"Dang, it's really late now huh?" A boy said to no one but himself, with phone brought just close to his face. "No wonder at all, —! Ahh! Dang, don't cramp suddenly my leg!"
The time now was 11:30 PM... It was indeed late, just like what had been said by the boy who was holding and pressing his leg that apparently had decided to cramp itself.
Our boy, Jeff was in the middle of climbing staircases that lead all the way up to seventh floor. The building itself was the apartment complex he was staying, and he was already on the fifth floor; one floor away to where his apartment unit was. But, well...
"GAH...! Don't cramp! Please!" Holding his cramping leg as he yelped in despair. "Really not a good time! —! UGH...!" He continued as painful yet annoying cramping that his leg had decided to initiate, cut him short instead.
A sconce fixed to the wall with intervals, in between the staircases was illuminating with clear yet enough light for people to see where they're stepping on. And it also can be seen that, Jeff was now; not wearing his mask. His other free hand that was not holding to his leg, had a mask of that smiling yellow emoji on it.
'...C'mon, please... Settle down, my leg...'
Leaning forward a little as he sweetly rubbed his own leg away in order to ease his cramping leg. The staircases space in between floor fifth to sixth lay quiet. A quick, shallow yet deep breaths was taken by him...
And finally.
"...Okay, that felt better." Giving a final rub to his leg, as the cramping moderately subsided; his face ease up a bit since the cramp ended just as it started kinda? But, it cannot be said the same for his whole body, sore to the max.
With his little suffering finally ended. He continued what he had been doing before and that was... Climbing upstairs! With railings along the staircases, old and rusty, with hand rested to it as he climbed away.
Most residents living in the apartment complex prefer to live on floors below this one... Apparently, since the building was old already, the building might gonna crumble suddenly, so it's kinda risky. But, the rent was cheap. Who gonna complain with something like that being offered? Gotta make the most of what you're already offered, lol.
And apparently, the owner of this building named it "Oldie Apartment Complex". Kinda makes sense.
"...Dang, do anyone even live at this floor? Well, apart from me." Walked through the hallways, as he headed to his apartment unit. Observing the other units as he walked by... He can't help but notice just how unkempt they looked, things left as if, pretty dusty.... As if no one lived here... No sign of life at all. Well, that's too much saying since that's partially Jeff's fault too for thinking like that.
"Well, I don't even try to communicate with my neighbours? Do I even qualify to say that?"
And now finally, he stopped in front of a apartment unit, which was his. A hand rummaged through his pocket that didn't took long as it retracted, now within his clenched hand, was a key; probably to the door of the unit before him. And well, that was right.
With the key being hold between his fingers, he directed it to the keyhole of said unit, turning the key as it unlocked the door, and finally with all that, he turned the doorknob away, twisting it. And boom! Let's go! He was finally home!
Now inside, he was welcomed with the usual dark unit. Well, he needed to turn on the light first—then proceed with his usual thingy.
Putting his shoes away, he headed inside the unit and straight all the way to the kitchen of his. "Jeez, I'm so tired!" Putting his vigilante mask on the kitchen table as he sat on a chair before the table... A lament escaped from his mouth...
"Man... I feel like my head was getting fried."
A hand to his temple as he messaged it albeit weakly just enough, as if releasing pressure from within. Eyes looked red, visibly tired as heck.
"Where do I even start?"
Okay, it looked like thing so far was getting wilder than expected with things that happened just very recently to him. It was something straight out of the norm, supernatural? Probably.
'Dang, my eyes be feeling heavy right now...'
A yawn was let out through his mouth, a though was conjured within himself... Yes, he was sleepy. "...I'm just going to think about this tomorrow. To much be happening, dang."
Standing back as he put the chair he was sitting on; to it's original place. With a hand reaching out toward a mask on the table as he took it with him, heading to his room...
With the light switch within the room turned on; it was no longer dark as it was now bright in color... Heading to a wardrobe in a secluded corner of this very room.
