Before Gray Stewart could process her thoughts, she felt a warm, nearly hot, feeling on her stomach. When she looked down, a color of red slowly painted her white t-shirt. She looked bemused at Undertaker. He clearly had no gun in his hands. With the very little strength she had left, she turned around behind her with quivering eyes.
“J-jude?”
Only five feet away from her stood Jude by the door with a gun staring at her. And beside him was Colleen swiveling her eyes between Gray and the gun.
“I’m sorry, man,” uttered Jude with his trembling hands gripping on the gun. “I gotta protect my family too.”
Gray only gasped in response as her stomach spasmed in pain. She had a lot to say---to ask, but she could barely breathe, much more open her mouth to talk. She wanted to
Gray had been hogging the last few chapters like a main character, the committee have decided to bring her down. And I agree *shameless nodding* Thank you for your contributions thus far, Gray. You will always be remembered as the scene-stealer. May you rest in peace.
“FREEZE! This is the Police! Put your hands where I can see them." The commotion prompted the slowly succumbing Gray Stewart to part her eyelids once again. With her blurred vision, she strenuously strived to make sense of the surreal vision seen from her eyes. There were a lot of motions going on. Her ears were near deaf, it felt as if she was underwater. She could hear mumbling, inaudible voices. And she felt the floor shaking. In a nutshell, she had been taken to a jam-packed public swimming pool in summer, filled with half-naked people sardined together. Gasping for air, her eyes started to quiver as she felt more blood oozing out of her stomach. And as she forced her consciousness to stay for longer, she began to taste blood in her mouth. It was like gargling a rust-flavored juice. Just then, she felt a pres
Zia Scott felt an inexplicable ominous feeling when the incessant gunfire just outside where they were held had come to an end. And listening to the conversation of the two men, it just fueled her perturbation. “Did she really get caught?” she thought to herself. For one, she wasn’t even certain if the intruder they were referring to was indeed Gray, but she could not think of anybody else reckless enough to invade enemy territory without a thorough plan or with the help of the police. In the midst of her overthinking, she felt a light dab on her shoulder. She looked beside her. “Fireworks done?” asked Elreese bemusedly. “I guess so,” she answered. Elreese broke into a smile. “That’s good.”
Zia Stewart’s jaw dropped along with the sinking of her heart when the gun was fired. “Nooooo!” Her reverberating howl rumbled throughout the room. “Edward! Edward!” she cried at Edward who had collapsed on her tiny lap. Right then she realized. ‘So this is what it feels like.’Gray’s image suddenly flitted across her head. The reason for her recurring nightmares, her major life change and the pain she must have suffered even after all the years that had gone by. In an instant, Zia was able to empathize with her. The agony of not being able to do anything as you see your lover dying right in front of your very eyes. The torture of breathing just fine when the person you love most is grasping for breath in front of you. The tormenting situation of your lover only inches apart from you but you could not do as much as touch them. It was not easy, a
What happens after a person dies? Various religions believe that the soul of the dead would go to a certain place for judgment. However, nobody really knows the truth. Only the dead, themselves, can give the most legitimate answers. What comes after death? A question many have asked and pondered on at least once in their lives. But when they’re already one step away from death? Does the question emerge from their curious minds again? Probably not. Perhaps when they realize they only have a few seconds left---less than a minute---to lay eyes to the world and feel the air passing through their mouths and noses, their minds would begin doing an impromptu slideshow of their memories---both satisfying and regrettable ones. ‘I miss my mother’s cooking’, ‘I miss my hometown’, ‘I lived a great life’, ‘I wish I did something to achieve my dreams’, ‘I have no regrets’, ‘If only I can turn back time’, ‘I don’t want to die’, ‘I’m scared.’
“Gray! Gray!” Gray Stewart vigorously turned her head, searching for the voice calling out to her. However, her eyes were coated with darkness. She could not even see herself. She didn’t know what she wore or where she stood. All she was certain about was that she heard a voice. A familiar voice was calling her name. Suddenly, she was able to see the surroundings although it felt like she teleported from a dark space into a certain room. She was seated on a high stool. Her clothes were her typical black buttoned sleeve and black trousers paired with black oxfords. Her clothes were themed for a funeral but the way she wore them made her look like a high-class gambler. Although, in her hand was an empty wine glass instead of poker chips. A bar counter was in front of h
The word ‘sister’brought more discomfort to Gray Stewart’s already uncomfortable feeling. “Don’t fucking call me sister,” she thought. “I’m not a nun.” “You look exasperated,” uttered the man, then he made his hand into a point and lightly poked her forehead as he leaned closer. “Or is it because you’ve turned ugly from the last time I saw you?” He pulled back his hand and straightened his back. “I can’t believe you tarnished our sublime face.” He glared down at her. “You really look pathetic. You make me sick.” “You fucker,” thought Gray to herself. “What the hell did you even come here for?” He sat on a chair beside the hospital bed and crossed his legs as he leaned back. “I would have transferred you to a prestigious hospital.” He wandered his eyes around the room. “This place looks rotten befit
“I can’t believe he’s really here,” complained Zia as she climbed up on a stool beside the hospital bed. “You don’t even need to tell me. I know you’re annoyed just at the sight of him.” “If only I was in my original body,” she added. “I would have smacked that weakling down his high horse.” Amidst her grumbling, Gray just had her head turned on the other side, staring at the pastel sky outside the window. Zia looked at her. “How are you feeling?” As she studied her side profile, she could see scrapes and slight bruises on Gray’s face. “I’m really glad you’re awake now, it’s been…” She hesitated. “It’s been a week already.” She saw Gray’s hand, with a clip connected to an ECG machine, twitching over the blanket. “I’m rea
“Mom,” uttered Azriel Stewart as the other line picked up. “My precious son, how are you?” said the woman he referred to as his mom. She had a sweet, caring voice. “I’m alright, mom. I’m at the hospital right now.” “You—what?! Oh, my God. What happened to my baby boy?” “No, Mom. I’m fine. I’m just visiting someone.” “Oh? What are you doing wasting your precious time with commoners, son?” “It’s…it’s not a commoner, Mom.” His voice trailed off as he added, “at least not to me.” “Oh, my word!” His mother gasped. “How rude of me. Who is it, son? Maybe I should also pay them a visit.”