A Remaining Podeshire 1

Chapter 10 (Part 3)

     Oliver takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. When he opens them again, he sees a pitch-black void around him. Fear creeps up on him as he shakes his head in all directions.

     Huffing loudly, Oliver rubs his eyes. His heart falls from his ribs upon realizing he is trapped in a vision. He looks around, realizing he is in an empty dark space.

     Oliver slowly moves forward. He then rests his hands on his waistcoat as he peers around. He keeps his pace slow, scanning the area as he walks.

     Suddenly, Oliver hears faint, inaudible conversations between familiar voices. He follows the sound through the darkness, moving as quietly as possible. As he approaches, the chattering grows louder and more distinct, confirming that he is heading in the right direction.

     Oliver's heart thumped loudly at the sight before him, and he couldn't help but let the tears flow. Relief swept through him as he recognized his biological father, Albert, and his mother, Margaret, deep in conversation. Oliver quickly covered his mouth with his palms as he held back his tears.

"Oh, there is our baby boy," Margaret pointed out.

"Hi, Oli!" Albert greeted.

     Without hesitations, Oliver sprinted towards his parents as he spread his arms. Then, he cuddled them tightly. He could feel their body, flesh, and clothes press against him, making him cry—as it was too vividly realistic.

"Where have you been, dear? We've been waiting for you," Margaret said.

"How are you doing, Oli?" Albert asked with a grin.

Oliver then let go of them as he sniffled. He then answered, "...I've... I've been t-through much already." Oliver sobbed, "I cannot believe I'm with you."

     As he spoke, Oliver paced backwards, keeping his gaze on Albert and Margaret. Unexpectedly, Oliver noticed a small boy walking towards his parents with unsteady feet. Oliver glanced at his father and mother and realized they had been watching the child the whole time.

Albert grabbed the child high up in the air as they chuckled.

Oliver squinted at the young boy. "Mother...? Father...?" he called his parents.

     Albert and Margaret never responded or answered Oliver. Confused, Oliver slowly approached them, keeping his pace gradual and balanced. Oliver then tried inclining his head closer to see the young child in Albert's hands.

     Oliver stared at the boy. He immediately noticed the child's fiery copper hair and light skin. The young boy suddenly turned around, revealing his brown eyes to Oliver.

     Oliver's jaw dropped in shock as he realized the child was his younger counterpart. He lost control of his knees and fell on his back. As he hit the ground, he heard cries in his left ear.

     Swiftly looking to his left side, Oliver saw his four-year-old self mourning the loss of his family. Tears flooded Oliver's eyes as he watched the heartbreaking scene. He quickly stood up and ran in the opposite direction, unable to bear the pain of his past.

     As Oliver sprinted across the void, he stumbled upon a middle-aged man. The man turned around with a glare on his scowling face. It was Alexander, and beside him stood his wife, Layla.

"What do you want??" Alexander yelled with a loud, raspy growl.

     Oliver's eyes widened in terror as he screamed. He squeezed through them and continued sprinting. As he ran, he sensed Alexander and Layla glaring at him from behind. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to block out their gaze.

     Unable to see with his eyes closed, Oliver dashed forward recklessly. He peeked through his eyelids as he moved and noticed a lady walking in his path. Before he could stop himself, he collided with the woman, and they both fell to the ground.

     Oliver quickly looked at the woman. He immediately noticed her blonde hair and green eyes. He knew he was staring at none other than a vision of Sophia.

"Oli? Where are you?" Sophia asked, her voice pleading for help. "Please, help me... I'm trapped in my room. My parents want to kill me..."

     No words came out of Oliver's mouth. He quickly rose from the ground and started to cry. Knowing what he saw, he ignored everything and ran down a parallel path.

     Oliver kept running as fast as he could across a labyrinth of darkness. He recklessly ventured forward, hastening everywhere until a glimmer of light caught his attention. Oliver halted for a moment and took a deep breath.

     Then, Oliver continued rushing to the light source, eager to escape the darkness. But, suddenly, a taller man blocked his path, causing him to cease and glance at the man's eyes. Whatever he saw made him shocked as goosebumps ran all over his body. His heart feels like it is about to erupt.

"Hey," Gregory said calmly, smirking menacingly.

Oliver shivered in fear. "N-n-no, please. Why can't you just let me go!?" he stuttered.

     Oliver slowly backed away from Gregory. As he maintained a steady position, he bumped into someone behind him. The sudden impact made him feel like he was falling from a great height, freezing him in place and allowing the person behind him to capture his arms.

"Gotcha, Podeshire..." Cal whispered.

     Oliver felt Cal's breath bouncing on his neck. His eyes went as wide as they could as they began to leak tears. The shock was enough to snap Oliver back to reality.