Chapter 2: A broken wing, a broken spirit
Nothing was special doing a simple walk in a park in a cloudy day. Or so Albert keep telling himself.
The German man took a deep breath and watched as his breath came out in the cold air. Few speckles of snow danced and twirled toward the ground all around him. First sign of winter being already here. A female jogger passed him, wearing a black and yellow jacket, listening to some loud music in her headphones. How time has change… He thought in a gloomy note.
Another recap of how long he was gone from the world in Black Ghost's base.
A couple turned the bend with a carriage in the middle. A little girl holding on to her father's gloved hand. The girl having a ponytail of orange hair stared at him with deep eyes.
His grayish-blue eyes went to his left side to 'admire' the park—the dying trees gathering tiny snow drops on its stretching arms, the grass mix of white and fading green, and the lake freezing up in the surface. The leaves already gathered by the workers during the fall that you could see some nests made by birds. However, there wasn't any birds in the sky at the moment. Or at the bare trees.
Albert sighed.
He had come here to refresh his mind. To get rid of his negative emotions by breathing fresh air. Who knows when Black Ghost send something or someone else to retrieve them when he get back? Black Ghost would always come for them. Even when they think they got rid of the organization for good.
The family couple passed him giving him an odd stare, but not the girl. No, she stared at him as if she was trying to figure him out.
He bent his head, hoping that they would just forgot about him and move along. His hand went up to find the hidden necklace holding onto the ring, and felt it. The ring resting in front of his heart. Hilda, I was so close to freeing us. To a new life… to start a family of our own. But I failed you. I hope that you will forgive me.
He looked down at his hands to find them wearing gloves. He had to wear more clothing at this weather. Even if he couldn't feel the clothing material when he was fully human, he had to unless he wanted his parts to freeze up. To be a metal statue in winter. Almost like a tin man without applying oil when needed, he darkly thought. It was hard to keep tabs if his body was freezing up. It was only when it was too late that his 'body limbs' start to lock in place would he know. He could never feel the coldness in the winter the same as before. Summer was another thing; his insides would be close to a boiling point if he stayed in the hot sun for too long.
A soft single chirp alerted him of a small presence in the ground. He glanced away from his hands and realized that he had stopped walking. Close to his feet where two black birds laying on the ground.
The one underneath the bigger bird had appeared too been chewed on by a local dog. Its neck at an odd position and its wings spread out wide. Few feathers pulled and missing in one of its wings. It made no movement. No sound. Just laying down dead.
The one of top released another weak chirp, staring at Albert with sad eyes. He released a shaky breathe. How could he tell that it was sad by its eyes? As it just experience a lost one like him?
"You're hurt," he stated with a heavy lump in his throat. But there wasn't anything he could do to save the dying one. But as if the bird understood him, it answered back with a blink of its shiny brown eyes.
He bend down and grew confuse when the bird edged away from the cyborg, trying to drag the dead one with it. Up close he saw the dyed blood clocked on the dead bird's fur. Along with the dying one's wing broken. He straighten back up and saw his vision blurring up. He watched in a sad silence as the bird looked at him, released a final chirp, and rested his head on the bottom one's neck.
Albert wiped his eyes, his tears adsorbed by his glove. The scene brought back a refresh memories of that day. Too much for him. To see her blood in his hands. Her eyes wide up before she closed them shut forever. He shook and clutched his head. "Why? Why!" he cried out, the tears pouring out in full force after being withheld for so long.
The broken wing that reminded him of his broken spirit on that day. The dead birds reminding him what could have been if Black Ghost haven't gotten him. Too much pain for him to take as he screamed out to the sky.
The girl glanced behind her shoulder on the sudden scream and grew confuse on seeing him cry in the open. Her parents whispered in worried hushes before hurrying away. The little girl being dragged along by her father's hand. But seeing him go into the background in his misery somehow made her grew sad. A tear escaping down her pale cheek.
~64~64~64~64~64~
Sorry about the wait, but decided to finally rewrite this one-shot that I had posted in March 26, 2013. It's been a year. ^^ Since right now it's August 9, 2014. But I hope that everyone like this version (few things were changed or added, ex.).
I am also doing good in writing my novel. Close to the halfway point. It might be the successful one I will ever finish! My goal is to be an published author at the end of this year or beginning of next year, guys. : )
Until next time…
~GreenFantasy64