Chapter V: The Mist

The agonizing night passed by in an instant when he was asleep. Morning came and the feelings he felt before were of yesterday's time. Although it was the first thing that he thought after waking up, it wasn't as bad as before.

He stood up and went to the bathroom to wash his face. As he walked towards the bathroom, he passed by the things he bought. Although it was painful to see, it wasn't as bad as before. He ate a cup of noodles, took a bath, and head off. He opened the door and saw the bright early morning sky.

Although he wasn't really the type to smile and look cheerful, you can really see that his expression was of a dull disappointment. He took a taxi and head off to the Cat Paws Café.

He arrived at the café and opened the door. He looked inside and saw his best friend already sitting at a table. This café is a staple hangout for the two of them whenever they meet together. Although it doesn't really suit their age, they enjoy their time here most.

He went close and greeted him. "Congratulations, man." His best friend looked at him and replied, "Thanks. I'm glad you could come today. I already bought some cake and other food so just enjoy yourself."

He smiled as he sat on an open chair beside his best friend. "Well, to be honest, I wasn't really the one who ordered all of these. It was my co-workers who planned this whole thing. They were supposed to keep it a secret but I found out. So I made a few arrangements and they agreed to it. That's why it ended up being celebrated here. In hopes, you would come. You know I couldn't leave you behind, would I?" His best friend said.

He smiled again and replied, "Then it was surely a lucky thing that you found out. Thank you for always considering me."

"So, what happened?" His best friend asked. "What do you mean by what happened?" He answered.

"We have been the best of friends since high school, you still think you can hide it? I know that look the moment you had entered the café." His best friend said with assurance.

He paused for a minute to come up with something to say. "Huh, well it's nothing. I was just thinking about my family. It just hit me. Well, I shouldn't let this negativity hinder with your celebration so don't mind it. I'm doing great."

"It was rough, surely. Of course, you wouldn't forget about what happened that easily yet alone accept that as a fact. Don't worry, this won't ruin the celebration. I do hope that I can help ease that pain a bit." His best friend replied.

After hearing his best friend's reply, he was sure of some things. That his best friend also only knows about his parent's death. Since his best friend was the closest person to him after his family, he was also certain that he alone knows of a world where his family was alive.

He was hoping to get some answers but in the end, he was left with accepting the reality that he faces right in front of him.

"Thank you always for being there for me. I'll try to enjoy myself as much as I can. Surely, this can help ease the feelings that are going rampant in my chest." He said.

They continued with the celebration, eating and drinking, and enjoying the time. He also tried his best to immerse himself into it as to not be overtaken by his emotions. In the end, however, although it helped a bit, the lingering feeling that he had, never went away. The celebration finished just after lunch and so they decided to head home. Before going home, his best friend talked to him.

"How about we go somewhere else next week? Don't worry, it's my treat. I'll even buy you some robot figurines if you like." His best friend said.

He knew that this was his best friend's way of helping him. His expression changed a bit to a more cheerful one. He felt that no matter what happens, he surely have someone who cares for him in the least. He agreed to his best friend's invitation and was hoping to see him the following week again. He replied with a smiling face, "Sure."

"Well then, I'll be going this way. I'll be sure to send the pictures that they took of us tonight. There are a lot of funny ones I can guarantee that." His friend cheerfully said.

"Thanks again. I will be expecting those pictures. I do hope I got a good one though." He replied. The two laughed at each other and waved goodbye right after.

Feeling a little better, he walked back home to his apartment. After he had settled back in the apartment, he laid himself on the couch. He looked at the ceiling and again, began to think about the things that had happened. Just like a child thinking with his imaginative mind, he tried his best to understand everything that had happened.

"Firstly, I guess I really need to accept this reality. They are gone. The people whom I grew up with are no longer here with me." He said with an almost weeping face. Such a cruel truth he is facing and there was nothing he could do about it. No one can.

He remembered all his past with his parents and his sister. He recalled all the memory he can with them. He tried to understand why everything had come to this conclusion and why a person like him should suffer such.

