A chilling whisper rumbled in my ear, and I felt like I wanted to faint. I looked at Mr. Gray and tried to figure out what he was saying, but I couldn't. He was looking at me pale and with a horrified expression.
"I can't breathe," I tried so hard to say. It seemed like I was drowning again, and he was the only one keeping me surfaced. Then everything went black, and I felt like I was falling again. I tried to call out to him, but instead, when I tried to open my eyes, I could no longer feel my body in the chair. The images I saw and felt before floated in the air, and he slowly faded into the darkness. I want to scream in rage. The look of frustration, hope, and fear in Mr. Gray's eyes pierced my heart, but when I tried to reach him, he faded. The sound of the rain drowned my voice as the images faded, and I looked straight into Mr.Gray's eyes again before he completely vanished.
I woke up in an old dust-covered and not-so-large hut that contained a small window beside the door. I felt weak and hungry, but as I looked around, I did not see anyone. I tried to sit up, but the pain coursed through my body. I lowered my body to the lonesome bed. A murmur of voices serenaded my ears, and I slowly widened my eyes.
I slowly looked at the people coming, confused and tired.
"Where am I?" I tried to speak, but the pain made me lose the ability to talk properly. The rush of air made me feel dizzy. My body was so heavy, and my head hurt so bad.
The two people talking outside began to fade when someone said, "he was awake."
"Aunt!" I tried to call out for her, but my throat was dry, and my voice kept making rough sounds. Then the door to the room burst open, and the figure of my aunt appear. She runs to me and sits beside the bed. Her eyes were full of worry when she took me in her arms. I tried to calm her down, but the throbbing pain made my vision hazy.
"Where am I?" I ask again.
"You're at my friend's house," she said. "You're lucky she found you beside the bridge yesterday. If not, who would have known what would happen to you?" she added as she wiped her tears.
As I tried to lift myself, I felt the other sickening feeling in my stomach that I had felt before. I held Aunt's arms, and she let me rest my body before she gave me water. The water felt like heaven to me. I took a huge gulp, and I tried to sit up but the excruciating pain forced me to lie down again.
"Where's he?" I asked my aunt again.
"I already warned you that this day might come, but you two didn't listen," she said. "I heard that he was sent to the camp to train and join the war... they didn't say when will he return."
Confusion was plastered on my face. I don't know what to say, but knowing he was fine was a relief. I lay on the bed, and despite the pain, I had at least a good piece of mind for now.
"How long have I been here?" I asked, barely mumbling a few words.
"Almost more than a day," my aunt said.
I tried to sit up again but still couldn't hold the pain. I could feel the tears forming around my eyes. The feeling of disappointment weighed my heart down as I tried to remember that night. I turned around and faced the window.
"I should have never been with him..." I mumbled under my breath. "It's all because of me."
My aunt grabbed my hand and tried to console me.
"Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault," she said. "But no matter how hard it is, you can't risk being seen with him again. Especially by the general."
She took my shoulders and made me face her. Her eyes were full of sadness yet filled with determination.
"General Mijares is looking for you. He told everyone that you sold information to the Spaniards and that you're hiding because you're guilty," she said, looking directly at me. "When your wounds have healed, you need to go and escape this town. Go far, and don't try to come back."
"But I didn't. I would never do that!" I said.
"I know and I believe you, but what power that we have that can prove that as of the moment? What you need to do is to go as soon as possible."
"But I can't leave you," I said, crying.
"You don't have a choice. If you want to live, you have to go. Just make sure you keep moving. I won't tell this to anyone else," she assured me. "But for now, you need to rest and gather your strength."
"A...Aunt?" I stuttered as I looked at her. She looked at me, and I swallowed hard.
"I'm really sorry...for bringing you into this situation," I said, looking down.
"Shhhh. It's okay. Don't worry I'll be fine," she said as she hugged me. "I got this, we are going to get through this we just have to have faith and trust God okay?"
