Regression: Leaking Reality

Chapter 4

As Darya's speed increased, Kael gave up on noting each anomaly, he simply followed.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs they couldn't see, Kael watched as Darya opened another wall. He shut the door behind them and continued to follow Darya, walking through people and cars on the streets towards a building across from his workplace.

Darya had at some point released her grip so Kael stayed close behind her, they had been walking for over ten minutes now but still hadn't crossed the two-way street.

Suddenly, Kael stopped and waited until someone passed before continuing, jogging to meet up again with Darya. As if recalling something, he glanced back. At first, he saw nothing but eventually, a woman and her child appeared walking in the opposite direction, they were the ones who had walked past him a moment ago.

Frowning, Kael turned and continued behind Darya. No longer thinking too much, he simply followed. They stopped at an open field, the building he had seen when they walked out of his workplace was now just an open field. Darya stopped and turned to him.

"Oh," Kael exclaimed softly and searched his pockets, producing his keys, he walked up beside her and inserted a key into the open air in front. As he turned the key, he suddenly paused.

"There's nothing here," he muttered.

As soon as the thought came to mind, the keys fell and clattered to the ground.

Kael turned to Darya and found her shaking her head.

"You were so close to understanding. I didn't tell you that was a door, fully in control of your body, you saw the door and almost opened it," This was perhaps the longest line she had ever spoken to him.

Kael watched without a word as she picked up the key and again inserted it into an invisible keyhole. He heard the sound of a lock being undone and she opened the door after two clicks.

Following her in, he closed the door behind him and paused.

"This isn't my apartment," he noted, eyes searching.

"It's not," Darya nodded and let herself down on a sofa.

"Can you tell me what's going on now?" Kael asked, arms folded he towered over Darya's sitting figure staring down at her with furrowed brows and tense muscles.

Darya shrugged back at him, she remained silent for a few seconds, then straightened on the sofa.

"You shouldn't have come back like this" he said giving him a once-over.

"Your body remembers wrong, you're leaking and they are fixing it," She rose and walked into the kitchen.

Kael glanced around realizing they were now in his house but this was not the time to pay any mind to that.

Darya opened the refrigerator and pulled out a plate of yogurt, he watched as she navigated the kitchen with familiarity, finding an empty place in a cabinet and spoons in another, then proceeded to share the yogurt into two halves.

Smiling softly she carried the plate with the smaller half and handed it over to Kael.

Kael accepted the plate but his eyes remained fixed on Darya.

"I got yogurts a week ago from the grocery store," he started.

"I don't eat yogurt" he shrugged, a helpless smile on his lips.

Darya slowed her eating and raised her eyes up to him with her head still bowed.

"But I do" she replied.

"Yes, you do" Kael nodded in an almost whisper.

"Who are you?" Kael asked. He walked over to her and sat across from her. He maintained his gaze on her as he lowered the plate onto the table.

"It'll melt Kael" Darya scolded.

"...and why do you say my name like that?" Kael asked again.

Darya raised her head from her plate, her gaze flickering between him and the plate on the table.

"Will you at least remove it from the table? You'll ruin the table!" she exclaimed softly.

Kael's expression changed, his irritation boiling to the surface, his voice slightly raised, and he spat.

"What do you care?! It's my table! Tell me why I killed a man!"

Darya stared calmly at him and silence settled between them for a few seconds.

Kael's tensed figure slowly relaxed and he eased himself into the chair.

"I'm sorry" he apologized softly.

Darya nodded, her hands moved slowly in hesitation but she set down her plate as well and rose from her seat.

Walking towards his bedroom she paused and turned.

"Come" she called.

Kael rose as well but did not follow.

"No" he replied, his tone calm but firm.

"I'm not going anywhere with you until you explain what's going on"

Darya turned around now.

"But I already did," she said walking back to him.

Kael watched Darya standing a head shorter than him, she was only a foot away now, and he could feel her warmth on his skin. His anxiety washed away and his heart tingled as she stared calmly into his eyes.

Kael stared back at her without a word then he saw his hand gently caressing her cheek. Frowning, he pulled back his hand and took a step away from her.

"I'm getting out of here" he said and made for the door. But just as he reached it, the door disappeared!

He made to open it but his outstretched arm confirmed it really was just a space across from him.

Kael turned to face Darya and found her staring calmly at him. He squinted and took a small step forward, that one step bringing him right back to standing in front of her in his living room.

"You're controlling this," he muttered, eyes widening as he looked Darya over.

"Kael!" A scream caught his attention and he turned to the window.

His apartment was on the ninth floor but at this moment, outside his window was an alley.

A figure lay on the ground with blood flowing from his lips as Darya rushed over to him weeping uncontrollably.

"Kael, talk to me please, don't go. No no no no, please Kael, please," She begged as she picked him up and placed his head on her thighs.

Inside the living room, Kael turned to Darya who now had her head lowered, and then back at the scene beyond the window.

Footsteps echoed in the dark and two figures walked towards the couple on the ground.

Darya's weeping and now incoherent words slowed to a stop.

"You killed him" she muttered in a low voice.

"Come back with us, or we'll finish the job" one of the figures spoke.

Darya raised her head to glance at him then turned back to Kael on the ground.

"Try not to move," she whispered and gently lowered to kiss his forehead. She cautiously laid him back on the ground and rose, cleaning the tears on her cheeks.

"Don't fight us sister, you gave it to him. You can no longer fight" the second man warned.

"You're right" Darya replied.

"But I am still the firstborn" she grinned.

As she raised her hand, the two men rushed at her.

On the ground, Kael's eyes flickered open and he tried to stand. He had barely lifted his head when he saw Draya hunch over, the figure of one of the men now towering over her, his cold eyes fixed on Kael.

As both Kael's watched, the man turned Darya around and placed a knife to her neck.

"No," a low whisper escaped Kael's lips as the man slowly dragged the knife across Darya's neck. Blood poured from the wound onto her grey shirt but the smile on her face remained even as the man stabbed her in the abdomen repeatedly.

A gentle breath escaped Darya's lips as she breathed her last and in that moment, thunder clapped in the alley, and under the horrified gaze of the two men reality fractured like glass.

It turned dark outside the window. A gut-wrenching cry escaped Kael's lips and he collapsed to his knees. Seeing him like this, Darya kneeled and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.