Chapter 4 - At Least It's Sunday

Quiet murmurs soon turned into screeching as Mako dove through the black unidentified liquid. His face submerged deep as his senses went null. He couldn't see anything as he couldn't feel anything. However, deep in his ears resonated ringing. Voices surrounded him as he continued to sink in the blackness. The terrified screams couldn't be made out, some shrieked Mako's name, others begged for some kind of forgiveness, to which Mako found quite odd. Although through the painful noises of the voices, there were those who were laughing. They kept murmuring something--a name maybe. Mako paid no heed to them, he just kept sinking, trying to avoid the blaring noise in his ears. He was in too deep now, no matter how much he struggled to rise, how much he wanted to breathe, it's as if the voices themselves were pulling him down, anchoring him into the unnerving depths of the unknown. That was when the laughter got louder. Their sudden murmurs silently faded away, leaving clear rasps into Mako's ears. As he listened, he sought out to find meaning on what he heard. At first it was gibberish, but then came the dread.

"You're nearly there…Mako."

"We've already found you."

"Rejoice...For the new world has come."

"And you...the king...shall rule above all."

"We found you, Mako"

"We. Found. You"

  Mako started panicking. His body suddenly paralyzed, as his gaze froze in the darkness below him as he continued to sink. A small glimpse of something was coming for him, it was coming for his eyes. It yearned to gog them out and take them for its own. It slowly covered Mako's face as its creeping roots made their way towards his eye sockets. Mako wanted to struggle free, to scream his lungs out. But if he would open his mouth, the dark water would come in and consume his body, spread through his muscles and bones, poisoning his mind, eventually leaving him a lifeless corpse. The roots dug into Mako's eyes as red started to pour out into the black water like submerged paint. Mako heard a crack within his head.

***

  Mako screamed as he sat up. He groggily shook his head, looking around. The cozy surroundings of his own room lent him comfort as he wiped away stray tears that had formed in his eyes. He clutched the bedsheets around him tightly, making sure that they were real. He sighed, realizing that everything was just a dream. Just like what happened last night. He forced himself to believe at what he had thought--a dream, that everything was somehow just an illusion, just a figment of his own imagination, even if it was the case that he was growing insane. He slumped over, silently staring at the rugged carpet on his floor.

  His alarm went off a few seconds later. He stood up and turned it off, just realizing that he had too less sleep, waking up before his alarm activates. He sighed, at least it's Sunday. Unblinding the curtains on his windows, he looked outside. The conquest of the silver-lustered snow had already begun, covering everything in a cold, white blanket. Some kids were already outside playing despite the early rise. They all had scarfs on--a clear sign that winter had finally arrived.

  Outside Mako's door resonated the pitter-patter of feet followed by a little cute voice shouting "Snow! It's finally winter!". Mako smiled at the sound of her little sister's voice. He stretched out his limbs and went for the door. His hands was already on the knob when he noticed the book Anne gave to him on the desk. He touched it gingerly. The delicate texture of its cover reminded Mako that outside his stream of emotions and haunted "imaginations", he still had a life outside. At least it was that of a loved life, one that he knew he didn't deserve. He silently turned the knob and exited his quarters, showing a sign of a fresh start, all the while hiding the horrors that constantly haunted his mind. Downstairs, Aunt Jiyuri was preparing breakfast while Serry sat on the couch, fiddling with her phone.

"Good morning Mako. Are you feeling better?" The smile on Aunt Jiyuri's face radiated care and kindness.

"I'm good." Mako sat on a chair and waited for his plate. His mouth watered as his breakfast was placed in front of him. Now that he thought about it, he didn't even eat dinner last night. He wolfed it down as soon as he saw it.

"I'm glad you like it." Aunt Jiyuri's delighted eyes, stayed unto his gaze. She continued. "Anyway, I'm off to work and I might not be back 'till around midnight. Be sure to take care of your little sister okay? I'll leave her breakfast here."

  Mako didn't say anything as he ate like a pig, cutting off little pieces from his sister's serving and putting it on his own plate. He only noticed that he was being talked to when his aunt nudged him on the shoulder, waving goodbye as she took her coat and went for the door. Mako nodded and waved goodbye in return. He watched silently as Aunt Jiyuri closed the door behind her, leaving only him and his sister in the house. Mako soon felt a hand touch his hair, he turned around to see Serry eye him suspiciously. She took turns looking at Mako and then her breakfast plate, her eyebrows playfully lifting and descending. "You haven't taken from my breakfast haven't you?" Her blithesome eyes shifted from place to place, showing signs of her enormous amount of energy. On the other hand, Mako was too busy chewing to respond, he simply shook his head as he continued to eat. At first, Serry didn't buy it, but then shrugged and quickly moved on to another topic, dropping her earlier suspicion. She happily sat down on a chair and grabbed her serving, leaving Mako a with a tad of disappointment, taking away his chance for stealing more scraps of food. Serry's eyes brightened as she looked at her brother. "So, what are our plans for today? You promised me we were going to hang out today, remember?" she asked cheerfully, digging her utensils into her food, stuffing her mouth with spoonfuls after spoonfuls.

