Beyond The Dark Sea [On Hold]

Chapter 1

"Why can't you just pick up my call?" I shouted on Luke on call, and my bad luck, during the office hours. The horrified expressions all the people in the room had just explained how worse it was going to be to explain my boss what I just did. "Listen to me, I am going to call you at six today....And I want you to answer it, understand?" I whispered in a very low voice and then I cut the call without waiting for a reply from Luke.
Luke is my friend, we are buddies since I was five. Well, for now...the point is that he is going through really tough times. For the past two years he is in depression or at least I think so for he never told me what exactly he is suffering from.

After I cut the call, my boss came out of his office and uttered four words in his deep scary voice,"In my cabin, now!" He had the similar look.on his face, I guess, every single boss has when he gets a good reason to throw his employee out of his company. Luckily his expressions didn't have any reality as he let go of me after cursing and threatening for around thirty minutes. Even though this was a situation wherein I could have lost my job (apparently all that I had) every second I was very much worried about Luke. His condition was not getting any better but only becoming worse day by day. He had already stopped answering my calls and returning my texts and now he was also trying to avoid me.

Any how, I walked out of the cabin of my boss along with a suspension letter for a month with no salary. But I knew I could manage it, I had my monthly savings and also I didn't spend even a penny of my pocket money I got from my parents last I visited them. I had enough money to sustain a living for me and Luke for a month. Oh yes, I am taking care of Luke these days as he got fired from his job six months ago after which he hasn't been in a condition to work.

With all these thoughts I got into my car and started driving towards my home. I know its crazy that Luke and I have been great friends since we were five but still I don't know why he is depressed or anything about what happened to him, but there is a reason for everything. So let me just explain the reason for this. It was only two years after we both started working at different places and jobs that we met, at the college reunion. However, we used to text each other quite often. But after the reunion, we were not in contact. I did not text or call him because I, by mistake,deleted all my contacts in the following year and even though I somehow restored the phone numbers, most of the times I called him he didn't answer and the very rare times when he answered my calls, he either used to be in a hurry or he was not much interested in telling me how his life was. I mean he never told me that, but his voice and formal way of talking only about casual things like "How are you?" Or "How is everyone?" Or "Tell me more" (even though I knew he was not at all interested in hearing more) just said it. 

It was five in the evening by the time I reached home. I unlocked the door and found Luke sitting on the sofa watching another Netflix movie. I shoved my hand to him. "Hey, you said you are going to be home by 6?" He questioned me as he moved his right elbow and kept it on the back of the sofa in a relaxing mood. " I said I was going to call you by six!" I was pretty exhausted and irritated.
"Yeah, whatever! Its almost the same thing."
"No, its not! What's your problem man? You don't answer my calls and texts and it has been ages since we had a proper talk!"
"So , what do you want me talk to you about.....I am just trying to distract myself from all that's happening in my life Jim. I want to keep myself far away from it up to that limit where its just impossible to do so."
" Look Luke, I understand that you are going through a lot but the thing is there are certain things which can't be avoided. You have to face them to get rid of them.....I want you to tell me what's going on ? What is bothering you so much? For dealing with something we first need to know what exactly we are dealing with..."

"I know you care about me.....and I also know that I am a peice of shit but please believe me I don't know what is bothering me.....there are just times when I have a headache and after that I don't remember anything.....I don't know why I shout I....I-I don't even know if I shout or not or that's only what you say an...." I stopped him in between so that he could relax because he was actually running like a bullet train while saying that.
"Luke relax....I trust you. Drink some water we'll talk later, you don't look good now and I think you need to rest." I handed him his pills and a glass of water. He nodded his head and after taking the medicines stood up and walked towards his room lifelessly.

I sat on the sofa after he had left. It takes a heart of steel to look at Luke these days. His eyes that once used to be full of life and energy to explore and have fun seemed so lifeless, dark and dead. He who once used to calm me when I felt out of motivation and spirit to work had lost his calm expressions. He was always so restless. I have spent the best of times with Luke but still the only thing I remember when I think about him is the number of doctors I made him visit and the expressions on their faces when they finally gave up and asked me to look for another doctor.

I was thinking hard when the glass of water fell. I was looking at those pieces of glass scattered on the floor. I was still sitting on the sofa. Those pieces of glass were reminding me of the day from where my life took a new turn. Six months back I was sitting on the same sofa, when I heard a knock on the door. It was Luke. Although I was happy to see him, his sudden arrival seemed strange to me. Later I discovered that he had lost his job when he absentmindedly left his email account open on my laptop and I read some of his mails.

Anyway, I finally decided to get up and prepare something for dinner. After cooking I called Luke out of his room. Then I brought the plates and arranged them on the table. I shouted for Luke again. No reply.......silence. I didn't realize it but I had started to shudder, my hands were trembling with fear as I got up to look for him. My heartbeat was so fast that I thought I would die any moment. I slowly walked towards his room and knocked on the door. Still no answer.
"No no.....not again!!" I shouted as I twisted the door knob but to no avail. The door was locked from inside. I was already scared as I knew what was going to happen next. Even though I knew I can't stop it I still wanted to pierce into the room before it all started. I then started banging the door. I pushed the door hard.....hard enough to let it open......but I was too late!