Capter 6: Lost

Chapter 6: Lost

I looked at the unfamiliar trees and houses. I was definitely lost. I tried to remain calm but my body was still trembling from fear of being lost and excitement of fighting. There weren't that many street lights on this street. I squinted into the darkness trying to adjust my eyes to the dark surroundings. When my eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, I recognized the street(well, maybe being able to read what the sign board said helped) I was on. It was the same street that the girl I saved lived on. I walked along the street looking for her house to try to get help and a few bandages if possible. The pain began to return to me now so I began to limp toward the house. The knife wounds bled and every single bone in my body felt as if they were pulverised into fine powder. My whole body ached painfully. I was almost there. Just half a block away. When I was a few feet away from the house, someone screamed a scream of attack. I turned around and saw one of the gangsters who was armed with a baseball bat with nails. He swung once and hit me while I was still surprised by his scream of attack. I fell down to my knees. He kept hitting and laughing like a madman. I was in real pain now. He must've been high, I thought to myself. I avoided one blow and took the opportunity too hit him in the gut. My fist met his gut and it hit hard. He jumped back in pain while clutching his stomach. then I got up and hit him in the face until he passed out. Then I kept limping toward the girl's house. I had reached the door but after knocking, I collapsed to the ground. I had blacked out(again).

 * * *

6 hours later...

I woke up on a sofa in front of a fireplace in a room that I didn't recognize. I looked at a wall clock over the mantle piece and read the time. 12.00 a.m. I tried getting up but my body was invaded by a sharp pain from all sides of my body. The wounds haven't healed yet but were neatly bandaged. I took some time to look around me for a second. It was an old house, I thought to myself. The wallpaper was old and faded and in some small areas of it they were torn. The photos were old and brownish in color and the wall paintings were cracked and some of the paint was practically chipping. Then, I tried to stand on my feet but, as I took the first step, pain shot up from my leg I almost fell down but luckily, I grabbed the sofa and prevented myself from falling down. "You're not healed yet." said a voice from the doorway I looked up and saw the girl. "You collapsed at my door, so I decided to bring you inside and treat your injuries." she said. I still tried to stand up but, it hurts every time I tried. So I decided to sit down instead. "Who are you?" I asked her. "Well, my name is Catherine Ravenwood." she said. "But, who are you?" she asked back. "Andrew Graystone. I live a little further up the street." I said. She was holding a bottle of red fluid. "What's that?" I asked about the the liquid in the bottle she was holding. "It's tree sap from the sangra de drago tree in my backyard. It makes good antiseptic medicine." she replied. She came closer with the bottle. "I collected some of the sap to try to heal you." she said. I only lied down and let her tend to my injuries even though her methods were painful. So I spent the night there. I was feeling very tired and I needed to rest. I didn't sleep well that night. I couldn't sleep feeling so uncomfortable because of the pain. I woke up early that morning but I was still tired. Catherine had made some breakfast which consisted of porridge and toast. I ate at the table in front of the sofa. The breakfast was washed down with a cup of tea. My knife wounds started to heal where the tree sap was rubbed on. But unfortunately, my legs still ached so my steps were unsteady but at least I was able to walk slowly. I steadied myself and tried not to fall over. I was walking toward the kitchen to see where Catherine was. She was at the table quietly eating her breakfast. I walked back and almost tripped over the table I ate at but eventually I was able to walk back to the sofa without breaking anything. I wondered how long I would be here.

2 weeks later...
I received another call from Catherine. "Hello." I said into the receiver. "Hi. Listen, can you uh, help me with something?" she asked through the  other line. "Alright. Name your problem." I said. "Can you come over? It's something serious." she said in an almost nervous voice. We had become close friends now and she usually asks me for help when she needed it. "okay." I said. "Thank you. Bye she said as she quickly hung up. But the strange thing about this call is that she sounded almost nervous. Usually, she would sound calm but today was a bit stranger. It could be something important I thought to myself. I walked leisurely toward her house then I knocked on the door. "It's not locked!" she shouted from somewhere in the house. I opened the door and gasped at what waited for me inside. A group of people were gathered inside the living room. "Surprise!" they cried. Then I suddenly remembered. today was my birthday and these ere all Catherine's relatives. I greeted them all warmly. Then I saw Catherine. I gave her a friendly hug. "I couldn't believe it! You actually did all this for me?" I said. Then she nodded twice. I hugged her again. "Thank you." I said. Then we joined the party.

