章節 54: Chapter 54: Slipping Hearts
Seven years ago, we found a piece of flesh that continually made this thumping noise. We didn't know what it was, so we left it be and went back to Arkvem. It was a weird thing, really. What i heard was a beating of a heart, yet it didn't look like one.
That strange object wouldn't leave my mind as i went along my life. Somehow, the object has this strange allure to it, almost as if it wanted us to touch it. I couldn't get that thing out of my mind even if i busy myself by working on some machinery..
Soon though, i started hearing ramblings, voices in my head. Telling me about "Foltera... Arnagi... Foltera... Arnagi..." It whispered in my ears over and over again. It was driving me mad!
Never have i felt so frightened in my life. I had thought that my state of mind was crumbling, so i did what most sane people would do. I went to a psychiatrist.
Madame. Hera Ainsworth was a well-known psychiatrist in Arkvem, famed for her beauty and her kind image. I told her what i heard and did as she listened to me in silence. When i finished, she oddly stared at me without a word coming out of her mouth before she gave me a light smile.
She had told me that i was probably exhausted from work and suggested to take a leave for a few days or so to rest. I felt her words had some points to it, so i did as she suggested and asked my superior some time off. They didn't accept it at first, but when i told them that Madame. Hera was the one who suggested it. They quickly gave me a thumbs up and told me to rest well.
I went back to my home for the first time in weeks, i found some dusts and cobwebs here and there, but it was still the same home i remember. I quickly cleaned up and went to sleep.
That was when everything went to shambles. I didn't quite remember what i dreamed about, but i did remember that i woke up dead in the night with cold sweat dripping behind my back. My whole body shivered as if terrified by something, i couldn't understand what was happening.
The day after, i probably didn't dream it again because i woke up in the morning the next day with nothing bad happening. I presumed that i had a nightmare that time, so i just let it be.
A week went by, and i was back at work. With a well-deserved rest, i quickly did everything i could for that day and went back to my office. Madame. Hera was pleased that i heed her suggestions and found that i was a bit better. Though i didn't tell her, i still hear those ramblings.
Maybe it was just some hallucinations or something. I just let it be.
But that thing... i still couldn't get it out of my mind..
I wonder what that thing was?
Excerpt from the deceased Engineer Judas Aristol's Final Diary, Page 134th, the final page before he shot himself with a revolver.
"Tell us what you want."
Rueben held Sasha tightly in his arms as he slowly moved away from the scene, after a few moments, he held her hand and ran back to the house.
Sasha followed him obediently as she stared back.
The old man was now surrounded by her and Rueben's parents, each holding a weapon, aimed towards the old man.
Their expressions were grim and cold, cautious towards the man that suddenly trespassed their home.
Sasha didn't quite understand why her parents were looking at the old man with hostility, even though she felt that the old man had no plans on hurting them. He even verbally told them.
But she just let it be, after all, she is only a child.
After the two children left, the remaining parents let out a fierce aura to intimidate the old man.
The old man stared at them for a moment, then to Sasha's parents, who's eyes had turned bright red, then he looked at Rueben's parents who also had similar characteristics.
He pursed his lips and let out a click on his tongue.
"I am here to find survivors left behind, and if possible, bring them with me back to a base camp of ours."
"Base camp?"
"Yes. Its just a few thousand miles off to the north, cross some small rivers and mountains for a moment and you'll arrive there soon enough." The old man, Alan Mortimer, straightened his collar.
"..." Rueben's mother narrowed her eyes, staring at him for a moment as if to study him.
"Is that so?" Alan suddenly stiffened but he hurriedly concealed it.
He turned to Rueben's father, who had already took off his glasses and hanged them on the entrance of his collars.
Brown hair with bright red eyes, a cold face with a mole under his left eye.
"We don't need any help, Mr. Mortimer. I believe our small family can survive alone without disturbance. I apologize that we were not so lenient towards you, but i ask of you to please leave."
Alan's eyes focused on him for a moment before he let out a chuckle, "Ah. Of course."
Then he smiled, "But before i leave, i need you to answer me. Have you heard about an illness called Blood Drunk?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Silence descended in the air for a moment, making the atmosphere awkward to the fullest.
Alan stared at them before chuckling loudly, "You have no clue, have you?"
Rueben's father stared at him for a moment, before holding his sword and sliced off a trunk of a tree. Then he pruned them and sliced the branches off before making a hole at the center for them to sit on. He single-handedly carried the log and threw it down.
"..."
He then sliced off another tree and turned it into a makeshift couch.
After doing so, he then grabbed his wife by the waist and gently pushed her to sit with him. Sasha's parents too followed suit and sat down beside them.
Alan gave them a look of confusion before putting his fist over his mouth and coughed.
