Connectors of the Two Worlds

Chapter 15

The first thing I saw when I woke up was the red color. I didn't looked closely. My sight was still adjusting. I felt soak wet. The smell of my surrounding is like a thousand-year-old rusty metal parts of a vehicle inside the Cervantes' garage. It smelt horrible I'm about to vomit. It hurts my stomach. It was greased and warm. It left me unmoved in a way I don't understand. I was lying flat on my back. I saw the dark clouds began to hurdle the clearest of the sky making anyone to look at it in confusion and fear.

As I got to my feet, I slowly inspected the surroundings. When I was about to walk, suddenly, I slipped off. Luckily, I had a chance to take back the momentum with my hands against the ground. Then, thick liquid was splashed on my face. I turned to see what it was. I was about to bring my hands to my face when I saw something that was on my palm. Not long enough I trembled in fear. My hands shuddered. My eyes widened.

There was I left in fear. I turned my head everywhere. I widened my eyes again, tears started to fall. Seeing the land being poured in red thick blood isn't a good vitamin in the eyes at all.

I screamed at the top of my lungs, almost out of breath. My ribs hurt badly. Something inside my chest is preventing me to scream as loud as I could. I held on to it but to no avail.

I started panicking, ranting all around, away from the horror of the land itself. But everywhere I go, there were trees that were showered in red blood. The fields and crops were sprayed blood by the enemies. It came from those poor innocent Daemons.

As I ran to the clearing, someone had pulled me back. It made me collapse to the clean unbloodied grass. I felt the sharp and moistened grass against my skin.

There I saw him again.

Alfred.

"What's happening? Why is there... blood... every... where..." I couldn't hear my voice anymore nor his answer. I saw his lips moved but I couldn't comprehend anything that he's trying to say as darkness started to devour my sanity.

~~~

"Angelica..." a distant voice called.

Everything seemed so quiet. It felt safe, perhaps, peaceful around but I still couldn't picture out the images.

"Angelica..." he continued to call. Seem he was calling someone's attention, or waking someone up.

I opened my eyes and an elegant brownish Spanish style ceiling was before me. I was staring, emotionless, to the ceiling for a moment.

"How are you feeling right now?" that voice asked again.

I finally turned to look at him. His face painted with thoughtfulness waiting for me to response. I began to move and sat there. I realized that I was lying on the soft sofa, maroon in color. After examining myself and the surroundings full of elegant things that I had never seen before, I have finally decided to speak. "What happened?" I asked in a sore voice.

He was filling up a cup of tea on top of the table next to us and gave it to me. He gave it to me, offering it with his formal smile. I don't know anything about tea but I bet it was the most delicious tea I have ever tasted.

"You were unconscious," he answered blandly afterwards. His elegance emphasized him inside the place. Looking at the man closely like a hundredth first times, I came to realize how his eyelashes could be so attractive. The way the lashes bent like a perfect wave of the ocean, as abundant as the flowers in the garden of Zaiborn.

Obviously, he was expecting me to forget it, but I know what I saw. I remembered the blood everywhere. The corpse. The clouds...

"But what about the--"

"The blood?" he interrupted, "It came from the war, of course. It's not new anymore."

I was stung from the way he spoke, like it was normal to encounter such things. Like it happens in this place every time. It shivered me in fear. "But why?" I cried.

"Why? What is new? All that matters is that we're still alive," he said.

Goosebumps were creeping my skin again. So, it was real then... I thought.

"Angelica, listen..." he said, very serious this time. I stared deeper into his eyes and there mysteries lie ahead of us, making me want to search for more about this guy.

"I'll always be looking out for you. Don't fear," he said and smiled like he knows that I will believe him. But that's odd. I really do believe him.

I have always believed in him.

~~~

A continuous beeping sound.

That sound annoys me to the core. I know that sound. It's like a time bomb. A measurement of your life left for you to live in. It's one of the creepiest sound I have ever heard since the day I was watching an action movie.

I have remembered one of the few movies Keanu Reeves had done. He was a secret FBI agent figuring out how to stop the timebomb.

Fools. They can't stop the time! No one can do that, unless you're a writer of a fantasy book. You can control the scenes, of how it was consumed.

Beep.

Ah. It wouldn't be a timebomb. I'm not kidn*pped. No one is interested in doing that to me. No one can do that to me unless I'm an heiress of a multi-corporation. I'll get killed and the hoodlums will get away with billions of cash as ransom.

Beep.

I opened my eyes and panicked abruptly to the scary sound. I began to remove all the weird tubes on my hands and on my nose. I didn't mind how painful it was beneath my skin but I just want to get out of here. I tried my very best not to protest loudly so that I won't be catching anyone's attention. I hurriedly got out of the filthy hospital bed and tried peeking at the door. Hospital dress isn't a regular thing to wear around here, so I guess I'll be wearing a loose shirt and pajama?

When I opened the door, I was startled as someone covered my mouth and pushed me back inside the room. I wanted to scream but I couldn't. And heck, I wouldn't do that with this man.

