A Tragic Creation 2: Randel's Return

Chapter 12: Thoughts

Ringo once again struggled against the darkness that was wrapped around his leg.

"Oh come on," he exclaimed when it once again didn't budge.

He knew that he only ever had the chance to escape whenever Randel was sleeping, and he was not fond on letting this one go so easily.

He reached out to touch it, and he was surprised when he felt no stinging sensation on his hand.

It had affected George when he had tried to free Ringo yesterday, and yet it didn't react to Ringo's skin at all.

Ringo pulled on it, but it was as if he was pulling on metal rather than light.

Sighing heavily, he pulled his hand away looked at Randel's sleeping form in the distance.

"Oh Randel... what have you become?"

Ringo sat up, looking around him as his stomach grumbled. He placed a hand on his stomach.

"At least he has to get hungry eventually... but then again... who's to say that he'll share an apple with me..."

He looked over at Randel again, who was facing away from him.

A sympathetic expression overtook his features.

"You have to come to your senses eventually... hopefully..."

Ringo looked back at the ground, thinking back to the events that took place a year prior.

"I kind of wished that I said something when you said that you loved me..." he said after a moment of silence.

He had a feeling that it wouldn't have made a difference, but still, he had a feeling that he should have at least acknowledged it. But then again, Randel was dying in his arms, so he couldn't really focus on that at the time.

Ringo looked up at the grey sky for a moment.

"I guess that I can't really try to tell you that now..."

He sighed once again, lowering his head. Slowly, he laid down onto his side, facing away from Randel.

"But then again... He has to remember how it felt..."

Ringo fumbled with his tie as his stomach grumbled once again.

"Maybe... Maybe I can try to tell him when he wakes up... There still has to be some good left in him..."

Ringo gulped.

"I hope..."

He rolled over onto his back so that he was facing the sky.

"Though... that creature probably won't think the same as him if he realizes what he's doing is wrong..."

Ringo once again looked over at Randel.

"He probably didn't see that statue, otherwise he would have asked me about it."

Suddenly, Randel shifted his position, turning over so that he was now facing Ringo, who was thankful that he was still sleeping.

Ringo couldn't tear his gaze away from the black sun on his tie. He knew that the change had something to do with the creature that attached itself to him, but he couldn't guess how.

"You're just not the Randel I came to know..." he said quietly as he laid his head back, staring up at the sky.

"The one that we all came to know..."

His stomach grumbled once again, and he groaned.

He wanted Randel to wake up as soon as possible so that he could have the chance to eat, and, yet, at the same time, he was apprehensive about it.

How would Randel react when Ringo brought up what happened when he was dying?

Ringo wanted to believe that Randel would come to his senses, but he knew that there was a chance that he wouldn't do so.

The thought of that possibility made him shudder to think about.

Pepperland's fate depended entirely on Randel now, and that only brought more weight to the situation.

"I never even got the chance to tell Jeremy that this wasn't his fault..."

Ringo closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the cold breeze pass over him.

"Whatever happens... at least I tried to fix this."

"Hmm..."

A hum caught Ringo's attention and he looked over to Randel, who was starting to wake up from his nap.

He only had a couple of minutes to prepare now.

Ringo stared on as Randel rolled over onto his back, groaning. Randel yawned as he stretched out onto the stone ground. 

"Mmm... why, Ringo, you're still awake?" Randel asked as he stood up.

Ringo paused for a moment, sitting up.

"I've b-been awake."

A loud grumble emitted from his stomach.

"Oh, that's right. I was getting hungry myself."

Ringo looked up at Randel as he approached him.

"So... are you goi-"

"Two apples. One for the each of us," Randel spat.

"Oh..."

Before he could continue, Randel swiftly walked away.

Ringo sighed, lowering his head.

"Maybe, when he comes back, I'll ask him..."