"Please take a seat." Rueben's father pointed with his palm.
Looking at the bespectacled man who was unusually charismatic for some reason, he nodded his head and sat down to the log, eh, chair. Yeah, chair.
Alan touched the seats of the chair and gave a blunt comment, "This is amazing. I never knew trees could be this comfortable."
"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Mortimer, but i believe you still have something to tell us?"
'So polite.' Alan thought to himself, "I can tell you now, but are you sure you want the children to hear all this?"
When he said that, a nearby bush flinched and gave off rustle noises.
The adults turned their heads towards the bush and stared at it. The bush stayed still for a moment, before two little kids got up while scratching their cheeks.
Rueben's father stared at his son for a moment, before turning to Alan and softly nodded his head.
"The forests will protect the children's ears. Please do."
Hearing a confirmation, Alan nodded his head as Rueben's mother urged the two children to sit with them.
Rueben stared at Alan for a moment, before grabbing Sasha's hand and guided her towards them gently.
Sasha's mother grabbed her by the armpits and placed her on her lap while Rueben sat down between his mother and father.
The two curious children stared daggers at Alan as he formulated his words.
"Now, have you injected yourselves with God's Blood?"
"..."
Rueben's father stared at him, before nodding his head.
"Mn." Alan curled his lips to the side, "How long have you injected yourselves with thus?"
"A few years ago. 6 years ago to be exact."
"6 years?"
"Yes."
"Hm." Alan grunted for a moment, "Have you ever felt a longing of blood, or have this sort of aversion to blood?"
Rueben's father turned to Sasha's father, who was staring at Alan.
"If one does have those… Urges. Then does that mean you are in the state of Blood Drunk?"
Alan smiled with sadness as he nodded his head, "Yes, that is usually the case."
"Usually?" Sasha's mother asked.
"Yes, usually. There are some unique cases that having longing or aversion to blood was related to the trauma that one experienced or was passed down by the bloodline. But cases like those are rare."
Sasha's mother stared at Alan for a moment, then to Rueben's mother, then to her husband before nodding her head in understanding.
"There are also other symptoms like scratching any parts of the body excessively, self harm, incoherent mumbling, hallucinations, throwing up blood, hair loss and more. Those are just the initial symptoms of being Blood Drunk." Alan explained to them softly.
"When one is too deep into that state, these are the following symptoms, what we currently know off. Irregular hair growth in unexpected places, nails grow longer, veins pop more, sudden rise of energy, body contorts and morphs into inhumane organisms and such.
As well as red eyes." Alan pointed at Rueben's father's eye.
Rueben's father nodded his head, then asked, "Is there a cure for such a state? Or any other way to prevent it?"
Alan gave it a thought for a moment, "Well, we haven't really studied much into this field. The pandemic happened 9 years ago and the time we have is little in order to do a better analysis on this subject but I will share what i and my comrades have discovered."
He coughed to clear his throat and continued, "Blood Drunk is a state which makes one lose their sanity slowly, they would slowly become irrational and incoherent with their actions. This state would only appear to people who have injected God's Blood within themselves, this corresponds to the Hunters we have. From what I know, there are 3 states one will go through when they become Blood Drunk.
The first state is called "Initial Signs", these are the initial period. In this period, hallucinations and a slight longing or aversion to blood is prominent here. This can be controlled by not injecting more God's Blood inside you but this would trigger a grueling life of torture, haunted by hallucinations. But it would only control it, slowing it down, it cannot be stopped nor prevented.
The second state is called "Middle Signs", the middle periods of the state. When you are in this period, you have this strong longing and aversion to blood, in this state, you will commit self harm and mumble to yourselves periodically, your hallucinations become even more real, your eyes turn crimson red and you would grow hair in unexpected places. Nothing will save you aside from your will when you're here.
The last state is what I call the "Conversion Signs". This will happen suddenly, no amount of preparation or objects can save you when you gone past this state. Your body will mutate into a beast or a monster, you will lose any semblance of humanity, rationality and intellect. You will be gone, replaced by your primal instincts."
Alan gave them a look, staring at their crimson eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness.
"And im sorry, everyone of you is in the Middle Signs."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Rueben's father stared at the ground for a moment, then he turned his head to the children who were listening on them. Judging from their faces, they didn't understand a single thing that Alan had told them.
That's probably for the best. Rueben's father muttered to himself.
Then he stood up, "We best be going. Its going to be supper soon."
Everyone nodded their heads as the two children held their hands together and ran towards the house. Everyone followed suit besides Alan and Rueben's father, who stayed behind.
He crossed his arms as he watched everyone leave.
"How much longer do we have?" He asked Alan.
"I don't know." Not like im a God who knows every little thing. Alan lampooned.
Rueben's father looked up and stared at the gloomy skies.
