Episode 5-George's Awakening (4)

George Machen's Perspective:

He opened the door with an apprehensive breath. The heavy, oak door that protected his room swung open so easily, and he saw Jael and Jess, playing some Call of Duty. George simply stood in the doorway, staring at them.

(What do I say? I... haven't seen them in forever so-)

"George!! Hey!"

Thirteen-year-old Jael Bodesh stood up, tucked the controller behind his back, and quickly used the toe of his foot to turn off the Xbox. It flicked out.

"Jael!! I wanted to play!!" Jess whined.

It happened so quickly, George questioned what he saw. It was so silly, he didn't know if he should laugh or take this seriously. Although, he did remember that he didn't like his little sister playing his shooter games, especially with Jael.

"George, hey there, how's the battlefront?" Jael asked, hoping to divert attention from what he did.

"Battlefront?"

"Yeah, you said you were going go shopping with your dad to buy some supplies to kill that yellow jacket nest," Jael said casually.

(I remember that,) George thought, (I went with dad, and we bought some stuff to kill the hive, so that we could safely eat out in the backyard. Although... what time is it?)

"Hey, Jael, what time is it?" George asked.

"Uh, George, this is your own room, you can stare at your own clock," Jael said in jest.

"Oh, yeah... you're right."

(I haven't been here since I was 18-years-old,) George thought in response.

George took a tentative step inside. He saw his little TV, his Xbox and his shelves, which were filled with books and knickknacks. He saw his single-wide bed, with it's ruffled sheets and dented pillow. George walked to his closet, and opened it. He saw a hamper that was filled with his dirty clothes, which he planned to wash later this week.

(It seems... so real.)

George couldn't guess if this was reality or not. The smell, the sights, the taste of the air, even the atmosphere itself, it truly seemed as if he returned to the past. Sadly, George knew that a human mind couldn't remember everything. There would always be misconceptions, gaps, and assumptions. George stared at the analog clock on the wall across from his bed. He saw the hour-hand on the "12" mark, and the minute-hand on the "3" mark. It was 12:15 PM right now. Time was ticking down. If he remembered correctly, his dad would be coming to pick him up, and they would head to the store.

(But... if this is truly the past... maybe I can change these moments, and change the future. Bit by bit.)

George began to hear footsteps approaching his room. A tall man entered George's doorway, and asked a question.

"Hey, buddy, are we gonna go to Walmart to get those supplies? We got a wasp-hive to attack, and we gotta get some other things your mom wants."

It was George's father, Evan Machen.

(Dad...)

How would someone describe Evan Machen? They were handsome, and had sandy hair similar to George's. They were in their late-forties, and had smile-lines around their eyes. They were tall, and seemed strong, but their presence was reassuring as their wife's, Vivian Machen.

"Buddy? You okay? Are we gonna go?"

Evan Machen wanted an answer from George, to see if they would come. If George said yes, then he would follow his father to their car, and hop into the backseat. George's father would turn on the engine from the driver's seat, and they would drive towards the store. It would probably be a fifteen minute journey to get there, and another fifteen minutes to come back to their home. Sadly, George could feel that time. He would have to leave his home; he would leave Jael and Jess behind. George wouldn't be able to bear it, even if it was only for thirty minutes.

(If this is the past, then I should be able to change the future. I'll change this moment right here-)

George looked to his father and said,

(-and I'll warn them about the First Scenario.)

"Sorry, dad, I don't really feel like going."

The second George said this, he held his breath, and his heart began to stop, as if time was slowing down. His father opened his mouth, and words began to spill out.

"Well, that's okay, buddy. I'll go by myself then," Evan Machen said causally. "I'll see you kids when I get back."

Evan Machen waved his hand to say "see ya later" and disappeared from George's doorway. Their footsteps could be heard throughout the house, and George heard his father speak to his mother shortly.

"Hey, honey, I'm going to go now!"

"Alright, come back soon."

"I will."

George could hear his father leave the house, and enter the car. George ran to his window, and saw his father driving away.

(It's okay... this is the past.... It'll be alright. I have years of time,) he thought to himself.

George turned towards Jael and Jess. How would he save them? The two people that he loved the most in this world, besides the rest of his family?

"Hey... uh... have you ever heard of Dokkaebi? Star Stream? Scenarios?"

After George said this, the two expressions on their faces showed that they didn't know what the hell he was talking about. They weren't afraid to say it as well.

"George, what the hell are you talking about?" Jael asked.

"Haha, Jael said a curse-word!!"

***

The trio were standing on the balcony, while looking down at the backyard. Jess wanted to frolic through the playground, but the wasps were flying about. George and Jael were leaning against the rails, while Jess was next to them, tippy-toeing to make herself taller.

