Death Row

I

-          I Killed…

There was an odd silence in the room, not even the blood dripping from head to floor made a sound, still, the noise coming from his mind was hurricane-like and his thoughts were in total mayhem.

-          I killed…

Everyone on the neighborhood was away, he had been lucky no one was around to see the weird shape of a floating woman through a second-floor window, the air was dark, there were no lights outside.

-          I… I killed her…

He saw beauty in horror. It was erotic, seeing her like that, hovering close to the floor but not ON it, gave her an aura of fantasy, a gift only for him, and he appreciated it. Though forced at first, she then ceded to his will and stood there for him, blood dripping and all.

-          OH, f**k!

The realization came hard again, she was no longer there, only her body hanging by her head nailed to the wall. He looked at her face and saw not shock, not horror or disgust, but surprise, the exact semblance that made him fall for her all that time ago.

-          Oh… f**k…

There were no stars in the sky that night, just them. He often wondered about how would it be to kill, he did not care of how he would do it, but how would he feel after it happened, happy? Sad? Relieved? none of that, he found out it was absence, a person gone to nowhere. Still, she was there, an absolute proof that his love was at last requited. He leaned in towards her cold lips.

-          f**k… I love you.

They Kissed.

He unhung and carried her through the small apartment towards his bedroom where he laid her to rest. Her smile gave him comfort and he knew there was no need for words. The apartment was an utter mess, but it was not the time to think about it, he just wanted to look at her and sleep by her side. Cleaning – He thought – will be done in the morning.

He heard a muffled scream; his neighbors were fighting over the same stupid s**t they´ve argued for the last year - WHO WILL TAKE THE KIDS?... I CAN´T KEEP UP WITH YOUR s**t, IM LEAVING NOW! … UNGRATEFUL b***h, YOU´RE NOTHING WITHOUT ME! - It was still night but he didn´t know exactly what time it was because his clock wasn’t working, weird. The shouting wasn´t going to stop very soon so he just closed his eyes and listened, he didn´t know the couple, but by the looks of it, he was a good man with anger issues and she cared too much, whenever they were happy the feeling was true, same when they fought. He knew, even without meeting them personally, that everything they said, shouted, whispered to each other, came from that childish place in your heart that won´t let you lie for better or in this case, for worse. The bedroom seemed smaller and the screams ever stronger…

Her stuttering voice, begging – YOU´RE GOING TO KILL ME – knocked him as if she were saying it to him – George… STOP! – she called his name.

-          The f**k?

He woke up two minutes before the alarm went off, the clock, which at the time read 5:58 A.M. in shining, almost warning red lights, was working fine. Last night felt like a dream, he tried to remember what happened, the fight over whose kid belongs to whom, the f****d-up apartment that still needed cleaning, and… a rush.

-          Holy… Samantha?

He turned to the other side of his bed and found her, exactly where he had left her, she was glowing, beautiful as ever, though a little smelly. He kissed her lips and got out of bed trying to not wake her up, he left the room happy and unaware of the pool of blood behind her back.

****

-          Hello?

-          Hello… Um… John? It´s George

-          What´s up, my man! – he laughed - Did you score with Her?

-          Funny you asked, can you tell Frank I won´t make it to work today?

-          Oooh, wild night?

-          Well… Yeah… Kind of…

-           Alright Alright, how about this, tonight, you, me, some drinks while you tell me everything, that sound cool? … George, is that cool?

-          Oh, yeah right sorry, see you john.

-          See you tonight dude, haaa, my man got luc...

George hung up without realizing his friend was still talking. He was taken by the scene in front of him, a white wall with a window both covered with blood, he wanted to see if Sam was alright but he already knew the answer. His only thought was “I´m going to Jail” and a vision, mix of supposedly real life stories, TV and film depictions of prison time, he saw himself wearing those orange suits, being taunted “Here whitey whitey, don´t be afraid, not if you behave” by a gigantic man holding a soap knife. Somehow, that thought entertained him, but the putrid smell of Sam´s corpse was all the reminder he needed. George revised the facts on his mind: Last night he killed a woman; Her blood was splattered everywhere; There was a rotting corpse on his bed; He was on death row. After much thinking, it was 8 o´clock already, he was sitting on the couch, face deep inside his hands, George decided he was baking a cake.

First items were baking soda and dish soap, for cooking and cleaning the latter shitshow, then flavor, sprinkles and yeast. The most difficult item, and this was for the quantity needed was Hydrogen Peroxide, he bought liter bottles at various drug stores and hairdressers until he had enough. He started cleaning as soon as he was at home. None of the neighbors were around and it was 9:00 A.M. He had time, and there were more pressing matters at hand, Sam was still in bed waiting for her funeral.

He remembered the day he moved, the apartment was clean and kept well-enough to be sold at the low price he bought it, but even then, it had an aroma of vacancy: the walls, painted recently, looked old, the tile floor was quiet and every room felt empty. Now, after years of filling it with stuff bought over time, the feeling remained however with some exceptions, the white wall, the window all clear and the nail with its metal shining proud of being part of that triad. Save for his bedroom, the apartment was clean, the only issue was his brown couch covered with a shell of hardened blood, George scraped as much as he could with a dinner knife, bits flew away and some fell on his face which he swept away with disgust, after an hour of struggle to not run away and being careful not to tear the fabric, the result was an almost clean couch “With a mmm, mmm, mmmm crruuunch on the inside” he thought of a cereal, of blood, of Sam and of his life in jail but he soon discarded those thoughts and focused on what he was doing, he took the peroxide and poured it half-afraid of screwing things up even more, he didn´t, with little of the liquid left, the couch looked untouched, after sweeping the floor, he lay down and rested a while looking at his bedroom door, closed. George did not feel ready to go inside, he didn´t have a plan for Sam, maybe if I close my eyes and remember, maybe I could come up with something.

He waited… and waited.

Nothing.

No recollection of whatever happened that night, just the sight of a ghostly woman floating and the thought I KILED on desperate repeat, it almost didn´t feel real, but it was, wasn´t it? Last night he heard the neighbors fight, he heard her call his name, he watched the clock and it wasn’t on, but it rang, it was all a dream, the question lingered thin an heavy on the air above him, a wrong move and he´d be crazy, dead, both maybe. He moved his head sideways and with his eye half open he noticed a spec of blood on the ground, moments later he saw himself screaming IT WAS LITTLE UNTIL IT WAS NOT! To an imaginary officer inside a made-up interrogation room on his head and the man shouting in many voices CONFESS! YOU FUCKER! he wanted to escape, there was no door to go through, there was nothing but the two men, one pleading help and the other eager to catch a monster. As certain he was dreaming, he was completely sure he died that moment, there, just there, no closure or resolution for his tormented soul, just death and… absence. He opened his eyes, sweating cold, the warm sunlight flowing through the window told him it was evening already, time was running out. He stood up out of breath and reached the bedroom door, the pungent smell of Sam´s cadaver moved him closer towards the handle, he grabbed it and told himself to stop but the odor was demanding, he had to enter his room and see what it was like, to see her putrid corpse on the flesh. Slow. Slow as eternity was long, he opened the door and moved in inch by inch, the room was dark, he heard a voice…

-          Hhhhmmmgggg, George, are you up already? What time is it?

The clock marked a quarter past three, as far as he remembered she was facing it, maybe she moved…maybe.

-          George? Are you there?

-          Yeah, sorry, it´s 3 o´clock, a bit late for work, you want something to eat? Sam?

He walked inside and turned on the light. He guessed right, Sam had moved, or rather, something moved inside her. She was pale and smaller than before, she sure kept wearing that face he loved, but that thing on his bed was no longer Samantha, it had become something else overnight, a rotten remnant of the woman he desired, of whom he loved deeply. It looked like vines. That´s what his first thought before he entered that nightmarish interrogation room. When the bit of blood grew and spread, it looked like a plant growing, the color reminded him of grapes, thus, it looks like grapevines. Just like that he had found a solution, him and Sam were making juice.

-          It will be fun, Sam! Think about it like the greatest consummation of love, just like… JESUS! It was so obvious! I´ll drink your juice and our souls will be bonded for eternity! I mean, if he did it, how could we not?

The sooner the better, he figured. George was ecstatic, so much so that he carried Sam without being bothered by her rotting bits and, in a series of fluent moves he chopped the body into tiny parts, easy, the meat was soft already and it cut like butter. Her organs weren´t a big deal either, he cleaned them, emptied them and chopped them, all waste went down the drains. The bones were the hardest part, stubborn and hard as her character, but, like her, they couldn’t resist a strong will. He used the blender to grind the bones and liquify her body and the colander to extract the juice, then repeated the process over and over until he had a milk-shake like consistence, he waited a few hours for it to settle, poured her juice on bottles he had saved over a long time and put them in the freezer. He mixed the remains with flour and spices and made minced meat to also keep in the freezer for later consumption. Tired and Feeling free from damnation, George lay down in his bed among what was left of Samantha, he slept with her, yes, John should be proud of him, he really scored a big deal with her.