Joe dragged me back to the bed, me under him as he was covering my mouth with startled faces of ours.

After a moment of staring back at each other in surprise, he finally decided to remove his hand. He in return, had noticed the tubes on the bed. Stained the sheets with blood and liquids.

"Why did you remove your tubes?" he'd asked.

I was about to answer when suddenly the door creaked open.

"What are you doing with her?" Rex angrily asked with an accusing look. Joe got up and without a prior notice, Rex had moved around him and pulled the collar of his shirt. "Get out!" he yelled.

"I'm not going anywhere," Joe answered back with determination, eyeing Rex sharply with resentment.

"Rex, stop it! He's not doing anything wrong," I shouted. My heart is beating erratically. A relief that has made me nervous again, probably because the tension between me and Joe were eased at the time Rex came. Oh, but what thing could ease their tension now?

"Just... get out, Joe," I said finally after a long silence.

I saw Joe's eyes saddened and smirked as he held down his gaze. Rex had let go of him and gave the latter a way.

"Okay..." Joe said, then got out of the room.

I sighed in relief and a half in frustration. Maybe because in truth, I have never spoken of Joe these past few days. The thing between us didn't quite appeal to me officially. It's a shame and awkwardness I feel when I think of it every time.

And here's Rex, making me think that I should take back what all I have decided on that day. But I can't do that, neither can never think of doing that to shame myself for being indecisive.

Rex continued to put the fruits arranged in a clean native knitted basket on the table. I never noticed he was holding them earlier. For the whole time, he was silent. Then afterwards, he had managed to speak.

Knowing Rex, he doesn't want the silence. If he's alone in their garage, he would only love the loud bangs of his tools unto the old parts of the vehicles or the clang of the metals against each other.

"Uncle Paul's out of town for a business conference, almost three days from now. He'll be back by Monday--"

"W-wait. You mean he's three days there already?" I asked in disbelief. How could that happen? I just woke up.

"Uh... yeah?"

I shook my head. "But, yesterday he was just here. He's the one who brought me here, right?"

He widened his eyes realizing something so unusual right now. "Oh, I forgot to tell you..."

"You f-forgot to tell me what?" Then, there goes this crazy heartbeat again.

"Clan... you were sleeping almost five days until now," he said matter-of-factly.

I shrieked. Gawked in disbelief. "I was?" I couldn't believe it. From just a simple burn, I fell asleep five days straight.

I paused for a minute and checked my foot. I saw the circular wound on it. It was weird for it's not a perfect circle wherein the other side is curved and the other is with a corner, like a half of a triangle. It's not painful anymore but I bet this wound had consumed much of my energy the last time I was awake.

After confirming what happened, the doctor came to check on me.

The doctor just declared it overfatigue and the such. Overslept for five days, not commatosed, as to what it should be. Normally, I think about anomalies behind my illness, but right now I couldn't afford to think of any paranormal activities inside my being. It's too much creep.

After the doctor had checked on my vital signs, tubes were back on my veins again, Rex had the chance to check on me.

"'You okay?"

I smiled. "Yeah," I answered. While I lay on the hospital bed, my back resting on its elevated portion and my lap covered with blanket, I heard my stomach grumbling.

"Umm..."

"Apple?" Rex motioned me the round fuji apple. I gratefully accepted it.

"Thank you," then, I ate.

For a long moment, we were silent. No one wants to start a conversation. It was worst than sleeping in five days straight.

"Do you like him?" he suddenly asked.

I stopped eating and abruptly looked at him. "What?"

"Alden Joe, I mean." He stared at me meaningfully. "Do you like him?"

My pulse rate is racing again. I could use to have a heart disease right now. Maybe this was the most frightening thing, being awkward with the two guys who were so close to me recently.

"Umm... Joe? He's... He's fine. I actually liked him. He's good. He helps me sometimes. I was a bit wrong about him at first. But he's a good friend," I answered, then smiled indifferently.

As to my surprise, Rex suddenly smiled weakly. He lowered his gaze and said, "I think he likes you, too."

I gave him a very confused look and answered. "I-I don't think so..."

"I know what boys are, Clan..."

"But you don't know him," I challenged him. Being denial. Yeah, maybe I am in denial. I don't wanna face the fact that Joe has felt something for me other than friendship. His confession came lingering inside my head. I don't know how to react.

Rex suddenly shrugged and laid beside me. Hands under his head, and closed his eyes. "Sometimes, I hope I'm wrong, you know..."

"What? What's that supposed to mean, huh?" I changed my weight to my side where I could look at him at his very peaceful state. But he didn't answer. He just closed his eyes and maybe listened to the irritating beep of the monitor beside me.

Come to think of it, I'm in good shape but they intend to keep me locked up inside this place with tubes around my hands. It's sickening.

I have realized that I have smiled at the figure I'm looking. So peaceful like the clouds in the sky above.

I wish I could still take back Rexander. This feeling wouldn't leave me at all no matter how hard I try to erase it.