Darkness II

Darkness II takes place a few months after the first part. Things are starting to look up for our main character. Maybe he can finally escape this darkness he had found himself in his entire life.

Go have a quick read if you haven't already of the first part. Enjoy!

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He’d kept to himself most of his childhood. Somehow, he had managed not to get kicked out of school. The incident at the park had happened four months ago. His heroics had allowed him to keep his job delivering drugs. It was lucky too because his mother, who was unemployed and always drunk, had now found a boyfriend who took great pleasure in taking out his stress on him. He rarely returned home as a result. He would sometimes, just to check on his mother. To make sure she had not been beaten to death. His pain and struggle were his alone to bear, he figured. He never had many friends. His classmates avoided him. Fitting in at school was never a priority when he didn’t know where his next meal was coming from. Despite not having many friends, there was a girl. His only friend. They’d known each other for as long as he could remember. Her mindset was the complete opposite to his. She was a lot smarter than him and kept out of trouble while he often found himself right in the middle of it. She had dreams, aspirations. A vision. She called it the ‘way out’. Optimism was never a luxury he found comfort in. He watched her throughout school, her popularity, every teacher’s favourite student. He admired that but a part of him always felt envy towards her as well. She never shunned him like most others in his year. He never opened up to anyone, but he had found comfort in being able to speak to someone.

A wad of cash filled his pockets on yet another Sunday evening. They had continued to keep their faith in him. The money had kept him afloat, but he was done. He was out. He had kept himself low level, never got too involved in the drug trade. He would get his money and stay out of the politics. Along with the money, he couldn’t believe his luck: he had started seeing this girl. The only friend he ever felt he had. He was seventeen and not far from his next birthday which had started to make him think about the future. He couldn’t stay in this town forever, shrouded in fear, in darkness. He just wanted a normal life. The things he had seen throughout his childhood were far from normal but despite everything, his outlook had never been so positive. It had changed so much since that day in the park. In part, he had his girlfriend to thank. She was so positive and as much as he hated to admit it, she had rubbed off on him.

They spoke almost every day. Guys had chased her throughout high school, which started to make him wonder if he ever really had a chance, but he’d finally picked up the courage to ask her out. Now, money and companionship filled a large void within his life that had been there for as long as he could remember. His grades were up, perhaps he would even go to university. Up till a few months ago, he wasn’t sure he would even be able to finish school. The darkness he had been shrouded in for so long was beginning to fade. He too was beginning to see a way out. His bike ride home had been pleasant. He felt an air of freedom about his life. No more involvement in drugs, enough money for food for the rest of the summer and maybe even further education waiting for him at the end of the holidays. He got to the front of his house. A dingy black door chipped all over stood in front of him. A brilliant reminder that he was home. He pushed the stiff door making his way into the house. A pile of letters stood against the corridor wall where he had left them in the morning. Something seemed different about the driveway. He turned back before shutting the door and realised Tom’s car wasn’t there (Tom being the scumbag boyfriend his mother had found). That was strange. He got some food before going to his room to wait until tomorrow. He heard sobbing as he entered the living room. It was pretty normal at this point for his mum to be in tears accompanied by a bottle of alcohol. He felt for her, but she had never taken care of him and after seventeen years, someone had to. He was about to leave the living room with a ready meal he’d stolen from the fridge when she said, “I broke up with him. He’s gone for good. I did it for you”. He smirked, what did she want, a thank you? “Good riddance”, he mumbled. She continued to sob perhaps waiting for him to show some compassion. He had none left to give. He left her to drown her sorrows in her next bottle.

He slept soundly that night. He thought he heard noises, but his mother often threw things around the house in a drunken rage, so he stopped paying it any attention. He’d also learnt to sleep through it. It was the weekend, so he wasn’t in a hurry. He rubbed his eyes and lazily rolled out of bed. The house was usually quiet in the mornings. Just how he liked it. Most of the time the house was filled with screams, so the mornings were always a nice change of pace.

He was starving. His hand moved over his stomach. The bottomless pit in his stomach demanded food with an unequivocal grumble. He knew his mother would be in the living room. He hated having to see her but the kitchen was through the living room. He stepped into the doorway gingerly; expecting her to bark orders at him. On this occasion, however he heard nothing. Only his footsteps on the floorboards. She appeared asleep on the sofa as expected. A tinge of guilt overcame him. She had no pillow under her head and was probably shivering all night. He found a blanket and carefully placed it over her. As he lifted her head to slide a pillow under it. He felt something damp and then realised there in fact chunks within the liquid. He lifted his hand away from her. The stench of alcohol around the room had masked the odour coming from her throw-up but now on his hand, it was unmistakeable. He was used to the sight and smell of vomit, it didn’t faze him. He rotated his mother onto her side to clean the throw up on her face. Her lips remained parted. He always kept a towel lying around for moments like this. He now began to examine the rest of her face. Shock caused him to completely drop her back on the sofa. Her eyes wide open ghoulishly. “Mum?”, he motioned towards her again. He shook her, with no response. He checked for a pulse on her neck. Nothing. That was the first time he’d ever checked a pulse that no longer existed. The absence of the constant regular bump freaked him out. Tears streaming down his face uncontrollably. He was shaking. “Mum, mum! Please..”, he stammered. He picked the phone and dialled 999. He was running on autopilot. He found himself on his knees in front of his dead mother when the ambulance arrived. They had to practically drag him away from her body. He couldn’t bear to leave her side. Those noises at night. It must have been her choking on her vomit and he did nothing. He could’ve saved her. He now sat outside head in his hands bawling his eyes out. A police inspector sat next to him trying to console him. What could he say to make him feel better? He had never really cared for his mother, just as she had never cared for him but she was the only family he had. He always considered himself alone but at least he had her. Now he really was alone.

Everything around him moved in slow motion. Police were in and out of the house, neighbours opened their doors to see what the commotion was about. He’d run out of tears at this point. Sights, smells, sounds around him, life, it was still there, but he did not register any of it. He was crippled. Once the realisation of his mother being gone processed in his mind, he was left asking himself one question: why did he even care? “Er, hey son”, said the police officer sat next to him. He looked up at the man. He had kind eyes. There was a sympathy in his eyes that only could have come from a parent. “I’m sorry, about all of this. Is there anywhere you can stay, aunt, uncle? Any family?”. He just shook his head timidly in response. The officer nodded in acknowledgement. Even he didn’t know what else to say. They both ended up sitting in silence waiting for the police sirens to subside.