After Gray Stewart made a declaration, she looked down on Fakey and Tentacle’s immobilized body. She took the two knives beside them then she slowly walked to the center aisle, right across the door where Undertaker stood.
“Sir!” she called out to him. “How about a tasty one-on-one match?” She held one finger up over her face. “How about it?” She halted at the center of the aisle, right across Undertaker on the other side of the room. She stood at attention like a soldier and clasped both hands behind her with the knives. She was aiming to look as docile as possible. “Would you heed my request?” she slightly tilted her head. “Sir?”
Truth be told, her legs were trembling underneath her pants. Death was practically right in front of her. She had two knives, but what fight could she put up against someone with a gun? She was just death waiting to happen. However
I'm sorry, an emergency came up. My kitten got a fish bone stuck on her mouth so I'm taking her to the vet right now. This chapter is not yet finished. I'll update this once we get home maybe in five hours. Again, I'm sorry and I'm hoping for your humble understanding *grand bow* EDIT: it took me longer than I thought, but my kitten is safe now, although I suffered some paw cuts in my face when she threw a fuss hehe. Thank you for your understanding once again.
With every step Undertaker took, Gray’s feet would involuntarily step back. It was like seeing your bride walk down the aisle with a flower bouquet in hand, only it was death walking down with his scythe. She was troubled. Her legs were frozen but her feet wanted to step back. ‘He who strikes first, wins’, but even if she wanted to, she could barely move a muscle. “No good, no good,” she whispered to herself, gripping on the other knife behind her. If she wouldn’t be able to calm herself down, she wouldn’t be able to fight back. All those fighting experiences would be futile. Gritting her teeth, she pushed her feet forward. Her step felt heavy. Her trembling legs gave her the impression that her legs would give in the moment she’d lower her guard. One…two…three steps, slowly reducing the distance between
Before Gray Stewart could process her thoughts, she felt a warm, nearly hot, feeling on her stomach. When she looked down, a color of red slowly painted her white t-shirt. She looked bemused at Undertaker. He clearly had no gun in his hands. With the very little strength she had left, she turned around behind her with quivering eyes. “J-jude?” Only five feet away from her stood Jude by the door with a gun staring at her. And beside him was Colleen swiveling her eyes between Gray and the gun. “I’m sorry, man,” uttered Jude with his trembling hands gripping on the gun. “I gotta protect my family too.” Gray only gasped in response as her stomach spasmed in pain. She had a lot to say---to ask, but she could barely breathe, much more open her mouth to talk. She wanted to
“FREEZE! This is the Police! Put your hands where I can see them." The commotion prompted the slowly succumbing Gray Stewart to part her eyelids once again. With her blurred vision, she strenuously strived to make sense of the surreal vision seen from her eyes. There were a lot of motions going on. Her ears were near deaf, it felt as if she was underwater. She could hear mumbling, inaudible voices. And she felt the floor shaking. In a nutshell, she had been taken to a jam-packed public swimming pool in summer, filled with half-naked people sardined together. Gasping for air, her eyes started to quiver as she felt more blood oozing out of her stomach. And as she forced her consciousness to stay for longer, she began to taste blood in her mouth. It was like gargling a rust-flavored juice. Just then, she felt a pres
Zia Scott felt an inexplicable ominous feeling when the incessant gunfire just outside where they were held had come to an end. And listening to the conversation of the two men, it just fueled her perturbation. “Did she really get caught?” she thought to herself. For one, she wasn’t even certain if the intruder they were referring to was indeed Gray, but she could not think of anybody else reckless enough to invade enemy territory without a thorough plan or with the help of the police. In the midst of her overthinking, she felt a light dab on her shoulder. She looked beside her. “Fireworks done?” asked Elreese bemusedly. “I guess so,” she answered. Elreese broke into a smile. “That’s good.”
Zia Stewart’s jaw dropped along with the sinking of her heart when the gun was fired. “Nooooo!” Her reverberating howl rumbled throughout the room. “Edward! Edward!” she cried at Edward who had collapsed on her tiny lap. Right then she realized. ‘So this is what it feels like.’Gray’s image suddenly flitted across her head. The reason for her recurring nightmares, her major life change and the pain she must have suffered even after all the years that had gone by. In an instant, Zia was able to empathize with her. The agony of not being able to do anything as you see your lover dying right in front of your very eyes. The torture of breathing just fine when the person you love most is grasping for breath in front of you. The tormenting situation of your lover only inches apart from you but you could not do as much as touch them. It was not easy, a
What happens after a person dies? Various religions believe that the soul of the dead would go to a certain place for judgment. However, nobody really knows the truth. Only the dead, themselves, can give the most legitimate answers. What comes after death? A question many have asked and pondered on at least once in their lives. But when they’re already one step away from death? Does the question emerge from their curious minds again? Probably not. Perhaps when they realize they only have a few seconds left---less than a minute---to lay eyes to the world and feel the air passing through their mouths and noses, their minds would begin doing an impromptu slideshow of their memories---both satisfying and regrettable ones. ‘I miss my mother’s cooking’, ‘I miss my hometown’, ‘I lived a great life’, ‘I wish I did something to achieve my dreams’, ‘I have no regrets’, ‘If only I can turn back time’, ‘I don’t want to die’, ‘I’m scared.’