No matter how much he contemplated on the reasoning behind it, he couldn't understand. The harder he thought about them, the more that he felt lonely and feeling empty. Lonely without their presence and empty without having a reason to continue. He was already having a hard time finding a reason for his life and yet the most probable reason was shattered.

"You might be lost but you still strive to find something to keep you sane, to make you feel you are doing something, to make you keep moving forward. That is how you find your purpose. Huh." He said loudly, repeating the words of his co-worker.

After a while, he also tried to recall what had happened the past weeks but no matter how hard he tried, he just can't seems to remember. It was like he was stuck in a coma for a couple of weeks and ended up here. Not knowing what had happened those past weeks.

Although it was unlikely since he woke up in his office, the thought of missing out on those memories irritated him. He felt it had something to do with everything. He felt that all of this should be connected in some way.

He felt that it was his lead to a truth that he should've known first before everything else. It broke him. He felt that he needed to know the reasons for his memory loss, why it all happened that way, and the memories he lost.

At least with this, he felt he had something to do. Something to strive for. Something to keep him sane. It broke him but it was his reason left to keep on going.

After all that contemplating for a long time, he thought of buying a drink. He thought that he should buy some alcohol to drink. He wasn't much of a drinker but he just thought that it would suit the situation.

"People often associate this drink with problems. Either the problems are before or after, it was the best medium, I guess." He said as he got up and walked to a convenience store.

After arriving at the convenience store, he directly went to the alcoholic beverages aisle.

Although he wasn't a connoisseur nor a veteran at drinking, he grabbed a lot of random cold canned alcoholic beverages. It was already past lunch and it was beginning to get dark. He finished buying other food besides the alcoholic beverages and walked home.

Walking back home, he couldn't stop thinking about his memory loss. Although he had no lead whatsoever, he thought that with some alcohol he can think of some stuff up. It was a struggling attempt towards something that may or may not bear any fruit.

As he was busy walking, he saw two children near the opposite side of the sidewalk. It was two siblings, a girl, and a boy. They seem to be walking home after buying some ice creams near the same convenience store that he went to.

He thought for a second that it resembled him and her sister when they were also children. As he daydreamed of that, he noticed that the boy dropped the bag of ice creams that he was carrying. Seeing that, he wanted to tell the boy to be more careful next time because he is in charge of protecting his sister along with helping them. He reached his hand and shouted, "Are you two okay? Wait a minute, I'll come over there."

He began to walk and right in the middle of the road, a truck was fast approaching his way. It seems that the truck cannot pull its brakes and is stuck moving forward. Before thinking of any solution to avoid it, he felt that the time was moving slower than usual.

He looked at the two children who were shouting for him to run. Even though he wanted to, he couldn't. It was as if his body wanted to avoid it but his mind was saying otherwise.

In that slow moment, he thought, "Isn't dying a better option?" He was sorry for the kids who would see what will happen but for that moment, he thought of everything that had happened in an instant.

He thought that relieving himself of this pain was the way to go. He thought that striving for something else was pointless. He thought that no matter what would've happened in the future, he can never regain the things that he had lost. No matter how hard he would try, nobody is going to bring them back to him.

"If only I visited them earlier. If only I always in touch with them. If only I could've known things ahead to prepare for the things that are happening now." He blamed his incompetent self for the things that he didn't do. And at that moment, he prepared himself. He just wanted for things to be over. Even if it's being a coward choosing the easy way out, he knew that nothing will change no matter how much he tries to comprehend.

His senses came back to the normal flow of time. The truck was closing in on him. Just before hitting him, he looked at the screaming children one last time and smiled. "Live well." The words that came out of his mouth before getting hit by the truck. It hit him straight on his chest and it broke his ribs. He rolled on the sidewalk after being flung by the impact. The truck, however, continued to derail nonstop on the road.

