Out Of Pity

Chapter 3: Hunting Dreams

At first, a dim sun hung in the clear clouds. The sky shadowed her face in the color of doom. A heavy volume of clouds suddenly covered the sun, as if a tornado was about to come. The day turned dark in a matter of seconds. Lightning and thunder roared from a distance. Kelvin, who was driving in his sleeky Honda car, stepped on its brakes and climbed out of the car in curiosity. The empty road whispered in strange, passing voices. Kelvin's nose flared out a heavy breath, with widened eyes at what was happening. A flare of light obstructed from the other side of the road. The silhouette of someone grew closer.

"There he is! The murderer!" A child's voice echoed from the distance.

Kelvin's eyes squinted as the wind grew a little more aggressive. His gaze turned upwards, and he noticed a group of enormous birds floating above him. The boy he had an accident with, who was supposed to be dead, was standing in front of him. Staring directly at him with a blood-stained shirt and ragged jeans trouser.

His eyes blazed with fury as his voice boomed. "That's him, catch him!"

Fear clawed up Kelvin's throat while he screamed, but no words came out. His short hair, darkened by sweat, clung to his head like a black cap. Kelvin turned back to slide into his car and zoomed off when it suddenly faded into the crashing wind.

The air raid sirens wailed in the distance. A line of police officers hurried beside the bleeding boy who stood before him, with handguns and handcuffs.

"Hands up!" One officer, who seemed to be the head, ordered.

At once, Kelvin turned on his heels and stormed towards the growing tornado. Not minding if he was going to die or not, he fled. Tears gathered in his eyes as his heart hammered at each step.

"That bastard, kpo!" The officer pressed the trigger.

The gun fired a bullet that hit him in the back. Still running amid the tornado, the line of police officers rained more bullets on him. The blast of gunshots struck him down as the tornado consumed him entirely. Falling, Kelvin's eyes shut to the dust. A solemn drop of tears rolled from the corners of his eyes as he exhaled.

'Kpo! Kpoo!'

The shooting continued.

Trying to stand and not fall, Kelvin watched the ground reeled before him. As if it would split and swallow him up. Suddenly, he went numb with heavy breaths, and his heart ached. Kelvin fell into the abyss of reality. His chest and legs were raised in a falling motion. Kelvin coughed out, pulling the blanket up.

The icy blast of air made him feel like he was sitting in a bathtub of ice. He broke out in a sweat when he realized it was just a bad dream. A drop of blood lingered from his left nostril and he wiped it off. This usually happens whenever he is on drugs.

Awoke, Kelvin pants in the dimly lit room. It drenched his body with sweat. The apartment was silent, except for his alarm-ticking clock and Angel's low snore. Her slim body curved in an "S" shape, which stirred the whole bedsheet from his drippy body. A headache held him from thinking, but Kelvin rubbed both sides of his forehead.

'It must be from the rain, accident and all.' he thought.

Kelvin wanted to stay under the covers after the nightmare, but going back to sleep might trigger another dream. Still in the same white, long-sleeved shirt, a tired sigh escaped his lips. Kelvin rubbed his eyes softly, remembering if he got caught or not. On the bed, he still heard the gun shut. Kelvin touched his back, and it was all sweaty, not bloody, as he'd expected. He strolled into the bathroom, stripped off his shirt, and stepped inside the cold shower. Before the pain, Kelvin shut his eyes tight, washing his palms through his heavy head as if the water would wash off all his worries.