Achromatic

Epilogue

The present.

It was a concept that Murdoc never considered or comprehended. It used to be that his mind was always looking towards the future, letting his ambitions and dreams take complete hold of his life. Back in the band's days, he was the spark that led him and the others onward. Murdoc supposed it was after they reunited from Plastic Beach that the spark went dull. 

And there would most likely be no more music.

After 2D's death, time itself slipped from Murdoc's grasp. There was no future. There was no present. It was only the past. Endless days and nights dwindling on memories of 2D's face, every moment they shared together until it was brought to an abrupt halt. And even now, Murdoc still felt stuck in the past. He could feel the present coming back to him as he continued to become soberer. 

He hadn't tasted a single drop of alcohol for months, not even when Russel still came home smelling of whiskey. 

Murdoc's appearance had changed significantly since his return from his motel stay. His gray sweaters were packed away in his closet and replaced with white t-shirts and button-downs. He began to take care of his skin better by washing every day and shaving his facial hair every other week. The dark circles under his eyes began to disappear with better sleep. Russel and Noodle took careful note of his changes and were proud that he was able to win his internal war. After all, Murdoc owed his life to them.

May had eventually faded into a very rainy June, leaving Murdoc home to patch up the water leaks from the ceiling. This also meant that he had to go to the top floor, where 2D's room was.

It was as if the rain was a wake-up call. Murdoc had been avoiding the thought of going up to that room because he knew that the past would flood him all over again. But one stormy day when the rain fell hardest, he realized it would be his last resort.

After putting a bucket under a leak in Noodle's room, he stepped out and made his way to the stairs. He flicked on the light, seeing the thick layer of floating dust that had formed in the air. Murdoc climbed the last couple of steps, coughing from the particles getting in his mouth. Once more, the door handle beckoned him, pleading to be opened. 

Inhale. Exhale. 

Murdoc held his breath as his hand latched onto the handle. He turned it sideways, breaking the cobwebs that had formed over time. The door made a low creak as Murdoc opened it inch-by-inch. 

When Murdoc turned on the light, the room was the exact same as he remembered.

Beer cans littered the floor. The bed was unkempt and the pillows were tossed to the side. Cigarette ashes were everywhere. 2D's clothes were hung over the bed and the windowsill. The smell of beer and ash had been replaced with a musty scent that made Murdoc feel faint. The hardwood floor had also come up in places where the rain had been absorbed. The ceiling was cracking in several places and dripping water. And it was still terribly cold.

The bathroom was clean, however. Murdoc guessed it was Noodle and Russel who organized the cupboard and scrubbed the grime on the tiles. 

But the bedroom. Murdoc couldn't leave it that way. All the cans, the ashes, the mess that he had left behind was still there. It was the last living evidence of Murdoc's downfall, something that nearly cost him his own life. 

Before he could think anymore, Murdoc started to work.He started by picking up his beer cans and tossing them in a black garbage bag. He washed and dried all of 2D's clothes and the bedsheets. All of the cigarette ashes were vacuumed from the floor and sprayed with air freshener. Several air fans were brought up from the kitchen to air out the moisture. And lastly, Murdoc opened the window to let in some badly-needed fresh air. 

It was finished within 2 hours, which was enough time to leave the bedroom looking completely different than before. Murdoc leaned out of the window, wiping the sweat from his forehead. 

"Wow...did you do this?"

Murdoc turned his head away from the window, looking at Russel standing in the doorway. He smiled as he walked into the room, observing every little detail.

"Yeah. Does it look alright to you?" Murdoc said.

Russel cleared his throat from the dust. " It looks great. Really, great. I was starting to wonder if you'd...well, ever come back up here again."

Murdoc sat down on the edge of the bed, pushing the hair from his eyes. "I was too. That was until I realized something."

"What?" Russel asked.

"I left my Cuban heels in the closet."

Russel let out a snort and nudged Murdoc on the shoulder. Murdoc chuckled, giving Russel a small shove as he sat down next to him.

"Now what, huh?" Russel said with a smile.

"I dunno," Murdoc replied with a sigh. "If 2D was renting out his room, what would he want it to be turned into?"

"That's an interesting thought. Pretty much everything in here is his-"

The two of them were startled by a small knock on the door. 

"It's about time this room was cleaned," Noodle said from behind them. "It looks amazing, Russel."

"Oh, this wasn't me, love. It was Muds," Russel said. "I couldn't do all of this by myself."

Noodle looked at the two of them with disbelief. "Murdoc? You did this?"

 "Just call me the maid now, if you want," Murdoc said with a smirk.

Noodle laughed, sitting herself down on the bed next to Russel. "Then you have to help me with the chores now. Starting tonight with the dishes."

Everyone laughed in unison, including Murdoc who had not genuinely felt this happy in a long, long time. 

"I need to show you both something," Murdoc said. "It's important."

Murdoc lifted himself from the bed as Russel and Noodle watched him with curiosity. He dug through the desk, which had been cleared off and polished to reveal a beautiful wood finish. He opened the smallest drawer, taking out a single piece of notebook paper with a single rip bound together by tape. 

"Is that...his handwriting?" Noodle asked.

Murdoc nodded. "An unfinished song. I don't know when he wrote it, but look at the top."

Russel and Noodle peered over the paper, reading the message: "Untitled song for the best bandmates in the world: Murdoc, Russel, and Noodle. I miss you guys."

"I've never seen those lyrics before," Russel said. "And the paper looks almost new."

"How will we know..." Noodle uttered.

"When the morning comes..." Russel said.

 "We are still human...How will we know? How will we dream..."  Murdoc finished the paper as he traced his finger along the tape.

The three of them sat in silence, whispering the lyrics over and over again. Tears filled Noodle's eyes as she leaned on Murdoc's shoulder. Russel wrapped his arm around the both of them as they repeated the words to each other.

And at that moment, Murdoc's achromatic world turned into color. 

~~~

I can't believe,,,that I finished this. I've been working on this since my senior year of high school. It's gone through so much change, so much work, so much development, and it started from a simple concept. Words can't describe how much I love this story, and now it's finally completed. Most of this was written during a very hard time in my life, almost to the point where writing about Murdoc was similar to my own experiences. A LOT can happen in a year and a half, and that's just what this story represents. There's so much else I want to say, but thank you thank you so much for reading and reviewing. I appreciate all of you so much and I can't wait to write more in the future.

xx

_theinvisiblesister_