Sinner's Game

2 - Berserker

Hendrick

Hendrick closed the door behind him and found himself in the little garden in front of his home. The taste of fresh air filled him with relief, the sun shining high up in the skies gently tickling on his face with its warming rays. A few white flowers were planted neatly arranged next to the entrance, but besides that there wasn't much notable besides grass. The house was located at the edge of the village, so there wasn't much traffic on the streets or people walking around.

He took a deep breath, then walked off the family property and onto the side-walk. The pavement under his feet emitted a slight aura of certainty. Around 10 minutes without anything to take care of. Time to think and, finally, some breathing room for his soul. There was no need to take too much care about the surroundings, since he had memorized the exact path with all the details a long time ago.

So which options did he have? All the things he had tried so far didn't quite work out. He did dive even further down the rabbit hole, but the light at the end of the tunnel was, even if very close, still not to be seen. Not even a slight change, a gust of an opportunity, something, anything. If one more strawberry would find the way into his throat, he would snap. Not like it would change a thing, but it would happen. He needed to reevaluate all of his plans, figure out the best solution, and then start one last attempt to get through the final obstacle blocking off his freedom.

Not a single cloud was visible in the ocean-blue, clear sky which spread itself like the painting of a middle-aged woman across the horizon. As usual, a gentle breeze hummed through the woods just a couple of meters away from the path, tickling the branches' leaves in waving rhythm. A few cars drove by with steaming clouds and mechanical appearance, which reminded him of a familiar place.

He felt the muscles in his right hand tighten up, forced himself to relax.

There is still enough time remaining until the clock hits 12. Until then, I need to be ready, he thought while crossing the road without even checking the colour of the traffic light once. I can't give up. If I will, there will be nothing else I can do besides accepting my fate.

"God damn it," he muttered, but Hendrick's high pitched voice made the swear words he used sound pathetic. How could anyone take him serious like this? His tiny legs carried him forward as the school campus moved closer and closer.

"Maybe I can try to open the door from further away..." Hendrick pondered with one hand on his chin as if he wanted to scratch a beard that wasn't there. "No, I already tried something similar. That wouldn't work."

His thoughts spun like a carousel at a fair. Then, he got thrown out of the carousel as a shape around his size tackled him and ruffled his hair.

"Hey, Hen! How's it going?" a cherish voice – which was a little too close to his ear for comfort – inquired. A slim figure, a boy around his age, stood close to him with a wide grin from cheek to cheek.

Everything about the person's appearance was shining brightly.

It was Jim.

"Hey Jim, what's up?" Hendrick asked with a narrow smile.