Chapter 5: Trouble

Chapter 5: Trouble

30 men stood before me wielding all kinds of weapons but the one that made me worry was a baseball bat with nails in it. "Oh, so it's this bum again. Haven't you learned anything? Don't mess with us or," he  said as he snapped his fingers and when he did that, the other people raised their weapons. "We beat the lights out of you." as he said that, the men swung their weapons. I tried dodging the baseball bats and crow bars but some hit me in various places. I grabbed a baseball bat from one of them and swung it at the others. I was able to hit one of them, but the rest kept fighting like berserkers. Pretty soon I was on the ground cowering from their attacks. They hit hard but when I spotted an opportunity, I stood up and grabbed a crow bar to get them as far away as possible from me. When they stepped back, I spotted a way through the crowd and dashed for it. I was making a quick escape. I ran out of the park into the now empty and silent street. I kept running even though the men were far behind. I ran and didn't stop at my house. I ran away from everything, afraid that they would eventually find me. When I had reached an unfamiliar street I slowed down and stopped to observe my surroundings. The gangsters were definitely gone but now I had a different thing to worry about. Where am I?

Chapter 4: The Second Attack

Chapter 4:The Second Attack

3 weeks later...
My arm has fully healed and now I am able to use it as I used to(For writing). I am now having another evening stroll in the park. My fear of the gangsters had passed(for some reason which is still unclear) and so, I can walk without fear. The sun was setting as it did on the day I saved that woman. I only realized it now though, that I didn't even know her name. I stopped for a while to admire the beautiful sunset. It seemed more beautiful than it had ever been before. When the sun had finally sunk beneath the horizon, I continued to walk down my usual path. The cool night air made the park seem like as if it had entered an early winter. The nocturnal birds began to make their unique sounds to signal the beginning of the night. I walked as a man enjoying the natural occurrences of the night. I was happy that I was able to live normally again. The night seemed calm and peaceful for once in my life. However, the quiet night didn't last long. When I reached the area where I was first attacked, I heard the sound of some people yelling. I looked at where the noises came from. There before my very eyes were the gangsters running after another figure who was also running. Since my fear of them had disappeared, I chased them. I followed them to an area that was overgrown with vegetation. This place must've been an abandoned part of the park, I thought. They were beginning to get a little bit farther away now. I decided to rely on my sense of hearing instead of my sight. I heard their hurried footsteps clearly and followed them. When they stopped, I reached an open area that had overgrown grass and no trees. There were at least 5 of the gangsters and they were all armed. I turned my eyes toward the figure they were chasing. It was a woman wearing motorcyclist wear and a helmet . I could tell they were trying to harass this woman like they did to the other many weeks ago. I tried to keep quiet. Then I jumped toward them ant attacked. They were surprised at first, but then they reacted by swinging whatever weapon they had in their hands. I swiftly avoided their blows and landed some of my own on them. Some of them were able to land a blow or two on me but they were later dealt with. when most of them were down, I grabbed the woman's hand an ran. I could hear them following me close behind so I fastened my pace. Then, when the footsteps of the gangsters stopped, we had already reached the path that I walked on. The woman took off her helmet and to my surprise, it was the same woman I saved weeks ago. "thanks." she said. "youre welcome" I said, panting. Then she ran off toward the street. I was about to head back to my home, someone grabbed me by the throat. He pulled me toward the area where I had fought the others. When we reached the place, There weren't 5 of them. There were 30 of them.

