My Immortal Series - Serendipity

My Immortal Series Part II - Need - Chapter Eleven

These violent delights have violent ends

And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,

Which as they kiss consume:

William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene VI 

MISERY LOVES COMPANY

            The vibration of the door unduly slammed upon him as Aly stormed out was all he felt in the silence of the empty house. He couldn’t move. So still like a marble statue, carved in perfection with his feet nailed to the ground. Among the many things he had endured in his past, nothing came close to this most painful refusal to help he had to abstain. 

Zac stood staring at the green door, his energy drained as the night extinguished the last ray of daylight. There were no more options; he knew he had taken on a losing streak.

            Did he see this coming?

Like a one-ton truck with the headlights bearing down on him at 200 mph – the answer would be ‘yes’.

            Was it avoidable?

‘Not without breaking every rule. So why do I even try ...’

If he could turn it all around, over and over again, his decision would be the same – always. He could never bring himself to change in this respect.

            Comprehending the limitations on the human’s patience; he understood the desire of their frail faith. If what they wished for doesn’t happen at the snap of the fingers, it deemed their faith was in vain. A nothingness they cannot depend on in times of need. He cringed inwardly at the absurdity of this perception, too exhausted to contemplate his next move. He needed some fresh air.

            As he closed the front door softly behind him, he couldn’t help thinking, ‘In all respect, I have failed miserably.’ He hardly gave a glance to the blackened rusted knob where his imprint had turned the once shiny door knob into. He could either ignore these little inconveniences or worry himself to death over the possibilities of what he’s turning into. There was no right in the world anymore for him. All he felt was the misery within him.

            With light footsteps that made  no sound on the pavement, he moved silently along the long stretch of houses ahead of him. He must have gone two blocks before the air grew strangely warm and humid; signs he knew meant he was being watched and not by one from his side. The air crackled like the sound of a bonfire; the atmosphere slowly now brimmed thick with smoke and smelled so foul, Zac fought hard to show no signs of any disturbance or discomfort. But now he possessed a human body and like any fragile human, he depended on one vital gaseous chemical his lungs were craving – in the next second, he crashed heavily to the ground clutching his throat.

            ‘Bravo, Brother, quite a show. If you had just hung on a couple more seconds, I swear you could have set a new record. It’s incomprehensible sometimes to what lengths these humans would do to be first.’ A rough hand swoop down hard on his shoulders, shoving him carelessly over to his side, instantaneously the same hand came back in a swift move swiping across his cheek. His skin burned at the touch but that was all it felt to him – superficial pain. The pain in his chest however felt like he might explode any moment.

A hand lifted his chin, angling it towards the sky. ‘Feel better?’

As soon as those words were spoken, his lungs filled with air and in his haste, he choked on his own saliva. He definitely wasn’t used to the inconvenience of a malfunctioning human body. Cool air swamp his lungs, revitalizing his sense till he was again in control. Moments passed and the thick smoke surrounding him dissipated but nevertheless, the air stank of something worse than death.