The Brink of Eternity

Chapter Nine: Broken Ribs Rupture Our Lungs(1)

Jude p.o.v:

What is death? According to Google it's 'the end of the life of a person or organism'

But what if your life ended before your heart stopped beating and while you continued to breathe?

How did we simply define death when none of us had experienced it and come back to tell the tale?

And how did we let the fear of the unknown control our lives to such an extent?

For all you could've known death is merely a word placed upon fatal situations that went out of our control in an attempt to ease the pain of the loss of loved ones.

But those who had come back to tell the tale would beg to differ. And after all, curiosity killed the cat.

Today was my last day in this institute which meant saying goodbye to everything here. Adam and Hazel were going to come with, but we could not have risked Kai even though every bone in my body wanted him to; he simply couldn't join us.

My steps had a skip to them today, either it was the anxiety of attempting to escape such a well guarded place or the rush of adrenaline I got from the familiarity of being on the run again.

The latter had never been something I liked until I realised how restricting it was to have only one place for so long. It was almost a prison that closed up on me more and more each day, but it wasn't.

Kai and I huddled up by the cleaning supplies and I got to my chore for what I hoped would be the last time. Adam, Hazel and I were meant to meet exactly when the sun went down, so I had plenty of time.

I didn't know if it was the fact that I was cleaning a window or if it was my own mind dreaming of escape, but I only realised I was staring out the window when Kai called my name.

"If you got a pound for every time you did that you'd be rich enough to buy this place." If it wasn't for his smile, I'd have thought he was being bitter on purpose.

"Sorry, I just got lost." I shook my head to bring my focus back on the task at hand.

"Where? In your head or out there?" He soon realised that my silence was the only answer he was gonna get. He spoke up again. "If you hate this place so much why don't you check yourself out?" This time he was being bitter on purpose.

"You know it doesn't work like that." I shot him a look that was as bitter as his words were.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, which I realised after he spoke was his way of calming himself down. "No matter what you think or feel about this place, be certain that I, both as your friend and your nurse, would only do what serves you best. Even if you're shaking with fear on the inside."

It was almost as if I had a screen on my chest and he was observing everything on display.

I let my attention turn back to the window and noticed a figure walking across the lawn, towards the entrance. They were too far away to be in my range of clear vision but I squinted my eyes to try to get a better look anyway.

The figure disappeared into the building shortly after, and I gave up trying to figure out who it was.

Time passed by faster than I thought and it was time for Kai and I to head back to my room. Two hours away from meeting with Hazel and Adam.

My bed creaked as I plopped myself down on it and my head instinctively turned to the window again, but I turned it back to Kai as soon I realised it.

Something tugged at my heart when I opened my mouth to say goodbye and forced me to shut it again. Perhaps even my heart was too sceptical to believe we'd get out of here when we decided to.

But regret was not an emotion I admired, so I forced myself to speak.

"Do you believe in second chances?" The question found its way out on its own and I questioned if it was me that had asked it.

Perhaps it was my delusional thoughts that we would meet once again; walking down the street and spotting the other turning a corner. Or maybe it would've been different. The 'maybe's were endless.

Kai answered me after what felt like an eternity. "I don't think anyone can get things right on the first time around. So consider it belief in second chances or simple understanding of the human nature. Both end with the same result."

"Even if the person did something that was completely against what you advised them to?" My heart skipped a beat or seven at that. Kai was too good of a friend to lose.

He opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by a knock on the door. Kai stepped outside to answer it, then came back inside a moment later.

His face wore the expression of the hero saving the damsel in distress and if it wasn't for his hair I'd have mistaken him for Stefan Salvatore. Minus the squirrel blood.

"Guess our little game is gonna have to be cut short. You have an appointment with a new doctor. "

"My appointment for today is with Dr. Mark again. Did anything happen to him?"

"I don't know Jude, but come on we need to go." The urgency in which he said it made my mind buzz with questions. But I dismissed them in favour of following Kai out the room.

One glance out the window before we stepped out told me I didn't have much time left. Maybe around half around an hour, so I made a mental note to try to get this dealt with as fast as possible.

A few steps and turns later and I was standing in the hall where I'd found Adam and Hazel seated on the chairs nearby, waiting to get inside as well.
 
Kai told their nurses he'd take care of them and so they were left alone and it was only the four of us. We greeted each other quietly and soon my name was called from inside.

The voice was so familiar to me yet in a very distant memory. My brain couldn't place it but I was certain I'd heard it before.

I followed Kai inside and sat down at the couch waiting for the doctor to come by. The sound of Kai's pacing around the room only contributed to my anxious state so I shot him a glare to stop and he complied, but I didn't miss the way his fingers wrestled in his lap.

"Hello Jude, long time no see." It was the same voice again, so distant yet to clear. I heard footsteps approaching and my eyes widened at the view in front of me.

It all clicked into place at once; the familiarity of the voice, and the distance of it. It made my mind go both blank and full at once.

Of all the thoughts in my head, one stood out to me most and my lungs burnt with the need to breathe.

People didn't simply come back from the dead.

But apparently my dad did. 

We love sudden reveals of characters coming back from the dead. Or is it just me?

Lol, tell me what you thought please, and vote and share, it means a lot.

~Hayden.