Chapter 3: Healed

Chapter 3: Healed

On Sunday morning the week after the incident, I was released. I was able to walk now but my arm still needed a few weeks for healing before it can work again. I took a taxi back to my house. The taxi ride was  long but at least I was able to return home. When the taxi stopped in front of my house, I paid the cab man the amount of money for the trip plus a few more Irish pounds. "Here's your change sir." said the cab man. " keep it." I said. A smile formed on the man's face. "Thank you sir." he said as he drove off. I walked towards the door and picked up the daily news paper on the mat and unlocked the door. I stepped inside and shut the door behind me. I went toward an armchair in front of the fire place. I sat down and read the news paper. I looked at the headline that read, 'Gangsters Numbers Increase' . I read the article. 'A certain group of gangsters have increased in numbers lately. The origin of this group and their activities still remain shrouded in mystery. Reporters from various sources claim that they  have seen these gangsters in drug trafficking activities late at night when these reporters take an evening stroll. It is also said that...' I stopped reading. I began to think about the gangsters that beat me up last week. I wondered if the article was referring to these gangsters. These thoughts raced around in my mind and then I fell asleep. I dreamed of what those gangsters could've done to me if they were high. They could've killed me. The dream was very unpleasant and I woke up a few minutes later. Either I was shivering from the cold autumn air or it was the thought of those merciless gangsters. I decided that I needed to take a walk to calm my nerves. I put on my coat and went outside. The air felt cold on my skin. I headed toward the park. Then I started to walk slowly when I reached the park. I was feeling cautious now. I walked along my usual path but then I stopped. In front of me was the location where I was attacked. I kept my distance from that place and began walking again. The memory of me being attacked played around in my mind like a horror movie. Fragment after fragment, the memory of it returned. I was walking along another path now which was quite far from my original path. I was very cautious for I wasn't sure wether the gangsters were here. I kept walking and tried to forget about the attack but my efforts to forget the event were futile. I was entering an area with trees on both sides of the path with branches that curved on each other forming a tunnel. There was little sunlight that burst through the trees. I walked while observing my surroundings. The air was colder around this area. I fastened my pace. I heard a soft rustling noise from the bushes in front of me. I stopped walking. I slowly approached the bush. I looked into the bush and was relieved to find a squirrel collecting nuts. I felt foolish that I mistook a squirrel for a threat. I turned back home.

Chapter 2: Attacked

Chapter 2: Attacked

I turned toward the source of the scream. There were a group of people(Probably gangsters) harassing a young woman. I thought of running but then I couldn't just leave her here. Thoughts were racing through my head. My mind was in a blur and without realising it, I ran toward the people and I started a fight. Punches flew, kicks landed on other faces and eyes were being gouged. Shouts of attack broke the silence that was once dominant at the location. I was punched a few times but I didn't stop. I kept fighting and eventually, they fled. I was tired and hurt, but at least I was satisfied that I was able to do some good. I turned to where the woman was kneeling and I held out my hand toward her. "Come on. Let's get you home." I said to her in a kindly voice. She took my hand and we walked toward the street. "Where do you live?" I asked her. "I live at house number 14, down the road." she said, in a small voice. I took her down the road to where she said she lived. Judging by her appearance, she looked as if she was at least 19 years old. Shortly afterwards, we reached an old white painted house. "Thanks for saving me back there." she said. "It was nothing really. I was only doing my job as a law abiding citizen." I said. She rushed into the house and closed the door behind her.

