Starting from where we left off, I was lying face down on the couch. TDL had walked in with a handful of groceries while complaining that I almost broke the eggs. Who told him to rest against the door anyway?
"Nephew, I see you're up."
I sat up almost immediately to face Uncle Wu, who had walked in. He wasn't carrying as much as TDL, only a nylon of vegetables. I looked at all the stuff they brought in, wondering where all the sweets were.
That is actually the best part of watching Uncle Wu come home with groceries. Looking through the bags to see if he remembered to get any snacks, candy, or chocolates filled me with joy- and slight disappointment when I never got anything.
"Hello, uncle," I greeted while watching them drop the things on the dining table. Too lazy to leave where I was, I watched as they brought things in.
"Aren't you going to help?" TDL asked, a hand on his hip, "There's more on the boat, you know?"
I quickly returned to lying back on the couch. There was no way I was leaving that chair- or so I thought.
"Nephew, go get some of the remaining things from the ship."
"But, I don't want to do anything..." I muttered lazily. I tucked my jacket (where my journal was hidden) in the corner of the sofa and forced myself to stand up.
"How come you only listen to him?" TDL asked.
"How come you say my name wrongly?"
"I don't. That's how it is pronounced. L-L-O-Y-D, Luh-Loyd!"
I shook my head and dragged my feet to the elevator.
"I forgot to mention, but there's some stuff for you on the s-"
I was up and about before Uncle Wu could finish his statement. I quickly put on some slippers and ran out. My energy was revived at the sound of Uncle Wu having gotten something for me.
I stood wondering during the elevator ride what it could be. Ice cream? Chocolates?! Cakes?!! Cupcakes?!!! Or better yet, ENOUGH CANDY TO RESTART MY STASH AND FULFIL MY OBSESSION????!!!!
Excitedly, I walked out of the elevator toward Uncle Wu's large ship.
"We meet again..."
A familiar chill ran down my spine. It wasn't who I thought it was, right? With hope in my heart for my life, I turned to my right, where the voice came from.
"Surprised to see me?"
I felt my hope fade away as I made eye contact with the psychotic stranger who's been out to kill me. I couldn't see his face, but it seemed he was making one of those evil grins.
"What? Cat got your tongue?"
I immediately ran back to the elevator, but the stranger was faster and got in front of me.
"You're not escaping me this time!" His voice got colder and sounded angry. The stranger pulled out two sharp-looking swords. "I will kill you today, and nothing will get in my way!"
I barely dodged his attack. Unlike before, the person seemed more motivated to complete his mission of killing me. It was tricky, but I made it outside and ran for my life.
I wish I had a clue as to why this guy was so desperate to end my life. Running from him might just become a daily activity at this rate. Or, who knows, I might get caught one of these days with how fast he's improving. Man, where are my uncles when I'm being chased for my life??
Note, I have not been trained to fight armed people, a.k.a. people with sharp weapons out to kill me.
"Running isn't going to work this time! I've gotten faster and much stronger! You won't get away from me!"
I quickly started to scale the mountain. Jumping down volcanoes isn't the only thing I'm good at. *cue proud smirking*.
My bedroom was in sight. I could see the light through the window. I just had to climb a little more...
"Not! So! Fast!"
Suddenly, one of his swords flew past me and landed above my shoulder.
"Move one more inch, and the next one won't miss."
I gulped, my body completely frozen in place. That sword was so close to touching me when he first lunged it at me. I didn't want to imagine what would happen if the next sword followed.
"Luh-Loyd! Where are you?!"
You will not believe the relief that washed over me. I was about to be saved! The person hunting me seemed agitated by TDL's presence. Any moment from then, he would leave, and I could go back inside- or so I thought.
"Don't make a sound," The person ordered quietly as he climbed up to reach me. "I finally have you where I want to, so I won't let you go so easily."
"Luh-Loyd! Now is not the time to play games!" I could hear TDL's footsteps against the sand. They seemed to be getting closer. I looked down to see the person almost near me. I wasn't sure what to do. One wrong move, and I was dead. Plus, I was quickly losing my grip because of how much I was sweating.
I heard TDL pause in place. He was just around the corner. All he had to do was move two more steps, and he would notice the whole thing. Frantic, I made a desperate attempt to save my life.
"HELP!"
The stranger and I locked eyes, and he was mad! Like, when I say that, I mean there was murder in his eyes. Whatever relief I felt before was now completely replaced with fear. I watched, terrified, as the sword he had threatened to use to end my life was quickly thrown into action.
"DIIIIEEEEE!!!!!"
I felt the sword graze my arm as it landed next to me. I lost my grip on my right arm and slipped. I now had only one hand holding me up, and my sweat made it tough to hold on. As I dangled meters in the air, I could barely think straight. My heart was about to explode out of my chest out of fear, my legs couldn't find a new place to hold on to, and the psychotic person had pulled out another sword from out of nowhere.
It was a short dagger, and it was aimed right at me. I closed my eyes tightly, bracing for the sharp impact I was about to feel. Was this the end?
Clang!!
What happened? Did he miss? The thoughts ran wild through my mind. I opened my eyes slightly out of curiosity, and what looked like TDL floating in the air for a split second left me confused and shocked.
Bang!!
