Moon of The Afterlife

Chapter 6: Premonition

A NURSE greeted Arche when he walked past the front desk, but Arche was too occupied that he didn't even bother glancing at the smiling nurse and just walked straight into the first ward. Dante watched Arche's back as he walked past the hospital wards with wide steps. Dante lied about the job— he didn't come for work. Dante needs a reason to approach him, and luckily, he's able to come up with one. 

When Arche reached the stairs, he bumped into a crying woman, which caught his attention. Arche stopped for a moment and watched as the woman went down while wiping her tears with a big smile plastered on her face before proceeding to the second floor. 

There was a family in the hallway that looked like they'd just lost a member. An aged woman is crying, and her voice is echoing in the hallway. Two more family members who are crying beside her were a teenage girl and a grown-up man. A meter away from them stood a man around 40s, and he seemed dumbfounded. However, Arche couldn't care less. He had experienced losing more than ten fake families in the past two thousand years, which makes him think that their pain is still no match for all of the deaths he had watched over the years. 

He walked past the hallway and went straight into Louise's room, where he found their parents having fun with her, feeding her like a five-year-old kid, which sight wiped Arche's bad mood in an instant. 

"Looks like my family's having a little bonding time without any intention of letting me join," Arche commented while fake rolling his eyes. 

"Stop being such a kid, Arche. Come here, my boy," Cathy said while smiling.

Arche went straight to them before turning to his dad to ask, "Don't you have to go to the university, dad? It's midterm, right?"

Arnold nodded. "Yeah. Actually, I'm about to leave," Then, Arnold walked towards the sofa to pick up his bag and coat. "Thanks for reminding me, son. I'll be back after giving all my students the test papers." 

"Take care, hon!" Cathy shouted to her rushing husband. 

"Love you!" Arnold shouted back before closing the door when he got out. 

"So, where's my pasta?" Louise asked, which made Arche look at her again. 

Cathy looked at them as she laughed at Arche's face. Arche pressed his lips together and rubbed his nape before smiling awkwardly at his sister. 

"Sorry," is all he could say. "It slipped my mind."

Louise rolled her eyes and pouted as she glared at Arche with her arms crossed. She's a freak pasta lover, and Arche knew that forgetting her favorite meal is like approaching death, so he smiled at her widely and sat at the side of his hospital bed. 

"I promise to cook you tons of it once you get discharged," 

"Then you better prepare your kitchen because I get discharged tomorrow!" Louise exclaimed, still with an upset face. 

Cathy laughed when Arche's eyebrows furrowed. 

"That fast?" 

The confusion in Arche's face and Louise's annoyance cracked Cathy up more. Louise, throwing a tantrum, and Arche, having to convince her sister to calm down, is a fun sight for her, given that she rarely sees them together. They were inseparable. And watching them fight and argue is never a stressful sight for their mother because Cathy always finds them as adorable siblings, even though they're all grown-ups now. 

"Yeah, I'm going home tomorrow, and I want pasta!"

Arche looked at Cathy. "Is she?" 

Cathy nodded with a smile. 

"How come? Her condition is getting worse. We can't take her home yet," he objected. 

"I'm fine, Arche. Stop overreacting, you old man!"

"No, you're not!" Arche's voice sounded annoyed, which made Louise stop. The happy atmosphere in the room suddenly vanished and got replaced by a deafening silence. Arche's brows are almost touching, and his eyes say he doesn't feel happy to hear the news. 

"Arche, there's no need to yell," Cathy said and smiled. "She's really is fine, and Doctor Jimenez said she can go home tomorrow."

"How come? And what about we find her again lying on her floor? We can't take her home until she gets cured!"

Louise's face turned upset, hearing her brother insist that she was ill. Well, she is, but she feels okay now. She hates hospitals, especially blood transfusions. Louise hates the idea of being sick and hearing the phrase "she's not fine" is sickening. 

"I don't need a cure! What I need is for you to stop reminding me that I am sick! Yes, I am sick. So what? I want to live normally, just like anyone else! Do you think I want to stay sick? The chance of surviving is getting lower and lower until we have a donor. The least you can do for me is to stop reminding me that I need medical attention!" Louise's tears clouded her eyes as she yelled. "I want to go home, Arche. I hate it here."