I just nodded and silently wiped my tears.
"Okay, I'll just go out to attend to something. Don't go out. Just rest." My aunt left the room and shut the door. It was getting dark, and I heard the rain falling from the sky.
My mind wouldn't stop thinking about him. I wanted to talk to him at least one last time. I wanted to know if he believed his father or if he believed in our love. I want to know if he will ever forgive me for this and since I don't know if I will see him again, I want to give him one last kiss... I closed my eyes, and before realizing it, I was dozing off again.
#
The next few days haven't been better. My aunt said that she heard that the general's goons were still looking for me. Even though my bruises had healed a little bit, I still had difficulty moving. I couldn't even stand properly.
"I wonder what happened to him?" I thought to myself. "Maybe he already believed his father because I've been hiding for days..."
Slowly I stand up and look out the window where all I saw was a lushes green forest, the only view that I'd been seeing since I came here. But it was beautiful and peaceful. As I stared at the view, I became so eager to see him again, but I knew it was almost impossible.
"Who are you?" I was startled by this kid who had just appeared out of nowhere. He was intently looking at me. Seems like trying to identify who was the man in front of him.
"No, who are you? And why did you just appear out of nowhere?" I asked as I approached him. He may just be six or seven years old, but he looks intelligent.
"I'm Lyce. this is our house. So why are you here?" he said.
"Your mommy's friend brought me to this place to hide until it's safe to return," I said as I gestured for him to come beside me.
He went beside me, looking confused. "Safe from what?" he asked again."Safe from the animals? My mommy doesn't allow me to go to the forest. She said there are wild animals that may eat me." I just smiled and admired him. Wishing I had those charms and innocence too.
"Yeah, animals. It's not safe to go out because of animals," I said. "Where's your mother? And why didn't I see you here before?"
"I'm always with my father in the other town. That's why I can't come here. And Mom's probably out to sell the baskets. She told me to stay here until she gets back," the little boy said as he continued looking at what was outside the window. "What happened to you?" he asked as he looked at me. "What animal caused these bruises?" he added while he pointed at the side of my mouth.
"You're a smart boy," I messed his hair then he smiled. "It was a different kind of animal, more gruesome and scarier," I whispered to him, then he just nodded.
"What about you? Are you afraid of the animals?"
"It depends. If it was my pet and the chickens, I'm not. But if it was a wild animal, maybe I'll be frightened too," he said. "But my dad said he would teach me how to hunt those wild animals so that I would not be afraid of them anymore, but that's when I became older. Now, I can only feed the chickens and the boars."
"Hmmm, so are you gonna hunt and fight the animal that did that to you?" he said as he stared at me. I couldn't answer him for a moment, so I just sighed.
"I don't know... Even if I know where to find that animal, it's too dangerous, and I don't know if I can beat him," Lyce is still looking at me as I try to explain.
"Why don't you try? I can help you. Maybe with my help, we can beat it," he said with such excitement. If only he knew.
"I'm not sure..." I shift my gaze as I try to find an answer. "I don't even have any weapons," I said. "What if you get hurt while you're fighting the animal?" I asked.
"Yeah Mother would be mad," he said with a smile. "But since we're friends now, I will protect you," he said confidently.
"Thank you, Lyce," I said as I ruffled his hair. "But I'll have to leave soon," I said as I stood up, but before I could walk away, he grabbed my hand and looked at me.
"What?" I asked as I squatted down to face him.
"Beat that animal for me okay?"
"Yeah, I will. Promise." I said with a smile as I watched him run off to feed his chickens. He was excited about this as a child would. "Now that's a kid," I thought to myself. I don't know why I was so amused by what he said, but for the first time again, I just couldn't help smiling.
#
As I was watching the twilight before the sun finally set, I saw my aunt rushing toward the house. She was holding her basket filled with vegetables.
"Come inside the house now!" She said nervously.
"Why? What's wrong?"I was baffled by the way she acted.
