Forget It

Lukas woke up in a daze.

As he sat up, a sharp stinging pain assaulted him.

Ah, that's right. The knife wound. Wasn't it just a small cut? Did it have to hurt so much?

First of all, where was he? He looked at his clothes and realised he was in a different outfit.

The hospital?

Wh- Ah...

She's gone.

The thought of staying there any longer sickened him. His heartbeat quickened and his breathing became shallow. He wanted out of there.

Lukas looked around the room for the owners of the last voices he heard before falling unconscious. He wondered if they were there.

It didn't take him long to find them.

They lay on the cold hard floor, asleep from watching over him all night.

Mike's hand was bandaged thickly and both Tingting and Yu Jing's faces were covered in plasters.

His heartbeat slowed and he found himself being able to breathe once more.

Sensing the movement of the person on the bed, Yu Jing stirred and blinked his eyes sleepily. He looked up to find Lukas sitting upright. Yu Jing blinked rapidly until tears welled in them and he threw himself at Lukas, snuggling himself in his chest like a newborn.

Lukas's eyebrows scrunched up in pain but he stroked Yu Jing's back reassuringly nonetheless.

Mike and Tingting woke up too and after recovering from their shock, they joined Yu Jing in hugging Lukas tightly.

It was a while before they finally let go.

They stared at Lukas, anticipating what he would say next.

Voice low, Lukas stood up and and said,

"Let's go home."

***

The journey was an arduous one.

Yu Jing had made sure to purchase extra bandages and medical care for the others before leaving them unwillingly; his mother had called him with a voice thick with worry.

Lukas hobbled along with Mike as assistance on the fairly bump-free road. Apart from the occasional stumble, they were making good ground. At the rate they were going, they'd reach home at... sunset perhaps? Mind you, they had left the hospital at noon and it had been an hour since.

Walking was... not easy.

No.

It was demanding task.

A very demanding task.

All three were injured causalities.

They had to take breaks every once in a while and going too fast would put great pressure on Lukas's wound.

But they didn't mind.

Walking together like this... It was nice.

Like this, they made their way back home and surprisingly, there were still three hours before sunset.

***

Outside Lukas's room

--------------------------

"You're okay, right?" Mike and Tingting scrutinised him, looking for any signs of distress.

"I'm fine." Lukas's voice was light, as if he was completely unconcerned about the recent events. "It's yourselves who you should be worried about." He pointed at both Mike and Tingting in turn. "Your hand's all messed up and you're bruised all over. You're a girl you know, you should pay more attention to yourself."

Tingting pouted and stuck out her tongue. Mike patted her in jest and spoke up again, his voice considerably less serious now.

"It seems like you're ok. Make sure to tell us if something is wrong. You will tell us, right?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Don't worry." Lukas laughed and patted Mike's shoulder in assurance. "Well then, I'll be in my room if you need me."

He closed the door without looking behind him, his smile disappearing as soon as the door clicked shut.

'I'm fine.'

If he wasn't, how would he be able to cope with her absence?

Waking up in the hospital, having the events replay in his mind... Even the searing pain in his side couldn't affect him as much as the thought of her no longer being there did.

His gaze was pulled as if by a magnetic force to his table. The place he had sketched happily. The place where parts of her still remained.

Something compelled him to do it. Something told him that he wouldn't be able to stay sane with those things' existence.

Mechanically, he reached for the pile of paper placed neatly on his table and scrunched them up into a tight ball. No, scrunching them was not enough.

A loud tearing noise filled the room.

The granny's eyes stared sadly at Lukas as she was ripped in half, quarters - into pieces. Her body's remnants drifted to the floor silently and finally, the air was still.

He stood in the midst of it all, the shredded pieces of paper littered at his feet. A single crystal rolled down his face and splashed on the floor.

Once again, she had left him.

Once again, it was his fault.