Upon opening and looking inside the said wardrobe, not much content within it; there was that usual school drip, white shirt paired with black pant that was very much a school appropriate attire and apparently the school he had attended, doesn't have that much of strict rules, where you have to wear something like the one he wore every day. But well he still chose to wear it. Such a good student he was. Anyways, there was also his training fit, some random shirt and pants, not to forget; he also got them other important stuff like underwear.
"Yeah, I'm just gonna wear randomly."
.
Now, with his vigilante costume; in black they come, a black tactical combat hoodie and black combat pants was tucked away, visibly frayed. Now, just hanging on a hangers to his wardrobe, his weapon and its harness was also inside the wardrobe, in a corner together and muddled with other clothes...
Wearing just some random clothing, a hand went slinging by with a towel that rested on his shoulder.
"I'll just take a quick dip, too tired already."
A yawn escaped as he walked out of the room and finally headed to the bathroom!
.
So it was literally, just a quick dip. He finished showering under 2 minutes; probably a undercover speedrunner. But all things considered. With himself now lying upon his very own bed... Tucked away in his comfy blanket. Nothing much to be done apart from dozing away. But, here he was; looking at the ceiling like he always did...
"Man, somehow I'm not tired anymore."
With his hands clasped behind his head, face was blank as a slate and natural apparently, with not much thought felt into his mind, the unimportant ones left discarded as something for more important was left to think about.
'Just what the heck was that back then?' A thought popped into his mind, well no wonder that did. Like, yeah he was on his patrol just like back then; but somehow this time it turned into something straight out of norm, just supernatural. "Man... I really can't sleep."
Pretty much wide awake now. Somehow, unable to fall asleep with thoughts that bubbled up as the time ticked away. His phone which was on the desk beside the nightlight was reached out to him... With his body leaned as he reached to it, now back to how he was... Both of his hands hold the phone just before his face not close but just close enough.
"Uh... That was pretty bright." Eyes winced, as turning the phone, and was met with brightness akin divine light itself coming from the phone straight to his face... Apparently, forgetting to lower the brightness before but sooner than later, it was already resolved. With that adjusted, he then tinkered with his phone as he opened a specific application, Grookgle. If information was the one he wanted, then this was the right app he will be asking for.
"Hmm... Let's see." Typing at the search bar, as he slowly did it but briefly too. It was simple what he had searched for.
"Cat, Creepy Eyes, Long Legs, Just what the hell...? And boom..."
It didn't take that long since the things he searched up finally appeared! Which was nothing like what he wanted at all.
"What the heck? What are all these? They're not right, this one was poorly edited. And just what the heck is this one it's not even about what I asked for."
Scrolling away through the phone screen as he looked at every each one information, and none of them actually appease him.
"Ahh... Whatever..." After a moment, he finally exited the application as he was done scrolling, a visible annoyance appeared on his expression which vanished just right after, and with his phone rested upon his chest... He looked at the ceiling as the nightlight glowed dimly yet bright at that the same time...
"I guess I just gotta find out about this myself." Resolved with that, since nothing on social media can actually help, and a possibility that just maybe he was the first to ever encounter something like that, shouldn't he be the one to deal with it too? After all, he was a vigilante. "But, man... Does vigilantes even deal with something like this? We're supposed to be fighting thugs and uphold justice... Ah, whatever."
Closing his eyes as he brushed off everything else and keep his thought clear from forming bubbles of thought... Finally, the tiredness and feeling to sleep came to welcome him. Well, he gonna embrace that.
A yawn, as he put aside his phone... And, hold on. He stopped in his tracks. Something came up just as suddenly.
"...I'm forgetting something..." Eyes focused as he tried to recall, just what was it... And finally...
"...Jeez, I don't know; probably not important..." Now resuming just whatever he was doing, as this time he laid on the bed yet again... Now, for sure to sleep... Closing his eyes... He relaxed as he reminded himself yet again...
'I'm gonna deal with them tomorrow...'
...And that was the last thought he had before finally, with eyes relaxed, breaths remain constant... Entering state of unconsciousness as he succumbed to dreamland... Literally.
.
.
.
It felt warm...
...A hand was holding to mine...
And it was the warmest one that I had ever known...