“Gray! Gray!” Gray Stewart vigorously turned her head, searching for the voice calling out to her. However, her eyes were coated with darkness. She could not even see herself. She didn’t know what she wore or where she stood. All she was certain about was that she heard a voice. A familiar voice was calling her name. Suddenly, she was able to see the surroundings although it felt like she teleported from a dark space into a certain room. She was seated on a high stool. Her clothes were her typical black buttoned sleeve and black trousers paired with black oxfords. Her clothes were themed for a funeral but the way she wore them made her look like a high-class gambler. Although, in her hand was an empty wine glass instead of poker chips. A bar counter was in front of h
The word ‘sister’brought more discomfort to Gray Stewart’s already uncomfortable feeling. “Don’t fucking call me sister,” she thought. “I’m not a nun.” “You look exasperated,” uttered the man, then he made his hand into a point and lightly poked her forehead as he leaned closer. “Or is it because you’ve turned ugly from the last time I saw you?” He pulled back his hand and straightened his back. “I can’t believe you tarnished our sublime face.” He glared down at her. “You really look pathetic. You make me sick.” “You fucker,” thought Gray to herself. “What the hell did you even come here for?” He sat on a chair beside the hospital bed and crossed his legs as he leaned back. “I would have transferred you to a prestigious hospital.” He wandered his eyes around the room. “This place looks rotten befit
Zia Scott kept the rim of the glass on her lips to cover the fact that they were trembling from uneasiness. “And the things you know about Azriel,” Edward added. “It’s like you know him the way I know him.” “W-what,” stuttered Zia with her hands tightly clutching the glass covering her lips. “Sophia d-don’t understand.” Just then, the microwave dinged which stole his attention. “For a minute there,” he continued as he opened the microwave and took out the bowl of butter noodles. “I thought I was talking to Zia.” SHATTER! The shattering sound immensely echoed throughout the apartment. “A-are you alright, Sophia?!” prompted Edward as the glass Zia was holding fell on the floor. “I–uh,” she stuttered with quivering eyes, flabbergasted. The scattered broken pieces were surrounding her feet. “Don’t move, okay?” He gestured his palm forward. “You might step on a broken piece and hurt yourself.” He took a kitchen towel and squatted down. He started picking up the shards of glasses m
“Give me ten reasons why I should go with you,” said Gray who was sitting on the dining table with her cheek leaning on her palm as she listlessly yawned, staring at her empty plate. “One, you’re my guardian,” said Zia, cooking in the kitchen. “Two, you’re the only one who knows about my situation. Three, you’re my best friend. Four, you have nothing else to do---” “Excuse you but I have a jam-packed schedule today,” countered Gray. Zia sneered. “Really? Like what?” “I have a three to five hours schedule of resting after breakfast, five-hour nap after lunch and ten to fifteen hours of sleep after dinner.” Gray leaned back on the chair, still yawning. “How rude of you to assume I have nothing else to do.” Zia brought a cedar planked salmon on a wooden plate to the table with oven mitts over her hands. “Five, a child like me can’t go alone,” she continued, ignoring what Gray just said. “Six, you won’t be spending a penny because it’s my card.” She went back to the kitchen. “Seven, I
“I wonder where we should be eating tonight.” A look of puzzlement crossed Edward Bartlett’s face. He turned to her. “Excuse me?” Belinda continued scrolling down her phone. “I mean, that last restaurant was good too but I think it’ll be more fun to explore other restaurants as well.” “Uhmm…” He paused, staring off into space, thinking. “Did we decide to go eat out together tonight?” She chuckled. “Oh, would you rather we eat in your apartment? I can’t cook so I just figured we’re eating out, but if you say you’re cooking then let’s.” “No.” He lightly chuckled and softly scratched his cheek. “I’m sorry but…” He looked at her with an awkward expression in his eyes. “What I meant was that I don’t remember talking to you about having dinner together, b-but did we?” He approached her. “I might have just forgotten although I don’t think I’ll forget something like that.” The corner of her lips slightly twitched and her jaw half-dropped. “O-oh, I…I’m so-sorry. I just…I just thought we’r
In a highly respected suburb on the outskirts of the city stood the two-storey house of Theresa Scott. A vintage house in calming shades of wood with a spacious front lawn surrounded with waist-high wooden gates. In the early waking of the sun, Theresa was mowing her lawn. She was a woman in her late forties, medium size with an average height of 5 foot 4 inches. She had shoulder-length straight blonde hair and ocean eyes. She wore a vintage clothing style and stood like a mighty oak. And even as her age was evident in her facial features, it could be agreed that she was an attractive woman in her youth with oozing charisma. As she was pushing the lawn mower, a sedan pulled over at the gates. Her attention shifted to the person who climbed out of the car. “Sweetie!” exclaimed Theresa as she saw Gray approaching the gates. She walked toward her and opened the gate and pulled her in for a tight hug with a big smile across her face. “Hi, Theresa,” said Gray monotonously. Theresa pull
