The reprisal women (ONC 2022)

Chapter Two

Jason always appreciated his wife. After all, she is the one who is quite alright with him to go on a bus and stay in a rather small, brick house. They didn't even have a garden, such so that her plant tendencies has to be kept under limits within the confines of her house. 

"Home sweet home," Natalie said cheerily to Jason as they saw the distinctive, green-ish house being squashed with the other, terrace houses. A rather helpful detail so that they wouldn't get lost. Jason whipped out his keys to open the doors, though, of course, his hands fidgeted while doing so. 

"You alright? Natalie asked.

"Of course," Jason shrugged it off as he slid the key in aggressively. He always saved the relief of going back home for that reason, as he always hated trying to slide in the old, rusty key.

"Get in, you bloody!"

"Calm down, Jason," Natalie said, as Jason sighed in response. He heard a rather satisfying click, as he opened the door. As he went inside, his annoyance quickly turned to surprise. 

He looked over to the old couple, and he immediately recognized those faces. Suddenly, he almost forgot about the ringing sound that is harassing his eardrums. "Mum? Dad? Is that you?" Jason said. 

"There you are Ja..."

"*Gasp* What the hell!" Natalie shrill, before calming down herself. It was a rather pleasant surprise after all. Jason blushed as he saw his parents nearly get a fright.

"Sorry... very sorry," Jason quickly said to defuse the situation. Natalie looked even more terrible, as she looked at her in-laws who were just as blue. Perhaps screaming at sight is already damaging enough to their relationship. 

"It's alright," the mother said as she got up to hug Jason and Natalie.

"How did you get here?" Natalie asked. "Didn't we lock the door?"

"Oh... you didn't tell Natalie that you give us a copy of the keys?" the mother replied. And Natalie gave a confused face to Jason. 

"They are my parents, Natalie," Jason replied in defence. "They won't rob the house or anything..."

"No quarrelling between you two, alright?" Jason's mother interrupted. "And there is no reason for you to feel awkward within our presence. You're family now,"

"I know," Natalie said, as they both proceeded to sit down, almost clumsily due to how tired they were. Natalie gave a quick nod to the father to acknowledge him, who merely stood there with his eyes squinting at her. 

"I remember the times where I still called you Mrs Silverman," Natalie chuckled to her. She had to give a warm smile to appease her in-laws, after all. 

"And you were very polite back then... well, you're still polite that is," Mrs Silverman said. As she said that, Mr Silverman gestured for Jason to come towards him. 

"How are you, son?" the father asked. "The war hasn't torn your mind, hasn't it?"

"I rather not talk about it," Jason replied, as he rubbed his scalp filled with dark hair. "As a matter of fact, it probably makes me feel worse. My hands can't stop shaking..."

"What did I say about joining the Army?" the father sighed as he patted Jason's shoulder. Jason's mind only felt more and more tired as the image of the familiar woman he saw began to repeat throughout his mind. 

"You're alright?" 

"Nope... far from it," Jason said as he got up the stairs. He couldn't even care that Natalie would be left alone with her in-laws, or that his mother purposefully made an apple pie for him. The sweet aroma couldn't even steer him to the dining table. 

"You're going to sleep already?" the mother can be heard saying. Jason could hear the disappointment from her voice.

"Yes, very badly," Jason murmured, not even sure whether she caught that. All Jason knew is that he had to slump to his bed first. He then opened the main bedroom, as it looked rather cramped even with only two people. The green bed partially filled with dust looked all the more comforting to him nevertheless. 

His body tossed itself to the bed, but his eyes could not shut themselves off just yet. He still remembered that face he saw on the bus. He could reach her if he could, without a doubt. Those emerald eyes, he thought. They look terribly like someone he loved. 

"Tatiana... you have to leave this world so soon... didn't you?" 

Jason slapped himself mildly. It was literally a decade ago. And he has a beautiful wife already, so why would he still linger at the thought of her? A high school memory no less. 

Except that it wasn't just the demise that still haunted him. He remembered how he in a way, was a part of it. How he couldn't save her, from them. Whoever the hell they were, he thought.

He pulled out a wooden box from under the bed, as when he opened it, the one thing that caught his eye was the emerald ring. He specifically remembered that it was for her, and only her...

"Tatiana," Jason murmured, as he looked at the ring very closely. It was very fitting of her, he thought. He could've given it to Natalie, but it wouldn't feel right. Natalie is more of a ruby. His mind then tried to go through what her voice sounded like.

"You're rather small for an army boy, aren't ya?"

Jason always smiled at that phrase. He must've heard it when she frequents the bar alongside him. That bar... he thought of it was so popular before the owner left town. Rather it was a symbol of the good times he had. How childish and carefree, both he and Tatiana were. 

"Hold me, Jason," Tatianna's voice said again in his mind. Again, another fond memory of his, this time at a lake they both frequented again. Jason remembered how he knelt down for what seemed to be hours back then just to hear her response. 

"Yes!" That particular voice saying that always made him crack a smile. Jason looked up, slamming the box to close it as he tried to sleep. He did not know whether it was the lack of energy or Tatiana's voice echoing inside his head that irritates him, but he did know that he will feel better when he woke up. Anything to drive away from the pain...

Her body... lying on spilt red liquid as Jason watched from above...

Jason woke up in fright, giving a slight slap to his cheek. As he rubbed his eyes, Tatiana's voice was heard again. 

"Oh of course! Didn't Jason tell you I was coming?"

"Wait, what is that voice?" Jason thought as he heard the voice from below. Downstairs? No... How could she be downstairs, Jason thought. He really was making things up...

"No he didn't, Tatiana," his mother can be heard saying that. Jason blared his eyes up as he heard that. Did his mother actually say that? Why would she be talking to the air?

"Oh... who might you be?"

Natalie's voice could then be heard. Jason would slap himself again to stop this madness. But the voices outside were getting louder and louder. In a fit to rid of his paranoia, Jason ran downstairs to prove he is not insane. His noisy footsteps only serve to show how tired he was. He was ready to finally disprove his own insanity... only to see Tatiana's face.

"Oh... hello Jason," Tatiana said as she just embraced his mother happily.

"What the hell?" Jason said out loud.