Arche's expression softened upon seeing his sister crying. Cathy moved to her side and hugged her. Louise cried while leaning on her mother's chest. 

"Arche, honey. I know you're worried. We all are. But forcing your sister to receive treatment won't help. I'm sure we'll find a donor soon," their mother gently said as she brushed her hand against Louise's hair. 

Cathy reached for Arche's hand and gave him an assuring smile. "She'll be fine, honey. Let her stay positive; that's the only support she's asking."

Arche sighed and looked down. He reached for Louise and pulled her close to press her head against his chest and whispered, "Sorry,"

THREE knocks on the door diverted Dr. Jimenez's attention from the medical report he was holding in his hands. It was Louise's laboratory and blood test results, and he's been rechecking everything since two hours ago, after telling Cathy that confining Louise longer than one more day is no longer necessary. 

"Come in!" Dr. Jimenez said as he set the papers aside. 

"May I have a word with you, Dr. Jimenez?" Arche asked while standing between the door and the door frame.

"Of course! Have a seat," Dr. Jimenez stood up and walked towards the couch, where he gestured Arche to sit. "So, what is it?"

"Well," Arche took a deep breath and looked at the Doctor's face before going straight into the point. "I want to ask you about my sister and her condition. I don't get it. Isn't her condition getting worse?" 

The Doctor stopped. He thought no one would notice the strange thing, and he doesn't know if he was happy to learn that he's not the only one finding it a little peculiar and strange. 

"To be frank, I don't know either," the Doctor answered straight. 

Arche's eyebrow furrowed as he looked at the Doctor like what he said was an unfamiliar language. "Sorry?"

Doctor Jimenez stood up and went over to his desk to take the papers he was holding a while ago, then handed them to Arche. He quickly accepted them and checked, but he couldn't understand anything about it. 

"What's this?" Arche asked. 

"It's Louise's blood and laboratory test results. I've checked it several times, but the result says her illness is gone. Miraculously, it vanished." 

"I know I could be wrong; that's why I want to make sure about this first before telling your family. I've never encountered something like this before, so I can't tell you if we can trust the results," the Doctor explained to the puzzled Arche. 

Silence settled between them, and Arche's not sure how to react. Of course, he's happy. But the questions lingering at the back of his head are all, "how?"

"Don't tell your parents just yet. I'll tell them myself once I confirm that her illness is gone. For now, I'll be observing her in case this turns out to be a false result."

Dr. Jimenez patted Arche on the shoulder and smiled at him assuringly. "Let's wish the result is accurate. It's a miracle, Arche."

EYES fixed on the road, Arche silently drove back to his apartment while seemingly trapped on deep thought. He rested his left elbow on the window frame of his car as he maneuvers the steering wheel with one hand while biting his nails. 

Arche's phone rang, which he answered the call without looking at the caller. 

"What's taking you so long?" the sweet voice of Cathy ringed in his ear. "Is the hospital cafeteria relocated?" 

Arche slapped his forehead and closed his eyes. "Damn, I forgot again," he hissed. His tangled thoughts are making him forgetful.  

Cathy sighed. "You're one forgetful man. You're aging too fast." 

Arche chuckled at his mother's joke. If only she knew that he's actually older than her, he bet she would pass out. 

"My employee called. Something came up, mom. I'm sorry I had to leave the hospital," he lied. He no longer has an employee, and no one called. He needs some time to think, and perhaps, to confront Sidapa. 

"Okay. Next time give me a heads up before leaving, understood?"

"Yes, Mom. Sorry,"

"It's okay, son. Take care. I love you,"

"I love you more, Mom,"

After hanging up, Arche started driving at full speed. He arrived at the apartment complex after a few minutes, and as soon as he parked the car, he went straight up to the floor of his unit. 

His heart is beating in anger, and then he finds himself thoughtlessly knocking on Dante's door. It immediately opened, revealing Dante's face while drying his hair with a white towel. Arche knew he's been acting without thinking, but he couldn't contain the anger burning deep within his heart. 

