Alone At Last (UNEDITED)

Chapter 16: Falling

Through the forest and over the land, back to the place where it all began. There you will be betrayed, and in the end, be saved.

What did that mean?

...

..

Mud coated my shoes as we trenched deeper into the forest. The surroundings somewhat gave me deja vu as we inched ever closer to our goal...

the well.

I flipped the coin I had taken out of my pocket absentmindedly as we walked further and further. The forest's eerie silence made my body shake in fear. The cold wind blew and nipped at my clothing. I gently wrapped my arms around myself and pulled Randy's sweater closer to me. 

My leg still hurt like a bitch but at least I was able to hobble on it okay. 

I reached my arm up and wiped the sweat out of my eyes. Fear was still evident in my body and the cold still woods was not helping to soothe that. 

A voice in the back of my head kept nagging at me to question what my fathers words meant. 

I was so lost in thought that I didn't notice that The Boy in White had abruptly stopped walking.

"Oof" I let out as I crashed into the back of The Boy in White.

He turned around and his eyes gave off a fleeting glimpse into a world of quiet despair, where the brightness had long since faded. The blue seemingly pierced into my soul showing me the haunting echo of what his once joyful eyes used to be. 

"Were here" He whispered gently to me, eyes still not leaving my face. I quickly put my coin back in my pocket and glimpsed behind him to take a look...

And there it was...

The well.

It hadn't changed at all.

The ivy still covered the stone walls of the well leaving it hidden to most of the world. A dense fog still settled in around it that brought back haunting memories of Randy and I's first encounter with it. 

My mind raced with tangled webs of panic and my legs felt like jelly. 

My heartbeat soared as The Boy and White and I turned back and inched ever so closer to the well. 

My clammy palms started to clench sweat drenching them. 

I wiped my hands on my pants and pulled the coin out of my pocket. 

So do I just make a wish or?  I thought to myself. I hadn't really ever pictured coming back here and was caught in a daze of what to do now.

I thought about going back to my world. 

Taunts echoed in my mind once again as they had before when I was here with Randy. 

"Nerd" 

"Look at the little wimp, he's crying haha"

"Just die already"

"Worthless"

"Trash"

"You little shit..."

My face flushed with the effort of restraint against lashing out at whatever was near me in an attempt to stop the voices. The muscles in my jaw twitched slightly as I bit my lip trying to focus on anything other than the venom laced words the voices in my head spoke. My hands on my side showed white as I balled them into fists attempting to hold in my anger.

Like a rubber band about to snap my eyes burned with hatred barely able to contain the fury that was brewing locked away inside. My face showed calm as I counted to 10 in my mind as an attempt to calm down my anger from spilling over and bubbling out.

1

"Loser"

2

"Die"

3

"Worthless"

4

"No one will ever love you"

5

"Faggot"

6

"You never get anything right"

7

"Ugly"

8

"Alone"

9

"You will always be alone...forever"

10

"Luke"

"You know I'll always be here for you right?" Randy's words echoed in my head as I unclenched my hands. 

"No matter what happens your stuck with me whether you like it or not"

Blood spilled out of my mouth as I didn't realize how hard I was biting my lip. And just like that all the anger that was in me evaporated away. 

I looked at the evil well sadness filling me. I knew I had to get back...to Randy. My best friend. The only one who was there for me. 

The one I loved. 

It's kind of funny... you never really know how much you love someone until they are pulled away from you and swept up by death. 

"Now what?" I questioned wiping my mouth as I coughed up a bit of blood. 

"Take care of Danny for me Luke okay? Can you do that?" He replied looking up at me with tear stricken eyes. 

"Yeah of course I will" Confused by his sudden outburst.

"You never really know how much someone means to you until they're gone," He smiled sadly at me. "It's in the quiet moments of their absence that you begin to realize the void they've left behind. Everything they once touched to make it bright and filled with life has turned dark and cold."

"The small, everyday gestures you once took for granted now echo in their silence, revealing how intertwined your lives were. Danny meant so much to me... he means so much to us. Both Danny and Randy. You need to tell them how much you love them Luke. Please.. for me? It is in their absence that I have come to understand that they were not just a part of my world, but a part of my heart."

"I will take care of them I promise" My eyes brimmed with tears as I walked closer to The Boy in White standing by the well and giving him a big hug. 

"Promise me Luke. You will take care of them."

"Of course, I promise. Thank you for everything but...What are we going to do now though how will we get back?"

His prolonged silence only made me question him further until he finally responded.

"I'm sorry Luke."

For what?

 I thought but before I could speak the words he pushed me into the well.

With a gasp, I fell backwards into the darkness. My screams echoing off the damp stone walls as I disappeared from sight. Swallowed by the depths of the well I plunged down until there was nothing but darkness.

"Forgive me" 

The Boy in White whispered his quiet voice bouncing off the well walls down to where I was falling.

"Only you can go back" and then he disappeared from sight.

...

..

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