The next time Harlan opened his eyes, he felt used to the light at once. The heaviness in his head was almost gone too. He yawned and took in the arrangement of the room. Large, comfortable bed, a seat beside the bed, curtains on both windows. It looked just like a prison… thinking about that made him remember what Jack said about Kelvin. He sat up in bed and was about to get on his feet when he realized that the drip was still there. He tried to yank it off, but he wasn't able. He pressed the button beside the bed and the door soon opened. A nurse, all smiles, came in. "Need any help?" She asked. Harlan pointed to the drip, "what's it for?" "To make you hydrated and —" "Take it off," Harlan said. Enough of the thing sticking to his hand. "Sir?" The nurse asked, making no attempt to mask her disbelief. "You heard me; take the thing off me." "But, Sir, you need—" "Get me something to cut it off if you aren't going to do it," Harlan said, deliberately looking intensely at her, t
Elizabeth pressed the doorbell to the house Jack said Kelvin lives in. She took a deep breath as she waited for the gate to be opened. Some moment later, she saw a woman who looked like she was in her late forties open the gate. She smiled at Elizabeth."Good morning," the woman greeted first."Good ma'am. I am here to see Kelvin Marsha."The woman looked at Elizabeth suspiciously, "did he do something wrong?""What?" Is she aware that her son is up to something? Or has he been a notorious guy all the while?"I'm his mother. What did he do?" The woman asked."Nothing really. I am Elizabeth," she said with a fake smile. Since Jack informed her of Harlan's death, she had found nothing funny to smile about. She has no idea of what her life would look like when all these are over and they have found out who killed Harlan."Come in, Elizabeth," she opened the gate wider for Elizabeth to get
"He is not going to hurt me?" Elizabeth repeated, confused."You know, Kelvin can be naughty sometimes, but he soon comes back to his senses," Kelvin's mother said almost in a plea."Mother…? What is he up to?"A drop of tear fell down her eyes and rolled down her cheek."I don't know, but I realized that he has been behaving strangely too," Kelvin's mother said and wiped her face with the back of her hand."How?""He comes home late, wasted and angry. He throws things, breaks my plates sometimes, he plays rock music and the sound of it fills the house. The neighbours have complained about it, but…" she broke down in tears.Elizabeth had her own tears hiding somewhere in her eyes, threatening to fall on her face, but she was drawn with compassion as she saw Kelvin's mother crying. She sat closer to her, unsure of what to do, she patted her back."I'm sorry about that," she
Elizabeth's words hung over the room. It echoed in Kelvin's mother's ears until. Her son, her precious son, her little darling Kelvin is now a murderer. He killed Harlan. He killed his friend! She gasped, her head fell back on the sofa as everything started to spin. Elizabeth quickly got a cup of water water from the kitchen and gave it to her. She made sure Kelvin's mother drank from it before she poured some if the water on Kelvin's mother's head.She looked pale, startled, shocked and really horrible as she stared at Elizabeth."Eli… Elizabeth… repeat… repeat what you just said," she stuttered, staring at Elizabeth as if she was a ghost. "I'm sorry, mother. It's still a shock to me too. But, Kelvin made Harlan drunk before getting him killed," Elizabeth said.Kelvin's mother screamed. Closed her eyes and rolled off the sofa. She continued screaming and crying as if she had seen a ghost.Elizabet
Some hours later, Jack came back to Harlan. The tears had subdued but the pain was still raw. "Sir, can we go now?" Jack asked quietly.Harlan didn't bother replying, he stood up and went outside. Jack went after him. The drive home was quiet.Jack knew better than to say anything. When they got home, Harlan opened the door before Jack could get down to open the door for him."Make sure you have some rest, Harlan," Jack said.Harlan nodded and tried to smile at Jack being casual, but it was tears that fell from his face. He hurried inside, switched off his phone and climbed the bed. He wasn't sure how it happened, but he found out that his eyes closed. It made him wonder just how exhausted he was.Harlan woke up with a start. He had heard someone try to door. He was sweating profusely and his heart was beating fast. In his nightmare, he had seen Kelvin tell him that he would kill him
Throughout the drive to Kelvin's house, Jack didn't say anything and Harlan appreciated them. Mr Smith had insisted that from now on, Harlan would not go anywhere without some security men with him. The car behind them had three scary looking men, armed to teeth.Harlan had asked Mr Smith why he was making such a fuss but he had told him that he wouldn't watch another death attempt on Harlan's life again.Harlan took a deep breath as the car stopped as the traffic light turned red.He remembered the first time he had noticed the sign at age four, Kelvin's parents were riding Kelvin and him to a friend's party. He remembered asking Kelvin's mother what the sign was. She had said 'it means danger. Stop. It's the danger symbol' both Kelvin and he had laughed at the dramatic way she said it.He buried his head in his palm. How is he supposed to tell Kelvin's parents about what happened? How would they take the news? How would they
Kelvin fell with a thud. He didn't shout. He had had worst nightmare, worst imaginations than this, he had felt more pain than this. In most of his nightmare, he had begged for death. "Stop!" He heard Harlan yell like he had always done in most of his nightmare.Kelvin slowly sat back. He looked at the two scary looking men who aimed their guns at him. This nightmare seems slightly different from the rest. In the others, Jack had always been the only one. He saw Jack behind Harlan. Harlan turned to look at Jack."Why did you shoot?" Harlan snapped.Kelvin noticed Jack bow slightly and muttered 'sorry' but still aimed his gun at him.Harlan turned back, but Kelvin didn't dare look at him. He glanced at his foot instead. It was bleeding, but he couldn't feel much of the pain. The greater pain was in his head. Damn Den for assuring that the pain of guilt and the nightmare will heal with
"Harlan, I love you and I'm sorry," Harlan heard Kelvin say as the grip on his neck loosened and he fell to the floor.Harlan looked in horror at the blood that covered Kelvin's body. He jumped down on him and gripped him. He shook him roughly."Kelvin! Kelvin open your eyes!" He screamed but that didn't make Kelvin's closed eyes open."Young Master, what are you doing?" Jack asked, infuriated as he stared at Harlan pleading that the person who just attempted to kill him to be woken up."Did I ask you to shoot him?" Harlan fired. "Get the ambulance now. If he dies, trust me, I am going to see to it that you are miserable for the rest of your life," Harlan shouted at the confused Jack.Jack hurried outside and a few minutes later, Harlan heard the blaring of the ambulance. Kelvin was pulled into the ambulance, and as Harlan was going to get inside with him, Jack grabbed his hand."What