Soul's Decay : Chapter Two

Chapter Two

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Adeline didn’t go to her younger brother’s funeral, mostly because his parents hated her. They didn’t originally hate her, of course - she was a lovely, young lady who always obeyed her parent’s orders in the past. Everyone loved the little girl. Then, when she was thirteen, she ran away from home.

It was at midnight, her cheek still aching from the angry blow her father had given her a few hours before. She had opened a window in her room, felt the cold wind whip her face harshly, and tossed down the bundle of clothes wrapped around her important belongings without hesitation. Then she dropped down herself, and sprained her wrist when she landed on it. A sharp stone had ripped through her jeans and bloodied the clean denim. She had stood up with a slight limp, picked up the bundle, and ran like there was no tomorrow. Never did she look back once.

Adeline was now in college, living off by her own with her new best friend, Beverly. When her parents managed to find her, they grudgingly promised to keep contact for the years that came after. They didn’t take her home, for they practically disowned her ever since the moment they found out that she ran away. Three sleepless nights with tear stained pillows followed, but Adeline led on with her own life, and two years ago, when she was sixteen, changed her last name to Salsberry.

Beverly’s parents accepted her as family, fed with her clever lies. She lied that her parents abused her and she was starved every day, just to earn pity. The truth was, she just didn’t like her life with the Campbell family. Now, she was the fourth member of the Salsberry family, and she had brand-new parents in her brand-new house. She enjoyed the fact quite a lot.

The news of her brother’s death was shocking and left her broken, although the only thing Adeline could remember of him was a young, scrawny boy, crying loudly when her father struck her, for the first and the last time. She remembered that she took care of her little brother, and gave him treats she got from school for her good work.

It was unnerving, his death - and she wasn’t prepared for him to get erased out of her life; just an empty body left behind. She never would have. She never thought about the things she had to say to her little brother, because it always made her cry. There were so many things she was supposed to say to Jayden Campbell.

Why Jayden died, she didn’t know. Whether or not he remembered her up to the day he died - she didn’t know either. She wished he did. She truly did.

Adeline blinked up at the ceiling, and fingered the hem of her black shirt she was wearing, her other hand clutching her phone tightly, waiting for a phone call that would contradict against the one that had come before. Outside the tightly shut, wooden door, she could faintly hear a pair of footsteps thundering through the hallway and heading to her room.

“Addie!”

Beverly screamed, abruptly barging into the room Adeline was in, sprawled out on her bed. Her bright, blue eyes were dilated, and her raven hair was a mess, looking like she just got out of bed or tried to fight against a hurricane. Adeline turned her head to her best friend and blinked again. She sighed.

“What’s up, Bev? And don’t you dare start talking about what an ass my parents are.”

Adeline rolled her eyes and shifted her head to its original place as Beverly ignored her warning and started to shriek even more loudly.

“Your parents are some serious sobs, Addie!”

“I know that.”

“I mean, your freaking little brother died, and they are like, you can’t come to the funeral because you are not our daughter anymore!”

Beverly rambled on, and Adeline had to bite back a snicker from her friend’s bad imitation of her father’s voice. Taking a deep breath, she sat up slowly, wincing as her body tried to adjust to a new position, other than the one she had been maintaining for at least half an hour.

“So, what’s your point? I can’t go to Jay’s funeral and I can’t know what happened to him.”

Her voice cracked as she struggled to finish the sentence. What she said was so true and her fault. Her fingers started to fiddle with the transparent, gray plastic ring on her index finger. It was a habit that was gained over time, something she couldn’t help but do when she was nervous, sad or trying to keep in her anger. Beverly noticed, and leaned forward to take Adeline’s limp hand. Her eyes were swimming with pity, something Adeline didn’t want from anyone in the particular situation.

“Let go, Bev.”

She snapped, and it came out harsher than she had meant. With guilt, she saw Beverly’s eyes cloud with hurt, but the black-haired girl didn’t release her hand. Instead, she sat down next to her best friend.

“Addie.”

Beverly whispered, hugging Adeline’s shoulders close to her, stroking her auburn hair lightly as if she was a sister she never had, a true fact to both of them.

“I don’t know what to say to you now, and I know that nothing would ever comfort you.”