We walked side by side... Through wheatlands that stretch far and wide...
She was with me as we walked toward the endless...
My hand was that of a child... and hers, of that a mother...
She was my mother.
Her long hair cascading down and reaching her waist, fluttering in a waning breeze brought by the gale...
What is this?
Ahh... It was a dream.
The sky glowed in that hues of an orange... Was it the start to a new day or was it the end of one...?
But that didn't matter.
What truly mattered... was her presence beside me...
It was only a dream...
But I wished it wasn't...
I hope it's the reality.
But it hurt.
And we stopped...
Standing... In a wheatlands that felt endless...
Her eyes were the same as mine...
Her hair... a fabric copy, inherited by me.
The sun with it soft illumination... Basked over us warmly...
...She leaned closer as she hugged me wholeheartedly...
Facing me as she spoke...
I can't hear it?
What was she saying?
Her mouth moved, but nothing came out of it... Why I can't hear it?
She stopped...
As she caress my cheeks... and spoke again...
And this time, I heard it:
"I love you."
–
A world of flame...
Everything burned...
I laid motionless... As I looked in front weakly...
What is this...? Why so suddenly...?
My eyes... Weak and unfocused...
I looked looked...
My mother... lay not far from me...
Her eyes looked strange...
Ah, and then I knew it...
She was dead.
–
"AGHHHHHHHHH...?!"
Sitting upright whilst panting, Jeff who was suddenly awoken from his slumbers with sweat formed all over his body with eyes looking bewildered; his heart beats erratically. "...No, it's the same dream again..."
A hand to his chest as he breathed hardly; in and out... The feeling of unease still lingers in the air, as Jeff tried to relax himself...
The dream that was akin to a nightmare itself... Had been nothing of frequent occurrence... It happens just as randomly... But, still fresh in the mind.
"...—! Agh...!" In the midst of calming his uneasy self... A expected headache that stung but still sudden as it came... Hurt truly, but just in the moment of impact. "...Ah, this again..."
Still holding until finally, it stopped just as quick at it happened... And then with tears forming on his eyelids, cascading down his cheeks and pulled away by gravity... But, why?
...After a while, Jeff now somehow had calmed himself down considerably... Stayed quiet, as he let the time pass by... Wiping his face with blanket before him... Snot and tears was wiped away. Yikes.
"...It's getting worser... And it's been happening more frequent since last year..." With eyes looking at his hands... It was shaking albeit not much... But, still...
Something happened to Jeff, when he was pretty young... A freak accident or what people had said... Had robbed the life of his mother... But was it really like what they said?
"...Getting reminded by something like this through a dream just as randomly as it came... Really cruel..." Joining his hands together as he closed his eyes... Quivering as they come...
But then...
*KNOCK* *KNOCK*
A sound of knocking can be heard... Well, but where? "What...? What was that knocking sound?" Upon hearing such thing, Jeff now was suddenly be hearing stuff after experiencing such a feel good yet nightmarish dream at the end... And what was exactly the time now? Getting off the bed, rather slowly as he then take a peep to his phone...
"What the? 4:50 AM?" The time showed now exactly like what had been said... It's still early and somehow he's hearing something like this? Putting the phone aside... As he then went outside his room... The light in all available space was turned on... The sound did not come again. Going to his kitchen and to the room beside his as he investigated, but to no avail; he has no idea, where such sound had came from. Still wondering, as he wander about to and fro in the hallway of his unit, the sound that he had heard didn't come again? ...Except, that wasn't true.
*KNOCK*
Attention drifted.
'...Hold on... That sound...' Now, in the hallway of his unit... Just standing still as he finally heard where the sound of such knocking came from... 'Why does it came from the entrance?'.
With his body facing too where it came from. And indeed it was...
*KNOCK*
Gulp.
"...Oh my god. Just who in the hell knocking on my door at time like this?" Face stiff, with sweat also already formed on his temple; in a voice that was quiet yet akin to trembling ones... Apparently, he was scared because another thing after the other, he really can't catch a break...
*KNOCK*
And now Jeff gotta find out just who in the heck knocking right now...