The sight of Arche outside his unit is already surprising, but the unhappy expression drawn on Arche's face made Dante question the situation. They stared at each other for a few seconds until Arche crossed the distance between them with his hands balled in hard fists. He grabbed the collar of Dante's shirt and angrily yelled, 

"What the f**k do you want from me?!" Arche's tears rapidly fell as he pulled Dante closer with gritted teeth. "Why do you have to get my family involved?!" 

Dante doesn't have any idea why Arche is so mad, and despite Arche's anger, Dante kept his mouth shut. He just watched him as Arche's shoulders aggressively moved up and down. 

"What did I do wrong to make you feel this mad?" Dante calmly asked. "I didn't kill anyone, as far as I know."

Those words made Arche even angrier that the next thing he did was let go of Dante's collar and give him one good punch, which made Dante step back. He got caught off guard, and the confusion grew bigger when Arche said, 

"Thanks for extending my sister's life. The punch is my way of letting you know how much I appreciate your kindness. Sorry, I didn't appreciate it that much,"

Dante couldn't tell Arche that he hadn't done anything yet and that he's been waiting for Arche's answer. He's too confused about what's happening that everything Arche said is taking too long to get digested by his understanding. 

"I knew you knew who I am. Why did you pretend not to know me?" Dante managed to say after a few moments. He still hadn't figured out what was happening, but he couldn't care much now that Arche finally admitted he knew him. 

Arche looked away, which pissed Dante a little. Arche has no plan of answering his question, so he turns around to try to walk away, but Dante can't let him leave just like that. 

"Answer me, or I will end your sister's life right now," Dante threatened with a low and cold voice. "Where is Libulan, and what is your connection with him?" 

Silence. A long moment of silence settled between them, and only the loud beating of their hearts was the sound heard by both of them. Dante feels restless and scared about what Arche might tell him, but whatever he might discover, he already prepared himself. 

Arche's heart feels heavy, almost causing him shortness of breath. Dante feels the same. His breathing is getting heavier and heavier each second that passes. 

"Answer me," Dante demanded. "You know I can end your sister's life effortlessly, right?" 

"You won't do that,"

"Do I have to prove myself---no. Do you want me to prove myself?" 

Libulan knows him as a kind and soft-hearted God, so he never expected that Sidapa would threaten him like this. He looked at Dante's face and saw desperation and seriousness. 

"Many may think I am kind and forgiving, but I am not. I take lives. I have the power to take yours, or anyone else's, to either hurt your loved ones or punish you. I'm sure you know that very well."

It's like Dante has turned into a different person. He can never hurt anyone or threaten anyone to get what he wants, but he can't stop himself from being selfish at the moment. His desperation is taking over that he almost forgot who he was. And it disappointed Arche so bad. 

Arche felt like the God of death in front of him was not the God of death from his memories. He felt betrayed and sad to see how much he had changed. 

"He's dead," Arche hissed, and a drop of tear escaped his eye. "Libulan took his own life not long ago." he lied before turning his back and leaving Dante standing there. 

His heart stopped beating as if someone knocked him out of breath. It felt heavy and aching. He doesn't believe what Arche said, and there's no way he would believe him. Libulan is not dead yet. If so, he would know. 

Dante's tears clouded his eyes as he looked in the door's direction, and with his heavy feet, he marched towards it to follow Arche. But the moment he stepped out of his unit, he saw Arche standing outside with Louise. Instantly, Dante understood what Arche was saying. 

"Hi, Dante!" Louise happily waved her hand at him, which made Arche turn to follow her gaze. 

Dante couldn't speak. He kept looking at Louise as his vision of her time of death vanished. He can no longer see her death, but he can still feel that it's near. 

"Let's go," Arche took Louise's hand and dragged her inside his unit. 

Dante did not bother to follow him this time. Louise is bugging his mind. He didn't do anything to save her, but her illness is now gone. She seems completely fine as well, and on top of that, he couldn't see when and how she would die.  

Dante sees it as a premonition. Something unpleasant is about to happen. Someone is messing up with either Arche or him.