Calm, he allowed himself to rest a little before going out tonight.

He woke up as soon as the phone rang

-          What´s up?

-          I´ve been trying to reach you for two hours!

-          Sorry, I fell asleep, meet me at Surdy´s as usual? I won´t take long

-          What the… No, George! I´m at your front door, let me it.

-          I´m… I´m sorry? Why did you come here unnoticed? I told you…

-          Shut up, alright? I know you don´t like to be bothered or some s**t, but…

John was silent for a while, trying to collect his thoughts, as if he was to say something he did not want to, George urged him to talk, half annoyed half afraid of whatever news his friend had to tell him.

-          But?

-          George… Something happened to Sam.

-          … Come in.

He hung up, paradise had left him on his own, he walked into a corner and sat there, waiting for John to see the mattress, the freezer, to see him in prison. The phone rang again.

-          The buzzer, dude.

-          What?

-          The buzzer? You know, that button that goes bzzzzz and lets people into apartments?

-          Yeah, right, let me… John?

-          Mhm?

-          Something´s come up, I can´t open, I´ll meet you at the bar in an hour, alright? Bye.

-          What-the-f**k-are-you-talking-abo…

George turned off the phone and threw it inside the bedroom, “something happened to Sam”, yes, John, I killed her, at least I was sure of it a few hours ago, now I don´t even know where I am. THERE´S NO f*****g BUZZER HERE, just a few white f*****g walls and a pool of someone´s blood on my bed. Is it my bed? Sam? My apartment? I don´t know, maybe John does… He stood up fast, turned on the phone and called. Come on! You asshole, pick up the phone!

-          Why haven´t you opened?

-          Shut up and let me speak, okay?

-          What´s gotten into you? Dude, Sam´s in trouble, we have to help her!

-          John, I know you´re worried but please SHUT THE f**k UP, can you?

-          f**k off George… Yeah, tell me.

-          Have you been at Surdy´s?

-          What the f**k kind of question is that? What are you…?

-          SHUT UP, MAN! Don´t ask, I just need a YES or a NO, I’ll tell you later like I promised but I need to know, have you f*****g been there?

-          What… uh… yes.

-          Alright, I don´t know where I am, but I’ll meet you there in one hour, two tops, I told you STOP ASKING! I´ll tell you there, alright see you.

George looked through his phone to see if it had any useful information, it was empty, just a few phone numbers saved on what was pretty much a burner. He turned it off and left the apartment, it was not his home anymore, not sure if it ever was.

He remembered John as a thirty-something black man with short, almost non-existent hair, bright dark eyes and a charm of which George learned by watching him seduce the various women that went in just to drink and ended on his bed the morning after. Surdy´s one-night stands as people at the bar started to call it after noticing the habit of one of its most frequent customers. John was an easy person to like and even easier to be friends with, George wondered how they became so close, guess the charm worked on me too. He went through the front door into the street, it was dark already, still no neighbors around or light other than the lamp-posts, a couple streets down people started showing up, soon he found himself feeling glad of being surrounded by people who didn´t notice him unless they bumped into him, busy people minding their own business so he could mind his own. He checked his wallet for money and just in case, I should check my ID just in case… George Layton and his likeness on the photograph, he was himself, at least some good news, he had money, enough for a taxi and beer, just the things he needed to grab. He made the sign, the car stopped and he went inside, the driver looked confused when George told him where he was going, he imagined shouting have you been at Surdy´s? to the big stiff man on the driving seat, a fight would start and he would meet John beaten up, with no money and two sad stories to tell him. He laughed. The car stopped in front of a big neon sign with a faulty “t”. The place was called STURDY´S as it was the main treat of its owner but he grew old and the “t” left soon after that, George paid the fare and stood below the light, taking all the fresh air he could before getting in. He turned on the phone, no messages, a few missed calls, and saw the time, 8:00 O´clock. As he stepped inside, he remembered the last few hours, darkened by the constant I KILLED ringing non-stop on his mind. John, I killed Sam, I´m sorry. It didn´t matter what he´d say, a fight would break out at Surdy´s.

Everyone became silent when George walked in. A cover of Fly me to the moon was playing at low volume through the speakers on that discolored place that didn´t seem to fit with the time. The dim lights made every shape look like its shadow, all light was kept outside, it was a place that reminded of death, he liked it that way. He started walking and the chatter began, disconnected conversations about cheating wives, assholes sons and lamentations on oh how life could have been, empty men in an empty space. He sat at his usual seat, John was already there, he found comfort in seeing it was the same black man he remembered, however, there was no semblance of his charm, he looked worried and confused, muttering things George could not understand.

-          John, are you alright?

He looked at the pale figure standing in front of him and grabbed him by the shirt.

-          WHERE THE f**k HAVE YOU BEEN?

-          Calm down, I´ll explain, I just need you to sit down and be very calm about what I´m about to say … wait, how are you so sure Sam is in danger?

-          She… called me this morning, a few hours after you called in sick.

-          What? How… what did she say?! – Every I KILLED turned into WHAT THE HELL.

-          She said she was dying and begged me for help, dude, the whole thing was so weird, she was speaking nonsense for minutes, the only thing I got from her was “Help me, I´m going to die” while she cried…

-          And then?

-          That was it.

-          What do you mean?

-          That was it, George, she just hung up, I tried calling her again but it went straight to voicemail.

-          f**k, man… I´m sorry…

John was silent, trying to fight back the tears, he covered his face with his hands Idon´tknow…whatthefuckisgoingon..I tried man, I really triedtohelpher, I… It was there, the anger on his face, he jumped again.

-          Why weren´t you at YOUR house?

-          I can explain, John, the last few hours…

-          You´ve been acting so f*****g weird! What are you up to?

-          Dude…

-          Are you really sick or what?

-          John.

-          Tell me what THE f**k IS GOING ON!!

-          I´M TRYING TO! BUT YOU WON´T SHUT YOUR f*****g MOUTH!

-          … Alright… go the hell on, what are you up to?

-          I didn´t have s*x with Sam.

-          Man, what the f**k does that even have to do with anything?

-          Let me finish. I didn´t have s*x with her because something else happened last night.

-          Something? Like what? – John leaned into the table.

-          I don´t know, John, all I know is that, at least up to this evening, I…

His phone rang before he could say confess, it was an unknown caller, he answered.

Static, then a voice in deep pain and fear.

-          Hello? Is anyone in there? Please… Help me!

It was Sam.

John saw it the moment it happened, his friend´s skin becoming pale, he realized something had happened to him as well, George wasn´t the definition of normal, he always seemed to feel caught when someone started talking to him, startled, as if he was gone and then forced to come back into conversation, it happened often to the point that people stopped worrying and made jokes about it, where did you go to this time, George?, he would just stare and say you know…places… laugh and leave whatever room he was in before anyone stopped minding their own business and started asking questions. The first time they met was at the office, John worked at a small company that made and sold household products, that´s where he met George, he was an accountant. On his first day he was told to get some papers from one of his co-workers whom they called “The Observer” and was told not to mind him if he was gone, just tap his shoulders and wait for him to come back, then do your job. That´s what he did, shoulder thing and all, he was amused the whole time, the Observer was a normal looking guy with reading glasses who was just too focused at his desk-job.

-          George? … Hey dude…

-          Y…Yeah, Hello.

-          It´s John DeLaurie, Frank told me you have something for him, yes?

-          Oh? … Oh, yes! Here, take it! Thank you!

John witnessed the color coming back to his skin, he was pale, yes, but he had never been as white as he was at Surdy´s, open mouth and phone by the ear, George was gone again, something had happened. He stuttered, then spoke word by word like they were scared of being said.

-          Sam´s in danger.

-          I know man! That´s what I’ve been telling you all this time!

-          No, she… she called me.

-          When?

-          Just now… Hello? Is anyone there? Please help me? That was it.

-          How did you know it was Sam?

-          HOW DID I KNOW? IT WAS HER f*****g VOICE ON THE PHONE! YOU KEEP INSISTING ON TELLING ME THAT SHE´S IN DANGER AND NOW YOU DOUBT ME? f**k! f**k! I DON´T KNOW WHAT THE f**k IS GOING ON! I THOUGHT I KILLED HER, JOHN!

-          …What?

-          I WAS f*****g SURE I KILLED HER, I CAN´T REMEMBER HOW OR WHY BUT I´M SURE IT WAS SAMANTHA! I EVEN HAD…I even came to terms with it… f**k! John, I´m so sorry…

John remained silent for a while, trying to process what the man in front of him, weeping and full of sorrow just said. Call it back, George look confused.

-          Take the phone and call that number back. Now.