Rueben stared at the two for a moment, hearing their initial conversation before their words turned incoherent and hard to hear. Then he shrugged his shoulders and left alongside Sasha.
***
Everyone had dinner, Alan was also given a seat.
Everyone enjoyed their dinner. Alan had integrated himself to the family, even trying to make them leave the estate and live in their base camp because it was safer that way. But the adults shook their heads and told him that this place was important to them.
Alan couldn't change their minds so he stayed with them to protect them. Alan also taught Rueben a lot of things because he was curious of the outside world.
Then two months passed.
"N-No….!!"
Sasha's father suddenly grunted and threw up worms when they had lunch inside the house. Then his body contorted in pain as he let out a howl, fur started growing from his body as tentacles like limb sprouted from his head.
"Goodbye, everyone. Im sorry. Truly, truly sorry. Im really, truly sorry…" He mumbled as he felt his body contort and mutate, tears falling down from his eyes as he silently accepted his fate.
Before he could do any damage, his wife grabbed a shotgun and let loose on his head, ending his life in a single moment. Sasha didn't understand what was going on as chaos greeted them with a smile.
Soon, a few days later, Sasha's mother turned into a beast, she broke down from the guilt of killing her husband and that broke the tiny string that held everything together.
"Please kill me, Anne, Roselle, Alan, please! I don't want to hurt any of you!" She cried as she shivered, her hands turned cold, her face pale as tears sprawled her face. She felt her body turn numb as she saw herself turning into something that was not human.
"Thank you." As she stared at Rueben's mother lunging her dagger into her heart.
They also put her down in mercy.
Sasha turned cold that day. Her eyes unresponsive. She had lost any will to live when she lost both of her parents in a single week's time. Rueben comforted her in the only way he could, by playing with her.
Night soon came.
The two children slept together in one bed, they were in the same room as Reuben's parents.
"Hey, Rueben?"
"Yes?" He softened his voice a lot as he gave the little shivering girl a tight squeeze.
"Will you leave me too?"
"...No."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"...Thank you."
Rueben stared at her, her shoulders quivered as she pushed her face into his chest.
"Yeah."
Rueben stared at the darkness.
***
Rueben stood behind a closed door as he eavesdropped into his parent's room.
He heard his mother and father talking to each other, their voices hushed but Rueben could still hear them.
"I don't know if I can hold on for much longer…." His mother cried.
"I… No, its repeating. Every night, Roselle, I dream of stabbing Vaness, killing her. Over and over again, it was different each time but it was her everytime…."
"Roselle, I can still hear her! She's talking to me, right now! Urghhh, im sorry, im sorry…"
Rueben stared at the empty space infront of him, his hands clenched into a fist. Then he left the room and looked for Sasha.
".…. Its going to be okay, I promise." But not after he heard his father comfort his mother.
He found Sasha with Alan, who had a smile on his face, but something was off about him today. When he found Rueben, he waved his hands and urged him to come near. Rueben gave him a polite bow before turning his head to Sasha's crimson red eyes.
"..." Rueben stared at her in shock as she gave him a slight smile, evident that she was still affected by the deaths and turns of her parents.
Only when Alan elbowed him did he pull his eyes away and covered his expression.
"What's wrong?"
Sasha asked innocently.
"Nothing." Rueben answered.
Alan stared at him, then with a slight smile, he gave them a pat in the back and hugged them close. Rueben saw Sasha's back had fur growing out of them.
Rueben stared into the distance, unable to understand his emotions.
Alan soon let them go before telling them a story.
"Well, Sasha, once upon a time…."
Sasha listened to him attentively, her eyes shining crimson red.
Rueben stared at her back, his mouth clenched tightly.
***
Two days passed.
Alan and Rueben were in the veranda, looking at the murky skies above.
Alan rolled the cup of coffee on his hand and took a sip as Rueben stared into the distance.
Silence descended upon them, none were willing to talk much.
Soon, Alan put down his cup and stood up from his seat to leave, before he left, he patted Rueben in the head. Just as he stepped in, Rueben suddenly spoke.
"Help me. Please."
"..." Alan paused for a moment.
Then he sighed, "She has caught the disease. In a weeks time, she would turn into something else. There's nothing we can do."
"There must be something." Rueben demanded.
"...Im sorry, child. Truly. Maybe in the future, there may be a cure to all this madness but for now, there is truly nothing we can do for her other than accept this." He said to Rueben.
".….or put her out of her misery….." He added silently.
"Put her out of her misery?"
Rueben stared at him with eyes of sadness and despair. "You mean to kill her?"
Alan… Stared at the child, his arms shook in rage for himself but he sighed and nodded his head.
"Don't worry about that." Alan then hugged him before leaving. "I'll do something to help her."