After a while, he opened his eyes. He looked at the children who were crying from shock. He touched his chest and felt that all his ribs are broken and yet, he didn't feel any pain. A thought of confusion suddenly hit him again. "What is happening?" He shouted.

He stood up and went to the children. The children got scared from his appearance and ran away. He looked at himself and he was covered in blood all over the place. He assessed his body and found out that he had broken ribs, a split crack on his head, and a dislocated knee on the right foot.

"Hahaha." He laughed like a mad man. "What is happening? Seriously, I do not know anymore." Tears came right after his laughter. He looked at the stuff he bought and saw that it was all messed up. Luckily, one alcoholic drink survived the crash and he picked it up. He opened it and drank it while walking back home. He tried to walk near the sidewalk walls so people wouldn't see how he looked at that moment.

He finally arrived at his apartment and the landlord saw him. "What happened to you?" The landlord shouted. He didn't mind it and continued to walk back towards his room. He went inside and locked the door.

The landlord knocked at the door and said, "I do not know what had happened to you since the time that you asked me about your parents but are you sure that you are okay? You are covered in blood this time." He laid down the floor and said, "I'm fine. So please, I just want to be alone for a while."

The landlord left him to be by himself. He drank the last ounces of alcohol left in the can and went to the living room. He proceeded to lie on the floor again and was feeling dizzy.

As he was not a veteran drinker, he felt dizzy after drinking a can of alcoholic drink. He said in a whispering tone, "I don't understand anything anymore. I just want everything to go back to normal." After saying that, he fell asleep.

After a while, he woke up and saw a clear bright sky. He was lying on the floor. Again, he felt a strong headache and was struggling to stand up. He nodded and looked ahead and faintly saw anything. Everything in that direction was covered in a mist.

He felt that someone is holding his right hand so he looked on his right. To his surprise, it was the rabbit-eared maid again. After the pain in his head spiked for a moment, he began to feel better again.

He stood up and said, "Why am I back here?" The maid looked at him. He starred at her for a minute and realized that she doesn't speak so he just lowered his head in disappointment. He thought in confusion and tried to understand everything.

Even though just a moment ago, he was agonizing over the facts that have been presented towards him. It felt like he couldn't take it and that he was going to break and yet another thing arises from the other. It was like he was being bombarded with things to think about.

Although it was all a painful experience for another, seeing the maid calmed him down. He contemplated on what had happened. "So all that happened, was the real dream and not this one?" He said as he laughed in glee. Even though he had no way to confirm it, the maid's presence calmed him down to the point that this conclusion was deemed acceptable to him.

"My family was dead and that was the fact that stayed in that place. I'm glad that it wasn't real. But it looks like I still have no memory of the past couple of weeks. Even though I'm back." After having the assurance of knowing, he questioned himself. "No, I never did know of what had happened ever since I came to this place from the beginning. Also, is this place, really real?"

Again, he was left with questions. He wants to know about everything. "Argh, why is this happening anyway?" Again, he screamed.

After much time had passed while he was thinking about some stuff, he looked around the vicinity. He saw that a certain place ahead was covered in a thick mist. He then remembered everything that had happened so far in the labyrinth. "That's right. I lost sight of the maid and maybe that's what caused it. Then why? Why did I dream of losing my family?" He said as he reconciled with what had happened.

Since the maid is still there, it looks like she was waiting for him to gain consciousness back then before moving forward. He then understood that this path should be taken in order to move towards a new place. Since that is the case, he grabbed that maid's hand and said, "Thank you for waiting for me. This time, I won't let you go. So that we can get out of this place."

The maid looked at him in reply and firmly grabbed his hand. This was the first moment that the maid made a response that can be taken as an actual approach towards communication. He smiled and said, "Let's go."

The two walked in the misty-covered place holding hands. The maid led the way. As the mist became thicker and thicker, he grabbed her more firmly. After a couple of minutes of walking, the mist started to become thinner and he felt an overjoyed feeling that they are close to the end. They continued the walk and finally got out of that misty place.