He called, a rushed automated voice told him that the phone number did not exist, then came the static. The sound travelled through the bar until it filled it with an ominous aura, somewhere inside his mind he heard a word, absence, whispered in a long breath, but before he could focus on that thought, the scream of a man saying you told me to go and he took my f*****g life from me! Then a punch, someone knocking back and someone else punching again. A fight had broken up at Surdy´s, George was in awe, he looked back at John and noticed something different about his eyes, but he was unconscious before he could figure out what it was.

****

The ceiling had a big drawing of an eye painted on most of its surface, it looked ancient, sad and most of all, vengeful. George woke up on the floor, in the middle of a conversation he didn´t understand, two men were speaking in a mix of grunts, growls and monosyllabic words so as far as he knew it could have been his mind playing tricks on him while street dogs ate or fought. He looked around and it looked back at him, there were everywhere, in books, paintings, floating inside jars, all around detached human eyes stared at him in silence, sometimes in wonder, but mostly they just waited like he imagined they´ve waited for their release. He tried to reach the ceiling, convinced he was tied up and ready to struggle and scream if necessary, but it wasn´t, he lifted his right arm and realized he wasn´t fixed to the ground, he stood up as the chatter stopped.

-          It was about time you figured it out.

George almost jumped when he heard him, a soft hoarse voice behind the counter, it was a young man wearing a dark red tunic also labeled with the drawing of an eye. Yes, he was not tied down, but he wasn´t aware of who he was or where he was either.

-          What are these?

-          Eyes, obviously.

The man grinned, he wanted George to ask him questions of which he had a lot, but silence had been the best alternative for him. After looking around and waiting for the guy´s patience to run out, he decided to get straight to the point.

-          Who are you?

-          I am the Fortune Seller. Nice to meet you, George.

The next question was obvious, how do you know my name? but he still played the waiting game, he held himself from asking, not until that Fortune Seller talked to him first. He remained silent and distracted by the eye memorabilia, at times he thought it may have been a dream, a tedious place made from his own imagination, perhaps the eyes would start moving and dance around, maybe he´d think they were still until they were not, wake up with a bruise on his face and remember that Sam´s phone call was still a mystery he had to solve. John witnessed the whole thing, f**k! He knew about the murder, he might be at the police station right now, even more after how last night ended, how did last night end? George made an effort to bring those memories from the dark corners of his mind but got nothing back, just the thought that there was something about John´s eyes, they shone with a strange purple haze, the void brought back another memory, he wore a big smile devoid of any feeling as he stared at him. That was it, he could be unconscious right now at Surdy´s as the fight went on and so he tried to wake up, despite his best efforts, he was stuck in that place, waiting, perhaps he would wait forever for the man in the other side of the room to start talking. One of the floating eyes caught his attention, it looked at George and as if moving on his own will, it pointed towards a wooden door. He wondered why he did not see it before and ran. When he picked the handle, the Fortune Seller spoke.

-          Are you sure you´re ready to live?

-          Why?

-          Because you don´t know where you are yet, aren´t you curious?

-          Yes, but I´m not asking.

-          You have always been the quiet type, George, it’s really cute.

-          How do you know me?

-          Part of selling fortunes is telling them first. It´s in the name.

-          Alright, enough with this cryptic bullshit, I´m leaving now.

-          Wait! Sam´s not going anywhere soon.

-          HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?

-          I told you George. It´s in the name.

George released the handle and walked towards the Fortune Seller, he was angry and scared about what the man in the robe could know about him.

-          Ok, you got me… Where am I? and what is all this s**t?

-          It´s my home, an emporium. It´s an opportunity for a man to fix his mistakes, as the saying goes “The eyes are doors to the soul”, I sell them the locks.

-          So, you´re black market, are you going to remove my eyes and add them to your collection?

-          Would that answer satisfy you? Would you be any happier or relieved if it were that way?

-          No.

-          I guessed so, George, why don´t you take a seat?

Before he could ask Where?  The chair materialized in front of him, was it there the whole time? He could not tell.

-          I´m already on the edge of my seat. Tell me, how did I end up here?

-          You walked in, remember?

-          I don´t.

-          I know, because it hasn´t happened yet.

-          What do you mean? Tell me now! Or… OR I´LL WALK OUT.

-          Oh, try it! Be my guest.

He ran towards the door and opened it. Nothing he could see on the other side, however, a billion muffled voices talking all at once. He closed the door and breathed; the emptiness overwhelmed him. He couldn´t help himself but to ask

-          What the f**k is going on? How do you know about Sam?

-          You´re dreaming, George, but don’t doubt me when I say I´m as real as you. You got the call, yes?

-          Sam´s? Yeah, I did, why? Is she in danger?

-          No, she´s dead already.

-          Yeah, I killed her…

-          But you don´t remember doing it.

-          No, I guess not. What is this place? Am I in hell?

-          Worse, you´re at Surdy´s. Do you want my advice? Leave immediately and look for THE EYE, a man called … is waiting for you.

-          What did you say?

-          You´re waking up. Remember George, look for the eye.

As his voice faded, the store vanished and he was left in the void, he heard a faint voice growing closer, he knew who he was.

-          George? Wake up!

He opened his eyes; he was laying on the floor while the fight still went on in the background. John was looking at him with his normal dark eyes.

-          Come on, man! We gotta leave!

Still feeling hazy, his jaw was sore, he stood up with some help. John looked hopeful.

-          What happened?

-          A fight broke out after you got that call, then someone knocked you and a minute or so later they called again. Hurry up, man, Sure you can walk on your own?

-          Yeah, don´t worry, what did they say?

John had that charm on his eyes again, he was anxious and ecstatic.

-          Sam´s alive! I know where she is, we have to go, now.

They left Surdy´s in the middle of the night, the moon was high and there was no one in the streets. John was walking fast while George tried to keep the pace, he was still absorbing the situation, Sam was alive, or so they were told, the little voice inside his head shouted don´t go but John was too focused on his hope to listen to anything he would tell him. George sat down on an empty street while his friend kept running to some place he didn’t say to rescue a woman he met a few weeks ago in the office, she wasn´t very  comfortable about John´s insistence on dating her, he gave up after some time when he saw his charm wasn´t getting any effect, however, he was still there, to flirt, to help, to hook her up with George who at first thought it weird but didn´t make much of it. Just two grownups getting it on and perhaps having s*x, as simple as that. He saw the moon and decided to walk back home to sleep for a while, he dreamed of something important but he couldn’t remember a single detail. He tried sleepwalking but it didn’t work, he just walked in silence all the way back, the moon was his only witness. On that moment of darkness and solitude, he thought if he had even been alive the last 24 hours, perhaps the interrogation room was real and this vision was his way of coping with the truth, he was a killer, he had been arrested, worst of all, he felt no remorse, the guilt would come a few seconds before dying and even then, maybe he´d just be contempt and relief. He thought of Kosinski´s suicide letter: “I’m going to put myself to sleep now for a bit longer than usual. Call the time Eternity.” And made one of his own I´m traveling further than usual this time, you can call it absence. It didn´t have the same punch as the original, but it would work for its purpose. Remorse was the key word, maybe he would feel it after all the nonsense is over, but how could that happen when he had no recollection of last night, he just remembered being there as if it was the first day of his existence, no past life, no nothing and so, remorse would never come, neither penitence or redemption, just the fate of not-being forever. He kept walking fearful of that idea that stuck with him when he got to his place, opened the door, saw the white pristine wall along the still clean window, went to his bedroom and noticed he hadn´t thrown the trash bag containing Sam´s, or the Corpse´s belongings out, then in a last half-assed effort to hide the evidence, he turned the mattress upside down, the other side was spotless, he made the bed and laid on its soft crusty surface, he closed his eyes and slept the night. There were no dreams, no nightmares or visions, no nothing he had to run away from, just the never-ending comfort of the void in which he vanished with ease and contempt.

DeLaurie noticed when George left him but he didn´t care much, he was on a mission to save Sam, there was nothing else on the world for him at that moment. He never doubted her because he had no reason and now in this time of need there was no space for second thoughts, no hesitation, just facts and he reviewed them as he ran: Sam had called him on the morning for help and by the looks of it, he was the only person she called. He knew she was smart and when she told him the address, he was happy and proud for her, more the reason not to betray her trust by being too late. He loved her, he did since the first say she spent at the office, he tried playing jokey, tough, indifferent, but nothing worked, frustrated as he was, he thought it would be fun to see George get his hopes up and then getting them destroyed again, yes, his friend was a sad man and he was an asshole for even thinking of such a thing, but he did it anyway. They hit it off, that disappointed him but he decided to play it cool while it lasted. That´s why when he got the call from Samantha, asking him, him and only him to help her because she trusted him, perhaps even loved him and that was enough, he kept George´s phone in case she would call again. He was days away on foot from the location, the moon was at her highest and there were no vehicles around, so he just would run without rest no matter how long it´d take, because Sam was alive and that was the only thing that mattered.