Rueben stared at the darkness as the light on his eyes slowly dimmed.
If that was the only way, if that truly was the only way to pull her out of pain and torment forever…
If that is really, truly the only way…
Then so be it.
He won't let her feel the pain of becoming something else. He won't let her suffer in pain. He refuse to let her be in pain.
So be it. Gods be damned.
Morning soon came, and tragedy… Came knocking on their doors.
Rueben and Sasha slept in her parent's room, just for her to reminiscence the memories. They would also sleep here in the evening.
Rueben gave Sasha a hug, then he pulled her to the dining room. Sasha stared at his back in disbelief all the way. The two ate silently as the adults talked, not wanting to depress the mood of the children any longer.
"Where would the two of you be playing today?" Anne asked while slicing the egg yolk into half.
Rueben turned to Sasha, who was eating silently. He gave her a signal and Sasha looked at him with a tiny resentment.
"Just down the woods, mother." She muttered the last word silently.
Anne looked at her, then gave her a small smile and patted her head.
"Mn, look after Rueben for me, okay?"
Sasha grinned and nodded her head, "Of course!"
Soon, they finished their breakfast and the two kids went outside to play.
For the final time.
Skipping across the rocks, Sasha whistled a familiar lullaby. It was a song that Sasha's mother would sing everytime they would go to sleep, it was a soothing song about a mother deer caring for her young. It was a song that could dull the two of them to sleep.
The name of the song was "A Mother's Care."
Sasha looked at the gloomy skies, the clouds thundering, roaring across the heavens. Beyond the horizon felt like paradise awaiting for them, a place that they may call home in the future.
"What do you think the sun looks like?" She turned around to ask Rueben, who was staring at her with a grim look.
Seeing that grim look, she cocked her head slightly to the side and gave him a confused look on her face.
Rueben only stared at her for a moment, before shaking his head and gave her a shrug of his shoulder.
"I don't know."
Sasha got a grim feeling, her entire back suddenly felt cold. She didn't know why and didn't understand how that happened. She shook off her head and gave him a retort.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"I don't really know." He closed her eyes and coiled his arms, "I haven't seen the sun, much less know what it looks like."
"Ehh? Not like that, dummy. I mean what do you imagine the sun looks like?"
Rueben stretched his lips wide as he gave it a thought. "A circle with lights behind it?"
"A circle with light behind it." Sasha gave him a blank look. "Seriously? That's all you can think about?"
"Well, yeah? Don't tell me you imagined that it had a face or something like that, right?"
"...Not really? I imagined that it's a ball of fire and there would be a cat the size of a mountain coiling around the sun."
"A cat." It was Rueben's turn to give her a blank look.
"W-Well, you know that mother told us stories that there was a space cat that landed on the earth? Then that the cat told the humans that it was from beyond our planet and that it lived in the sun? Wouldn't it make sense that the kitty would be circling it….. I don't know, that's what I imagined, okay?"
Sasha tried to explain herself but gave up halfway when Rueben's gaze were drilling into her head, trying to figure out why she had that thought.
"How did you even think of that?"
"I… Don't really know."
"...This is why you should study."
Pouting in resentment, she gave him an angered look on her eyes as Rueben dodge the knives of resentment trying to stab him, "Well okay, mr knowsalot!"
Rueben stared at her, before chuckling, "What if the sun is none of those?"
Annoyed, Sasha answered, "Well, what would it be?"
"Maybe you are the sun."
Baffled, she stared at him, "Im the sun?"
"Yeah, just what if."
She gave it a thought for a moment, then realized, "If im the sun then wouldn't I be bald?"
Rueben nodded his head eagerly.
"..."
Then a pebble was thrown in Rueben's direction, prompting him to run the the nearest tree and climbed up, trying to avoid the pebbles that Sasha was throwing at him with rage.
"What do you mean im bald!?"
Rueben shot back, "Did you look at yourself today? That braid style looks ridiculous! Your big forehead is all for the world to see!"
Sasha gasped in shock, then she held the helms of her dress and stomped towards him, "Rueben Vans Luton!!! I swear to the heavens that I will skin you alive!"
"Says the one who is afraid of blood so much that she cries everytime she sees the color red!"
"Says the fool who keeps on tying his shoe incorrectly like a pig!"
"Im a pig?"
"Yeah! With that big tummy of yours!"
"Those two don't even have any connections with each other!"
"They too!"
"Nuh uh!"
"Yes uh!"
Soon, the two stopped bickering, they looked at each other in the eyes, before laughing together out loud.
Rueben got down from the tree as Sasha pinched his sides. The two then held hands and ran across the woods, trying to find interesting things to play with. A moment of peace before everything will fall apart.
A moment of piece before Rueben have to sacrifice himself.
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票