All Saints

[b]Chapter 4[/b]


Anthony swung his arms at the figure now hovering over him. The rotting hand clasped firmly around his neck, chocking the existence out of him. Anthony screamed and kicked unwilling to go without a fight. The old man smelt of garbage and death. Anthony felt the grip around his neck grow tighter and tighter. He looked into the hollow sockets of the man’s eyes, but saw and felt only hate. Anthony grabbed the man’s arms and tried to pry them off. With his remaining strength Anthony slowly lifted the man’s hands from his throat. With his airways clear Anthony screamed:

“I’M SORRY!!”

In an instant the old man disappeared leaving Anthony on the floor coughing and sucking in air. The blood stains on his shirt were gone. Anthony lifted his head to find V calmly sitting on the table looking down on him. V gave a slight shrug of his shoulders and plainly stated:

“That’s all he wanted to hear”.

V hopped of the table and held out a hand. Anthony took his hand as V helped him off the floor. Anthony just stared at V unsure of what to say or do. V turned and walked to the door and opened it.

“This is just the beginning. You wanted to know the truth, but what you really want to know is yourself. You can go to the next floor now, but if you want it all to end go through that door.”

V pointed at a door on the other side of the room that had just appeared.

“You go through that door; you become and remain the boy you saw on the TV. The choice is yours Anthony. The choice has always been yours.”

Any wny walked towards V and brought his face directly in front of his. He stared at the other boy eye to eye and spoke:

“There’s nothing back there for me. There never was”.

Anthony walked passed V as V had another smile on his face. As Anthony walked up the hallway back to the elevator he heard V shout to him:

“Say hi to the bitch for me!”

Anthony stopped to turn and ask him if he was referring to Michelle, but as he looked behind him V and the door to the room was gone. All that remain was the white walls with the yellow hue. Anthony made his way back to the elevator and stepped inside. He looked at the panel and saw no buttons. As he was about to step outside again to see if the buttons were located else where a slight glow appeared and a button formed. The button showed the symbol of an arrow pointing upwards. Anthony gave a sigh and pushed the button. He quickly held on to the sides of the walls incase the elevator decided to turn into another roller coaster ride. The elevator started to shake slightly as Anthony felt himself moving upwards. Anthony felt the elevator stop as the doors opened. His jaw opened with a gasp at what he saw. Stepping out of the elevator Anthony felt his shoe crush the grass beneath it. He had stepped onto what could only be describe as a jungle paradise. There was grass all around with trees and the sound of birds. Above him he saw the yellow tinted sky, but that was impossible. He was still inside, wasn’t he? As he walked further in he could hear the sound of water crashing against rocks. As he followed the sound he could see birds flying above him and small creatures of different size running to hide. Anthony arrived at the sound he was following; his jaw dropped ounce more. It was a small lagoon, with a small waterfall. The water was crystal clear as he could see different colored fish swimming around. Anthony squatted down at the edge and cupped some water in his hands and brought it to his lips. As he drank the water it seemed to spark something within him. He no longer felt tired, but alive. It felt as if he was drinking life itself. Anthony took several more gulps of the water before sitting back on a rock and enjoying the view around him.

“Hello”

Anthony turned around to see a young boy standing behind him. The boy seem to be no older then ten. He, like V wore the same colored dress shirt and pants with the matching shinny black shoes. He had black hair shaped like a bowl. Anthony smiled at this for he could picture the boy with a bowl on his head as someone cut all the hair that was showing. The boy had tanned skin like V, but unlike V the boy had a few freckles on his face. Anthony got up and eyed the boy from head to toe. Anthony spoke first:

“So what should I call you, W, X or Z?”

The boy turned his head to the side and gave Anthony a weird look. Anthony just looked back and shook his head.

“Never mind, forget it”

The boy turned his head to the other side and gave Anthony a even weirder look. Finally deciding the boy spoke:

“My names Chris, what’s your?”

Anthony started laughing and raised his hands in the air as if to ask god what was going on.

“You don’t know my name? It’s Anthony alright. Let me spell it out for you. A-N-T-H-O-N-Y.”

The boy smiled, but unlike Michelle and V, the boy bore his teeth in a child like manner. He than ran up to Anthony and hugged him around the waste.

“Good, I’m just making sure it’s you hehehe”.

The boy let go of Anthony and skipped of to the edge of the water. Anthony just looked around him, fed up with the situation and not sure of what to make of it. He wanted to say to the child, ‘What the fuck is going on”, but did not due to the fact he hated swearing in front of kids. So Anthony followed the boy and looked into the water. The boy looked up at Anthony and back into the water. Chris repeated this action several times before looking at Anthony with a frown.

“Who’s Michael?”

Anthony was taken back by the question. He than grew slightly angry and fought hard to calm himself down before speaking.

“How do you…why do you ask?”

Chris just peered back into the water before answering in his boyish way:

“I dun know just wondering. Did you to have a fight or something?”

Anthony again surprised at the bonowlnowledge; this time could not suppress his anger.

“Why the hell do you care!?”

The boy jumped a little, caught of guard by Anthony’s tone. He looked up at Anthony and slight tears were forming in his eyes.

