At the verge of insanity

"Ocean!"

Thomas felt like he was walking only a few brief minutes rather than hours. All the exhaustion left him and he searched for materials that can be helpful in fishing.

Lily was too tired to think. She laid and fell asleep. What was so good about Ocean? She wanted to go home!

Thomas spent a few hours gathering objects that could be useful. He gathered a few sticks and vines. He sharpened one rod with his sharp piece of glass he always carried.

'I won't find more than this.'

As expected, there weren't many things that he could use. The situation wasn't bad. As long as there were fishes in the sea, he would catch them.

Thomas was standing in the water and searching for prey. It has been three hours since he began and the sun was already rising, but there were no signs of any marine creatures. He didn't lose hope all this time.

'They were asleep. I'm sure that they were asleep. After another few minutes, they will wake up and swim somewhere where I can see them.'

To his disappointment, nothing showed up, no matter how long Thomas was waiting.

He left the water because of the pain in his legs. Maybe he was brimming with determination to search for something to eat, but this doesn't mean that his body can take it. He was still a human; he needed to rest.

When Lily woke up, she saw her brother lying with half of his body in the water. He had so little strength left that he couldn't even reach the dry land before falling unconscious. She dragged her relative under a tree and then painted in the sand. It was the only way she could think of to kill the time. Her mother and father always praised her when she drew something beautiful, making her more motivated.

The first thing Thomas did after waking up was going back to the ocean. He wanted to see a fish. Nothing else was currently on his mind.

By the time he was back, there was no determination in his eyes. He lost hope. If even oceans were empty, then finding food anywhere else was even less possible.

Thomas sat down and considered what to do next. There was no time to waste. He needed a plan!

'Do I need to risk eating something poisonous?'

There was another way that passed through his mind every so often, but he tried to get rid of it.

'I won't do it.'

"Oh, son. We both know you will finally do it. Why do you want to suffer when the ending won't change? Do it! At least I won't be lonely anymore."

Thomas jumped in fright, hearing the voice that was quiet yesterday. He thought that it already disappeared.

"Why are you surprised? I said that I'm a part of you already. Since when is it this easy to get rid of me?"

"You, I don't know what you are talking about!"

"We both understand that I'm in your head. I can hear your thoughts! Now, start your plan or I won't leave."

Thomas ignored the voice and laid on the ground. He closed his eyes, thinking that his imagination will stay in its place. This time, he was wrong. While he was trying to fall asleep, something cold touched his back.

He tried to get free, but the monster caught him and brought closer.

"Where do you think you are going?"

Thomas sat down and started considering what to do next. There was no time to waste. He needed a plan!

'Do I need to risk eating something poisonous?'

There was another way that passed through his mind every so often, but he tried to get rid of it.

'I won't do it.'

"Oh, son. We both know you will finally do it. Why do you want to suffer when the ending won't change? Do it! At least I won't be lonely anymore."

Thomas jumped in fright, hearing the voice that was quiet yesterday. He thought that it already disappeared.

"Why are you surprised? I said that I'm a part of you already. Since when is it this easy to get rid of me?"

"You, I don't know what you are talking about!"

"We both understand that I'm in your head. I can hear your thoughts! Now, start your plan or I won't leave."

Thomas ignored the voice and laid on the ground. He closed his eyes, thinking that his imagination will stay in its place. This time, he was wrong. While he was trying to fall asleep, something cold touched his back.

He tried to get free, but the monster caught him and brought closer.

"Where do you think you are going?"

He heard an evil chuckle behind his back.

"How could I let my child stay alone? It's cold. You don't want to get sick, right?"

A shiver went down Thomas's spine.

'How can a damn illusion hold me in place? I know that you are not real! Why can't I move?!'

Anger and uneasiness were feeling Thomas. His state needed to worsen. Before, there were no symptoms similar to his current state. He waited for the ghost to disappear, but he understood that it won't be that easy to get rid of it.

The night was already over, yet Thomas didn't sleep. With his dead mother accompanying him this whole time, it was impossible to rest. When the sun rose, he checked whether the creature left.

Unfortunately for him, it showed no sign of leaving him alone.

He got up with much difficulty; the ghost was pulling his hand all this time.

The monster didn't leave since the last night. It stayed with Thomas all the time. It made everything he did harder, and when he asked it to leave, he always got the same answer.

"Start your plan, then I won't bother you for a while."

Starting the plan? He will use it only if there wasn't any other option. Thomas was still thinking about something else that helps him survive.

Two days have passed since the creature was making his life difficult.

"Brother, when will we eat something?"

"I will bring something to eat today!"

Being annoyed by a ghost all this time, Thomas couldn't bear his sister's constant pleading. He understood that there is no other way to see if there is something to eat than trying the plants.

'I'm sorry, sister, but I can't take it anymore. This hunger is killing me, and the illusion makes this life even more unbearable.'

Thomas gathered a few leaves from the crown of a tree and gave them to Lily.

"Here, have some. I think it's edible. I wasn't able to pick more so I will have my meal tomorrow."

The young girl was too hungry to even listen to her brother's words. Understanding that this was her food, she instantly grabbed it and chewed on the leaves.

"What do you think about it?"

Thomas hoped that there wasn't a problem with the meal he prepared for his sister.

"It tasted a little better than grass."

Lily showed a smile on her face. She was brimming with happiness.

"I'm happy you liked it."

Thomas let out a sigh of relief. He found a stable source of food for them and the ghost left.

Everything was getting better.

It was still morning, but he fell asleep.

"Urghh!"

He woke up to a painful grunt of his sister. When Thomas opened eyes, he saw her rolling on the ground, with her hands on her belly.

"What happened?"

"Br-Brother, help me!"

Lily was searching for her brother's hand. The pain she was feeling was unbearable.

'Don't tell me the leaves were poisonous? What should I do now?'

Thomas was thinking of a way to undo the effect of the poison.

'How could I not think of a way to solve the problem if it appeared? I thought that everything was okay, just because the effects weren't visible in a brief period. How could I do something this monster wanted?'

Maybe because of the lack of sleep, or stress, he wasn't able to predict something so simple. Now, he needed to think of an antidote for poison he knew nothing about.

'I don't know how serious it is. Maybe the pain will disappear after some time. I can worsen the situation if I try to do something with it now- Argh!'

A sudden pain struck Thomas and brought him to his knees. His vision turned blurry, and he passed out.

'What happened?'

When he woke up, everything around him was silent. He spent an entire day asleep because of hunger. He didn't eat for too long.

'Right! Sister!'

Because of his previous state, he couldn't help his poisoned sister. He got up, and when his eyesight got back to normal, he saw his sister laying a few meters away. He got close to her as fast as he could and started shaking her.

"Sister! Wake up!"

He checked her heartbeat and could finally let out a sigh of relief, knowing that she was still alive.

"Why are you so happy? Now, you will need to kill her yourself."

The monster that haunted him for more than a week appeared again.

"What are you doing here? Didn't you say you won't bother me anymore?"

"Oh, I said that I will leave for a while, not forever. Now, can you already finish her?"

The ghost was getting closer to Thomas while talking, and before it ended saying its last sentence, it grabbed his hand and moved it toward the sharp glass.