“Ha, ha.”

Adeline croaked bitterly and choked back a sob, her hand going up to her eyes to wipe away some stray tears. Beverly let go of her hand, but held her at her arm’s length. She looked into the other girl’s eyes gently. Bright blue met another blue, just a shade darker, and Adeline couldn’t help but feel like Beverly always understood everything, even her countless, cold-hearted lies.

“Just because an adult said so, doesn’t mean that you have to follow their words.”

Beverly smiled. Adeline stared at her, trying to see what she was getting to. Was her friend trying to imply that she was supposed to go to Jayden’s funeral? Is she? She thought with strange glee. Then she knew. She knew that Beverly knew what she was supposed to do, and was certain of it, unlike herself. Idiot, I don’t even know what to do for myself. Adeline grinned at her, and stood up. Beverly grinned back, and there were no more words needed.

“I’m going to Jay’s funeral, Bev. Tell mom and dad I’m off shopping.”

☪

The room where the man sat in was dark, all the lights turned off and the window blocked out with wooden planks, hammered onto the wall around the window frame messily. The man’s breath was low and silent, as if he didn’t want to be found by something. His pale hands shook uncontrollably as he shifted through a small notebook, the pages covered by messy writings, detailed drawings and numbers.

He let out a shaky breath, running his fingertips over a sketch of a fox with nine tails. The drawing was faint, and the sharp, pencil lines were now soft and blurred, for the man’s fingers had brushed it many, many times. Next to it was a big word.

[Gold]

The man turned to the next page, as if to assure himself that it was still there, safe and unharmed.

[GOD?]

The word he was looking for was written in all capital letters.

[They eat…, nine hundred or more?]

The fragment followed right beneath the word, and a sentence was scribbled out with pen messily, completely concealing whatever was written originally. Words that didn’t make sense together were written in a messy bunch at the bottom of the page.

[Everywhere but few why? no living captive human or animal true form adapt?? from where???]

Only the man knew what it meant. If they find out… He shuddered at the thought and the gruesome images it brought.

With another turn of the page, he pulled out a ball-point pen, almost empty of ink, and scribbled down a few more things. Before he could read what he had written himself, he shut the notebook, inhaling with his nose deeply.

He ran a hand through his matted hair, which smelled like an overused toilet, and hugged himself tightly. He wanted to go out of the room. He wanted to see if his wife and his kids were still alive. But he didn’t want to die, which was the certain aftermath stepping outside would bring. He knew that it was selfish, and it killed him inside. It is a time to be selfish, though. He told himself hesitantly. Then, he said it again with more confidence. Yes, it is a time to be selfish. Still, he pulled a dirty blanket over to where he sat and wrapped his body in it, shivering. What lurked behind the closed door, he didn’t want to know.

A thought he always pondered over came into his mind ; had he protected himself from those monsters - or had he locked himself in?

“So, what’s your point? I can’t go to Jay’s funeral and I can’t know what happened to him.”

Adeline murmured miserably, her voice cracking as she finished the sentence. Beverly flinched. She could answer it, with many, many details. As Adeline continued to wallow in her deplorable situation, dread grew inside Beverly. She is getting dangerously close, she thought, clenching her fist by her side before straightening her hand. Should I..? Adeline started to fiddle with her pathetic, gray plastic ring, and Beverly then knew that her precious Addie had said the rather calm outburst because of nervousness, or sadness, or whatever she didn’t care about but had to know. She had been way overreacting, again.

Yet, Beverly couldn’t help but pity her ‘best friend’ for the events that would come to pass. She leaned forward, and clutched the girl’s weak hand.

“Let go, Bev.”

Adeline snapped. Beverly felt her eyes cloud with malice and anger. How dare you, you preposterous little piece of - She took an internal deep breath. In, out. Patience, patience. She cleared her orbs with concentration, and tried to think of other things, events that would actually manage to brush a finger against her frigid heart that was buried deep inside her. It looked like she succeeded, because Adeline’s eyes looked very guilty.

As Beverly turned around to sit next to her best friend on the bed, their hands still clasped together, she let her lips curl up into a twisted smile.

Because, of course, her face was hidden to her precious Addie.