Fallen (HIATUS)

2.2 - Keith Lennon

ARC 2: KEITH LENNON
Chapter Two

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He had passed out.

Keith opened his eyes just to see that he was now in a too white room. It smelled strongly of disinfectant. He slightly wrinkled his nose at the smell. He felt like he wanted to vomit.

He really doesn't like the smell.

"Keith!"

He groaned hearing that too happy voice from beside him. He felt like his brain was vibrating in pain.

"Sorry, sorry. I'll get the doctor. Wait here." the voice instructed. He wanted to snark. Where exactly would he go? But decided that it isn't worth of his time.

He then paused.

I've become easily irritated, he thought to himself after a few seconds. It is true. Ever since he woke up, his mind seemed to always be in a state of irritation. That is new.

He is lazy, likes not doing anything, being idle, talking less if he could help it, whine when things didn't get his way and sighs a lot of times when his previous nap time is being stolen from him. Irritated? Annoyed? That rarely happens.

What's happening? Right at that instant, information and this body's memory naturally settled in nicely inside his mind.

Keith might be a loner and rarely speaks, but he really is the type of person that easily gets irritated. He doesn't talk to strangers not because he felt that he couldn't be bothered by them or do not care about them but because he thinks people in general are annoying.

When he speaks, it's blunt and without any cushion. He doesn't care what people thinks of him and just says whatever he wanted to say. But he dislikes any conflicts that happens whenever he speaks the truth so he rarely opens his mouth.

Only his two best friends could keep up with him because they themselves had quirks that he could also tolerate.

The voice that he heard earlier was one of them.

That annoyingly too happy voice was Oliver Jones, one of his best friend. He was always too happy and readily gives a smile to his face. Every one of their acquaintance thinks that he's friendly and cheerful. Keith just scoffs at that and doesn't bother to say anything to the ignorant fools.

Oliver, cheerful? He might look and act like it but Keith was pretty sure that he isn't friendly. Not even close. He's the type of person who always thinks about violent solutions to the simplest problems that it often gives him headaches. Just notice the creepy smile and you already know him. He still really couldn't understand how he became an investigator.

So... I could really be affected by the personality of the body I'm occupying.

He sat up on the bed and immediately clutched his forehead. There's still some ringing and it felt like his brain just became juice.

Trying to take the memories in just two hours is dangerous, he absently told himself, wincing for a little bit as he felt that even thinking aggravates his current stab-like headache. He could already see the death stare his System would give him once he is back on his space.

I'll just ask for some remedy then. Getting the memories slowly won't be acceptable if I wanted to leave right away.

"Keith! What are you doing? Lie back down!" he flinched at the sudden voice of Oliver even if the other room note to lower his voice.

"I'm fine," he grumbled, eyes still closed.

"You are not fine! You've been in a coma for six months!" Oliver hissed as he held his shoulder and forcefully made him lie back down. To which he resisted as he did not want to.

His eyes widened at the information. He stared at his friend. "Six months?!"

"Yes! So listen and lie. Back. Down." Oliver now has that going in his eyes that indicates something will happen if he do not listen.

It was then, while Oliver was still continuously and persistently trying to make him lie back down on the hospital bed, he finally asked his friends to make him lay back that he noticed a red string. Immediately, he snatched Oliver's hand and looked at the ring finger on the other's left hand.

It's there. A red string. It's blood red but the string is now faded.

Ah. I forgot to ask System about the red string. Such an important information and it did not even cross his mind when he was in the space. Another one I have to ask, he sighed to himself.

The questions he wanted to ask is getting longer.

"What's wrong with my hand?" Oliver asked. "You like?" Keith immediately dropped it like its made with dung with a disgusted expression.

"What's to like about that?" Oliver chuckled and ruffled his hair, making him even more irritated. If his head want still hurting, he'd smack that hand out of his head.

"Good to have your irritable self back Keith."

A cough came inside the room and he saw his doctor that was being silent until now.

Both Oliver and him glance at the direction of that cough just to see two people at the door. What caught his attention though was the familiar face of the serious Bryce Miller. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Rye! You're my doctor?" to which the other just nodded.

Bryce Miller is his other best friend, the too serious and career driven man. His priorities were already set back when they were still students. He is studious and doesn't like distractions.

When Bryce raised his hand that was holding a clipboard, he immediately noticed a blood red string tired in the others left ring finger. He trailed the string's end and found that Oliver did hold the other end. It's bound on his left ring finger.

I found them! He did not even have to do any hard search. His target appeared right in front of his face.

It only took him almost getting his head fried from too much information and six months of coma to find them.

His bright eyes immediately turned a little dull and a sigh was released from his lips when he noticed that Bryce didn't so much as blink to Oliver's direction while his other friend looked intensely in Bryce' direction, eyes grim.

He just remembered, using his just absorbed memories, that Oliver and Bryce had lost communication after their high school days. When Bryce decided to leave without giving any warning.

He had not even texted or emailed the other and forbid him from every telling Oliver about his whereabouts. In other words, both his friends only talked to him and not to each other.

Another troublesome mission.

TBC.