  Mako remembered that Serry was on her vacation, and her back to school season doesn't start until next month. So, she was stuck in the house, not having any real contact with her friends. She relied on Mako heavily, especially now that their parents gone and she was still very young when it happened. Aunt Jiyuri was always too busy to shower her with attention, so Mako had to do it in the end.

  Mako finished the last of his food and gulped down a glass of water. "Don't worry. Today will be fun, I promise." He gave her a wink as he stood up and went for the bathroom. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to freshen up."

  About an hour or so passed. Mako sat in his room as he waited for Serry to finish dressing up. Finding that he had nothing to kill time with, he picked up "The Unnamed Mice" and started where he left off last night. The should be tear-wetted paper dried up and scattered ink, causing some words to be distorted for a number of pages, to which, Mako cannot understand. He kept reading anyway, his eyes pore over the words that formed sentences, sentences that formed paragraphs, and paragraphs that formed chapters. He finished two or so before he heard a knock on his door followed by an "I'm all dressed, let's go!". Mako put down the book as he slinged a bag over his shoulder, meeting Serry outside. She was wearing a brown coat over her dark green top, matching it with a denim skirt. She wore her favorite brown boots as she tapped them on the pavement, happily breathing in the fresh air from the outside.

  The sounds of their footsteps mixed with snow as they went through the now busy morning streets of their district. They waited for a bus shortly on a nearby bench. Mako chugged down a can of soda as they spotted a bus stop nearby. Hopping aboard, they quickly found seats that suited their tastes. Serry got the window seat. Her head shifted from left to right, observing the passing sceneries as they rode by. At the side, Mako savored the comfort that his sister was right beside him, for a bit, he felt that he was one step ahead of stress. The bus slowed on every stop, to which Mako and Serry didn't go down on. It was already noon the when they reached their stop at the edge of town. They crossed the street and went for a familiar eatery. They went inside, the aroma of coffee and sweets wafted in the atmosphere as they sat on a table. Given a menu, they ordered nothing but ice-cream, cookies and cream flavored of course. "Who said ice-cream for lunch was a bad idea?" Serry giggled as she mentioned more strange comments about the sweet treat.

  They continued to enjoy their time as noon went by. Mako checked his phone when they got out. "4:30 p.m." Mako walked down the street as Serry hurried by behind him. They eventually came upon a huge park to which they entered. The atmosphere around them changed completely the moment they stepped into its tranquil aura, as if the pollution of the outside never penetrated the area. As usual, only a few people were there. The gentle leaves of the once green trees fell before the coldness of the current season. "It's as beautiful as ever." Serry whispered, taking in the familiar scenery.

  It was the park that their parents used to take them to. Almost every weekend, they would go there after eating ice-cream from a nearby eatery. Mako and Serry loved to play in their usual spots, and they would have the best of times. But ever since their parents passed away, they forced to move away, leaving their happy memories in the dust behind them. And now that they're back, it filled Mako's insides with dense nostalgia. Feelings started to well up inside him, as his body stiffened at the memories. At his side, Serry stood, her short hair blew across her face as she raised her hand and grabbed Mako's. She hugged him tightly, burying her face into his chest. They looked at each other with meaningful eyes.

***

  Evening fell as they hopped on their bus home. Serry dozed off for the duration of the trip as Mako kept watch. It was unusually traffic at their usual route, so the bus had to take a detour. Their bus went down an unfamiliar road, where Mako didn't usually venture into. The dark road was kept illuminated by a long line of streetlights and above their shadows stood giant skyscrapers that scratched the Earth's very sky. They passed a few stops, and Mako's heart skipped a beat for every second they stayed off course. However, he was relieved at the last moment when the bus turned into a street Mako was familiar with. He kept saying to himself that he was overthinking things. So he rested his head and tried to relieve his mind of anything he would ever think of, leaving him in a state of relaxation. What could go wrong?

  He almost fell asleep when he heard a peculiar sound of something hitting their bus up front. He blinked once, the neon colored signs of various shops passed by before his eyes, blurring them into small dots and lines of white and other blinding colors. He blinked again, aren't they going a little too fast? He looked around, there were only a few people left in the bus. He checked his phone, "8:30 p.m." The street signs zipped by his vision as he could hear complains at their back. They were going too fast. They were coming in into an intersection pretty quickly as Mako looked in front. He caught a glimpse of the driver's head relaxed on his seat, as if he was merely taking a leisurely nap. Mako saw an arm on the side, "Hey! Get your hand on the steering wheel!"

