Everything happened in a rush after that.
The first thing I do remember is that Ashley's mother screamed. It was a harsh, piercing sound. It rung in my ears as I closed my hands tightly over my auricle. My mind was already yelling out for help. I couldn't take any more noise.
Ashley's mother, Kaya, rushed to her daughter's side. She had knelt down, her short fingernails clawing at her scalp, forcing her thick, white hair back. Kaya clutched Ashley's shoulder tightly, rolling her over on her back. She put her mouth, wet with the tears streaming steadily down her dark cheeks, to her daughter's, blowing air into her motionless body.
Beside me, Louis was gaping at the corpse that lay in front of her. Her eyes were wide, her arms limply hanging from her shoulders. Her sadness was outweighed by terror that was absolute, and Louis was rendered motionless.
In the moments that followed, I felt as if I were no longer in control of my own body. My knees collapsed on themselves, and my calves buckled under my thighs as I fell to the ground. Then, my eyelids fell onto my dark eyes.
A lone tear silently, hesitantly, rolled down the apple of my cheek.
And life had given me a reminder. The world can never be perfect. And sadness does exist.
Pouting because I scraped my knee. Whining we fought over who got more sweets. But none of those things were real.
This was not child's play.
A cold feeling washed over me. A million sounds cluttered my head and made it hard to breathe. Sobbing. Screaming. The air was full.
And another thing – not something of despair or grief. Something of awfully dismembering value in such a desperate time.
Laughter.
Joyful...
...and proud.
My heart skipped a beat, head slowly lifting as if commanded by the voice. My eyes snapped open, and the first thing I saw was the woman.
Fire danced in her eyes. Her yellow teeth displayed through a wide grin, she let a loud chuckle escape from her mouth. It was harsh and grating. The officer shoved her pistol back into its holster, and as she turned, I looked up at her desperately. One last moment, her eyes shot me a look of absolute callousness, superiority. As if in slow motion, her boots crunched against the soft sand as she stepped down the bright alleyway, back into reality, leaving us all behind in the darkness.
As another tear slowly grazed my cheekbone, I fell into the sand. My hands felt cold. I closed my eyes and clasp my fingertips around my ear. My knees weaken into my chest and I felt my slow, uneven heartbeat drumming and pulsing through my body.
I sealed myself out from the bleak ambiance that served as a compelling admonition: the authority obtained by the cycle of death and life is more dominant than anything that exists in this world. You could never withdraw from the jurisdiction that it had over all entities that exist whether dead or alive. While I was trying to keep myself away from it, in truth I felt more locked away. I knew then that I would never be able to escape. I would always be ruled by this radical judgement, and I always had been.
But the worst part was that I had never realized it before.
That was when life gave me a cage. It offered for me to hide away and retreat from the horror.
But because of that I was able to make a decision.
I would face that judgement head on.
I would not be afraid.
And that was when I thought…
…I could make some use out of this rule.
Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for reading the first part of this story and leaving such wonderful reviews! I'm sorry I haven't been able to get this chapter up sooner. I hope you all continue to enjoy God of My Imagination.
Please feel free to review. Constructive criticism is very much appreciated. I will respond to all reviews personally, and I would like to thank you all for sharing your opinions.
~DandereOtaku