Two Days Later, “Archie! Welcome home, my boy.” Simon called out as Archie stepped into the Lockwood mansion letting out a sigh of exhaustion, his trip for Sudan wasn't entirely hectic but it was a long one.“Simon,” Archie greeted, he extended his hand, but Simon ignored it, pulling him into a quick, firm hug instead.“It’s good to see you, Archie,” Simon said, stepping back to get a better look at him. “You’ve been missed around here.”“It’s good to be back,” Archie replied, a small smile playing on his lips, noticing the house was a bit quieter than usual, where was everyone?Before he could voice his question Simon turned to one of the maids hovering nearby. “Make sure to prepare something special for Mr. Archie. He must be famished after his journey.”The maid nodded and scurried off toward the kitchen, leaving Archie and Simon alone in the hall. Simon’s gaze returned to Archie, his eyes filled with pride.“I’ve got to say, Archie,” Simon began, his tone almost fatherly, “you’ve
"Archie stop" his mother yelled pushing him away and running to his foster dad who was gasping for breath.“What’s wrong?” she cried, her voice thick with panic. His chest heaved, his breaths coming in short, ragged gasps, and she could feel his heart pounding under her hands, faster and faster, like it was trying to escape his ribcage.“Archie!” she screamed, her voice cracking. “Archie, help me! We need to get him to the hospital!”Archie rolled his eyes but decided to help by calling their neighbor who lived just down the street.Together they managed to half-carry, half-drag him out of the restaurant and into her car, his mother hovering anxiously at their side the entire time.“Hold on,” she whispered, her voice trembling as they carefully lowered him into the back seat. “Just hold on.”Archie slid in beside his foster father, trying to keep him upright as they sped off toward the hospital, the tension in the car thick enough to choke on. Greg’s breathing was still labored, his e
ONE MONTH LATER“Mom, I brought you something to eat,” Archie said gently, holding out the bag to her. “You need to keep your strength up.”She glanced at the bag briefly before shaking her head, her expression resolute. “I’m not hungry, Archie,” she muttered, her voice hoarse from hours of crying. “I can’t eat right now.”“Mom please you can't keep doing this” Archie pleaded desperately but his mom just stared into the space barely acknowledging his presence.Archie sighed, frustrated, he placed the bag on the chair beside her, trying to keep his voice calm. “Mom, you need to eat something. Sitting here, refusing to eat, it’s not going to help anything. You have to take care of yourself too.”“Archie, you don’t understand,” she said, her tone sharp. “How can I think about eating when he is lying there… when he might not make it?”Archie’s heart twisted at the pain in her voice, but he couldn’t let her keep spiraling like this. “I know it’s hard, Mom,” he said, trying to be gentle but
Three Days LaterArchie walked up to the entrance of the restaurant, his heart sank as he pushed open the door and stepped inside.The sight that greeted him was worse than he had imagined. The dining area was empty, tables untouched, chairs neatly arranged as if waiting for people who never arrived. A few of the restaurant workers were gathered near the counter with nothing to do and no one to attend to as they were conversing.“Mr Archie!” one of the waiters called out as soon as she saw him. She hurried over, relief mixed with desperation in her eyes. “Thank goodness you’re here. We haven’t had a single customer all morning. And it’s been like this for days.”Archie frowned, glancing around the empty room. “No customers at all?” he asked, his voice laced with concern.She shook her head. “None. And the workers are getting restless, sir. We haven’t been paid in a while, and everyone’s worried about how they’re going to make ends meet.”Archie ran his head through his hair thinking o
Archie was surprised at Tommy's audacity. He clenched his hand into a hard fist and wasted no time to retaliate on Sienna's behalf. He advanced towards Tommy, punching him hard in the face. He punched him so hard that he reeled and fell to the ground. The people around them gasped and Archie immediately knew that most people were already filming what was going on. A small crowd was gathering but he didn't mind. He was not really sure what the consequences of punching Tommy would be, but he was ready to face them."Get the fuck off her," Archie fumed, grabbing Sienna's hand and pulling her away from Tommy so she could stand behind him. She was shaking hard and she was obviously trying hard not to cry. Embarrassment, pain, and shame were boldly written on her face as tears overflowed from her eyes."Never, ever do that to her again. Or anyone else," he warned, glaring at Tommy. Tommy knelt still on the ground, contemplating whether to beat Archie up like he so desperately wanted to or l
The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows on the corridor as Sienna walked briskly, her thoughts tangled with frustration and regret frantically searching for Archie with her eyes.She had never been one to back down from a challenge, but Archie, she just couldn't wrap her head around him anymore.But of course he wasn't the one to blame for this, if there was any pain in her heart it was her own doing.She had hoped their last conversation would be different, that maybe he’d open up. But it hadn’t gone as planned.She spotted Archie leaning against a tree, his dark eyes going through a book in his hand. Taking a deep breath, she approached him, her footsteps light on the grass.“Archie,” she began, her voice light and cautious.He looked up, his expression guarded. “What is it now, Sienna?”She hesitated, then plunged forward. “I wanted to ask you about your mother Archie.”His face hardened instantly, he clenched his fist and looked away from her. “That’s none of your busin
As the days continued to roll by, Archie decided to console his depressed soul by assuring himself that his father would be fine. He started training his mind to revel in positive thinking, holding on the doctor's words as though it were a beacon. Life would be well and everything would return to normal. The convivial atmosphere that accompanied his father's presence would return to the house and they would all be one happy family again. There was a popular saying that desperate people find faith and even though he hadn't believed this before,he was happy at the peace it was bringing to him. The fact that he said prayers for his father's and it somehow assailed the paranoia in his mind. Archie woke up early this morning, the golden sun rays bursting through his windows and landing on his face. He let out a small grunt as he sat on his back and wiped the blurriness off his eyes. His mother had been sleeping at the hospital for a week now, staying in the same ward with his father. He
Bailey’s eyes fluttered open as the sunlight filtered into the room. The bright light burned her eyes as she opened them. It was almost blinding as her eyes hadn’t been open for such a long time. She turned over to the other side, for a bit of relief, as she closed her eyes and rubbed them. When her eyes settled, she opened them and looked around. The walls were covered in a pale blue paint, there was a large window with closed blinds and to crown it all, there was a beeping sound that just wouldn’t stop. She looked down at her attire and noticed a tube connected to her wrist. She followed the tube and saw the heart monitor. The beeping sound increased as Bailey panicked. “What am I doing here?” She asked herself as she threw the covers off her body.The door opened and a slender nurse walked in holding a patient’s chart, not noticing the scared girl, who was on the verge of a panic attack. “I see you’ve woken up.” She said as she finally looked up at Bailey. Bailey racked her brai