Jack wanted to yell for help but doubted anyone could hear him even if he tried. His hand was starting to slip on the pipe as he dangled above the abyss that loomed below. Wind started blow through the gulf of space he desperately hung in. His body began to spin, threatening his grip all the more.
Jack looked up to the edge of where he had fallen when he thought he heard someone shout his name. As he turned by the wind his vision was obscured by his arm not allowing him to make out what had called.
He felt something shift next to him, but it did not feel like the wind. He turned his head and saw the face of a beast mere inches from his own.
Jack yelped, startled from the sudden closes of the being, his fingers finally slipped from the slick pipe. Something grabbed his wrist roughly and held him still. Jack was lifted the few inches he had fallen and felt his hand being placed around the pipe. He looked up and saw that the beast was holding him there. He felt the other hand of creature on his bicep. Jack's face held a look of fear as he realized what the beast was about to do.
He yelled out in pain as the being pushed his arm back into the socket. The beast raised his fallen arm and rested his now fixed hand onto the wet pipe. Jack looked up again to see Rick shouting from above him. Jack turned to thank the creature, but it had vanished.
Aster was in the middle of all the paperwork the doctor had given him when he walked back into the room.
"Oi, Whattya want now?" Aster asked the doctor irritated.
"You can hand me the paperwork now." The doctor stated as he held out his hand.
"I ain't done yet." Aster said with a confused expression
"Well, that's not the right paperwork. Here," the doctor raised a clipboard, "is the correct papers to fill out."
"S'cuse me? Ya gave mah the wrong paper?" Aster was beginning to feel angry.
"No, that paperwork was to keep you quiet while I filled out the actual papers." The doctor didn't look apologetic at all, "We actually need to keep you here for a week more or two."
"What? Ya kiddin' right?" Aster was about ready to explode.
"No. You see, while you were in a coma for three weeks, your muscles have atrophied." The doctor stated flatly, "We need to keep you here so we can work with you to rebuild them."
Aster's face was red with fury, "No! I'll be leavin' taday!" Aster throw the clipboard towards the doctor hitting the wall behind him, "Take ya shitty paperwork back!" Aster went to stand out of bed, "I'm walkin' out of here!"
As Aster stood, his legs suddenly gave out without warning. He fell to the floor his arms going to catch his fall, but the doctor grabbed him before they did.
"Sir, please lay back in bed while we figure out your PT schedule." He lifted Aster to his feet and walked him back to the bed, "It'll take but a minute."
Aster grumbled insults towards the doctor before he spoke, "Yeah, sure. I'll just lay here and atrophy more."
As Jack held tight to the slick pipe, Rick was searching around the half of the house he was on for something to get Jack with. Rick was fumbling through the garage as quick as he could before Jack fell. He hurriedly dumped each box he came across on the ground and kicked through the spilled contents. On the last box he dumped to the ground he found a rope. He picked it up and ran towards the crack that had opened up between Jack's home.
He leant over the edge and saw Jack, "I found a rope!" Rick shouted to Jack who was at least thirty feet from the surface.
"Great!" Jack yelled back as his hands once again began to slip slowly.
Rick started to untangle the rope when he noticed how it was knotted. Oh. Rick suddenly felt very sad that it was knotted in such a way. How do I talk to Jack about it? He dropped the rope, but Jack was too far down for it to reach.
"Hang on! I gotta find something longer!" Rick then ran away in search for a longer lifeline.
Jack snorted at the unintended pun. He tried to resituate his hands as they began to lose their hold on the pipe. Rick needs to hurry the hell up. He looked up in hopes doing so would make Rick come back sooner.
Eathan stared at the ceiling as he laid down in his bed. His ceiling was bare of any color other than the white base coat. His thought meandered around so many different things that he couldn't remember where one started or ended. His thoughts became a blur as he lost himself in the blank, boring ceiling.
An idea suddenly hit him and he sat up. He rushed out of his room and down the stairs, nearly tumbling down in his haste.
He quickly put on his shoes by the front door and yelled throughout the house, "I'm going to the paint store! Be back soon!" and bounded out of the house in a sprint to get to the store.
An extension cord was dangling a few feet in front of Jack's face. The wind through the deep chasm blowing it away from him. Rick was shouting above Jack for him to reach for the literal lifeline. Jack couldn't spare the energy to reach for it without the inevitability of falling.
His hands were gripping to the pipe by only his fingers now and he knew if he were not to reach for the cord he fall without a chance.
Shaking his heads of doubts, Jack let one hand off the pipe and reached forward. Just as he was reaching the wind stopped, allowing the cord to come right into his hand. His other hand lost its grip. Both his hands found the cord and gripped with as much strength as Jack could muster, but his hands were sweaty, and wet from the slick pipe.
As he felt the pull from Rick on the cord to hoist him to the top his hands began to slide down the thin rubber cord that was his key to the surface.
Aster was sitting in a wheelchair on his way to the physical therapy room when he felt a question pop into his head.
"Nurse, did anyone come and visit mah room?" Aster asked the woman pushing him through the crowded hallways.
She was lucky that Aster couldn't see her look of pity, "I'm sorry but, no."
Aster frowned, "Oh." then he remembered that Jack had been tried for attempting to murder him, "Did I get any lettahs'?"
She smiled at his hope, "One actually. It was on a table in your room."
Aster nodded, "Do ya think ya could bring it ta me?"
She patted his shoulder, "Yes, once I bring you to your PT I will have someone get it for you."
Aster nodded again with a smile, "Thank ya."