George woke up, he was rested and the thought of an impending death was nothing but a nuisance, the sound of cars driving by and the loud music from his upstairs neighbors comforted him. All else was normal despite the weird s**t of the last few hours, he got out of bed, cooked himself one of Sam´s special burgers and stared through for a moment, watching how the world didn´t seem to mind the absence of one of its many billions of people, for a while he wondered where John had gone but it didn´t faze him, he had his own s**t to worry about, after a few minutes he took the bag and looked inside it, the clothes Sam wore that night, her handbag with pills of some kind and her wallet. It was her face on the I.D. she had money, a few photographs of her with her family and a worn card with a cryptic looking eye drawn over a crimson background among a phone number. Something about it shook his memories and brought back the dream, parts of it: a man wearing a robe, lots of eyes, the never-ending void and his voice… look for the eye… The rush came back, not from death but discovery, he reached for his pocket to get his phone but there was nothing inside. f**k, John! he took his phone when Sam called. George kept the card on his wallet and went outside for a phone booth. He only had to walk a few blocks until he found one.

-          Hello, I need to call someone.

-          Last cabin on the right.

-          Thanks.

It was ringing, the number was real at least, but whoever was on the other side took a long time to pick-up. An old voice answered.

-          Welcome to the … um… the eye, how may I be of help?

-          Hello, it´s George Layton…

-          Yes? Hello Mr. Layton, how may I help you?

-          I… Kind of expected you to recognize me… It doesn´t matter, a friend gave me your number, I need to speak to you

-          Oh yes, speak, I´ll do my best to help.

-          No, I mean in person, when can I see you?

-          Umm… I only take phone calls for the moment, but tell me…

-          Are you the…- George closed his eyes in a hard effort to remember – the… Fortune Seller?

The man was still there, George heard his breathing, but he seemed reluctant to speak.

-          How do you know that name?

He did not sound old anymore.

-          I know this is going to sound ludicrous but I dreamt of you.

-          I see, did I tell you anything by any chance?

-          You told me to look for The Eye, someone would be waiting for me. Hello?

-          I´ll Tell you what´s going to happen, this call will end soon, you´ll pay the owner and she´ll give your change, buy a mint and ask her about her dead son.

-          What are you...?

-          I´m sorry Mr. Layton, that´s all I can tell you. Do as I say and figure out what happens next, and Remember. You spoke with The Eye, your door to the mystic and the spiritual. Goodbye.

All what´s left was the line tone. He did as The Eye told him, the lady in the counter started shaking and shouting my son, my dear son so loud that everyone around stopped to watch the scene. A man dressed like those in old timey movies walked towards the lady and said ma´am, is this fella giving you trouble? She cried louder, the man looked at George and said well, guess you and I will have to solve this somewhere else, let the lady mourn whatd´ya say? George was confused but he nodded, come with me, then! The man walked with him to his car and they got inside. His semblance changed with the tone of his voice.

-          So, George, do you have the mint?

-          Uh… yes, here.

-          Strawberry, my favorite! – he threw it on his mouth – So… tell me George, what´s your business with Mr. Fortune?

-          I think he can help me.

-          With what?

George told him with, perhaps too much, detail.

-          Oh, I see. Does it help if I tell you it´s not the worst story I’ve heard?

-          Not really, no.

-          Well I tell you it´s an interesting one for sure.

-          Okay.

He drove for a while without saying anything, he only spoke when they were on the highway out of town.

-          So… Mr. Layton, do you know what is Mr. Fortune´s job?

-          “The eyes are doors to the soul”, he sells people the locks. That´s what he said in my dream.

-          Not bad Mr., not bad at all. But I need to ask you, do you understand what it means?

-          No… I guess not…

-          Well, do not worry Mr. Layton, you´re about to see it for yourself. Why don´t you sleep? It´s going to take us a while to get there and you´ll want to be full conscious for the spectacle.

-          I guess I have no choice.

-          There´s always a choice, Mr., I´m just telling you what´s your best one right now.

-          Okay… wait, I didn´t catch your name?

-          I´m the one who get things done and keeps them balanced, you can call me Entropy.

-          That´s a funny name.

-          Is it? I think it works for the needs.

-          Then I think you should call me Sleep.

-          Ha! That was funny! Yes, do your thing Mr. Sleep. I´ll wake you when it´s time.

DeLaurie was still walking, the sun was at its brightest, he was sunburn, sleep depraved and close to starving, he kept the phone on his pocket trying not to use it much just in case Sam called again. He was close, he felt it on his bones, still far away from his destination, but closer than ever to find and save her damsel in distress. He kept walking despite how tired he was, because walking the distance had become another way of proving his love.

-          Mr. Sleep, you need to see this.

Entropy stopped the car in the middle of the road, he patted George on the arm, he looked around, a mountain on one side, a cliff on the other. They were halfway to nowhere, surrounded by nature.

-          Why did we stop?

-          Take a look around Mr. Layton, green everywhere, ah, the sounds of the birds, it´s delightful, don´t you think?

-          Yeah, the air is kind of nice.

-          I´m glad you feel like that, because I fear your life in town is over.

-          What? Why?

-          Rearview mirror, see for yourself.

He looked, his reflection faded while the sight of his living room appeared, a woman was sobbing on the floor, out of breath, there was no emotion on her face. A man approached her, asking her what had happened, the fridge…, it´s in the fridge… George clawed his hands onto the car seat. He only heard the sound of a door opening, then closing after a while, the man crawled towards the woman, hugged her and tried to comfort her, it´s alright, Linda, I´m here, his voice was shaking, let us go to bed, alright? I´ll handle this. She looked at him and nodded, then hugged him while tears started pouring from her eyes. Go, I´ll be there in a minute. She opened the door, stood beside it for a minute and then went inside, closing it slowly. The man took his phone and called the police, he was explaining everything when a loud thud, sounded inside the bedroom, hold a second, Linda? The door creaked as he opened it, Linda, are you okay? He left the living room. George heard a faint scream, Linda! Please wake up! Yes, I´m still here, I need an ambulance, my wife passed out after seeing a…a… something inside the fridge, please, come quick, I think there´s been a murder. The cops arrived, huge men dressed in phosphorescent green took the man´s statement, and placed the call for a murderer on the loose. The image faded and George was again staring at himself, with big dilated eyes, pale and silent.

-          So… What do we do?

-          Nothing, I´m afraid you´ve run out of choices. Well, not all of them, you can choose if you want to ponder about it and ruin this precious landscape, or, try to sleep and let your dreams do the heavy lifting.

George remained silent, the police was after him, his dread so small became a giant about to crush him. He closed his eyes and tried hard to let himself go, helped by his fear and the hum of the car that in a matter of seconds, started and was running again. He had no more options, and no idea where he was headed, he was trapped, perhaps from here till the moment of his comeuppance, s**t, that´s the only word he could think of, just s**t non-stop and the picture of Sam´s thing inside that black bag. It all had come to that one thing, s**t, and there was no way out. He found himself inside a dark room with two doors in front of him, one of which was guarded by a white being in the silhouette of man, the other door had been left alone but it was surrounded by an untrusty feeling, he went inside it despite his guts telling him not to. Once again, he found himself on another place, his living room, the woman was still crying but she was short out of breath when she noticed him, static, silent, a shadow sitting on the couch, it stood up and walked close to her, a deep and childish voice whispered Don´t worry Linda, it´ll be over soon while the shadow extended his hand and covered her face in darkness. The car veered and Entropy said It´s nothing to worry about, Mr. Layton, just a slippery road. George was back at the dark room, he looked at the white shape and it seemed inviting, he went through the door. Linda was still in stupor after the sight of what she only could comprehend as death when she felt an easiness holding her chin, the white figure sitting in front of her was calming, relax, Linda¸ you have nothing to be scared of, as such, all the despair and stress soon left her body and she let herself lay on the floor, for all she knew, God had come to save her.

-          Do you want this to be over?

-          Yes, my lord, please end my suffering

As you wish. The white figure stood up in silence and extended its arms, though nothing moved on the living room she could tell something was changing at a very slow pace. Mr. Layton, you´re gonna want to see this! The car was moving fast and almost out of control. Mr. Sleep! You´re out of commission! She had not expected to see her God struggle like that. Entropy, I know what you´re doing! Stop! Things started shaking around her house, the feeling of change evaporated and a frightening sensation invaded her body, perhaps that figure wasn´t God after all but something else, never mind how calmly it seemed, it was an unwelcome presence invading her home, Don´t doubt my intentions, Linda, I only … mean… good, trust me!. Entropy! I told you to STOP! – George´s lips were moving, the voice of the white flowed through him.

-          Oh, look who´s decided to finally speak! What an occasion! How should I refer to you, Mr.?

