoulders, and wrist from bullying.
"I remember you died back then. So enjoy those crates of beers as my last gift," Rigel muttered to himself and then drove away.
Suddenly, the city plunged into darkness, when Rigel drove away from the city. The abrupt stillness was unnerving, leaving an eerie silence. But just as quickly as the lights had gone out, they flickered back to life, and then the radio transmitted a signal.
[Attention: This is an emergency broadcast from the Minister of Defense. An unknown entity has entered our country, posing potential risks. As a precautionary measure, we are initiating an evacuation and shelter protocol. Citizens are advised to remain calm.
Please remain vigilant and cooperative as we work to ensure your safety. The Minister of Defense is diligently assessing the situation and will provide further information as it becomes available. Your cooperation is crucial during this unprecedented event. Remember, your safety is our priority.]
"It's happening," Rigel stopped driving and pulled over because a strong earthquake hit the ground.
Rigel got out of the car and watched all the buildings shake. People were running out of their houses and stayed in the middle of the road. Everyone looked terrified after they heard the broadcast, and nobody knew what was happening.
"Look over there!" A man shouted as he pointed at the sky.
Rigel looked up and although it was nighttime, he could see a silhouette that pierced through the sky. A giant tower appeared out of nowhere, and it was far in the distance and it could be in another state. The same tower that he saw in his past life, and then it reminded him of Commander Hugo. He wondered how Hugo was doing after what happened back then in his previous life after Rigel died from a scout mission.
When everyone was petrified with what they saw in the distance, an explosion startled everyone. They had no idea what had happened, but police cars and military vehicles started to fill the empty roads.
People were walking to the sides as they watched all the military vehicles pass by. They were scared of a lot of things, but then the police proceeded to evacuate all the citizens.
"What's happening?!" A man asked as he pulled out his phone and checked if anyone streamed the thing that appeared in the distance.
"Look at this! What the hell is this?!" A woman showed off her phone to his friend and they looked at a tower and it looked like there was no end to it.
Everyone pulled out their phones and checked the video of soldiers making a parameter so nobody could get close to the tower. It looked like something that came out of a fantasy novel, and how the clouds were surrounding it, hiding the top half of the tower.
"Tower of Player," Rigel muttered as he entered his car and then drove away.
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