Aster was sitting on a machine bicycle feeling more tired than he felt he should.
Aster looked to his PT and growled out, "Is this on the hardest possible settin'?"
His PT just laughed a little before saying, "No Aster, It's on the easiest."
Aster gave the man a disgusted look and stopped his peddling. He sighed and went to get off the bike. He nearly fell before he remembered that it wasn't the best idea for him to stand. Aster's PT was prepared for that though as he positioned the wheelchair right where Aster started to fall back.
Aster's PT laughed, "Don't worry, you'll be able to stand and walk soon enough." Aster grumbled under his breath in response.
Before they left the physical therapy room Aster halted his PT, "Hold on, mate. I gotta get my letter."
As they went through the busy hallways of the maze of the hospital Aster read his letter he had gotten. It was addressed from the state prison.
Dear Aster,
I'm Sorry. I am currently awaiting my inescapable fate.
I had been told that you fell into a trauma-induced coma.
I hadn't thought it would this bad. I hope you can find it
in your heart to forgive me for bringing you down this ill-fated trail.
I need you to be okay, so please, stay away to stay safe.
Please.
I will miss you,
Jack.
Aster read the letter over and over, again and again. Stay away to stay safe? What does he even mean. It didn't sound like Jack had tried to kill to him. He wasn't sure how to feel at this point. At first he was angry that Jack had gone off the deep end, now he wasn't sure. The more he thought about his time with Jack the more a headache crept to the forefront of his mind.
Jack was halfway to the surface as his hands felt the burn of friction from sliding. His hands had met the end of the cord being stopped by only the slightly bigger outlet at the end. Jack was trying to keep his hands on the slim rubber cord, but his hands burned from sliding. He wanted to let go, he wanted to be able to feel the burn go away.
Jack felt something touch his hand, pulling him from his thoughts. He looked up and saw someone he had saved from a crumbling house down the street. Jack was pulled closer to the stranger's saving hand. He reached for the hand without thinking.
Eathan practically slammed the door closed in his excitement.
He shouted throughout the house, "I'm home!"
He promptly ran up the stairs to his room. He set the bag down on the floor next to his closet and reached inside to grab a tarp he had purchased. He spread the tarp over his bed. He didn't bother to cover his desk or chair as they were both characterized with paint.
He went to open a half gallon of paint when he remembered he had forgotten to buy a paint can opener. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a quarter.
He dipped the new thick paintbrush into the liquid that would soon adorn his ceiling. He was so excited, he wasn't sure where to start nor where. He climbed onto his bed and laid the first stroke of his soon to be masterpiece.
Jack laid a few feet away from the crevice that now divided his home. His lungs ached and hands burned. His muscles were not forgiving of what they had gone through. His eyes were closed, but he felt the presence of Rick sitting beside him. He heard Rick tell the stranger to go and see if anyone else needed help.
Jack chuffed at the thought of others needing help.
"What's so funny?" Rick asked curiously.
"Nothing. Just that you told that stranger we helped to help somebody else." Jack mused
"How is that funny? Someone could need help." Rick retorted.
"It's funny because we already helped everyone!" Jack started to laugh, but it turned into a cough.
Jack sat up and coughed all the while Rick patted his back to help. Jack waved his arms to signal he was fine once his coughing had calmed. Jack looked over at the gorge between his home. This is not my home anymore. Just a house I lived in. Jack mused in his thoughts about the difference between a house and home until Rick pulled him from his thoughts.
"So, Jack. I don't really wanna mention this, but…" Rick trailed off.
"'But' What?" Jack had a look of worry on his face.
"But, this subject brings out my fatherly side, so…here it is: Why had you tried to hang yourself?" Rick asked with genuine concern that made Jack almost unable to answer not honestly.
"Well, I don't know. Life gets hard sometimes." Jack paused for thought, "Although obviously I pulled through."
Rick got the sense that Jack didn't want to talk about it, "Alright, fair enough. But, I do expect a real answer. When you're ready to talk." Rick lightly squeezed Jack's shoulder in assurance and stood.
Jack sat there, near the crevice that had nearly taken his life.
He stared at the crevice as he spoke, "Thank you. Both of you." with his last words he glanced in the direction Rick had gone.
Jack sat on the curb outside his split house watching the paramedics help the plethora of people in need of immediate care. He sighed and rested his head in his hands.
He heard something scuffle on his left and turned to see what it was. Staring at him, with big hollow eyes and a wide smile full of jagged flat teeth that seem to swim around its mouth, was a creature that had a far too happy expression on its distorted face.
Hello My wonderful Readers! I think we should all take a moment to appreciate God of Spirits-Spirit Black. As without them, this would have not turned out so well or even been updated today. Okay, well, the opening of a paint can with a quarter or even a penny is entirely possible and handy when you don't remember to bring a paint can opener. I've done it plenty of times. Also, About Eathan calling Jack, it will be addressed. I was told this chapter was missing something, and I agree. But I don't know what. And if you can figure it out, it will be fleshed out in the next one because lets face it: I haven't really edited a chapter when something s brought to my attention, just explain it in the next. Which I think Works out alright. If anyone has an issue with that or thinks I should go back to edit, lemme know. I'll be honest, I don't really care for this chapter. I think the whole thing could've turned out better. Who knows maybe I will go back and edit aster out. kill him off ya know? Maybe that's the issue. I don't know, but if you do, TELL ME. Anyway! Have a wonderful Day/Night/Dawn/Dusk or Twilight! and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.