I opened my eyes fully and noticed the maniac that was out for blood was now on the ground. The impact of his fall caused the hard volcano rocks to crack where he landed, and he could not get up.
"Are you okay?!" TDL called out from below. Looking at the scene before me, I could feel my pounding heart calm down.
"I think so..." I tried climbing back down, but one arm was sore, and the other was injured. Also, my legs felt like jelly. I took things slow, but I still tripped and lost my grip.
I braced for impact against the hard rocky ground at the volcano base. Was this the end for real? Was I about to nearly die and wake up on that darn couch again?
"You can open your eyes now," TDL said.
I opened them, realizing I had been caught in time by this uncle of mine. I sighed, finally feeling like I could breathe comfortably.
"Is this the guy who chased you on Friday??" TDL asked, a bit of concern in his voice.
"Yeah... he's been after me for a while..."
"A while??!!"
I couldn't say anything. I felt like if I continued, I might end up scolded.
"We're going inside to talk about this, Wu," TDL seemed a bit ticked off. His already dark and evil appearance that I had been getting used to was becoming a little frightening. "Can you walk?"
"Yes..." I answered, trying to get down. I, however, could not walk. The minute my feet touched the ground, I stumbled and nearly fell to the ground.
Before I could attempt once again, TDL swooped me up and carried me.
"I-I can walk!" I protested. I tried to hide my embarrassed face, but I could lift neither my sore nor injured arm. I could only look away.
The elevator ride was a stressful one. TDL kept getting angry, and the whole situation felt like it was my fault. Maybe if I had mentioned something earlier or gone straight home on Friday, things might've turned out differently.
You would think things would end there, but the most annoying part of my life decided to jump in. Yup, that's right. My migraines came back. I was dealing with searing pain in my arm, so bearing them wasn't easy. As if to test my limits, they only kept amplifying.
"Are you doing okay?" I heard TDL ask among the ear-piercing noise from my migraine.
"I'm good. My head hurts a little, but that's it."
"That's not the look of someone who has a little headache. What is it? Did that guy hurt you?"
It seemed TDL hadn't noticed my bleeding arm that I was barely covering with my sore arm.
"Don't worry about it. What did you do to him anyway?"
"My shark people will take care of him."
It was silent for a minute, but the elevator soon opened up. Standing ahead of us was Uncle Wu, his calm expression just as frightening as TDL's anger.
TDL put me on the couch (yes, we're back). He and Uncle Wu stared intensely at me, giving off a scary vibe.
"I'm sorry," I said, apologizing. My migraine was thankfully calming down a bit by then.
TDL let out a heavy sigh. "Wu, did you tell Koko to get the first aid?"
"She's on her way," Uncle Wu asked. "Lloyd, can you raise your hand?"
"I can't..."
"That's a pretty big gash on his arm," TDL said sternly to Uncle. "Explain why you didn't train him to defend himself from weapons. If I hadn't gone out to check on him, he would've been in a worse state."
"I never imagined someone would want to kill him, brother. Now, calm down."
"Calm down? Look at him! He almost died! And this isn't the first time, is it, Lloyd?"
"No..."
"Garmadon, calm down and process your thoughts properly."
"Wu, how do you want me to calm down? *sigh* You know I'm starting to doubt your parenting abilities. Have you really been taking care of him?!"
Suddenly, I watched Uncle Wu's calm (scary) expression change slightly.
"Wu, don't respond to that," a familiar voice cautioned, "You know how he gets."
I watched my mother enter the living room with a first aid box and bottled water. I was a little anxious seeing her, but the tension in the room was all I could think of.
"Lloyd, why don't you tell us about the person who attacked you?" She sat beside me, a reassuring smile on her face.
"Well..." I went into the details relating to the stranger out to kill me. I tried to keep it simple, but they kept asking questions. I got questions like, "Do you know anyone who would want to kill you?", "Did I ever get to see his face or hear his real voice?" etc.
"Alright, your arm is all cleaned up," my mother said softly. She seemed to have this encouraging vibe around her, unlike my two uncles, who wouldn't even look at each other. "Brace yourself for the stitches."
"Do I actually need those?" I asked hesitantly, "Won't my arm heal eventually? It doesn't even look that deep, to be honest."
"You do need these," She answered, "Don't you want to get your hand back to normal quickly? It'll be tough to write for a while."
"I'm right-handed, so..."
"You still need the stitches regardless."
"It's not like it'll hurt," TDL shrugged, "They put that alcohol on you, and nothing happened."
Uncle Wu and I exchanged glances at TDL's words. Little did he know, I am deathly afraid of needles (and a few other sharp objects. I handle knives well, though).
This reminds me of the time I did a medical test for school. They needed some of my blood, but I couldn't bring myself to see that thing stabbed into my arm. It's embarrassing, but I get dust in my eyes anytime they poke those syringes into my skin.
Skipping to the point, it was a long evening of hiding my face and TDL laughing. Well, I'm off to bed now. It wasn't easy writing this entry with my sore arm, but I did it. I have school tomorrow. I don't know how to explain things to my friends tomorrow, so wish me luck.
Till the next entry.
Hold up! I still haven't eaten. Gasp! What to do now? They've all gone to sleep, and I'm still banned from the kitchen... You know what? I'll pretend that ban never existed. I'm going to make myself some tea or a sandwich, maybe.