-          I AM THE LIGHT…

-          Alright Mr. Light, you´re doing something that is not much appreciated here on this side, you have to desist right now.

-          NOT NOW, LINDA STILL NEEDS HELP.

-          Things are at a very delicate balance right now; do you want to be of help?! Wait a while, George will need you later on!

-          LINDA NEEDS ME!

-          f**k LINDA! She can do well by herself with her husband! As I told Mr. Layton, there are always choices, Mr. Light, make the right one.

She watched the whole thing in full awe, that being was arguing with someone else about her, after a while he started screaming that she needed it, she did not, but the fact that some otherworldly thing discussed about her safety was both relieving and worrisome, she crawled back into a corner, trying not to be noticed by that thing that called itself The Light. ENTROPY, STOP! She was startled, Linda, forget! OH f**k. The Light vanished and Linda was the only one in the room, she was sobbing on the floor, out of breath, there was no emotion on her face, her husband came to help. The car had crashed onto a salient rock, it had been raining for a while now and it veered out of balance, Entropy asked George if he was okay, yeah, just a few bruises and a broken leg… s**t, how about you? He was alright, the seatbelt and the airbag did their job just fine. He stepped out of the car and carried George out.

-          Good news, Mr. Layton, we´re only a few minutes away from our destination, I advise you to stay awake all the way, it´s a good sight.

George nodded and looked around, it helped him distract from the great pain on his leg, as they closed by, the greens seemed greener and everything looked more real than before, perhaps this is heaven, he disregarded that thought, he couldn´t be allowed into heaven as broken of a man as he was. “Did you dream, Mr. Layton?”. The question shook him out of his introspection, yeah, I think I did. Entropy walked in silence, smiling. “So…?” I don´t remember much, I was back at my apartment staring while she cried. “Who?” The woman, I think her name was Linda. “I see, do you remember anything else?” No, not really, just a feeling, sometimes it fetl like good dream, sometimes it was a nightmare. “Do you dream much, Mr. Layton?” George felt uneasy, Entropy spoke in a serious voice unlike the funny tone he was used to, despite that, he waited in silence for an answer which came in a plain and simple yes. “That´s good, good...” He wanted to ask why but a sudden fear took him over, Entropy´s face looked like a blank slate with constant changing features, scars came and left, his chin grew and shrank by the second. Man, your face “It is crazy, right? I´m glad you noticed, but may I ask, what gave it away?” You looked old…now you look different. “How different? Good? Bad?” Different. “Does it bother you, Mr. Layton?” There was that old timey voice, George looked at him and his surroundings, someone had heightened the contrast on reality. Where are you taking me? Entropy grinned at him; his smile had been the only thing that hasn´t changed. “Well… Mr. Layton, I´m taking you where you need to be” He looked forward to the road surrounded by nature and kept in silence the rest of the way.

They got to the town a couple hours later, for the most part it was empty except for a few people walking by, no one noticed them. Entropy put George down on a park bench “Wait for me Mr. Layton, I´ve got to tell those nice gentlemen about our accident”, he walked and entered a police station. George sat there, watching how the sunset changed the colors of the park, turning everything orange, purple and dark as night consumed the landscape. A burst of pain coming from his leg reminded his he was hurt and tired, he needed rest and Entropy didn’t´ seem to plan on stopping soon. He closed his eyes and felt the warmth become cold and turn into nothing, he was back at the dark room, alone in the bench he was sitting on, he could hear his mind arguing what is this place? You know perfectly what it is, you´ve been here before. Oh yeah? When? Back at the car there were two doors and you walked through both of them. What was inside them? Nothing, can’t remember. Ha! You´re making it up! I´m not! Then tell me! What was in it? I don´t know! I just remember a name! Which one? WHICH ONE?

-          Linda – He said out loud.

George heard the far squeal of old unoiled hinges; a door had opened. He looked around and found it, small as a speck of dust, glowing with an intense red light and walked in its direction. The door grew closer and after a long time he was beside it, a grey door, the light came from the sign hovering above it. SURDY´S with a faulting “t”, he walked right through the door with no hesitation, nothing on the other side but still he tripped and fell.

-          JEEESUSS! Are you ok?

Yeah, I´m okay. He opened his eyes and saw the theme of the store, the drawing at the ceiling, the jars and the man next to him dressed in a crimson robe with a worried look on his face. He stood up, noticing the pain on his leg came back, the man brought a chair and George sat.

-          Where am I?

-          You´re at The Eye, a mystic store.

-          How did I get here?

-          You walked through the door with your eyes closed, an amazing task if I may say.

-          Are… Are you Fortune?

-          Yes – He smiled – Hello, George, it´s nice to finally meet you.

Fortune extended his hand to George´s and shook it, the thought of at last getting some answers relieved him, he let himself rest on the chair and enjoy the encounter. Entropy told the cops about the accident wearing the face of a young disturbed man: officers? Someone jumped on my car a few kilometers away from here, they tried to steal my car when I stopped to take pictures, the bastard killed the engine and broke his leg when he assaulted me so I had to walk all the way, he´s out on the park bench, I carried him here so you could arrest him, please! You have to help me! He kept telling nonsense about killing a woman, almost like bragging, please, officers, help! The cops went running to the plaza ready to kill if needed but the man they looked for wasn´t there. Entropy stood at the doors of the station in deep silence, the young man now wore a stoic face, one of the cops asked for more details, I don’t remember s**t, He was a white man with a broken leg. File the report with that. Here´s my number, tell me if you find him. The cop couldn´t find the courage to reply. Entropy walked away from the station and into the mountain. As he got closer to the country houses out of town where families of peasants and farmers lived, he dropped of his disguise without any concern for who might find the carcass of a young man dressed in an old-fashioned stripped suit lying dead on the earth. Now he was a grey shape floating up-mountain in a still position. They started calling him Entropy a long time ago and he fancied that name: a force of nature as old as the universe in charge of keeping balance between the s**t and the sweet however long and painful the process might be sometimes, he was the one to keep things in check and right now Mr. Layton was one to put his job in jeopardy, so, he needed to be put straight. Fortune looked at George´s eyes deep in a trance, absorbed in every detail of his face covering him whole with his gaze.

-          Oh, right! We need to do something about your leg, does it still hurt?

-          Like hell, I think it needs a cast.

-          Don´t worry, eyes aren´t my only business, hold tight.

Fortune touched his broken leg and George found himself in a white space, he saw a floating leg below a small sign that read SPARE, he saw Fortune take it and replace the broken leg with the new one. He was back at The Eye, he stretched and felt no pain, then, he stared at his guest´s eyes.

-          How do you feel?

-          Better, the pain is gone.

-          That´s excellent news!

-          Yeah… What was that place?

-          What place?

-          The white room…

-          God! You saw it? What do you think? It´s good, no?

His pupils dilated, he sat staring at George with childish excitement.

-          It was sudden, but it felt really good after it happened, tell me, what did you do? What was that place?

-          It is a therapy room, kind of. It exists in another plane where wounds heal faster, your leg is still in recovery.

-          This isn´t the real one?

-          No, it´s a perfect copy while yours is ready, it won´t take long, promise.

-          So, it´s a prosthesis?

-          A really good one! Go ahead, try standing up. See? A perfect copy!

-          Did I use this one when I was in my dark room? – Fortune looked serious – Dude, I walked here because your door appeared in my room… oh, s**t, am I dreaming again?

-          No – He stood up and walked around the store – You´re here, I called you, but I have no idea how you came.

-          Why did you call me?

-          I saw you at Surdy´s and knew you were like me.

-          Like you?

-          With power, I don’t know which, but I know that you have it.

-          How did you see me?

-          I have eyes everywhere, George, I wasn’t there but John was… where is he?

-          He ran away after getting a call from Sam, why?

-          f**k! He´s in trouble, no wonder I couldn´t see you for a while, where you with someone?

-          Yeah, I came to town with a man called Entropy, you know him?

-          Yes…Which town?

-          I think it was… Yeah! Marie´s Ville.

-          Alright, they´re onto us, but we still have time, get yourself ready.

-          Where am I? Get ready for what? Fortune?

He did not answer, George stood still, watching, trying to figure out their next move. Fortune moved around the store picking things up from every shelf, jars of eyes, he tore pages from what looked like ancient books and saved it in what George could only figure were a lot of pockets inside the robe. He looked at the man standing in silence, and asked.

-          What are you doing?

-          I´m watching, thinking…

-          Well, George, this is not the right time to think, help me tear the 75th page of every book and give them to me.

-          Is this a f*****g joke?

-          It´s not, I´m sorry I can not explain everything to you right now, just help me gather the pages.

-          But… why? Fortune, it doesn´t make sense.

-          George! Georgie George!! Jorge, my dude, my man, do as I f*****g say, I´ll explain later.

-          No.

A brief silence, Fortune stopped dead on his tracks, looking unimpressed at George.