"Where is it again?" Zia Scott mumbled to herself as she glanced around the doors on the corridor. While looking around as she walked aimlessly, she fell flat on the floor as she bumped into what felt like a hard pole. When she looked up, it was a bald old man, perhaps a teacher. The old man crouched down and helped her stand up. "I'm so sorry, little girl. I didn't see you there. Are you alright?" "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you, sir," she replied as she dusted off the dirt on her frilly white skirt. "Where were you going, little girl?" He crouched down and looked at her. "Uhmm." She hesitated. "I'm looking for Sir Bartlett." "Oh!" he exclaimed. "Another one of Edward's pupils." He chuckled. "Look here, little girl." He moved beside her and held her shoulders. "If you turn that corner over there," he said as he pointed out his finger. "His room is in the third door you see. He's probably there." She turned around and smiled from ear to ear. "Thank you, mister." Then she did as he inst
After taking off the blood stained shirt with the hole on it, Gray Stewart hung it on a hook behind the door of a toilet cubicle she was in. Rummaging inside a paper bag, she took out a black buttoned shirt, identical to the one she took off. Tearing off the tag, she then changed into it. When she raised both arms slightly over her shoulders to slide in the sleeves, she felt a pang on her stomach.“Damn that woman,” she mumbled to herself as she slowly buttoned her shirt, all the while glaring at the blood stained shirt in front of her. “Well, it’s not like she asked you for help.”However, even having said that, she could still not be mollified.She took out her long hair that had been tucked in the shirt on her back. “Has she always been like that?”And with that thought, her head refreshed the day she first had an interaction with her. It was at the time when Edward had been hospitalized after his car accident. Gray and Zia were both in the hospital, substituting Martha. A knock on
Gray Stewart casted her trembling eyes at the man who also bore the same expression as her—just as stupefied.After meeting her eye-to-eye and seeing her pained expression, the man lowered his gaze and finally noticed his hand still gripping on the hilt of the knife impaled on her stomach. Although the oozing blood was not apparent through her black buttoned shirt, when the warm blood touched and imprinted itself on the edge of the man’s gripping hand, it made him let go in trepidation. He finally realized what he had done.“I…I…” the man cried, his wobbly legs slowly stepping back.Gray, on the other hand, just followed him with the orbs of her eyes, her mouth gaping in unutterable pain.Unable to notice the rock behind the man, he tripped over it and fell down as he continuously stepped back. “I-it’s not my fault!” he barked as he crawled his way out of their sight.Belinda, who was hiding herself behind Gray, finally spoke. “God,” she sighed. “That was really scary just now.” She s
This was the time when Gray Stewart had just left the apartment building. Having impulsively decided to go out just to get away from her obnoxious brother, she actually had no destination in mind. Dawdling in front of the building, she heard footsteps coming from the elevator and when she looked back, it was Azriel on his way out.She immediately hid a certain distance beside the building, hoping to conceal her presence behind a tree while eying the main door.“Why am I even hiding?” she thought to herself, furtively looking, locking her eyes at the door. “I don’t know.”A few minutes later, a silver Aston Martin Rapide pulled over in front of the building. A man wearing a suit came out from the driver’s seat, turned from behind the car and opened the back passenger’s side door.Just as well, Azriel came out of the door as if waiting for the man and after exchanging words with the man in a suit that appeared to be his chaperone, Azriel finally went inside.The man closed the door and
“E-edward?” stammered Zia Scott when her eyes met with Edward’s bemused facial expression.His eyes swiveled in between the two kids in front of him, then he turned to Zia. “Is he your friend?” He approached them in the kitchen. “What happened to him? Why is he crying?”She fiddled with her thumbs as her lips would go back from closing themselves to parting again, contemplating on what right words to say so she wouldn’t look bad in front of her fiance—not that Edward knew it was Zia he was talking to and not Sophia.He turned to the little boy sobbing across from Zia. “Are you okay?” he said delicately.Instead of answering, Jeffrey merely glared at him then stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door hard behind him.Edward glanced at Zia, bewilderment flitting across his features. “Who was that boy?”“Uhh..” In order to avoid making contact with his eyes, Zia kept herself preoccupied with transferring the mashed potatoes in a serving bowl. “He came here looking for Azriel but wh