Another ViceRylle Story

Far Away

Out of the long nothingness, the ground beneath me suddenly groaned. I realized I was hearing footsteps. I looked everywhere to find the source of the sound but my eyes were betraying me. It was pitch black everywhere. Complete darkness. I felt my legs stiffened; shook; and stiffened again. I couldn't even distinguish the difference between the darkness around me and the darkness I see in closed eyes. I felt fear creeping its way up my shoulders, and further up onto my neck, as my hands started to tremble. That's when I realized that the sound of the footsteps was gone, cloaking me a thick sheet of grand silence. It was painful. This silence is more excruciating than the piercing noise made by constantly scratching a fork and a spoon on the surface of a plate. I could almost hear the pounding pain it caused my brain; and the swooshing sound of blood flowing inside my veins. My hands snaked around my stomach area, hugging me, when the urge of throwing up rose inside. And I did. I threw up. But nothing came out of my mouth.

My body started to feel light and heavy at the same time as though I was floating in the middle of the sea.

I sighed sluggishly, trying to figure out where I am. The surrounding was too cold, too dark, too quiet, too daunting. I breathed in and out, and breathed in and out some more no matter how rough the air scratched my throat and lungs, calming myself by focusing on the sound it's making. Both my hands reached up to my chest. There it goes. I'm still feeling it, the thudding. I'm alive.

Relief felt so good.

I started to move my feet. I didn't care towards which direction, All I know is I wanted out of this place. The time I was starting to calm down, that's when I realized that the footsteps I was hearing earlier were mine.

I chuckled to myself. Wow, can you be more stupid, K? You frightened yourself. You almost had a heart attack there.

I was about to let out another round of laughter when another thing crushed all the calmness inside me. BOOM. A striking, piercing loud, heavy sound hit both my ears, startling my whole being. My body jumped and automatically bent in the middle at the same time both my hands covered my ears. But the place quickly went back to mute.

I thought someone detonated something in front of me and exploded.

For a quick half-second, I thought I was dead.

But the beating of my now frantically thudding heart slapped some sense into me and I looked up quickly. The light was blinding me. I had to turn around against it because my eyes started to tear in pain. Squinting through all of it, I tried to move forward all the way to the back. Everything was still blurry but, at the back of my head, everything started clicking into place.

I know this place. I've been here before.

I looked to both sides and recognized, again, the familiar setting. It was still a bit blurry to my squinting eyes but I know... I'm standing on the Showtime stage. The cold embraced my whole being as I realized every piece has fallen back into place now.

I knew it. I've been here before.

As expected, the blinding light behind me softened, and I quickly turned around. And there it is. As expected. My eyes adjusted and my vision resolved into the familiar shadow in front of me. The shadow that blocked the striking light from me, so I could see clearly, so I could feel less frightened. Just like a saviour, and always has been. His back was on me, he stood completely still, facing the empty audience's seats. I wish he would turn around to face me, this time.

I am alone with him. Again.

I know it's him. My heart says so.

"Vice," I called out, stepping forward to the shadow, the spotlight above was still sore in the eyes but it was bearable now. My voice was hoarse. My throat felt dry and rough as a lifeless leaf on a rocky pavement.