Deadly Bond

I tiptoed towards the big gate, a gate that holds my worst fears. I was shivering and with every step, I took, my heart raced. I could feel my hands trembling with fear but somehow they reached the handle and held it tight. My mind contemplated the possibility of witnessing something more gruesome. I held the handle tight and with all my force pushed open the gates. I was relieved and horrified at the same time looking at what was inside. I was relieved it was the same old scene repeating itself but I was horrified as no one could get used to such a gory view. There was a man, lying dead on the floor. How could I tell? Well, his eyes were popped out, his bones were broken and his face was twisted. This man is not someone I knew but for sure is a conversant face. I kept staring at the body for a few minutes when reality hit me. I need to leave before he comes.

I frantically searched the pockets of this man and my hands landed on the keys. I pulled them out and ran towards the other gate. I remembered the steps like the back of my hand. Every night I was put into this cage with a dead body and a murderer on the loose. it felt like being in a video game but the game is a little too vivid for anyone's liking. Not even once had I seen the murderer's face, but his gait I could recognise from even 100 miles away. He had a weird gait, body bent to one side and a little limp in the right foot. He always wore a black pyjama and a white shirt always covered in stains of some gravy. over these, he wore a black long coat and a black hat. His orange mask always covered his face and he always smelled of rotten meat. He didn't look like the kind who was trying to hide from the world but he seemed more of an outgoing person who loved the attention. He even had a sense of humour. I remember once when I was trying to escape he held me by my hand and said, "If you answer this correctly, I will let you go!". I nodded accepting the challenge. "If some kids tease you for playing halo, what would you do?", he smirked. I thought for a while and then answered, "I will not care." He stood up in rage stabbed me in my stomach and said, "You give them a halo!". Well, that was the one time I actually died laughing. 

I heard the heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. I knew he is here. "Well! well! well! Isn't this my favourite human stuck here again!", he fake exclaimed. I stepped back and unfortunately I was only a step away from the wall. My back hit the wall and he laughed. He took out his knife and swung it around his fingers. I was sweating now. I had no idea what to do. I was going to die again. Suddenly a voice inside my head said, "It is a dream! You can wake up.", listening to the sound I frantically looked around to find a way out. "There is no way out. You are going to die again.", I heard his sneer. "This room just has walls.", he continued. The walls! I turned around and I banged my head hard onto the wall. The moment my head hit the wall I felt a lot of pain and the next moment everything went black.

I woke up trying to catch my breath. I looked around and saw a beautiful room. It had a round table in the middle and I was lying on a couch. I looked to my right and saw Dr Hans, my therapist sitting there with a notepad and looking at me. "Are you okay?", he asked. I nodded. "When did I come here?", I asked him. "You came here 2 hours back, all scared and you fell on the couch. You have been sleeping since then.", he answered with a worried look. I was about to move when I felt a stinging pain on my forehead. "Ouch!", I touched my forehead to feel a bump on it. "How did you get hurt?", Hans asked. "I don't know.", I answered with utmost honesty, momentarily forgetting the dream I just had. "You dreamt of it again?", he asked now searching for some ointment near his desk. "Yes and this time I escaped.", I said. "You did!", he asked all shocked. I nodded. "Wait! I got hurt in the dream. I banged my head onto the wall. How can I be hurt here? It was all a dream, right?", I was a little too frightened now. He handed me the ointment and sat near me. "I guess it is more than just a dream, Stark.", he said. "What!", I exclaimed. He came to me and handed me a newspaper. It was dated 16th June 1997. "What is this?", I asked all confused. "Read the headline.", he said and sat in his chair. I didn't even know what was in there but my hands were still trembling with fear. I opened the newspaper.

After reading the headlines and looking at the picture my whole body went in shock. The headlines said, 'A gory murder: A 9-year-old suspect.' The picture had the same body which I saw in all my dreams. The man was the same and his dead body was exactly like the one in my dreams. "What is this?", I asked frightened. "Read the whole story", he said with a straight face. I started reading the news article. It was the story of a man who was found dead by the lake. The only suspect was a 9-year-old boy, who was found near the dead body shouting, "I killed him!". But the moment I read the name of the boy, the newspaper fell from my hands. 'A nine-year-old boy named Stark Blanc'. "Me!", I stood up. I rushed to his table, demanding answers. "I know you are confused Stark. All your answers are in that box", Dr Hans said and pointed towards a box by the couch. "Bring it here.", he said. I rushed to the box. I bet down to pick it up when my eyes landed on the orange mask, black coat and a stained white shirt. "Wh-Why do you have these?", I stuttered. Dr Hans stood up and walked towards me. The gait! Gait was the same. I stepped back and my back hit the wall. "Deja vu", he said smiling. "Who are you?", I asked. "I am the son of that man. The man you killed.", he said. his eyes full of hatred. "I didn't kill anyone!", I yelled at him. I remember it all! I never killed anyone. "You did! Even your mind knows you did. Due to shock you forgot everything that happened before the age of 9, didn't you!", he asked. I nodded.

But my heart was still not ready to believe that I killed this man. He was now inches away from me. He held me by my collar and pulled me close. "It was raining that day. You were running away from your abusive dad. Trying to escape. You went and hid inside a cottage. The cottage was abandoned. My dad came inside and you thought it was your dad. You picked up the shovel and held it close. The moment you saw the shadow coming close you hit hard. He died.", Dr Hans finished his narration and I listened to him closely. "I don't remember anything!", my answer was the same. "How do you know this, so much vividly.", I asked getting suspicious now. "You hit him once, I hit him thrice.", he laughed. This guy is crazy. "Wait! you killed him. I didn't.", I said taking a careful step towards him. "He was already dead when I created my masterpiece.", he looked proud. "You killed your dad. Why are you doing this to me.", I asked. "I am a loyal son.", he said and held my throat. "Any last words?", he asked. "Wh-why did you kill your dad?", my curiosity got the best of me. "Well, it's tit for tat. He killed me first!".