Ashling

Chapter 28

He was sitting in the corner of the street.

What's happening? He thought. He was supposed to be in his suit, making his way to his office. But instead, he was dressed in ragged and torn clothes. He should have his briefcase in his hands. But instead, he had a bowl with some coins in it.

Then it struck him, that he wasn't himself. He was trapped in the body of the old man who sits in this spot every day. He was Edward Johnson. His hands were wrinkled, their skin too loose and stretchable. He clasped them together and bought them to his mouth to blow air into them. It wasn't cold, but he was always cold; every joint in his body hurt. When he looked up at the street, his vision blurred; he couldn't see clearly anything that was afar. He could only make out faint figures.

Then he saw him; a tall, well-toned man walking towards. He was dressed impeccably in a suit and pant. His walk was boastful, and he absolutely didn't pay attention to the people around him. This man's figure was the only one that was distinct, standing out from everyone. As this man neared, Edward's vision came into focus and he finally saw who it was.

It was him. His actual self. Tyler Chase. He was seeing himself from the eyes of Edward.

Edward saw pure disgust in his eyes. He couldn't find even an ounce of pity and sympathy, but just a look full of hatred on Tyler's face. And Edward thought that this is what he deserved; disgust and hate. For he had ruined it all, he had killed the two most beloved people in his life. And that was when the flashback started.

"Rosalie.. I'm home, love." Edward called out as he kept his toolbox on the floor and took his shoes off.

He peeked in the kitchen and hurriedly went and turned the oven off; the apple pie that Rosalie had kept was now completely burnt. This was very unlikely of her, she was always particular about such stuff.

"Rose? Micheal?" He called out his wife and son. He neared the washroom and knocked on it.

"Rose? Are you in here?"

There was no answer, so he tried rotating the knob. It was unlocked. He slowly pushed open the door and saw his wife lying beside the tub, her eyes staring lifelessly at the ceiling.

"Rosalie!" He quickly sat beside her and shook her, his heart pounding with worry. She was alive, thank God, she was alive. But there was something wrong with her, something that had sucked the light out of her eyes. He pulled her up and gently leaned her against the tub.

That was when he saw the small, fragile body floating in the tub. He suddenly felt lightheaded and sick to his stomach. His hands shook as his breathing slowed down to nil and he felt his insides twist. But even though his world had come to a standstill, he rushed to the bathtub and reached for his son's body.

"No.. No, no, no, no, no! Micheal! No, no, no, dear God, no please, please! Michael please wake up, please, oh God, oh God.." He was cradling his son and gently shaking him. In between he heard Rosalie's faint voice, like a murmur, telling him that the pipe burst.

He kept the body on the floor and tried doing CPR.

"Come on, come on, come on! Please God, oh no, no, no, no!"

He was sobbing violently, the tears in his eyes making everything hazy and blur. He had never felt fear like this before in his life; fear that can shake you from your very core; fear that can swallow you whole and never let you escape from the impending darkness.

He tried, he tried so hard to make Micheal breathe again, to make his heart beat again. But it was no use. His son was just a body now. He picked him up and held him close to his chest.

"Oh God... Oh God... Micheal.. I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry.. Oh baby.."

He looked at Rosalie, but she wasn't there. She had quietly gotten up and left, without letting Edward know. He managed to get up and scrambled outside the washroom, worried where she might have gone. He opened the door to his bedroom and again, fear shot up his veins by the scene in front of his eyes. Rosalie was standing on the table, with a rope tied around her neck which was secured by the fan on the ceiling.

She mouthed, "I'm sorry.."

"No! Rosalie!" He hastened to give her support but it was too late. The moment he reached her, he heard her neck crack. The sound of it was more frightening than than the sound of a sudden thunder.

"Rose!! No! Oh God! No, no, no, no please!"

And as he realized that he had lost his whole world in the span of just ten minutes, he let out a blood curdling scream.

Edward gasped as the flashback ended and he came crashing down to reality. His body was tingling and he was crying uncontrollably. He couldn't get their faces out of his mind, not a single day had passed when he didn't think about that dreadful day. It had been decades, but he could not wash away the guilt that threatened to strangle him every day.

He looked up and saw Tyler standing in front of him, watching him intently. He bent down to reach Edward's level, then looked him right in the eye and said, "Wake up, Tyler. Wake up."

Hey! So this was one of the toughest chapters to write. I had a very hard time trying to come to terms with the whole concept and how to make it clear. I seriously hope you get the idea that I'm trying to portray here; Tyler is dreaming as per usual, but he is trapped inside Edward's body. And his actual self is the one who wakes him up. Please, anyone reading this, please please please comment your thoughts on this chapter because I really need to know how it is. Thanks guys, I love you all.
- H <3