"I think you need to go. The general knows you're here and they'll be here at midnight, you need to go before they find you," she said as she began to pack her things.
"But you -"
"No. we don't have time for this. Just don't think about me, just go."
"O... Okay but please be careful... I'll find you if I can," was all I could say as I followed her. But before I could leave the house, she grabbed me and hugged me tightly. "Please, be careful. And this... He asked me to give it to you," she said as she handed me a piece of sealed parchment. "Now go, and no matter what you heard, don't come back. Just go."
I quickly ran out of the house and hastily went deep into the forest. The sun had almost set, but there was still enough light for me to navigate. In my hand was the piece of parchment from him. I stopped near the river and carefully opened the parchment.
Based on the penmanship, I confirmed that it was from him.
"Meet me at the bridge" is the only thing it says. I eventually knew what bridge he was referring to. It's where this river would end. I look around to see if I am being followed. When I was sure no one's following me, I decided to walk beside the river and towards the bridge. As I got closer, my heart began to beat rapidly. I'm not sure what to expect or what to do next. I'm just excited to see him again.
The sun had set entirely, but the moon still shone perfectly. As I make my way into the tall trees, accompanied by the soft sound of the shallow river, I can't help to feel scared. From time to time, I felt like someone had been following me, and I was being watched.
And at last, I finally see the silhouette of the bridge. I noticed that there were still some passersby, so I couldn't risk being seen. I just hide beneath a huge tree and wait. As the night becomes colder and quieter. A lot of people had passed by the bridge. Some of them were soldiers, making me squeeze myself into the huge trees with thick bushes. But he was none of those passersby. But I assure myself that he will come.
It was almost midnight when I got to see him. He was completely illuminated by the moon. I knew he was looking for me, but I was shaded by the shadow of the big tree I was hiding. So I came closer to the bridge where he could see me. As I came closer, I was able to see him clearly. He's a little different now. He was wearing a soldier's uniform and carrying a weapon. His eyes seemed to glow when he saw me. He looked around to check if there were some other people, and when he was sure we were the only ones there, he almost ran toward me.
He grabbed both sides of my face and kissed me with so much passion and longing.
"You came," he said as our lips parted. I just smiled and looked at him. "I thought you'd be scared after the incident."
I stayed silent for a moment. "You don't believe your father don't you?" I asked as fear began to shroud me.
"You have to trust me, okay?" as he said that, soldiers from all over the place emerged out of the bushes. I looked at him so horrified that I couldn't think of any words to say. I saw tears gleaming in his eyes, but he couldn't look at me. Two soldiers grabbed my hand, preventing me from moving.
"Well done, son. Well done," I know who that is. It was the general. I'm still looking at him, hoping that somehow he would explain to me what was happening. That somehow, he would tell me that he did not betray me. But he didn't.
"Do you really think my son would betray me just for a lowly person like you?" the general asked me. I was about to answer, but he slapped me so hard that my face felt numb. "It's people like you who are the reason for this country's downfall."
"Dad we had an agreement," he said to his father.
"Shut up!" his father yelled at him. "You may go. You're not needed here anymore," he harshly said.
"Let me go!" I yelled as I attempted to struggle, but the soldiers tightly held me. I'm in complete agony, and my body is all bruised.
"Don't worry you're going to get what's coming to you," the general told me.
"Why are you doing this general?" I asked.
"Because people like you are the cancers of the country. You only want money," he said as he gestured to his soldiers. And they forced me away from the bridge. "I know you're the Spaniard's spy, some of the guards see you sneaking at the backdoor at midnight," he added.
"That's true. I was sneaking then, but not because I was a spy. It's..." I looked at him before I continued what I was about to say.
"It's because of me, dad," he said. Making the space between his father's brows disappear. He quickly walked at him, and the next thing I knew, he was curled on the ground and weeping in pain.
I tried saying his name, but I couldn't seem to say it. I tried calling him but I couldn't.
