The War Within

Chapter 2

     Jake opened his eyes. He raised up and took a brief look at his surroundings, and realized that he was still at the airport, but there was not a person in sight. Lotus laid beside Jake, still sleeping. He got up from the bench, and as he did, he struggled to keep his balance. He began making his way down the long walkway, towards the bathroom. Dead silence filled the airport. The only auditory sounds were the ones caused by Jake's footsteps and Lotus' snoring. Jake entered the men's restroom, and upon entry, he quickly turned his head to the right. He could have sworn that he had seen something out of the corner out his eye, but nothing was there. Creeped out a little, Jake walked over to the bathroom sinks. He twisted the nozzle to the cold water and splashed his face with the water. His dizziness went away. Once finished, he looked at his reflection in the mirror.

        “What's the point in me living,” he asked, “because I don't see anything th-that's worthwhile about me. I deserve to be thrown away…No. I need to try and stop acting like this. I'm finally away from all of that negativity. It's time for a new Jake to come out, but...how do I fight it all on my own when the horrible memories keep me trapped like a caged animal? Can't even defend my own self. Ten years of torture have come down to this. I can't escape it. Not unless I kill it." Jake sighed and before he could leave, the bathroom stall behind him opened on its own. He slightly raised an eyebrow, slowly turning around to see who was inside. He gasped shockingly, backing up against the sink when he saw a shadowy figure that took the form of an animal. A wolf with glowing red eyes. The wolf growled ferociously as it slowly started walking towards Jake. Jake’s fear was very noticeable as his body trembled uncontrollably.

        “Y-Y-You’re n-not r-real,” he said, quivering with fear. The wolf bared its teeth, lunging at Jake afterward. Quickly, Jake jumped out of the way, causing the wolf to hit its head on the sink. He looked back at the wolf and watched as it got back up, for it took no damage at all. Jake ran out of the bathroom as fast as he could, and when he was out, he continued running.

        “Lotus!” He cried. “Lotus! Help!” Lotus remained asleep on the bench. She could not hear Jake no matter how loud he was. Suddenly, Jake stopped moving completely, but not at his own free will. The airport turned completely dark with light only shining on Jake. The boy struggled in trying to move, but his attempts were in vain.

      Out of the darkness came the same figure that Lotus had seen. Jake whimpered in terror. He could only see the shadow's glowing red eyes and its sinister grin. He knew that it had evil intentions. The shadow began to speak. Its voice sounded like it came from multiple directions at once.

        “Noos ll’uoy eb eno fo su, ro eid ekil eht tser!” The shadow laughed demonically before vanishing before Jake's eyes.

     Jake fell from the bench, panting and gasping for air. He looked around, seeing that everything was back normal. Lotus jumped down from the bench and walked in front of Jake, her head tilted to the side, wondering what could be wrong with Jake. He looked at her, then quickly turned his head away. Worried, Lotus tapped Jake's arm with her paw. He looked back at her, seeing the worry written all over her face, and sighed heavily.

        “I-I'm sorry, Lotus,” he said quietly, “It was just a nightmare. By the way, what time is it?” The two looked behind Lotus and spotted a digital clock on the wall. The time was 11:59 pm.

        “Oh no,” Jake said after a short gasp, “we're going to miss our flight if we don't hurry. Come on, Lotus!" Jake heard a voice on the intercoms, telling all Tokyo passengers to report to the designated plane. Jake and Lotus rushed through a crowd of people. When they were separated from the crowd, they spotted a line of people, waiting to get past the metal detectors. Quickly, they ran over to the people and waited in line. A sigh of relief escaped Jake's lips.