Chapter 25

Nice long walks are nice. Especially when I know where I'm going. After three extended hours of trudging, walking, jogging, and running we finally made it past the city and into a great forest. It was filled with evergreens, oaks, maples, and other smaller but distinct trees. The forest floor was teeming with worms and insects that burrowed themselves deep in the moist dirt. It smelled nice. It smelled the way the earth smells after rain drenches it. I think it was called 'petrichor'. My nose picked up many scents, but they all harmonized each other. Each merging or intertwining with the next. I could hear the birds chirping and the streams running down the smooth river stones. The trickle of tree sap dripping on exposed roots makes a hollow drumming sound. Everything was idyllic. Bushes rustling with small mammals, fish jumping out of the river nearby, and a rangale blew past the open meadows deep in the forest. I forgot how all of these sensations felt, but they surged back into me as if it was a long-lost memory.

George breathed in a lot of fresh air as he said, "Ahh! This is amazing!" I smiled at him, obviously, I agreed. Bill on the other hand looked a lot more on edge, so to say. He seemed to be looking out for monsters in the dark that were waiting for the right moment to sink their fangs -or teeth- into him.

I tried to comfort him, "Don't worry, the only large species you'll see are deer and wolves."

"W-wolves?!" he stuttered.

I patted him on the shoulder and replied, "Yes. Wolves. As long as you don't do anything stupid, you'll be fine." Bill was still jittery like he had taken too much coffee in the morning, but he didn't argue. The sun was lower in the sky, so the forest glowed with a golden-green light. The light turned into rainbows when it hit the glass-like tree sap dripping from the trees, but the same light dissipated as it ventured further into the forest. I saw a sign that lured it to go deeper into the wild. I looked at George who was already on his way down the path, and I looked at Bill who was reluctantly following his hard-headed brother down the trail. I was left to watch them venture into the never-ending expanse.

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Micheal Grey POV:

My eyes slowly parted to the half waypoint. My eyelashes added a layer of obstruction as I tried to look at the ceiling. There were sterile lights that flooded the room or at least the parts that I could see. I tried to move my arms, but I found six different needles that were stuck in various places. A catheter was one of them. That was going to a pain in the ass to get rid of. Other than the needles, I was dressed up in a hospital gown, and my head with half my body was covered in bandages. Was the jump really that bad? I finally noticed the tube that was stuck in my mouth. It was forcing me to take in oxygen. Shit. I probably punctured at least one of my lungs. Guess it was bad. Although I looked like a complete nightmare, my pain reception was numbed, and I was still half asleep. I tilted my head to the right to see plenty of machinery that was keeping my heart beating. There were a constant whirring and a punctuated beep coming from the machines. It relaxed me.

I tilted my head to the left, which took too much energy than I would have liked. There were around six chairs. I couldn't see the whole picture. But, on the last two, a woman and an old man hunched over. It was Angela and Flin.

I stared at Flin and said, "What's up motherfucker?" I coughed. My voice came out very hoarse and dry. It hurt to say anything, let alone cough. Flin flinched when he heard my voice. He slowly looked up as if to make sure it was me. He, then, walked over and loomed over me. I whispered, "Could you come down to my level for a second?" He got on his knees and faced me. "Thanks." I tried to lean closer to him, but he noticed and scooted closer to me. I told him, "Could you get her to leave for a second?"

He nodded his head at me, and then faced Angela. "You," he pointed at the door, "Outside." Angela nodded her head and waited outside the room. He knelt down next to me again.

I began to whisper, "Answer this with a yes or a no. Nothing more."

"Yes."

"Did you kill my dad?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure he's dead?"

"Yes."

I angrily tried to furrow my eyebrows, but all I did was get myself a headache. "Then, who the FUCK did I see out that window?!" I loudly whispered.

"I'll look into it if that's what you want."

"Good. Don't kill him. Bring him to me when the time is right." Flin nodded his head and called Angela back into the room. He glanced back to me and left through the door. I weakly tried to smile, "Hi, Angela."

She looked at me with a worried expression. She rightfully should. She then began to let out tears. "This is all my fault," she cried, "If I hadn't gone on my stupid rampage, all of this wouldn't have happened." She came closer to me and sat down on the chair that she dragged along with her.

Her face was perfect even when she was crying. I tested my luck, "Angela?"

"Hmm?" she looked up at me.

"Will you go on a date with me?"

She looked at me with an indifferent gaze, "..." C'mon...say 'yes' god damn it! She placed her hand on my hair and said, "Ok."