Chapter 3: Crash

He was being choked. Beautifully nimble fingers press his Adam's apple like a button. The fingers were hot on his pale skin. He could not see whoever was choking him. His body hovers in a void.

His thoughts were in shambles. 'Punish thee who defy the gods.' It echoes in his mind endlessly. He gasps for air as he tries to free himself.

Whoever was choking him was breathing loudly in his ear, it tightens its grip, and Nikolai feels his throat closing.

But no matter how much he resists, he can never escape. He did defy the gods after all. He must be punished. He has lived a decent life for years and now he has finally fallen for their trap. The penalty starts now.

Then the one choking him spoke. Its voice was neither masculine nor feminine. It says, "You are a sorry excuse of a king."

-

He falls head-first onto the floor of his bed. His eyes watered, his face was red, and his whole body was sore.

He coughs, and the saliva in his mouth tasted like tears on his tongue. Puke came out and the floor was covered in it. He collapses on the floor, not quite touching the vomit, and blacks out.

-

Time felt vague when he awoke. He was wearing a white one-piece that looked like a sundress. It must be afternoon now. The mattress he laid on was firm and uncomfortable.

He rises from the bed and looks around. He's never been here before but he could recognize it from the garden outside the window. He was at the academy's infirmary.

In the corner of the room was a curly, green-haired man clicking swiftly on a rusting typewriter. The clicking sounds were the only sound in the room.

"Mister Evelyn?" Nikolai calls out. His voice was raspy and it surprised him.

The man doesn't answer. Busy with the typewriter but he seems to type cluelessly.

"Sir?" Nikolai tries again.

The green-haired doctor perks up and blinks away somewhere before realizing Nikolai was there.

"Oh!" He says. "Abacchio, you're awake! Good, good!"

"Um, yes I am," says Nikolai awkwardly. His memories were a blur."What happened?"

Evelyn stands up and approaches Nikolai, sitting on the bed next to him.

"Why, it was terrifying!" He says with exaggerated gestures. "The chairman heard some weird noises in your room and was worried so he checked on you. And there were you, unconscious and laying on vomit! Bless the chairman for checking up on you."

"Right," replies Nikolai. He didn't agree with the last part though. The chairman took him in years ago but they aren't the closest. The thought of him laying in vomit irked himself.

"Mm-hmm. Anyways, I have some meds here for your throat. What happened to it anyway? Did someone do it to you? Or maybe…" He looks at him, filled with concern. "Did you do it to yourself?"

"Of course not!" He said it so abruptly that his throat hurt.

Evelyn sighs in relief, "No, of course not. My apologies." But Nikolai could tell he didn't buy it. "If you need somebody to talk to, I'm here, okay? Don't keep it to yourself."

Nikolai wanted to retort back. He was certain he didn't have any problems. It was just one bad dream. He was mentally well by his standards.

"Yes, sir." He responds. He had an urge to leave. "Excuse me, sir."

Evelyn blinks, "Yes, dear?"

"May I take my leave?"

Evelyn looks taken aback but kept his composure, "No."

Nikolai frowns, "What do you mean 'no?'"

"No means no, Abacchio. Until the chairman gets here to pick you up, you are not going anywhere. I'll call him right now."

He gets up and grabs the telephone. Twirled the numpad and waited for it to ring.

"Evelyn! Come on!"

Evelyn barks back, "Shut it, Abacchio. Where's your honorifics? Besides, the chairman told me to do this."

Nikolai behaved, surprised at Evelyn's aggressiveness. The way he said "chairman" had a hint of malice. He wonders what it meant but made sure to keep his curiosity low key.

-

The chairman, Kristopher Yves, gave Nikolai casual clothes to change into. Nikolai felt grateful. He wasn't about to go out in a sundress.

After changing, Yves starts the car. Nikolai sits in the back, staring at the window nonchalantly. It was a quiet car ride mostly.

Nikolai takes satisfaction in little things. Seeing the scenery move into another as he stares at the outside of the window gave him a little serotonin.

The chairman destroys Nikolai's peace, "Niko, child."

He hides his annoyance with a soft, interested expression. His voice was a bit clearer now, "What is it, chairman?"

Yves was tapping on the steering wheel with his pointing finger. Nikolai couldn't tell if he was worried or needed something for his voice showed no emotion. "Did something happen?"

Nikolai answers, "None, chairman."

"I've told you long before"— the car hits a pothole and Nikolai jumps slightly— "call me father. You are my son now."

He chews on the inside of his right cheek, "Yes, of course, father."

"Much better."

Yves opens a window to let in the fresh air, perhaps. A heap of air comes inside immediately. White noise covered Nikolai's ears.

Unbeknownst to him, a man on top of a building stands, bow and arrow in hand. He stretches the twine of the bow and lets go.

The bow crashes into the car's window, landing on the chairman's wrinkly hand. Yves doesn't seem to notice as he continues driving, blood dripping on his khakis.

Nikolai yells for help but Yves tells him to quiet down.

"Get ready."

He wanted to ask what he meant but the man on top of the building takes out another bow. He holds it firmly in his left hand, as he holds it out in front of his torso. Reaching down by his right side, the thumb, index and middle fingertips lightly grasp the feathered end of the wooden arrow that is sticking upright in a small sack. With an ever so gentle pluck, the arrow frees itself from the bow, shattering the window, and landing on the right ear of Nikolai, the arrow plunging deeply through the skull and out of the eye.

Nikolai's body stops functioning. And Yves seems to willingly let go of the steering wheel.

The car crashes into a river. The blood dyes parts of the river red.

Near where the incident occurred, the people of the fair were cleaning up. The man who sold funnel cakes looked at the car crash in sorrow but no surprise.