Glittering Gold | ONC 2024

Chapter 4: A Chest of Hope

CONTENT WARNING

This chapter contains themes and profanity that may not be suitable for a very young audience.

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"Sir?"

Darkness consumed Danilo in an abyss. He sank deeper where no screams could be heard. He wanted to struggle, but his body couldn't move, paralyzed by the cold flow of water surrounding him. He drowned.

The lake. Had he jumped after all?

"Sir?" a man's muffled voice came, distant, calling for him to return.

This was not how Danilo imagined death would be. He thought there would be light to follow, leading him onto the other side. Not total darkness and a nudging on his shoulder.

When he opened his eyes, a man's face hovered over him. "Sir, wake up!"

"What?" Danilo touched his aching head. He wasn't dead after all.

"Sir, your two hours are already up. You need to leave." The man said, leaning back from him.

Danilo pushed himself up on his elbows and looked around the red room, remembering the sensation of a girl's ass in his hands. "Where's Isabel?"

"Your girlfriend left you. Sounded disappointed." The man squatted on the floor to pick up Danilo's pants and tossed them on his lap. "She said you got what you wanted, but she wasn't satisfied."

Danilo caught his pants and realized he was naked, and everything was hanging, drained, and slack. "Shit. I didn't make her cum." He palmed his face.

"Too bad. Now, get the fuck out." The man pointed at the door. "Or I'll get someone to throw your naked butt out into the cold street."

"Okay. Okay." Danilo climbed off the bed and put on his boxers and pants. He glanced at his cheap digital watch. "It's passed 2 a.m.?"

"Exactly, which is why you need to leave or pay extra."

Danilo hurried to put on his shoes and headed for the door. He didn't have any more money for an extra hour, regretting the sex that lasted maybe ten minutes, wasting the rest of the two hours he'd booked at this expensive motel.

He got out, still drunk, and wandered on the street, walking back to Harrison Road. There were no more jeepneys at this time, and he might not have enough money for a taxi. So where could he stay for the rest of the night? Where could he sleep?

The park was the first to come to his mind. He could go there and find a bench to sleep on. He would only have to avoid the lake area.

So, he made his way to the Rose Garden on the northwest side of the park, where roses and other flowering plants were grown. Nothing bloomed this time of the year, and the park wasn't as colorful as he expected.

No matter, he didn't come here for the flowers. All he needed was a bench. He found a small one and sat on it, not yet deciding to lie down.

The benches near the lake were longer. He'd slept there several times, stretching his length over the outdoor seating. If not for his dream, he would have gone there already.

Dream. He still thought that was what it was, the fear of its reality beginning to haunt him. And there was only one way for him to learn the truth.

He stood from the small bench and walked past a planter box of thorny bushes, making his way to the pathway that led to the lake. The eerie quiet hung in the air, only breaking when the wind blew, causing ripples on the dark surface of the water.