"So, uh, Dokkaebi can blow up people's head?" Jael asked while researching on his smartphone.

"Yeah... they're pretty crazy. Everything's a game to them."

"And you said you had a dream about them?"

"It was more like a nightmare..." George said in response to the inquiry.

"Well, I don't know what you're smoking, but Dokkaebi are from Korean folklore, and they're from the "Goryeo" period? It says they're basically the Korean version of goblins, but with magic and supernatural powers."

"Is that what the wiki says?"

"Yep, nothing about Star Stream, or Specter stones, or Constellations," Jael said in response.

George began to ask another question. He was afraid to ask it, though.

"C-can you look up the name "Ethan Nakamura" through the government's database?"

Jael gave George some side-eye and asked, "Why? You know them?"

"Well, uuhhh... Not yet?"

(Crap, I shouldn't have said that.)

Jael placed his phone onto the rail, and began to look George dead in the eye. He seemed a little angry. "George, are you okay? You've been acting really weird. You told me you were excited to see your dad today because they came back from a tour. Why didn't you go with him when he asked? Y'know you can't see them all the time."

(My dad is taking a tour...?) George thought. (Yeah, he is, I guess. This is the past. He wouldn't stop taking them until I entered the military...)

"Well, I just wanted to spend time with you two guys. I haven't..."

(Seen you two since the First Scenario? I can't say that... Damn, what the f*ck do I say?!)

As George contemplated, someone decided to pitch their little voice into the conversation.

"Goggy, what are Specter Stones?" Jess interrupted.

Jael and George looked down at her, and saw her wide eyes full of innocence. Jael responded before George could. "I think he's talking about hard drugs, like crystal meth."

George was panicking now. "No, they're not like that!! They're stones that allow someone to become a ghost, but they can make you go insane and see things! Ethan told me!!"

(What the hell did I just say now?)

Before George could rectify his misspoken mistake, he heard a stern voice from behind.

"Ethan told you what?" It was George's mother. "Okay, mister, come inside. We're gonna talk about this "Ethan Nakamura" kid right now."

George turned around, and saw his mother at the sliding door. She was pointing to the dining table, while snapping her fingers, which meant he needed to hurry up. George walked inside while hanging his head low. He wasn't afraid of a punishment, though. He was afraid of looking crazy to his mother.

***

It was just George and his mother, sitting across from each other as they sat down. The family pair were inside, while Jael and Jess were outside, conversing. George looked at them. They were behind a screen door that was clear and clean, but they seemed so far away. In retrospect, the distance between them was four meters. To George, though, these few feet were kilometers.

Vivian Machen began to speak with a demanding tone, but it was laced concern. "George, are you okay? You went outside for a little bit, but you seem so stressed. Also, who's this "Ethan" kid? Are they even a kid?"

Vivian Machen was firing out questions so fast, it felt like bullets to George.

"My god, you're sweating so much."

Mrs. Machen stood up and took off George's glasses. The world became a little blurry, but he was fine. His mother began peeling his eyes open, and staring into them.

"They're not dilated... You're not slurring your words as well."

Mrs. Machen placed the glasses back on her son, and backed a few feet away from them. She lifted her hand, and made a peace sign.

"George, how many fingers am I holding up?" She asked.

"Uhh... Mom, why are you...?"

"How many, George?" She asked again.

"You're holding two fingers up," George imitated the hand gesture. "Like two bunny ears, or a scissors."

He wriggled his two fingers, as if to accentuate the point that he could see her clearly.

"Okay..." his mother said. She sat back down. "Okay, but onto another topic. Who is Ethan? What are Specter Stones? What were you and Jael talking about?"

"Uhhh..."

"George," Mrs. Machen asked firmly, "is this Ethan kid some drug dealer? Is he threatening you?"

"WHA!? No, Ethan is my-" George paused before he could finish his sentence.

(Wait... Ethan is younger than me... He might not even exist... if he does, then he's just a baby... I won't meet him for another 13 years, and he won't be my Sergeant Major until then...)

"George, were you about to say boyfriend?!" Mrs. Machen exclaimed. The look on her face changed from sternness to shock.

"What! No!" George yelled back. "He's just a comrade in arms!!"

"What do you mean by that?" His mother asked.

"Uhhh... it's actually... I don't know..."

"George, I want you know to that what you feel is okay, and that your father and I won't judge you."

(Did my mom ever say this to me? Is the past changing already? Ugh, it doesn't matter...)

"Besides that though, I want to know who Ethan is. He seems like a bad-influence that'll lead you into trouble..."

