3 The Scent Of Death

'Chaos Breeds Evil, A Necessary Step Required To Balance The Birth Of Good In A Stable Environment. The Two Are The Different Sides Of The Same Coin.'

~ Unknown.

What Is Fear? A Natural Instinct Which Evolved With The Changing Times, Or Rather Something That Was Already Programmed Into Our System? In An Undefined World, Where The Only Limitations Are Set By Humankind Themselves, Fear Is A Rather Abstract Concept. Some Fear Spiders. Some Fear Pain. And Some Fear Death. The Existence Of Fears In An Individual Seems Like A Control Mechanism. To Stop An Individual From Pushing Limits. And Sometimes, Fear Can Become A Dangerous Weapon, For Those Who Choose To Wield It, In The Most Destructive Way Possible.

My Biggest Fear? The Big Black Wolf, That Follows Me, Even To This Date. Like A Shadow, Hidden From The Callous Gaze Of Mankind, It Follows Me Wherever I Go, And Stalks Me, No Matter What I Do. The Fear Of The Big, Bad Wolf Keeps Me Alert. And It Helps Me Know, When Danger Is Nearby. And It Is Fear, Which Helps Breed Our Instinct.

Going Back In Time, When I Was 11 Years Old, On A Warm Summer Evening, My Parents Decided To Visit My Aunt. I Always Hated That Woman, She Was A Loudmouth, And Her Eyes Were Always On My Father's Hard Earned Money. As We Got In The Car, I Felt A Sense Of Despair Slowly Creeping Up On Me. Something Was About To Go Very Wrong.

I Turned To Look Outside The Car Window, Towards The Receding Figure Of My Apartment Complex As We Were Driving Off. And As I Looked Towards My Floor, Panic Grabbed Me.

Someone Waved At Me. From My Room Window.

The Car Pulled Off Towards The Main Road As We Drove Off. My Senses Seemed Numb, I Could Hear What My Mother And Father Were Saying, But I Couldn't Process It. I Was Terrified Of The Shadowy Figure.

I Was Terrified Of The Big Bad Wolf.

For The Next Few Minutes Everything Felt Fine. And Suddenly, I Was Thrown Off From My Seat As The Car Flipped Upside Down. As My Eyes Closed, Unable To Bear The Shock, I Saw Someone Walking Towards Me. And Then, I Faded Into The Abyss.

"Faith."

Jolted Back To Reality, I Turn To Look Towards The Man Dressed In The Long Coat. He Looks At Me As If I Am An Alien, Watching Me Like A Hawk With Those Piercing Amber Eyes.

"How Do You Know My Name?" I Blurt Out In Panic.

"Its Written On Your Badge." He Sighs As He Continues To Stare. "May I Order, So That I Can Leave?"

'Um..Sure." I Nod. Defeated, I Take Out My Notepad And Pen To Scribble Down His Order.

"Just A Cup Of Coffee." He Mumbles. As I Walk Towards The Coffee Machine, I Can't Help But Stare Back At Him. He Seems Familiar. I Know I Have Seen Him Before. But Where?

As I Bring Over The Coffee For Him, I Can't Help, But Ask, "Why Did You Say 'Good To See You Again'? We Have Never Met Before."

He Says Nothing. Just Sips His Coffee In Silence , As I Continue To Stare Down At Him. He Finally Caves In And Sighs, "I Am A Regular Here. I Have Spotted You Countless Times. Thats Why, I Said What I Said."

"Oh." I Nod As I Inch Away From Him.

He Finishes His Coffee, Looking Outside. The Rain Has Stopped, After What Feels Like An Eternity. He Stands Up. As He Walks Towards The Door, He Turns Around Again.

"Before I Forget." He Smiles And Reaches Into His Pocket. He Takes Out A Neatly Folded Envelope As He Passes It To Me.

I Look At The Envelope. Its Blank, And Has Nothing Written On It. Perhaps He Gave Me The Wrong One.

"Mister You-" I Mumble As I Look Up.

He Has Disappeared. There Is No One Standing In The Cafè Apart From Me. As I Turn To Look Down At The Envelope Again, I See Words Which Weren't There Before.

'To Faith Clair. You Are Invited To The Abandoned Apartment Near St. Marks Road. Come Alone, If You Want Answers To Your Questions. And Come On This Date. April 23rd 2015. Your Arrival Is Eagerly Expected."

