1| Today Tonight Tomorrow

12| Rubatosis

12

Rubatosis

The unsettling awareness of your own heartbeat.

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Overwhelmed by Royal & Serpent (Stripped)

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I woke up in alarm as I started choking to the dryness of my throat. I begun to tear up at how painful my limbs were and saw how much blood there was on my body. What in the world happened?

"Water..." I begun to croak.

Someone immediately handed me a glass and I begun to chug desperately, without missing a beat. I chugged down the water as if my life depended on it

...and I stopped.

I took the glass away from my lips and took in my surroundings.

Dark shadows, rusty furnishings, tattered curtains, crumbling wallpapers, and a bed that was barely holding up.... In no way I was in my room.

"Where in the world am I?" I mumbled as my hand begun to shake in anxiety.

I closed my eyes and tried to recall how I got there.

"Well, I got in the room....uh... Lied down in bed. Cover myself with pillow here and there....Uh...Uhmm... Yes! The fire alarm went on... I stood up in bed... and...and..." I sighed in self-defeat when I could not remember anything after that.

Suddenly, I felt goosebumps. My eyes begun to adjust in the darkness and I begun to notice someone was at the farthest corner of the room. I could feel his gaze intently at me.

Then, I hear the sound of the television from the distance announcing my missing state. Crackling here and there from the poor signal.

"Breaking News! Just weeks after being under the radar for suspicions of drug dealing and corruption, Mr. Philip Lewis, founder of Lewis Estate, was attacked at his own home on a Saturday, three of early morning. Four dead. Four injured. And as of the moment, some of the casualties are missing. Most are still being identified. However, Irene Alden, nineteen of age, under the guardianship of Mr. Lewis is missing after the break-in. Search parties are now on the look-out. Here is her picture. If you've seen her, do not hesitate to give these numbers a call...."

I held my breathe as I tighten my grip at the glass that I had been holding. I know that in that moment I was not suppose to be there. My eyes looking away from "the" side of the room. I started to think of what I must do next.

"Help me, God.... I still want to live."

.....and I started to run towards the door which was luckily open.

I ran and ran as I could hear someone calling out for me to stop, but I never looked back. Even my aching ankles could not stop me from not leaving that place. All I know that the only family I have left is looking for me.

I continued to run blindly, passing to same-looking sketchy narrow alleys, not knowing where I was heading. The darkness of the night was not helping me in my situation. Suddenly, out of nowhere, someone jumped from behind me and I fell head-first to the ground. I was about to whine and scream bloody murder. When, suddenly, the person behind me, push both of us to the side, by some large crate boxes, as if we were hiding from something.

"Shhh... Don't say a word or we will get into more trouble than we are now." The person whisper-shouted.

And I realized who I was with now.

"Brayden?!"

Before I could ask questions and demand for some explanation, I could see from where we were hiding, motorcade of small cars were passing through to the small access road in front of we were hiding. As the last car passed through, I took the courage and faced Brayden to confront him.

"I want to go back home." I said in conviction as we stood up and walk back towards where we came from.

Brayden ignored me.

"I said I want to go home, Brayden!" I screamed as he stopped on his tracks and faced me, covering my mouth with his hand.

"Are you crazy?! Do you want to get us killed? You can't just go screaming here! Can't you get it in your head that we can't?!" He said and I went quiet, kind of hurt on how he phrased things.

He sighed and said, "Look, I'm sorry... It's just we can't go back home, Irene.... It is much safer that we go somewhere far from here."

I stayed silent as I try to understand what situation are we in.

"Why? Why are we doing this? Is it because Uncle Philip was accused of such ridiculous things I heard from TV? I mean, it couldn't be true, Brayden... Uncle Philip can't be like that. You are his son, I can't believe you don't know your father that well to believe in those shit." I chuckled, but Brayden stayed serious.

"That's why I am doing this Irene.... I am doing this because I know very well what my father is capable of..."

I rolled my eyes.

"What are you trying to say, Brayden? That your father has been lying to a whole bunch of people?" I sarcastically asked as I folded my arms by my chest and raised a brow.

"You don't understand Irene.... He..He killed people. He killed my mom for goodness sake! And I wouldn't be surprised if he staged your parents accident, too."

It can't be.

"No. You're just joking, Brayden. Uncle Philip isn't like that--

"I saw documents, papers in his office that I wasn't supposed to."

Breathe, Irene... Breathe...

"He's getting you killed, Irene.... He's getting US killed."

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