No Response.

  They zipped by a red stoplight and almost hit a passing car. Something's wrong. Mako gently shook Serry to wake her up. She responded with murmurs and a short "five more minutes" excuse. Mako clenched his fists and stood up, almost losing his balance over the speed they were going. He took one step towards the front of the bus. Another. And another. Then the bus shook as it hit multiple bumps at the front. Subtle sounds of screaming could be heard at the front as Mako toppled over, the bus hitting more and more bumps. Serry was awoken by the sudden impacts as Mako tried to grab a seat to regain his balance. When he stood up, his eyes widened. Those weren't bumps at all, pedestrians were getting run over by their bus. Bodies constantly hit the front of the bus as they continue to drop on the asphalt floor where they meet the heavy tires of the fast-moving vehicle, scattering their blood unto the windows. Serry screamed as the remaining people in the bus panicked. Some tried to go to the driver's seat but lost balance everytime they stood up. Mako knew it was futile, he caught a glimpse of what was in front. They were going to crash into a building--fast. They crossed another intersection with a red stoplight at high speed. However this time, they weren't lucky as their bus crashed into the side of a car and still kept going. The impact shook the bus all the way to the back, tripping Serry back to her seat. Meanwhile, Mako tried to crawl back to his sister's side as he screamed "Brace Yourselves!" He managed to dive into Serry's side as the bus collided with the front entrance of a skyscraper.

  Mako woke up feeling numb. His face was distorted with fear and confusion as he rolled on to one side. He felt his arm swim in warm liquid. Blood. Blood was oozing out of his right arm as a huge glass shard pierced his shoulder. At his side was Serry who was screaming in terror. Her face and arms were bloodied, her torso was pierced with shards of glass and her whole lower body was blanketed by the vehicle's ceiling. Her legs were trapped by the whole front half of the bus as she kept screaming in pain. "It burns!" She kept crying as her tears mixed with blood on her face. Mako quickly got to his senses and tried to move both his arms despite his wounds. He struggled to crouch as he tried to grab Serry's shoulders, doing his best to pull her out of the rubble.

  What alarmed him was that the far front of their bus was engulfed in flames. A little more and the flames would swallow the whole bus and them in it. What's worse is that it might even explode.

"Okay. Serry. Listen to me. We have to move, quickly!" Adrenaline pumped into his body as he mustered the strength to pull Serry out.

"It hurts Mako…" Her irregular breathing made Mako panic even more.

"On three I'll pull you out okay? One. Two. Three!" Mako pulled with all his might as Serry slowly got free, revealing her burnt, bloody, shard-covered legs. She screamed loudly as she tried her best to move, even for just a little distance.

  Mako dragged both of their bodies towards a broken window. He used his left arm to remove the stuck glass on the sides. It was excruciatingly painful, but he had to do it. "Somebody help!" He called out, realizing that it was hopeless. He lifted Serry's body and pushed her into the window, and out into the road. It was his turn when something grabbed his leg. He looked down to see a man whose body was cut in half. His upper body was still intact, grabbing Mako's leg, begging for salvation. His intestines spread out like a lump of toys, oozing blood along the floor. His lower body was nowhere to be found.

"Please help me…" The man was grabbing Mako's leg with both hands now. His face almost melted off due to the flames, which was now spreading faster and faster. Mako had to decide, it was either him or the man. With his other leg, he kicked the man's face, who screamed in pain.

"Get off me!" He screamed, now thrashing away to shake off the man.

"Don't leave me here!" The man's grip hardened even more. He then slowly climbed against Mako's body as the flames almost reached them.

"Mako! What are you doing?! It's going to explode!" From outside Serry was shouting, practically begging for his brother to come out.

  With a loud shriek, Mako took out the large glass shard that was piercing his shoulder and stabbed the man in the eye with it. He bellowed in pain as the flames finally reached his body, smoldering his insides, kicking off a smell of burning meat. Mako threw up on hisself as he struggled to crawl in the window before plummeting down on the hard asphalt road where his sister was lying. He steadily stood up and carried Serry's body away from the crash. Five feet, ten feet. He didn't dare look back as people rushed to assist them away from the crash. A few more seconds later and Mako heard an ear-splitting explosion behind them.

  Pieces of bus parts scattered along the road as everything started to calm down. Firetrucks and ambulances came speeding along their street. Mako and Serry were placed on stretchers before being rushed into an ambulance. Looking around, Mako couldn't see anyone else being rushed in. The doors of the ambulance closed in front of him as he silently dozed off against the sound of the siren as if it was some sort of lullaby.

I still have school tomorrow...