chapter 10

Rex was having trouble sleeping, annoyed by the fact he can't sleep because flashbacks kept coming and going, facing moments...He wishes not to see or experience it again.

"Mary...you wench, may you rotten in Hell soon" he whispered, closing his eyes. He needed to sleep, his health is on the decline, and the disease is taking over.

Drifting away in deep sleep, his mind played more flashbacks, but not of the incident that killed his family but instead of his childhood.

The first flashback:

Rex, in first the first flashback, was in the first point of view mode.

Rex's POV:

"Mommy...I love you. Let us go from here, live somewhere else, please." I said, while holding her hands and trying to make her get off the bed. ushering for the doors are open.

"Honey, we will...one day perhaps." Holding my shoulder. Then embraced me in a hug. I broke off the hug in frustration. "Why not now? He is not here. We can run off."

"Rex, my love. You are young. You don't understand well that we can't run. We don't have anyone to stay with, to shelter us, feed us, protect us. I can't," hurting in tears and sobs mother cried, her hands covering her face. She lay on her bed and I crawled onto the bed, hugging her tight.

End of the flashback and POV. Rex was still dreaming. The vision was black, but soon another flashback stroke again.

this time, Rex is viewing in a first pov flashback.

"You piece of trash, you son of a bitch," a medium-height, obese man said while hitting Rex.

"You are nothing!" Rex was screaming. He was 6 years old. Rex's mother was yelling at the man to stop, from behind the locked white door, "Stop it! Stop it, Ron!"

"Shut you whore! It is your fault!" he continued, hitting him with a leather thick black belt. The whipping sound and Rex's cries were too much. Adult Rex screamed, waking up from his nightmare.

He woke up panting, holding his chest tight, grinning his teeth. "Ron, if I can find you, I will make you pay."

Alice was silently watching her master struggling this night to sleep. She spoke to herself, 'I must stop these dreams, wait for the memories of the dark past. I must proceed with the dream controlling project. The situation might get worse and the illness...take over him.'

AI Alice then started playing Jade's memories of her brother Ron, Rex's father. After the death of his wife, he left his children, Rex, and his disabled sister with their grandmother Rex's mother. The biggest pain and traumas were there.

Rex returned to sleep. He slept peacefully this time after taking the sleeping pills.

The night passed peacefully after hours of struggle; insomnia and a river of flashbacks. Finally, sleeping well and around 5 am his waking up routine, Rex saw the last flashback of the night. It was not one of his nightmare childhood memories or the death of his wife. Instead, it was of Mary White.

Flashback:

Rex in 3rd pov this time, he saw himself around the age of 21, waiting in the hall for Mary to come out of the ladies' bathroom."Do not be late Mar, we need to go to the library finish the project" yelling out.

"5 minutes for God's sake! Calm down, Jesus, can't I pee in peace man!" she replied from inside.

A few minutes and she came out. Both holding hands walked down the faculty's library. There William was waiting for them. Waved "over here" whispered, motioned them over his desk to the end corner of the library.

The trio was working on their graduation project which is related to the contest the Xian industries have offered full sponsorship and higher education scholarship for the winning team. The competition was pretty intense; they had to gather their recourses. Rex and Mary were already living together in their rented apartment. William was their roommate for a few days as they worked day and night on it. Their 2 room apartment was full of trash, books everywhere, and papers scattered around the rooms. They compiled food carts over the table and garbage cans.

The trio worked during that day until 3 am. William was sleeping while Rex and Mary remained writing and programming.

Mary then stopped and turned to face Rex, kissing him on the lips. "Let us call a night and sleep." She gave him a lustful stare, biting her lip erotically.

He gave her a puzzled stare. Rolling her eyes, she motioned her head to their bedroom. Grasping his hand, pushing him to stand up. "Rex, are you really dumb? I want you, idiot. " She showered him with French kisses and moans.

Rex's face was fully red. He kissed her back but not as passionate as Mary was. They walked silently to their room and closed the door with caution. In their room they made out before they slept, they vowed to love each other for eternity, kissing one more time.

When Rex woke up, Mary and William were finishing the last touches.

"woke up finally, Rex!" in a mocking tone William said, not removing his eyes from the laptop in front of him.

"Yes, going to have a shower and finish my part too. " He passed through the piles, reaching the bathroom.

