Chapter 8: Hearts

I try to think back to the "old days". When things weren't so complicated. But I can't, because things were always this complicated, I just didn't know it yet.

Simple power outages that the average person wouldn't even blink at. But to me, it was just another clue. That was what my life had become, clue after clue to a question that I didn't even understand. Ignorance is bliss. But I kept running after the clues. I wasn't sure to what, but as I walked into Derrick Todd's house, I hoped I was going to get answers. For some reason, the air inside was very moist. The smell of something strong filled the house. I recognized it, it was the same as the other times. But also my mind was connecting it to something else now. Something long-forgotten. But I didn't dwell on it. I entered the living room. The memory of the first time I was in the house kept running through my mind. All those days ago, and since then I still didn't know what my Father was doing. Or what those things were. I searched around the room. I didn't have a plan. I didn't have a weapon. I had no idea what I would do if one of those creatures attacked me. But for some reason, that didn't matter. I felt I had to help Derrick, had to do something this time, just to stop what had happened before. The trail of black oil led upstairs, and I followed it up. I took my time because the stairs were creaky. Didn't want to alert anyone, or anything. Only then did I start paying attention to the voice. It was Derrick's. I walked closer to it, trying to be as quiet as possible. I could only hear bits of it.

"No no, listen. Listen to me. I know you can... I need to tell them... lied to you, he fucking lied to you... I don't know how that... right... goodbye." I was right by the door, trying not even to breathe, as if that would prevent me from hearing everything. I heard someone get up off the bed slowly. I stepped back, and braced myself. The door opened. Just Derrick. He looked very tired. He didn't do much more than blink when he saw me. He asked me what I was doing there. I asked him who he was talking to. He told me no one. I checked, there was nothing in the room but a puddle. He told me I needed to leave, that I shouldn't be this involved. He started to turn away but I stopped him. I was sick of it, I wante3d to know the truth. I pushed him up against the wall. I told him if he didn't tell me what he knew I would make him tell me. He only laughed and pushed me off of him. In that moment, I think I might have actually killed him if I could. He walked downstairs to the kitchen. I stayed up there for only a second before I followed him. I felt like the child that no adult would believe. I told him I was serious. He simply began to get himself a drink. I was sick of all of these patronizing people, so I tried another approach. I told him that a "Louis Rockwell" visited me. He dropped the cup.

When he looked at me, I barely recognized him. "You are so much like him, you know? Bastard never took no as an answer, and look what it got him. And all he ever cared about was keeping you away from all this. Keeping you safe. Yeah, sure, he found out a lot of the stuff we now know, but weren't we happier not knowing? Who the hell are you to think you can just open up everything we've tried to stop!? Who the fuck do you think you are!? But you've always wanted to know, haven't you, even before you saw it. He blamed himself for all of that, but you were already hooked. A born Seeker. You make me sick." I had nothing to say. He went for another cup, changed his mind, and grabbed a bottle of beer. He slumped down onto the chair. "Run." I didn't understand. "Get out and run. I'd tell you to leave town, but that wouldn't do anything. You just need to keep running." I asked him what was going on. He didn't reply at first, just drank his drink. He told me I only had a few hours. "Until what?" He looked at me only for a second and went back to his drink. "Our end." I asked him how he could predict that. He told me that it wasn't predicted. It was planned. That "Your Father, Rockwell, and me. We planned this. No, we didn't plan for this. But we did, in a way. We wanted everything. All of it all to ourselves. We never told each other this, but we all knew it. We were prepared to do anything to get what we wanted." He looked like he was going to vomit. He told me only darkness remained. He looked up at me and I saw that he was crying. He told me the sun wasn't coming up anymore. He took another drink.

I ran until I couldn't. Until it hurt to breathe. When I finally stopped, it was still dark, but there was nobody outside. Not even the occasional homeless person was on the streets. I started running again. I ran home. But there was nothing there for me. Someone had been there already, and the room was empty. Completely empty. As if I was never there in the first place. As if I never existed. That scared me the most. I didn't stay for long, I just kept running. It was starting to get brighter outside, but I didn't feel any warmer. Someone had found my home and emptied it. I didn't even bother to try to find out who did it. I just wanted to run and I didn't know why. As if I could outrun everything that had been following me. But I couldn't. I ended up in a park. I screamed. I cried. I wanted answers. I wanted to know the truth. I wanted my Father. I passed out.

When I woke up, there wasn't a sun anymore.

-S