"He's not." George said matter-of-factly. "Ethan isn't like that. He's a... friend who got me out of trouble."

"What type of trouble? You were here with us the entire time, and you never get into trouble, George."

(Should I tell them the truth? About the Dokkaebi? No... they'll probably think I'm crazy and institutionalize me...)

Vivian Machen saw the hesitation on her son's face. "Okay, how about this... Can you tell me who Ethan is? As a person?"

(I guess... that'll be okay,) George thought.

"Uhh... I think they're Japanese?"

"Okay," his mother said while nodding.

"I think they're 14 to 15, but they're short as a 12-year-old, so I don't really know."

"So, they seem older?"

(Yeah... almost too old.)

George decided to echo this thought, and say it with words. He would did it with a nostalgic-looking smile.

"Yeah... almost too old. Sometimes, they act and sound like an adult."

"How so?"

"Well... they speak properly... and they just have this quality about them that seems... "mature" I guess?"

"So, they're a friend of yours, George?"

"Yes, mom," George said. He decided to add something else to his statement. "There nothing but a friend."

George's mom still seemed skeptical, but it seems she was moving onto another train of thought. She began asking new questions.

"Okay, how did you meet them?"

"Wha?"

"How did you meet Ethan, George?"

"I... I met them when I was-"

(Wait... when did I meet Ethan?)

As George pondered this, a splitting pain erupted from his hand, and began to attack his nervous system.

"Gah... The hell?"

"George! What is it?"

George knew what it was. It was a deep cut on his right hand. He knew how he received it, but he didn't have the object that caused the injury in the first place.

"Oh my god, George, you're bleeding out!"

Thanks to this mystery injury, George was able to stall for time, and truly think about his first meeting with Ethan Nakamura.

***

As George's mother wrapped his hand in bandages, she began asking questions again.

"Are they a troublemaker?"

"They aren't, but they know how to deal with it," George replied.

"Really? How does Ethan "deal" with trouble?"

"Well... he fought this biker gang..."

"What?"

As time progressed, Vivian Machen seemed more accepting of the infamy of Ethan Nakamura.

"Why did he fight a biker gang?"

"They were causing trouble with him. They approached him, and tried to attack him."

"George, where were you in all of this?"

"I was in a different building."

"Did you enter the fight?"

"No, mom."

"Did you show your face?"

(No, mom. We killed them. I shot two of the men in the head.)

"No, but I helped Ethan. I got two rocks, and I threw them at the gangster's head. I sniped them."

(I have to mix lies with truth,) George thought. (That's the only way to protect the future, or Ethan, or myself.)

"Okay, George, when was this?" Vivian asked tiredly.

"It was a few days ago," he answered back.

(It was a few days since we met, and a few more days since we entered the mall. So yeah, it was a few days ago.)

"That doesn't make any sense, you were with us the entire week." Mrs. Machen countered. "Why did Ethan fight the biker gang? Who were these gangsters?"

"Well, I think... I think Ethan fought them because he wanted to save someone..."

"Who?"

"I don't know them, but they're trying to save a kid named Marcus Santiago."

"You mean Adler Santiago?"

George was shocked to hear that name here, and looked up.

"Wait, you know Adler Santiago?"

"Yes... he lives in a local trailer park with his wife, but I don't know him personally. He has a bunch of buddies, they ride a bunch of loud bikes through the neighborhood sometimes. Are you saying Ethan fought the Santiago Gang?"

"I guess, mom."

"Okay, onto another topic. What are these Specter Stones?" Mrs. Machen inquired.

(Mom will know when I lie... I think... telling the truth will be best.)

"Mom, Specter Stones are ingestible stones that turn people into a ghost species, but it comes with side effects. It can make a person go insane because it traps them in the Illusionary Prison, which shows their trauma."

"What? I never heard of that. Are people peddling that stuff these days?"

"No. They're rare. Ethan warned me that I should never take them unless I was in danger."

"Wait, you have some?!" George's mother was panicking again. "Ethan gave you these stones?"

(He did... I don't know where they are though.)

"He gave me some... but I don't know where I put them." George said this as he looked at his bandaged hand.

"Okay, we're not going to do this today because it's a special day, but we'll talk about this later."

"Alright, mom. I'm... sorry."

"George, I just want you to know that we love you, and we want what's best for you. Tell us if something is wrong."

(Some much is wrong, mom. The First Scenario... Wait...)

"Mom, if you were ever in a situation where you had to kill someone to save yourself, would you do it?" George asked suddenly.

"What? Where is this coming from?"