"I told you to shut up! I am not asking you," he yelled at him. He kicked him to the ground. "After all the effort I put in keeping you alive, don't you dare disobey me again."
After doing that, he ordered the soldiers to bring him back to their house.
"Bring him back to the house and lock him up. Don't let him escape, I'm not done with that boy yet," he said.
The soldiers carried him helplessly as he tried to get away with them, he was shouting my name, but it didn't register in my mind. I'm trying so hard to catch it up, but I can't; it was like something I already knew but couldn't comprehend. I could hear him saying about betrayal and trusting his father's words, but I wanted to hear my name. Why can't I know my name?
"And you!" the general said, making me look at him. His eyes seem to glitter as the torchlight reflects on them. It makes him scarier. My heart was racing, and half of my face was still sore because of the slap I received from him.
He slowly came toward me and then pushed me. Just like that, my body fell in between the bushes, and I could again feel a searing pain in my stomach as he and his soldiers began kicking me.
"No!" I screamed. "No!" My body hurts so badly that I can't even move to defend myself. I don't know how many soldiers were kicking and punching me, but I know that I was bruised all over my body.
I struggled to stand up, but three soldiers had already grabbed me. They held my arms and forced me to stand. It started to rain, making my vision blurry; from the kick and punch I received and because of the rain.
"Now you can't ever get near my son again. I'm making sure of that, you traitor!" he said as he launched another punch into my stomach.
"I... I am not a traitor!" I tried so hard to say. In every word I say, I can taste my own blood rushing out of my mouth.
He was about to give me another punch when a loud gunshot echoed, followed by another one. And the two soldiers holding me fell down, but I managed to still stand.
"Leave him alone!" it was him on the other side of the bridge. He is carrying a gun he probably gets from the other soldiers.
All of the other soldiers pointed their guns at him and just waited for the general to give the command. "You don't want to do that," the general said as he turned to him.
"Let him go! Or I swear to hell I'll shoot you!" he shouted as the rain got heavier, and because of my wounds, it was getting hard to completely see what was going on.
The soldier looked at the general, waiting for an order. "Are you sure you can do that to me? To your own father?" he said.
"I don't know. I don't know anymore!" he shouted. The gun was still pointed at his father. Knowing him, his resolve was never like this. He had never succumbed to his emotions. He was always reasonable and calm, and logical. And the last thing he wanted was violence. But as I looked into his eyes, I saw them full of anger and frustration. Made me think that even if we did get out of this situation, there is no way to reach the conclusion we wanted.
"Let him go," the general said. The soldiers that were holding me didn't oblige at first. They're just looking at the general and verifying if what they heard was correct.
"I said let the kid go!" he shouted once again, making the soldiers let go of me instantly. I fell to the sodden ground, but I managed to get up. And as I felt like every muscle and bone in my body had been bruised and broken, I slowly took a few steps toward him.
The gun was no longer pointed at the general; he was looking at me. With all of my strength, I tried to walk as fast as I could to reach him, but when it was just a couple of steps, my ears rang with a thunderous noise then suddenly I couldn't move my feet. As I looked at him, his eyes were also shocked. I felt my body sways as I tried to balance myself.
"A... Au... August," I said as I was falling. I looked up, and I saw the shocked expression on his face.
"Fabian!" I could only hear his voice and the rain before I fell into the river.
"So that was his name and mine." I finally thought to myself as I felt my body splash in the water.
Everything is dark, and I can't see anything at all. I tried moving, but it felt like I could no longer control my body. All of the visions in my head are on the verge of coming true, even the pain I felt earlier but worse.
.
.
.
So, this is how dying feels like...
I cannot move.
It's just cold and dark, and unable to breathe.
Dead, but still aware. He was looking at me while I sunk into the deep dark water. I can clearly see his face, and now, unlike the dreams that I had in the past, I finally know who he is.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbibeCpK5Fe