-          Are you aware of how much of a f*****g i***t you´re being right now?

-          No. Fortune, I haven´t been aware of anything for the last three f*****g days! But I´ll tell you what I know: I know that I killed Sam then I didn´t, I know that my friend ran someplace and right now he might be death or killed moments after a man with a shaping face drove me to a town to tell me I have no business left at home, I dreamed a f*****g weird dream of a dark room where a door appeared, and now some f*****g lunatic with an eye fetish asks me to tear every 75th page of every goddamn book! Now I ask you, Fortune, are YOU aware of how f*****g crazy all that sounds?

-          George, help me tear those pages and let´s get out of here, I will explain you on the way.

NO! It was George´s voice, talking in a multitude of superimposed tones and speeds, Fortune stood in his place with his mouth shut and his eyes opened wide. I WON´T MOVE UNTIL YOU TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON. The straight line turned into a smile. “Who am I talking to?” DON’T PLAY THE FOOL WITH ME, FORTUNE. “It´s not George, is it?” OF COURSE IT IS! “Now who´s the f*****g liar, present yourself!” …Alright, They call me The Light. “Don´t you recognize me? Light? Look closely” Uhh, no, why should I know you? The only important one is George. “Why? What can he do?” He can summon me and my other half. They want us gone. “What do you know about Entropy?” He is dangerous. “And Samantha?” Who? “Never mind. Why are you here? Right now” George wants to know the truth “You know it already,” Yes, but he has not met us yet, he has seen us only in dreams, there will be the time he meets us in his wake. “Should I tell him this?” NO, he will remember… in time. If I remain here much longer, They might catch you, good bye Mr.… “Fortune.” Catch him on the fall. The voice vanished and George closed his eyes as he fell to the floor, he caught him and let him rest on the carpet while he woke up.

-          What…happened?

-          You were possessed, by…

-          The Light, yeah, I remember, he wanted to talk to you.

-          Well, next time something asks you to do that, tell them to go f**k themselves, alright?

-          Okay? What did you talk about?

-          Our situation. You´re right, the 75th page thing was bullshit, you got me, help me pack some books while we talk.

Fortune told him everything, every weird and minute detail, The Light didn´t know about Sam, either that or he was hiding something, George decided none of those names were worthy of his trust, as he packed one of the last books left on the shelves he looked at the man on the other side of the room. Fortune, what´s your real name? he turned to him and smiled wide as he replied, “I´m David, nice to meet you” and he kept packing, they were almost done, the store was empty save for a few books and jars. George stared at the ceiling, the drawing had been erased, Fortune pointed at a wooden door behind the counter, he opened it, a bright light came across from the other side “Come with me”, they went through and it closed soon after that. The Eye had closed its doors, it was time to go. Linda woke up alone in a hospital room, she had wires connected to monitor her vital signs, the rhythmic beeping assured her that she was alive, at least, the walls were covered with white tiles, the windows were covered by hospital-attire blue colored drapes, she looked at her arm in which a catheter injected her a red substance… blood, the same kind that was dripping from the cluster of meat and human leftovers inside the freezer, Take this thing out of me!!! Help! HELP!!, piercing screams from a desperate woman, a couple of nurses enter the room and tried to calm her with promises, easy, Linda, you´re in shock, breathe, in and out, in and out. She fought them, they were the enemy, she had to run somewhere safe, the nurses held her on the bed while a doctor with a creepy smile gave her a sedative and tried to soothe her frightened mind, everything was slow all of the sudden, the doctor said in a dark deep voice thaaat´s iiit, doooun´t worrrrrry Linnndaa, she blinked, darkness and the sight of her husband sitting with his head deep in his hands amidst the white tiles and blue curtains, she didn´t speak, hearing his husband sobbing and playing was an event she hadn´t seen in a long time, it was both beautiful and disheartening, he called her name over and over with small pauses to stop himself from wailing, but the sobbing kept going strong. After a while, he combed his hair with his fingers and stood up, looked at her one last time before going for some fresh air, he saw her deep green eyes staring at him and walked slowly towards her, Are you awake? She nodded and he kneeled in front of her, took her hands and, while tears fell from his eyes, you f*****g scared me, Linda, I thought I lost you. “You know I´m stronger than that, Richard” Saying that sentence left her out of breath, she pared the pain to ease his husband´s fear, she lay her head on the pillow and looked again at the red substance, her flight instinct kicked again. “Richard! The blood!” He looked, she pointed in stupor at the plastic bag connected to her catheter, he hugged her, shh shh shh, Linda, it´s not blood, look at me, it´s just serum, trust me dear, please, breathe. She looked at the thin tube with the red translucent liquid, he was right, thank god, but she still had the picture of crushed meat engraved in her mind´s eye and she couldn´t shake it away, she looked at Richard, embraced him and cried, he held her tight in his arms beside the bed and waited, soothing her, telling her everything will be alright. She stopped and kissed Richard´s neck, he looked, a semblance of anguish remained in her eyes, but her smile told him she was in a better place. She sat on the bed and asked him “How long has it been?” Two days, I´m glad it´s no more than that. “And the…Killer? Have they caught them yet?” No, darling, you know how awfully slow they can be sometimes, but our house is ready for you, they took the mattress and the fridge as evidence, and I replaced them with new ones while you were gone, it´s good as new and waiting for you to come back. Linda looked at his worried face, kissed him and said “Thank you” in a soft voice, they smiled while holding his face with care “You know it will be weird for me, going home after that” Uh-huh “I will come to terms with it, please be patient while it happens” Of course, Linda, I love you “I love you too” They kissed and rested a minute before calling the doctor to check her and let them go back home. They stepped into the white room, George looked out for his leg but it wasn´t there, he heard Fortune´s voice beside him, “Let´s go! It´s a long walk from here, don´t worry, you won´t get tired” They started running, where are we going?! He shouted out all the air on his lungs but somehow there seemed to always be more. “The Eye is not the only mystic store out there, George, we´re visiting an old friend! I haven´t seen him for a while, come on!! Let´s see who can run faster!!” The space seemed never-ending, much like the stamina and the oxygen on his blood, this is f*****g crazy, dude! Ha Ha! “I know!! Let´s go!” They ran, keeping each other´s pace, along the infinite white room.

DeLaurie was exhausted, he kept running because at that point it was the only thing his body knew how to do, he hadn´t forgotten about Sam, but he didn´t care much about it either, he just wanted to lay down and rest, but he feared he would die if he stopped, at least he wanted to get to her before it happened, night was coming, he couldn´t feel the cold, he only felt the distance.