The trio wrapped up all the finishing touches, "gosh, I finished my part but I can't feel my head" moaned Rex, squeezing his head trying to massage it.

Mary sat beside him. "it is alright honey, go take a nap. William and I will submit the project before the deadline. You rest well, okay," kissing him and massaging his head. Rex moaned in pain, keeping his eyes closed. "yes, great idea, my Mar," kissing her. He opened his eyes and stood up, trying to balance himself. She chuckled and helped him lean on her. They kept kissing along the short way to their bedroom.

Mary placed Rex on the bed, giving him a last kiss on the lips and pain killer pills to ingest. He blows her a kiss before taking them and sleeping.

Second flashback:

"Today is the day!" Rex said while wearing his clothes, "Mary, you and William head up before me. I might get late, still preparing myself." He sent her a voice message.

She replied back "don't be late honey, we will be waiting for you"

Fast forward, he was standing in front of the door, but the bodyguards denied his entrance.

The phone called Mary, but she closed the line. 'Weird,' he said. He called William, and with the same reaction, they denied his calls, too.

"I am a participant. My team is inside," he yelled at the guards.

"you don't have the VIP card nor a ticket, you can't enter. Go away or we will use force."

He saw his professor walking down the hall. Rex ran to him, "they didn't allow me to enter. Mary and William are my teammates on this project. They are inside but not answering my calls."

The professor looked surprised at him, "your team? Rex, you have withdrawn from the course and the project. You mailed me your resignation of dropping off."

"What!?" exclaimed Rex, crying out "no way professor I have worked with them and I never resigned off. In fact, it is my idea and work they just worked the finishes. For God's sake!"

The professor again shocked his head. "Rex, all teams participating have their tickets for the entrance. Each team has a unique code. In addition, all participating names are in the system. I can recheck your name on the system"

"Please!"

The professor then took him to his office and scrolled through the platform. "unfortunately, your name is not listed."

"And this is your letter of resignation. You said that you were sick and provided me with a medical report of the issue, here" the older man gave him the papers.

Rex swallowed with fear.'impossible, no, not true.' he cried inside. He read with mortified eyes the words, tears falling. "No way!"

"Rex, I wish I can help you, but there is your signature. Plus, you are out of time. May you be lucky next time. ," He placed his hand on Rex's shoulder.

He felt the urge to shout but instead, he ran out of the office, 'must confront them'. Scratching his head, thinking of a way to sneak past the guards. He was not focusing on the time passing by, he kept searching for an entrance. Until he found a one but it was too late, his ex-team was selected as the winner and the Xian Inc CEO and Chairman along with the Dean and the winners walked out the room. Rex ran towards them shouting, "Mary! William!" the guards blocked him, struggling through their grasps, gasping for air to breathe. "I am with you!"

The dean looked shocked, and the guests murmured, giving the winners puzzled looks, "Mary, William, who is this? Guards let him go, I want to listen to him," the dean said, ushering the guards.

"I am with you on the team. This project was my idea. You guys helped me as my team." Struggled to stand up well.

"We and you on the same team are insane, or what?" William frowned at Rex's face.

"We don't know this man at all."

"I am your boyfriend, Mary. We live together! How can you forget?" Rex pointed his finger at her. She with an unfriendly face, "I don't know this man at all. We are just classmates, nothing more."

"We have no idea what he is talking about."

Rex gave a shocked face. The dean nodded and asked the guard to walk him out.

Rex was crying like crazy. He lost the opportunity for higher education, the potential of changing his situation, but the way the scheme Mary and William did. She literally dumped him, after all these 3 years of love, pleasure, and hard work. Nothing. Not just that, he won't graduate at all.

After what happened returned home to find all their stuff is gone, the documents, his laptop.

Grasping his hair, crying like crazy. He wanted to finish his life, but again, life stabbed him.

"Dammit it, all of this, I want to die! " screamed out. He placed an electric cord around his neck, after securing it from the ceiling, ready to end his life. He accidentally slips, strangling himself. His face turned colors, gasping for air, struggling to remove the cord but could not. 'no I don't die' crying out inside.

Before his vision blackout, he saw a blurred figure running towards him but couldn't tell whom. He couldn't hear the voice well. Something muffled, but it was of a female. He never heard it before. Still gasping for air, his vision blacked out.

'Noooooooo' he screamed.