Revival

CHAPTER 5: BROKEN BONES AND MEMORIES

I was too overwhelmed with everything that had happened with me that day. I stood by the window took a look at the beautiful night sky. The stars lit up the sky, each of them giving off their own celestial flare. If this was any ordinary day I would run up to the roof and be gazing at them till I feel asleep. Tonight, my thoughts were clouded by my new discoveries about my new power, and I couldn't help but think who, if there is anyone, created these glistening stars and gave them the power to shine on the entire universe. Who gave us flesh, blood and bones and a brain to think and a heart to judge? Who gave me the power to revive people at the cost of my lifespan? The sky tonight was as clear and bright as it could be but the storm that raged inside my head was as darker than ever as I finally laid my head down on the bed and tried to get some, much needed sleep.

26.04.2018.
I didn't need the alarm to wake me up today. After all the twist and turns, I had only manged to sleep for two hours only to see a hazy dream of dark angels with wings carrying the dead to heaven. This power was really getting into my head. It was the last thing I wanted before the tournament started next month. It has been all I could dream of winning since the past year when my team lost in the semis.

Stangely enough as cold as my feet felt on this spring morning, I walked up to the kitchen poured myself the usual coffee, dressed up in my tracks and headed out for a run across the city. The coach has always been against me taking caffiene specially before practice and matches, but I had worse things to worry about right now than my diet. The streets were surprisingly empty today so I took out my phone to see it was 5:36 a.m. Not my time to take a run but it could help clear my head so I didn't care. As I ran on, I saw some middle aged couples taking a jog on the pavements. Though you couldn't tell by their wrinkled and weary faces, but they had finally found the secret to living the last days of their life to the fullest with the person they loved the most. As I kept my legs going, I made up my mind to stop by the basketball court and shoot some freethrows near my school. But I soon found myself helplessly stopping and taking a break. Not because I was tired. Not because I needed to catch a breath. But because of what was in front of me. The local graveyard. This city had very few graveyards and this one of them on the way to my school. I had never actually thought of stopping here in all these years. Nor have I had a valid reason to step inside. But today was different. As I entered through the squeaking broken metal gate...I finally realized how grim the place was. The air I breathed in felt like the aroma of many dead but unquenched souls. I kneeled down to the grave in front of me. "MARY KENNETH SEBASTIAN. 1990-2017. Died while giving birth to a beautiful son but left the world with a smile. 'You will live on forever in our hearts. Love, husband Henry Sebastion." The carvings on this grave were filled with moss, a clear indication no one had visited her in the one year after her death. I wondered if the husband even remembered her. Or did the son even realize the unrepairable sacrifice his mother had laid down to bring him to this world. For a moment, I thought of using my power but I knew it was far too late...but she deserved to see live again. The young life she gave up too see her family happy, was so soon forgotten that no one could come and atleast brush off the dust and lay down some flowers...

Behind me, I heard a girl and a guy laughing as they walked on the pavement. My heart skipped a beat. I knew this female voice too well. It was her, my ex-girlfriend. We had decided to walk our separate ways when she got tired of me giving more time to my programming and basketball than our cheesy dates. But I still loved her alot, so ofcourse it was her decision to part. I heard from her friends that she was onto someone new, a guy much older than her.

I took a glance to see that was indeed true. He had a scraggy frame and a shabby beard with droopy eyes which couldn't indicate any better that he had his regular tastes of alcohol. But sadly enough, she spotted me from a distance. She stopped walking and pulled her hand out of the guy's hand as if she didn't want me to know that they were together. "Roland, what are you doing here so early in the morning?"
"I think I should be asking you that question Ashley. What are you doing here especially with a man whose knees are so wobbly that you have to drag him down the road?" She fell silent. For a moment she couldn't meet her eyes with me, but then stared up at me with her tear-filled eyes. I ran up to her and tried to console her with a hand on her shoulder 'cause I knew she would burst out crying any moment. Meanwhile, the guy was dozing off near a lampost.

"He's the worst mistake I've ever made. After we broke up, I was really depressed. Then he came into my store one day where I work small shifts...and it felt really nice to talk to him and get rid of my loneliness. Before I knew it, he had me in his trap. Now I am forced to stay with him 'cause he blackmails me everyday saying he'll post the pics online which he took of me when he drugged me a month ago." She ended the last part with a low whisper. I let it all sink in. I wanted to tell her that if she was so sad she shouldn't have left in the first place.
"Roland, I am so sorry..."
"You didn't answer me. Why so early here?" I interrupted her.
"He...he called me over yesterday. I promise it was nothing. Just his usual flirting and then he got drunk and went to sleep. In the morning I wanted to leave without waking him up and...he wanted to drop me home" The guy had now sat down on the pavement and was still dozing off to sleep.
"I...I have been well, kinda...I mean, better off than you I guess. Basketball tourney is coming. Was out to practise for that." I was stammering, my usual thing when she stares at me for too long.
"In the graveyard?" She asked.
"No, ofcourse not. I was just...just killing time 'cause I was up early. Not everyone can replace their lost love so soon, u know" I shot back. But she had no intention of arguing. She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye then took a pen out and scribbled something on a small note and handed it to me. "Here's my new number. Jack doesn't have this one. I use it so he doesn't keep annoying me. Please call me instead of coming here if you feel lonely... 'cause I do too. Talking with me wouldn't hurt, I hope?" She asked.
"It never did. If you remember, I wasn't the one who gave up on us." I pointed out. She began pulling Jack back to his feet and then dragged him as she walked and he started sleeping with his head on her shoulder. She was disgusted with his beer breath. "I really regret that. I just wish we could turn back time to me and you again." She replied. A weak smile and then she walked off. "You can call me up whenever you want. Number's the same."
I called out to her back. She turned back and gave me the birghtest smile of the morning. "I have it memorized." she replied and walked on. That was us once, me and her. She laid her head on my shoulder as we walked on these same streets. Not that any of us was drunk, but more like drunk in love. 'Too late to miss her now.' I said to myself.

As I turned my eyes back on the graves, I saw a young boy being brought inside a coffin held up by four men in black suits. He looked lifeless but evidently had died recently. "How did he die?" I asked one of the men who were walking behind the coffin.
"He didn't die, he was put to an end. By us. That bastard only knew how to steal from rich places. If you know what's best for you...you wont open your lips about this boy or we will...have to stitch them up and throw you into one of those boxes to say the least."
But by the way things were going in my life, I almost instantly knew this was a big trouble headed my way.