"It's... it's a made-up game that Ethan told me about. Something like D&D. It's called Star Stream, where you have to survive scenarios. The first one requires you to kill a living thing, like a person."

"Well... personally, I could never do that. Killing people to survive. But..."

George looked at his mother, hoping for the right answer.

"If it was for my family, I would do anything."

After she said this, she gave George's forehead a big kiss.

(Thank you, mom. There's still a chance.)

"Thanks, mom. I'll think my hand will be alright."

George stood up from where he sat, and went back outside to spend time with Jess and Jael.

(There's still hope.)

***

George's father came back. They killed the yellow jacket nest by flooding it with Dawn-soap and water, and it was safe for everyone to come outside. Jael's parents came, and their July 4th celebration was underway. It went on for hours. They ate, and lit fireworks from their backyard. After doing this for hours, the trio of kids decided to sleep. Well, two of them at least. Jess went to her room, while Jael was staying in George's room. George himself was currently wandering his house at night, hoping that this was truly the past.

(Maybe Ethan got it wrong. This can't be an illusion. This has to be the past. It's too real,) George thought.

George was too afraid to fall asleep. If he fell asleep, he might wake up, but in a different world, filled with scorch and fire. That's why he was wandering. George Machen was afraid that this entire day would be a dream.

He was wandering around, until he stumbled upon the kitchen. He heard voices; two of them belonging to his parents. The other two voices belonged to Jael's parents. George decided to hide behind a door, and peek through. He didn't see much because of the dim lighting, but he saw the silhouettes of four people.

"So, I'd say that this was a good day!"

"Shhh, Jemar, you'll wake up the kids."

"Sorry."

"Anyways, Evan, you gonna go onto another tour in a few weeks?" Jemar Bodesh asked.

"Yeah, I gotta serve, and it pays the bills."

"I wish you didn't have to go, honey." It was Vivian, and she said this as she wrapped her arms around her husband. "You know that George and Jess miss you a lot."

"Truthfully, I wish I could go to keep Evan's dumbass safe," Jemar said while rubbing the nub of his lost arm. "Sadly, injuries like these really put the hurt on your military career."

"Hey, Jemar, I heard that you can receive a prosthetic arm, some new prototype as well?"

"Yes, but it still needs a lot of work," a new voice said. "The company that are working on prosthetics are still doing research on the matter."

If George remembered correctly, then that voice belonged to Cara Bodesh, Jael's mother.

"Well, that aside, do you think the kids had fun today?" Vivian asked.

"Oh, for sure," Cara replied.

"Yeah, honey, we did a great job," Evan added.

"I know we planned this for a long time, but... George seemed troubled today." Vivian added in.

George almost flinched and made a noise.

"What do you mean?" Jemar asked.

"Well, he talked about this Ethan kid, who fought a biker gang. Ethan also talks about this weird game called Star Stream, and some drug called Specter Stones..."

"What? Who's Ethan? George knows this person?" Evan Machen was about to get up and wake his son, but Vivian placed a calming hand on her husband's shoulder.

"Wait, honey, don't. We all had a great day, and I don't want to end it on a bad note. We can talk about it in the morning when he wakes up."

"But..."

"Evan, please. Let's talk about something else for now."

"Alright then..."

As George watched on, he saw how he was able to dodge a bullet, and avoid becoming a topic of their conversations. After that, he simply stood there and watched. He was able to see his parents vocalize their troubles and concerns with Jemar and Cara, and how they wanted to become better parents in certain ways.

(I guess they were always like this. They always wanted to give Jess and I the best...)

George smiled as he thought this.

(Maybe... as long as there here, maybe it's okay to go to bed.)

As he was about to turn around and go to his room, he felt a heavy hand grab his shoulder. A disembodied voice rang out.

"Hey, George. Enjoying the sights?"

When George turned away, he saw it was Jael. Sadly, it wasn't the Jael of the past. This Jael was 26-years-old, outfitted in a military uniform. Right now, they had a blanket wrapped tightly around their neck, which caused their face to turn purple. They also had a knife plunged deep into their chest, which caused blood to leak out and drip onto the floor. The grip on George's shoulder strengthened. This older Jael stared down at George with eyes of contempt and said, "Hey, Goggy. It's me. The one you murdered."

With that last statement, Jael Bodesh grabbed George's neck, and began to choke him.

"YOOOOUUU!!!! YOU DID THIS TO ME!!! GEORGE!!!!!"

George gasped for breath as he tried to break free. He couldn't make a sound though. Jael continued to shout with rage.

"YOU KILLED ME, GEORGE MACHEN!!! YOU!!!"

Thus, the Illusionary Prison continued.