“I’m sorry…I just was wondering”

Anthony seeing the effect he had on the boy gave a heavy sigh and squatted down nex him him. He placed a hand on the boys shoulder to comfort him.

“I’m sorry I shouted at you”

The boy brought a hand to his eyes to rub the tears away with his sleeve.

“Forgive me?” Anthony asked softly.

The boy smiled ounce more showing his pearly whites and nodded his head enthusiastically. Anthony sat down next to the boy as the boy scooted er ter to him.

“So who’s Michael?”

“I’m not getting out of here till I answer that am I?” Anthony asked staring at the water than at Chris.

Chris now bore the same expression boicheichelle and V had given him. Chris slowly shook his head side to side, before removing the stern expression and returning to his boyish smile. Anthony nodded his head and began:

“We use to be best friends. A long time ago though. We kind of grew up together, neighbors at first, but when I turned twelve and he turned eleven our parents put us in the same boarding school. It was great (Anthony smiled remembering). With our parents not there, and school only being during the day, it was a constant party every night. And it helped that it was a co-ed boarding school. It was fun sneaking into the girl’s dorms, or vice versa. Yup…Me and Michael had some good times.”

Anthony looked at Chris, seeing if his enatination was good enough to get him to go to the next floor. Chris just smiled at him:

“So what happened between you and Michael, you still haven’t told me yet hehehe”.

Anthony raised his eyes and shook his head, but reluctant as he was he still answered:

“By the time I was six-teen and he was fifth-teen both of us only had one thing in mind: Chicks. We both did the same thing, hitting on different girls and getting our own raterate action, but this one particular year, a new girl had transferred to the school. She was in my grade so I met her first. Her name was Julie. Beautiful hair, brunette, with the deepest brown eyes I had ever seen. And man she had a nice set of bo….”

Anthony stopped and looked at the boy sitting beside him, eyes wide open.

“Books. She had a nice set of books, since she was new and a transfer student, you know how it is…well, ya that’s…well anyway. We started talking and I was really into her. So that night I told her I’d sneak into her room so we could talk about where she use to live and such. So I decided to bring Michael along. I knew…I knew after they both had met that they both were into each other. I had never seen him more excited about a girl before, and she obviously was digging him. I knew, but for some reason I didn’t care. I still made my move on her and I asked her out. I was amazed though when she said yes.”

Chris gave a little laugh and perked his head up.

“She said yes even though she liked him?” the boy asked, his voice squeaky and high pitched.

“Yup. At first I was just glad she said yes. I knew I had to tell Michael sooner or latter so that night I pulled him aside and told him what had happened usu usually Michael was the first one to congratulate me and wish me luck. I knew he was hurting on the inside, but he wasn’t showing it. Me and Julie dated for a couple of months, and man, it was one of the best time of my life. But then…”

Chris perked up his head again and looked like a little puppy eager to receive a treat.

“But then, but then…” the boy repeated eagerly.

“But then I caught them…”

Chris sunk his head lower and a soft “Oh” escaped his lips.

“It was valentines. I had bought Julie this golden bracelet thing, you know typical boyfriend girlfriend stuff. Anyway I wanted to surprise her so I went up to her room and opened her door slowly, she had given me a key, she said it made us more connected it. At first I only heard what sounded like a groan, but then I saw…I saw enough”

Chris had a scrunched up look on his face. He looked at Anthony then proceeded to peer into the water. After staring at it for several minutes his eyes widen and his jaw was open in awe.

“What is she doing with her mouth?”

Anthony quickly grabbed the boys shoulder and yanked him from the edge of the water. The boy had a traumatized look on his face. Anthony sighed and spoke in an irritated sarcastic voice:

“I don’t have to explain the birds and the bees to you do I?”

Chris shook his head franticly in a no motion.
“So anyways…after that I couldn’t stand to see either one of them anymore. Michael tried on several occasions to apologize, but I just …it was too painful. I asked my parents to transfer and they finally gave in. At first they didn’t agree because I wanted to transfer to a regular public school, but I persisted and won in the end. Julie called me a few times, but I didn’t bother answering. That bit…(Anthony gave another heavy sigh) She called me on my birthday, but I just ended up screaming at her some more and hanged up. After that I lost contact with both of them, never heard from either of them again.”

Anthony turned to look at Chris and yet again the same expression that V and Michelle bore, he now showed. Chris got up and pointed to the water. Anthony got up and standing beside Chris starred into the water. Chris in a mono tone voice spoke:

““Past, present, and future. All arnnecnnected all can not be denied. Past sins, un forgiven will come back for the forsaken”

Anthony eyes widen as he heard turned around expecting to see another creature just as how V had said those same words. But to Anthony’s relief there was nothing behind him. But just as Anthony momentarily relaxed, the water rose up and seemed to reach out to him. A second latter Anthony was in the water struggling for dear lif he he sank deeper and deeper.

Chris peered into the water watching Anthony struggling and sinking. His boyish smile returned to his face as he waved at Anthony, smiling happily and shouting at water:

“You said you wanted to know!!”

Chris laughed and skipped off humming a tune to him self as he disappeared into the trees.

[b]---
To Be Continued
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