Entropy walked to an old wooden house and dressed up as a lost stranger, “Hello? Kind sir? Missus?” Nobody answered, he walked to another house, this time wearing a kid´s face “Hello?!! Anyone there?” An old man on a cane opened the door, his eyes were almost closed by the excess of hard skin and his back was crooked, he stood by the door “Evening!” “Have you seen my brother? He was walking on town and he just left” “I´ve seen nothing out of the ordinary, how did he look like” “He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, he has a hurt leg from an accident” “Yeah, I think I saw someone walking up the mountain, it was weird, for a moment I thought he was walking with his eyes closed” “Yeah, my brother is a little out of it, sorry” “Don´t worry kid, I hope you find him” “Thank you!” He walked for a moment and when he was far enough, he left the carcass to decay, if what the old man said was true, Mr. Layton walked blind, there was only one place he could have gone in that state and it would make matters worse for him if Entropy didn´t get to him before he got there. The old man saw the kid run, faint and trip from the distance, he walked out of his house to help him, when he saw the empty shell he crumbled, it was the face of his long dead son, he held to the skin and cried, regretting the last twenty years of his miserable life. Entropy was at the shed of an old rusty wooden store amidst the greenery with lots of drawing of eyes carved into the planks, he saw no use in hiding or knocking the door so he just walked into a sight of emptiness, the store was cleared, the only thing left was the shelves and the furniture, nothing else. Mr. Layton had made things very difficult for everyone now that he escaped with the owner of the store, he called himself The Eye and he also had been a hazard, a problem which he thought he solved a long time ago. Entropy searched for a clue to where they might have gone, he found nothing, he just had to wait for them to make a move, it didn´t shake him, a call had been made and he had another place to get to, he had to get his costume right. They walked towards a set of metal spiral staircases and climbed them, who´s your friend? “Mike, he´s a lawyer” You said we will go to a mystic store “Have you seen Lawyers in action? That´s magic all in itself!” Alright, Mike the magic lawyer, sounds good. The stairs lead to a big fancy office, the books on the shelves had little lips markings on its covers, Fortune walked to the backroom “Mike!!, Michael?... Fate, are you there?” George looked at the ceiling, at the door, at the desk in search of any big drawing, everything was on its place. Fortune stopped and looked “I can´t see you! Where are you, Mike?”, he ran back at the main room, pale, sweating “George, I can´t see mike.” He might not be here, that´s… “No, you don´t understand, I can always see everyone, even you right now looking at me like I was some lunatic, I know it because I´m looking through your eyes, but I. Can´t. See him” Oh “Yeah…Help me look out?” They found him after a while, locked up inside the cleaning room in a dark blue suit, his eyes wide open staring scared at nothing, he had no mouth, only a straight line drawn with a black marker from cheek to cheek. Fortune stood in silence “You know… death is the only thing I can´t see…” With a tear in his eye, he did not finish the thought. George looked at Mike and wondered what might have happened to him. So… what now? “Now we leave, help me carry him downstairs” He lit a match and left the place to burn. They left Mike to rest beside his stairs in the white place, and walked away. The corpse was now far out of sight, the everlasting room started to confuse George who couldn´t tell how much time he had spent walking, he looked at Fortune and at times it seemed like he floated, other times he heard footsteps but no body to relate them to, most times they just walked in silence. Have you ever gotten lost here? “No, not really, why?” I think I´m losing it, David. “You can´t lose it here, I tried” When was that? “When I didn´t know what this place was” And… what is it? “It´s me” He offered no more explanation, George didn´t push much either, after all, Mike “Fate” the lawyer have died and it took its toll on Fortune and the white place had been left tiresome and out of breath, he stood still and asked, David, how are you feeling? “I´m good” Again, he was alone with the ethereal voice of his companion “Why do you ask?” You seem off, do you want to talk about Mike? The place melted in a slow fashion, George started falling “No, I´m O.K.” Are… are you sure about that? His question was met with silence. Do you know who did it? Who killed him? “Yes” An army of shapeless figures filled the room, among them he recognized Entropy´s smirk. Who are they? “They´re assholes” Fortune!! Who the f**k are all these people? “They are the ones in charge” Why did they kill Fate? “He was a confidant, he talked too much” The room´s white dimmed to a soft grey, Mike´s body appeared in the middle, a few of his books scattered across the place, George saw the mouths drawn onto the pages. You sell fortunes, he changed fates… “Now you´re getting it” A black mass formed where the corpse lay, growing bigger by the second, above it, two black oily letters, H.B. He could feel ground under his feet, he crouched to get some stability and, looking at the hungry mass, he asked, So, what do you want to do? Fortune stood beside him, pierced the goo, it imploded right after that. “We walk until we find them or they find us” And then? “Only fate knows.” The room turned back white and peaceful “There´s an elevator up ahead, we´ll ride it to John” George´s eyes lit up, you saw him? Where is he?! “Far away, he needs our help” They walked and marching became running, their lungs were filled with fire. It was an old lift made of metal, Fortune pressed the only button inside, “UP” written in bright white lights surrounded by an intense green, as it ascended the colors shifted to dark, the wait was long, even longer than the distance they´ve walked, George thought, he started feeling time the usual way as the elevator got close to the up floor, he had a long time to think about what he saw but he chose not to, instead, he just sat on a corner and looked at the changing tones of the button, as if it was running out of energy it turned grey, he just sat there witnessing how life faded and only that familiar absence took place. They were there, a bell rang and the door opened, he saw the old faces, the drinks and the usual darkness of the place, he knew the place, it occurred to George that perhaps it might happen to be a big elaborated plan to fool him and, if it were that way, he was a fool alright. They walked outside the elevator unnoticed, crossed the bar and went out to the dark streets.

-          Why are we back here?

-          John is near.

-          Really? – Fortune looked at him and extended his hand – He walked away and that was god only knows how long ago.

-          God can´t keep much secrets from me, let´s go into the cab – He reached the handle as the car parked in front of them, they went inside.

The place was an old dumpster right outside of town, “Mrs. Joanne´s”, a few hours away from Surdy´s. How do you know he´s there? “I heard someone over the phone telling him to go there, moments before he ran away” Does it happen every time you do it? Their eyes turning? The question met by a thoughtful silence. It was Sam... right? “Maybe…” Fortune looked through the window, trying hard not to bite his lips. Linda and Richard were back at their home, her head had rested on his shoulder on their way back, an image appeared in her mind every time she closed her eyes, sometimes it felt like a memory, sometimes like a dream, whatever it may be, she chose to ignore the uneasiness and trust her husband´s guts, he opened the door, she walked inside after him, she told him how she felt, fearful that perhaps it happened again while they were gone, perhaps the new fridge and the new bed… “Linda, it´s alright,” he hold her face with his hands, her eyes started turning red “I checked, trust me” She nodded and wiped her tears, I need to see it, Richard stood there in silence, she reached her hand and they walked, she sighed in relief at the sight of a fridge full with fruits, well-packed meat and vegetables. He followed her to their room where she saw the bed, and side furniture, she touched it as if to confirm it was real, his husband had been thorough in the cleaning and replacing of those bad omens, slow at first, then with confidence and comfort she lay on the bed and stretched her body, realizing now how much she needed to rest. Linda patted the bed cover and Richard joined her side, looking at each other´s eyes in peaceful silence, she whispered thank you before they fell asleep. A shadow replaced his husband, Darling? R… she had forgotten his name, she closed her eyes and slept again. His husband Richard! Yes! How could I forget? Was gone, she looked around her room and saw six shadows standing facing her, f**k you! She closed her eyes and slept. A woman sobbing caught her attention, it was hers, she was crying on the floor, a buzz called her, she looked up and saw a dark shape, and saw a light, it wanted to killed her, it wanted her to forget, the light talked nonsense, she heard through his ears someone screaming “f**k Linda” and it begging, more like making time, to help her. It screamed FORGET, but she heard something else underneath, it was not clear what, she walked closer to hear it better, it faded as someone was shaking her, a distant familiar voice called her name in a desperate tone… “Linda!! Linda are you alright? LINDA! WAKE UP”, she saw him when she opened her eyes, sweating cold, scared, looking at her, what happened? “you were getting pale and… it was like you were vanishing” what are you talking about? “You faded, I woke up because I heard some weird noise and I saw you, like static, one second you were here, the next you weren´t and the second after it you were back” Sure it wasn’t just a dream? “No! Of course not, it wasn´t just a f*****g dream! I saw it!” Calm down, darling, it´s alright she caressed his cheeks, stopping for a fraction of a second “What? What happened?” Oh? Nothing she smiled Let´s go back to sleep, honey, I´m tired. He sighed and closed his eyes. There comes a point in the process of sleeping in which the little breaths stop sudden and without warning, at that moment when it seems like the body forgot how to breathe and it stops with a halt, rigid in it´s position it remains, inside it so happens that the mind is crossing a bridge connecting the awareness to the dream world, the walk is almost eternal, while the mission is clear: crossing. The distance is unknown; however, the brain is at the other side by the door, the body is in his tensest state, the door opens and as the man, or woman, go through it, a big relieving exhalation lets the body loose into the realm of sleep. As Richard closed the gap, she heard it, the release, and quiet, trying not to wake him up, she stood out of bed and walked to the living room, she sat on the couch and closed her eyes, it´s alright, that´s what was underneath, the light shape tried to comfort her, but there was something else hidden, the message she heard was uncomplete, she let herself remember. It´s alright, I´m not here to hurt, George will need you. That was it, she jumped out of the couch, excited and went to make herself a cup of coffee, happy to know that the being wasn´t a threat after all and with the certainty that it wasn’t all just the after taste of a bad dream. As she poured it in the mug, she stopped dead in her tracks, I don’t know any George. She drank it from the boiling pot in an effort to wake up. Richard opened his eyes and sensed the fresh smell of coffee, he walked to the kitchen and saw the empty jar, he called for Linda but she wasn’t around, he opened the freezer, nothing, he sighed in slight relief, she might have gone to the store, perhaps there was something she needed to buy last minute, he slept through the evening, it was dark outside.

-          Lady, I´m just going to ask you this once, please calm down. – he said reaching for his truncheon.

-          I just need you to tell me what is inside the bag you took from my apartment!

Inside the Immediate Attention Center, painted in grey the parts that weren´t still cement, with big glass panels spread across the building, a tall officer in a bright green jacket and dark green pants stood up from his chair and walked towards the distressed woman.

-          Tell me, clearly, what happened? What apartment? Please breathe before speaking.

-          A few days ago my husband Richard, we live two streets from here, he called you to report that someone was murdered on our house.

-          Yes, I understand, but, what do you need?

-          I need you to tell me if you have found something, I need to see what was inside the trash bag you took as evidence.

-          Let me see what I can do, private, look up for a murder case two days ago, any development? – The man in the far corner typed some things on his computer and read “Unknown murderer, breaking and entering”

-          Did they bring in any evidence?

-          Yes sir, a blood-filled mattress, frozen remains and a trash bag with personal objects from a Samantha Blackwell.

-          Ms. Do you know her?

-          No… I don´t. Have you found who did it? Any blood traces or DNA on her stuff?

