The Dying Rain | ✔

5.

"dreams are existences."

"Everything in this universe has a reason to exist." Young Alessandro listened attentively with his chin resting on his folded arms. His eyes shined with a newly found interest in literature. Be it the most renowned Vatican City or a tiny character from one of his comic books, Alessandro insisted that his father should teach him how to describe it.

This time he wanted to listen about love, something oblivious for a 7 year old. 

"We don't question their existence, Alessandro. We accept it." His father continued in a voice Alessandro found quite satisfying. 

They sat on the small footstep leading from the veranda to The Chaconas' affentiko room. The sky wrapped over them like a blanket, with millions of stars for warmth. The moonlight danced on the freshly mowed small lawn spread in front of them.

"Love is an existence. We don't question it, instead we fight for it to exist." Alessandro's father explained, resting an arm around his shoulder while they gazed skywards. 

The night was filled with voices, voices Alessandro had promised his father to never question about. The rooms of The Residency housed some nightmares his father didn't want him to see. There were howls and groans as the moon shaped into its fullness. 

After a long pause, Alessandro questioned, "What is 'fight'?" shifting his innocent gaze to rest upon his father, the warmth he received immediately was extremely fulfilling. 

Alessandro's father laughed heartily at his son's guilt-free question, 'What can I say, Alessandro?'

"You will learn it in time, my agápi. Love will teach you and one day you'll be able to find answers on your own." 

~

Time felt like it had no intention to pass, Lykaios' mind raced with questions. Questions, that poked at his heart endlessly. 

"Who are you?" Lykaios heard himself through the breezy dew and a strange misty fog. 

The lady didn't answer, she sat there staring at the ocean endlessly with a bizarre look in her eyes. The look of longing. The fog matched, as much as Lykaios could see, her gray orbs.

She heaved a sigh and closed her eyes for a second, before looking up at the sky again.

I'm dreaming, Alessandro told himself. 

He acted immediately, retrieving his hand from the lady while he pushed himself up and dusted his back.

Its a dream.

"Dreams," Lykaios halted with his back towards the sea, "dreams are the places where we search for love." an eerie aura set within Lykaios as he heard her.

He didn't turn back, instead he forced himself to walk before his legs stopped again in surprise. What he saw before his eyes, cemented his feet to the ground. 34 years. He hadn't felt this kind of fear in 34 years. 

The lady emerged in front of him, as if she was materializing from the fog which had become thicker now. "You think this is a dream, pappa. Don't you?" she didn't wait for him to answer, "Perhaps, it is. Perhaps, this is why I've come here looking for you, for love."

Lykaios' heart raced through a million emotions. Who was this ghost lady? Why was she following him? He stared into her glassy eyes with nothing but horror. 

Her eyebrows knit in a frown. "You don't remember that you killed, tonight?" she questioned, with an audible break in her voice.

Lykaios watched her with confusion as she traced his eyes for any clues. Then with a small eerie smile she said, "You do. You just don't remember it was me."

~

Discipline included getting off duty on time and discipline is what made the Hellenic police of Greece. But not tonight.

Sitting at his desk in an empty precinct, Police Lieutenant in command, Castor Gabris, needed to get his mind off of his brother's awful death. No amount of Ouzo would let him sleep so he searched. He searched for a reason to go on, for someone to call his family. 

Sure, his brother was foolish enough to get involved with the vicious mafia of Athens, leaking information from the inside. But his brother was a kind man, a man of dignity who fought for what is right. Although his ways were a little savage.

To think of working under the same mafia as their underdog disgusted him that night. It didn't matter if the mafia was hidden in face of the Captain of his own precinct. Lieut. Gabris' found that man quite intriguing, like he was hiding something more than just his Mafia brother.

Gabris' face twitched as he forced himself to read from the bright laptop screen on a dimly lit desk. The Chaconas family was nowhere on the wanted list of Athens' 99th precinct. Loathsome. 

To have them get away with killing his brother was something Lieut. Gabris' wasn't planning on. 

After getting the news earlier that day, he had looked around for Captain Basil. He needed a conclusion. But to think of that malicious evil escaping on an undercover mission. Of-course, it was all a facade. Captain Basil couldn't answer for his brother's wrong doings. 

Gabris scrolled through the documents of the precinct when something interesting caught his eye. He immediately grabbed his pen and started scribbling on his notepad while occasionally looking up at the screen. 

A small smirk played on his lips. The chase ends, Alessandro Lykaios.

~

"Leave me alone," Lykaios stepped backwards, "I don't know you."

"Doc, I don't think she'll believe that. Just run." Maximus whisper yelled, slowly taking steps away from Lykaios and the ghost-lady.

"Father, I can help you." She said, "Let me help you."

Lykaios' feet trembled in the darkness, he was definitely hearing voices. First this young lady then Maximus' terrified groan. He was neither ready nor did he have any place in his mind for another nightmare. 

So, he did what anyone would do. He shut his eyes close and ran through the foggy silhouette, tearing through the mist and breaking the silence of the darkness. Maximus exclaimed and picked up his robes to follow his afentikó.

The two men sprinted in the dark towards the roadside, away from the cliff, away from a potential nightmare.

But towards a reality far more worse than this.

~