NON HUMAN - Kol Mikaelson

Chapter 6 - Trapped

As I stepped inside, my eyes were drawn to the box's unique interior. All four walls were adorned with countless buttons, each displaying a different combination of three or four digits. Some of these buttons emitted a soft glow, while others remained off like the one outside. Drifting my fingertips against the cool touch of the smooth surface, curiosity swirled within me. 'This looks fascinating,' I thought.

My eyes were intrigued by a certain number, emitted with a soft, yellow glow. Displayed on the button was the number Nine-Eight-Two (982). As if I was bewitched, my finger unconsciously pressed the button. The faint hum of the machinery filling the air stopped. Instead, the sound of machine gears rumbled, grazing each other as the box began to move. Surprised, I stiffened my stance while the box began lifting itself up. How the contraption worked-I did not know. Nor could I see, staring at my feet as I felt the slight pressure of being pushed upwards. The machinery screeched and the box came to a sudden halt. As much as I was enthralled by the wonders of the box I was in, my eyes were drawn to what was outside. Taking steps to the windows, I peered through the glass, pressing my nose against the glass as a result.

A scene unveiled before me. Inside a village, the sound of lively chatter reached my ears. There were two parents and two children playing around. The lively mood took a turn with a shrill cry. In the arms of the lady was a baby. The man turned to the lady, most likely his wife and asked "What will you name him?"

"His name shall be Kol," the lady spoke while gazing at her baby.

My eyes widened with shock. 'That's my name. No one has my name,' I recalled. 'It must have been a coincidence,' I thought, pressing my right ear to the glass. Although, deep down, I had an unsettling feeling about what was to come.

"Elijah, meet your younger brother," the lady said gently, looking at one of the boys.

'This can't be,' I thought, taking my eyes off the scene. Taking small strides in circles, I glanced at the number I pressed and presented itself on a screen. Nine-Eight-Two. "The year I was born," I softly whispered to myself. In recalling the date, it dawned on me at that moment. 'I must have somehow been transported to the past...And this box,' surveying the box and the countless buttons, 'is helping me relive them.'

To confirm my hypothesis, I quickly strode to the windows and shouted "Finn!" Before I could see the other boy's face, the faint hum of the machinery transitioned to loud grumbles as the machinery moved rapidly against the metals. 'No no no no no,' I thought, quickening my tapping pace as the sole of my feet met the solid surface of the ground. Before I could gauge out a reaction, the box resumed its movement.

Quick at my feet, besides the tapping, I scanned for another number. This time with more intention. Excluding the grey buttons that I didn't know do, I looked at the illuminated buttons found only on one wall. My eyes zeroed in on a number. One-Zero-Zero-Zero (1000).

'The year I transitioned.'

Clicking the button quickly, the box changed direction. This time, moving downwards. Gazing at the windows, my thoughts loosely drifted in space like strings breaking off.

'I wonder how everyone is doing.'

'I miss Finn.'

'I wonder if they miss me.'

A sudden halt from the box lets me know I have arrived. Staring through the glass panels, I recognised the familiar scene I experienced long ago.

The scene revealed four people. Two figures standing side-by-side. One on the ground clutching another boy. And one, laying on the ground.

"You have got to help me. Please, brother. Please!" The boy on his knees begged the other two.

Deciding not to listen in, I watched as two people flocked to the boy laying on the ground - eyes that looked up to the sky and will never return.

I watched as the family returned inside to their house, as the remaining children conversed while the parents left with different intentions for "some space," as the children were brought out to the fireplace and held against their own will, as the children were forced to drink blood and stabbed one-by-one.

Right before my very eyes was the day I died and yet, I felt nothing. Once the scene finished, the box resumed its movement again. Blinking my eyes, I composed myself from my own thoughts and looked at the glowing buttons again. My eyes were piqued by a certain button found. It was half glowing and half grey with the number One-Zero-Five-Zero (1050) displayed. Almost as if I was compelled, my finger clicked the button and I was taken in another direction.

***