-          No Ma’am, I´m afraid not.

Linda looked at the officer´s stoic eyes, waiting for him to say “but we´re close to find out”, instead, he said           

-          Anything I can help you with?

-          Was she related to anyone named George?

-          Not that we know of, why?

-          Oh, it´s nothing, that name just came to me and I figured it was worth a try.

-          Right, anything else?

-          Can you call me if you find anything?

-          Of course, we will notify you, but I remind you, these things take time.

-          Thank you, officer…

-          Garcia.

-          Thanks officer, good night.

The officer and the private watched her cross the street and laughed.

-          What a woman, right?

-          Yeah, a full piece of something.

-          Yeah… - Garcia turned to the private – What was the name she mentioned?

-          I believe it was “George”, do you want me to look it up?

-          I don´t see why not, keep your mind busy.

-          Alright, sir. - Garcia sat on his chair and watched videos on his phone.

Linda opened her apartment door received by Richard´s worried face turning into concert and calm, he was holding a red mug full with coffee “Where were you?” I was at the IAC, asking if they found any more about what happened. “So, what did they say?” Not much, honey, the things belonged to a woman called Samantha. He drank and pondered what to say next “Let´s hope they find out who did it sooner than later” Yeah…They told me it would take time. “I´m sorry, Linda” Don´t worry darling, I´m tired, let´s go to bed. Richard nodded smiling and walked to their bedroom. I´ll get to you in a minute, I need a steamy shower, she winked and waved at Richard who was already half across the bedroom door. “I´ll warm the bed for us”. Linda went inside the bathroom and turned on the shower, stepped inside the hot running water and sat underneath it, arms around her legs, she closed her eyes, hoping The Light will appear again and give her a little more hope, nothing happened, she just crouched and cried feeling the hot water burn her body while Richard was fast asleep on the brand new mattress. You´ve been quiet for a long time. Fortune looked at George and stopped biting his lower lip as soon as he realized he was doing it. “How so…?” It´s not like your mysterious silence, more like you were worried… “I´m not” Really, right now you don’t strike me as the most relaxed person. “Look, George” The driver looked at them through the rearview mirror, startled by the sudden rise in Fortune´s voice. “Yes, something will happen, we cannot avoid it” So...? “I´m just trying to work out how f****d up are we.” And how are we on that department? “We´re fucked.” George looked at the driver´s eyes and he turned to the street, his arms were tense and he decided to just focus on driving. What are we going to find out at Joanne´s? Fortune did not answer, he just looked through the window and bit his lower lip. Alright…, George sank in his seat and waited for the car to get to their destination …I suppose we´ll figure something out.

John walked, Sam was waiting for him, he was close. That´s all he knew.

The landfill reeked a rotten smell, by night it all looked like a big black chunk of trash, it was a monster land made out of the undesired and rejected. They walked out of the taxi and for a second George felt at home, he shook the feeling away with the goosebumps that the rotten air gave him. They walked up a mountain of garbage, the moon was high and bright as day, he heard a familiar weeping and started running towards her, as he got closer to the top the cries were clearer, he saw her brown hair and her tender face, it was her, no doubt about it, she was wearing the same clothes she wore that night. She looked at him, smiled with tears flowing from her eyes, George stopped dead on his tracks, last thing he knew he had been knocked out. He was back at the dark room, The Light materialized in front of him, floating in silence.

-          Why am I here? – He screamed

-          We are needed. – The Shadow stood beside it.

-          For what?

-          They have to die. – George noticed how their voices sounded like distorted variations of his own.

-          We can´t explain. George, let us into your realm, it will be over soon.

-          f**k you.

-          What did you say?

-          f**k OFF! I don’t trust you! Who´s to say you won´t get rid of me?

-          We won´t. Trust us and do as we command you.

-          No.

-          We can force you – George looked at them, they seemed close, he walked towards the and realized they were at a great distance.

-          The way I see it, you can´t make me do s**t, so I guess we´ll stay here until I wake up. – The beings filled the room with their anger, George lay there looking at the infinite nothing.

“Why did you hit him?!!” Sam´s screech ran across the landfill, she was on the ground, running backwards as Fortune approached him “Who are you? Where´s John?” she was near the edge of the hill. “What are you doing to me?” he grabbed her by the blouse and lifted her over the salient, she struggled and hit his arms, trying to release herself. Cut the s**t, will you? I know you´re not her. “What are you talking about?” she cried out loud, pale, her lips unchanged. What are you? Evolution? Death? ANSWER ME! Sam was in shock, she was still, groaning. Oh, I´d recognize those lips anywhere. Fortune launched Sam into the trash ground, she whimpered, Come on out Entropy! I know it´s you! He beat her up, kicked her stomach, her face was now a purple lump bleeding from the cuts of metal and glass shards around, he heard her soft moans and he kept hitting her harder. Are you really going to let me kill you like this? Fight! Get out of there and fight me, you f*****g asshole! With the faintest breath she asked “Who are you? Where´s John?” Fortune sighed and sat beside Sam; he was tired. He´s coming, I will stop you when he gets here. “Thanks, Fortune” His body tensed up. Look, I know you´re not Sam, I saw her die, so… whoever you are, stop pretending and lets just get over with it now. Sam chuckled, he reminisced for a while, pondering if he had made a mistake. George stood up with huge effort and pain on his neck, he looked at the scenery and asked “What the f**k did you do?!” running to help Sam, she had cuts and bruises all over her face, “Sam, are you okay? Answer me please, oh…” He threw her on the floor and walked to Fortune “That isn´t her.” See? He shrugged, looking at Sam, can you tell me who it is? “It´s Entropy” Right, he won´t admit it, however. George turned to Entropy and spoke in a low unemotional tone “Alright, enough of this s**t, we know it´s you, what do you want?” He almost tripped when he heard Entropy´s voice flowing through Sam´s body. “Aren´t you going to ask him why he knocked you? “Yeah, why?” I wanted to talk to him, make him come out. “It doesn´t answer my question” I wasn’t sure if you´d tell it wasn´t Sam. “How could I not tell? His smile gives it away, his disguises are s**t” “Oh f**k you! -Mrrr. Laayton- you fell for that corny voice, how f*****g gullible.” “Dude, your smile doesn´t change on any of your costumes, that´s the stupidest s**t I´ve seem, yeah, you fooled me that time, but it´s obvious once you figure it out” “You Humans think you know everything, that smile is my trademark” Then why did you steal it from Mike? A brief silence filled the land, followed by a childish laugh, and the sound of Sam´s hand clapping “Ha! It was MY smile, he stole it to do those f*****g hypnotism party-tricks, I killed him to take what´s mine! I wear my mouth with pride! What can you say about that?” Why don´t you show yourself if you´re so horny about your f*****g smile! “Oh, ho ho! How clever of you, Mr. Fortune, you think angering me will make me jump from this body? I thought you were better…” George took a big shard of glass and stabbed Entropy on the back “I´ve had enough of you.” He pressed harder; the shard crossed through to his chest, for a second there was absolute silence, then an unnatural wild scream and grey fumes escaping Sam´s body forming a huge human like shape with a distinctive pair of lips, he screamed, it echoed through all of Joanne´s trash. “George!! You broke natural laws! The day of your reckoning will come soon.” “Tell me about The Light and The Shadow! Are they with you?” “Those unruly bastards are no associates of mine! THEY ARE MISTAKES OF NATURE” “Why are you so afraid of them?” “ME – the voice sounded deeper every second – AFRAID OF THEM? They want to change the natural order, I CAN´T ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN” George pulled out the shard and put it close to Sam´s throat “They send their regards” He sliced it, Entropy´s scream faded and the gray mass faded away, the moon was shining bright. George helped Fortune stand up, they looked at each other and after a long silence, “I need you to teach me how to use it” Did you talk to them? “Yes” They started walking out from the landfill. Did you tell them to f**k off? “Yes, there was something else though” Again, Fortune´s replied with silence. “David, I need you to teach me” Alright, I know a place. They walked silent for the rest of the way.

John was at the gates, Sam´s screams echoed through the wasteland, he ran as fast as his body let him, the air rushed him to the top of a pile of garbage, he had found her, she was dead. Her throat was open and she was stabbed, empty, he carried her smooth skin, the only thing left from her, on his arms and cried. He was there, but he was late and he had no more fuel to run on, so he just lay along the trash bags, he was so thin he sank on the tiny gaps and closed his eyes, Sam was dead and so was he. At first, he thought death would be non-existence, he found himself in a void, silent and unending, then came the voices of drunk people, the music and the sound of the wood floor creaking. He opened his eyes and was amazed to find himself back at that grim bar, none of the customers noticed his sudden appearance, perhaps – he thought – he never left, it didn´t matter, what mattered was that he was alive and full of energy, he stood up from his seat and left Surdy´s, he walked home with the only thing on his mind being that he needed to shower.