I Drop The Envelope, Numb With Fear.

April 23rd, 2015. Three Days Before My Parent's Death.

I Turn To Look Towards The Clock. Its Already An Hour Late, As I Quickly Pack Up And Close Down The Cafè. I Grab My Bicycle And Pedal As Hard As I Can. My Mind Races, As I Try To Come Up With A Logical Explaination For What I Just Witnessed.

No. I Am Hallucinating. I Must Be.

As I Dodge Traffic, I Reach Home As Fast As I Can. Parking My Bike, I Rush Up The Flight Of Stairs. But I Freeze Again As I Reach My Floor.

My Apartment Door Is Open. Wide Open. And I See A Pool Of Blood, Coming Out Of My Apartment, Slowly Staining The Hallway Carpet.

I Sneak Towards My Room, Afraid And Paranoid. Stepping Over The Pool Of Blood, I Walk In Only To See My Neighbour, Brenda, Lying Lifeless On My Couch, Her Head Split Open.

I Cover My Mouth And Gag, Repulsed At The Sight. As I Investigate Further, I Am Interrupted By Sounds Coming From My Bathroom.

I Quickly Grab A Vase As I Make My Way Towards The Bathroom. I Peek Inside, Only To See No One There.

However In My Carelessness, I Fail To Notice A Shadow Slowly Creeping Up Behind Me.

A Large Hand Clasps Itself Over My Mouth As I Am Dragged Towards My Bedroom. I Cannot Move An Inch. As I Protest, The Figure Slams Me Towards The Bedroom Wall. I Feel Something Warm On The Side Of My Head. As I Touch It, I Red Colour Stains My Fingertips.

Blood. I Am Bleeding.

As I Try To Get Up, The Shadow Restrains Me. My Vision Is Blurry, I Cannot Process, What Is Happening To Me. Poor Brenda. She Must Have Tried To Stop The Robber, But She Died.

In Vain. Just To Protect Me.

I Scream As I Kick His Stomach. The Man Grabs The Lamp And Hits My Head Again. And This Time, The Shock Immobilizes Me. I Cannot Move. I See His Blurry Figure, As He Proceeds To Remove His Shirt.

As He Runs His Fingers On My Blood Soaked Hair, Tears Automatically Well Up In My Eyes. I Cannot See. All I Feel Is Fear, The Fear Of The Big Bad Wolf, Slowly Sneaking Up On Me Again, Not To Destroy Me Physically, But To Break Me Mentally. Uttering A Gasp, I Call Out To My Parents.

And Then The Darkness Consumes Me, Like A Ravenous Beast, Starving For Sustenance.

Humans Are Moths, Drawn Towards The Flame Of Greed, Lust, Apathy, Hate, Sin And Pride. As The Moth Flies Towards The Fire, It Burns Itself, And Falls Dead On The Floor. Completing Its Cycle Of Meaningless Existence. In Our Quest For Recognition, We Fail To Notice The Little Things Around Us, And Slowly Die Off, Like Moths.

I Wanted To Die Anyways. So Shouldn't I Just Accept It? After All, I Wanted To See My Mother And Father Again. No Matter Where They Are, Wherever They Are Waiting. What Is It With Humans, That In The Face Of Death, We Struggle To Survive?

Fear. The Fear Of The Unknown. The Fear Of The Endless Abyss, Calling Out Our Names, A Reality From Which No Organism Can Ever Escape.

In My Silent Abyss, Where The Only Echoes Are My Thoughts, I See Fleeting Glimpses Of My Past. My First Day At School. My First Carnival. The Time We Saw The Soccer Game. The Appearance Of The Queen. Places Where I Visited With My Childhood Friends.

And Someone Calls Out My Name.

"Faith."

I Turn To Look Around, But There Is No One There. I Don't Feel Afraid. I Feel Calm. Collected. Almost As If Nothing Matters Anymore.

But The Voice Becomes Louder. And Suddenly A Bright Light Engulfs Me.

Through My Hazy Vision, I See People. Shouting. Dressed In Green And White, As They Push Me Towards What Seems To Be An Operating Room. I Cannot Hear Clearly, But I Hear Fragmented Voices.

'Severe Head Trauma. Extreme Blood Loss.'

As My Vision Begins To Fade Again, For The First Time In Ages, I Feel Happy.

I Smile. In Peace, In Harmony, And In Tranquility.