The next day...(5.00 a.m.)
I called in sick for the theatre job and went to a clinic. My body still ached from fighting off those gangsters from last night. They practically beat the lights out of me. I felt too weak to even get out of bed. But somehow, I got the strength to go to the clinic and ask for necessary treatment. I took a number and sat down in the waiting room and waited to be treated by the available doctor. It didn't take long for my turn to be treated since there were only a few people there. I waked into the doctor's office and sat down. I told him that I fell down a short flight of stairs and my body ached all over. The doctor prescribed some pain killers and said that I needed at least a week's rest. I took my medicine and left the clinic. I decided to go for a morning walk in the park. I passed a few buildings and alleys and shortly afterwards, I reached the park. The sun wasn't up yet and there were few joggers. When I reached the secluded location where last night's event took place, a hand grabbed my shoulder and pulled me to the ground. The people that stood above me were the same hooligans from last night plus some other gang members armed with chains, baseball bats, steel pipes, knives, crow bars and brass knuckels. Did I say some other gang members? what I meant was a lot of other gang members! "Oh, so this is the bum that messed with our gang. How about we teach him a little lesson boys? Get him!" said the man that pulled me down. As they raised their weapons I quickly darted from them toward a tree. One of them threw a knife at me. and it hit my back. I pulled out the knife and kept running. They  were following close behind me. eventually, they caught up to me and started hitting me with whatever they were holding. The blows struck me hard from all directions. I felt pain come from every square centimeter of my body. I felt myself bleed from my head, my arms and my legs. Then they started kicking me in the face and stomach. And at the signal of their leader they stopped. "This should teach you a lesson. Mess with us again, and we'll come after you." he said. I felt my consciousness slip away. I had blacked out.

I woke up a few hours later in a hospital. I had a plaster cast on my left arm and I had bandages wrapped around the top of my head. There were also some bandages covering most of my legs in a thick layer. I tried getting up but I was too weak to even feel my legs. Those were some hard core gangsters. The only limbs that I could feel were one of my arms which was in pain. I looked at the wall clock. 9.00 a.m. I waited for a nurse or a doctor to come and check on me. After a while, a doctor arrived and greeted me. He said that I had a few bruises and also had a minor case of internal bleeding. My left arm only had a minor fracture so it should heal in a few weeks time. I was lucky that those injuries weren't serious. He said that I was lucky that someone found me in the park at just the right moment. And after explaining what type of injuries I had, he left before I was able to ask him who found me. I looked at the wall clock again. 9.15 a.m. Once again, I tried to get up. I was able to feel a little bit of sensation in my legs, but it wasn't enough to get up. At 9.30 a.m the nurse brought me my breakfast which was a hot bowl of chicken porridge. I used my right arm to grab a spoon and ate the porridge. There was also some hot tea in a Styrofoam cup next to the bowl of porridge. I had a sip of tea and kept eating the porridge. After I finished eating, I decided to rest.

Chapter 1: Andrew Graystone

Chapter 1

My name is Andrew Graystone. I live in Dublin, Ireland. I'm currently 18 years old and I live alone for my brothers are in Moscow and my parents left us at an orphanage. My brothers and I have been trying to gain some money to help make our lives less of a struggle. So far, there's been a bit of progress, well, for me at least. I send money to my brothers every week in hopes that that will help them in their financial crisis. I always write to them to ask of their condition in Moscow, but it seems that they are too busy looking for jobs to even write back. This is how my life has been going on for a while now. I feel that my brothers might have some luck in the future for I have heard that the manager of the theatre that I work in might have some positions for the job that are vacant but for now, this only remains as a rumor in the theatre. Some of my co workers say that there really are empty positions for the job but most of them deny this rumor and says it's a mere fabrication passed around by other workers as a simple joke(which I don't find amusing at all). Even so, I cannot say that it's all just a really bad joke even though it really sounds like one. The proof to support my co worker's claims are absent, but still, we cant say that it's a lie. So, until there is any proof of this claim, there will be no hope for my brothers. But I will find another way for them to gain the financial resources that they need. My life remained this way until one day....

On a late autumn evening  in a park in Dublin, I was enjoying a pleasant evening stroll to try to relax and rethink my brother's approach at gaining the money that they needed. The air was cold and the sun was on the horizon. People were starting to return to their homes but I kept walking at my usual unhurried pace as before. The sun had fully set now and the only sources of light now were some street lights that cast shadows all around me. There were fewer people walking at the park now. The night seemed to make the everyday objects around me that I see everyday look unrecognizable the branches of the trees looked like long, deformed arms reaching out to drag me into the cold, dark, endless night. And when my imagination was concocting all these mad fantasies, that's when I heard it. An air splitting scream.