Fallen To The Red Gaze

Chapter Ib.

It seems that I have awaken. The sun was high in the sky, so the weather seemed nice enough to go for a walk. The sidewalk was quiet crowded with people that filled with me with disgust. I'm not sure where this feeling comes from, so perhaps I shall not act on it instinctually for now. As I walked slowly, I could hear the sounds of young chitter-chatter. Each step took me closer to those pleasant sounds. My sight found the scene, as I turned upon a corner. Children were playing so joyfully in front of a cheap, worn-down public school. I took a seat at a nearby bench and watched them. There were many different kinds of kids among the crowd. Some of them were poor with hardly appealing clothes, while others at least seemed well-adjusted.

Some time seemed to pass. Cars arrived and drove away, and parents came and left to take their children home. As I watched the people come and go, I wondered about myself. Do I have a child? A wife? There seems to be a lot I don't know about myself. Do I even have a name? All I seem to remember is the color red. Perhaps something happened to me. Was I injured–

A child and his parents took my attention away from my thoughts. There was no car parked nearby, but they all walked calmly away from the school. These people seemed to give me a strong feeling of contempt. I took in more details as they walked closer to me. Their child, a young boy, wore rags that seemed to be made from the same cloth as the parents wore. The rags seemed so dirty. The filth must be from living on the streets. How do I know this? Curiosity begged me to follow them, so I did. As I took each step, I could feel a tension in the air. I had to be careful here. I did not want to be seen. I followed the family to an alleyway filled with rotten tents. As I looked at the scene, I heard the child cough harshly. He did not look to well. Smoke was in the air. It was so strong that even I feared starting to cough and letting my presence known. Did I used to be around such horrendous habits? Perhaps, I at least seem tolerant of it. The child though, he seemed to live in such poor circumstances. He deserved better, so much better. Children have such potential. He doesn't deserve to live here.

I walked up to the little boy to see that he was stacking rocks and coughing occasionally. The parents seemed to not be watching, as I kneeled down beside the boy. "Hey kid, what's your name?"

"Luke, but I really shouldn't talk to strangers, Mister." The boy spoke calmly and quietly.

"You're a smart boy. Wouldn't you want a better life than this? A roof over your head? Toys that are better than those rocks?" I spoke with a tempting voice. The parents were neglecting their child and he didn't deserve this.

The boy looked at me with a small smile. "Could you really do something like that, Mister? For my parents too?"

"I can. You all just need to follow me, and I take you to a shelter. They'll help you and your family get back on your feet." The boy got up quickly and ran over to his parents. Children are always so easy to convince.

The man and woman approached me carefully. "Is it true? Our boy told us you know of a shelter that will take us in, " The woman asked.

"I do. It's one that's especially for families living just like yours."

"We've checked the shelters multiple times, they're always full. There's no way there are any openings." The man spoke harshly and threateningly.

"These openings are recent and the building is far from here, so that could be why missed it. I volunteered there just three days ago and heard about the multiple openings." I spoke calmly, although his tone was angering me.

"Honey, we don't really have anymore to loose–" Suddenly the child started coughing harshly with his back hunched over and his hand covering his mouth. The mother acted quickly, holding her son close to her in hopes of keeping him from breathing in more smoke.

"I'm sure I don't have to tell you what could happen to your boy if you stay here." I said with concern, but I could only wonder how real the feeling was. After those words, they followed me to a car. Was it mine? Perhaps it was, but there were keys already in the ignition. I turned on the ignition, driving the car out of the mostly empty parking lot and on to the streets. The family sat together in the back seat with the boy sitting comfortably in the middle. Even though my eyes were on the road, seeing where it would take me, I stayed focused on my peripheral of their expressions. The father was keeping his eyes trained on me, challenging me to displease him. The mother watched her son intently, as he played with a rock in each hand and occasionally had coughing fits. The mother's caring eye's felt so familiar. Where did this feeling come from? Was it a memory of my own mother, or that of a wife who was the mother of my child? How real did this mother care for her boy? If it is real, why would she put him through such a torturous lifestyle? At least it would be over soon enough.

After a quiet drive, I pulled up to a huge mansion. It was a quiet unoccupied place surrounded by an overgrowing forest. I turned off the engine slowly, as I could hear the boy coughing harshly. This place was perfect for them, but how did I know about it? Perhaps it was the place where I lived, at least at some point in my life. "I've never seen this shelter before and it looks completely abandoned."

"It's just a quiet and small location of a bigger company. You have to admit it's a better place to live than that dirty alley that filled the air with chemicals which are now killing your son albeit very slowly. I'll walk you into the building and help you check in." I stated heavily. My emotions seemed to be taking over so easily. I opened the glove compartment, as the family got out of the back seat. I grabbed what I needed to ensure their cooperation and got out of the car slowly. I allowed the family to lead me into the house. An emotion inside me was seemingly starting to rise. Was it anger? Excitement? Both? They opened the double doors revealing a grand, empty room.

"Hey, what's the meaning of this–" the father started to speak rather angrily, but he was quickly interrupted, as he and the mother felt something touch their backs.

I spoke next, "Follow my orders and your son won't become an orphan so quickly."

"Mommy, what is he talking about?" The boy asked with a frightened voice.

"It's nothing for you to worry about, Luke. The man just wants us to listen to him." She said with shaking fear in her voice, as she held onto the boy's hand tightly.

"Yes, that's it. Now everyone just needs to stay calm, and head up those stairs right in front of us. There's a room that I think would be perfect for the three of you to stay in." I said, thinking about the layout of this huge house. They walked up the stairs carefully, stopping at the top. "Open the door right in front of you and walk inside," I ordered with authority in my voice. They opened the door, revealing a room with a queen sized bed, a dresser filled with clothes that could probably fit their son, a small refrigerator, and a door that I knew lead to a small bathroom. There were no windows, no means for them to escape. I shut the door behind them, locking it from the outside. "This is your new home. There's snacks in the room, and the door in there leads to a bathroom. I should be back later tonight to serve you some dinner." I said, as I could feel a mist overcoming my mind. I could hear banging on the door and the little boy coughing, as I walked away from the door. For his sake, I surely hoped I wasn't lying to them. I walked away from the house, into the car to where my mind was taking me.