Grammatical errors and mistakes must be overlooked, all of my chapters are unedited before being published. My apologies in advance. 🖤
"Yo Jackson, toss the gloves." Screamed the man with blond hair, as Jackson ignored him, and continued laying rounds into the punching bag.
"Wanna square together then?" The man continued to pester Jackson, seeing that he was in deep thought about something, as with every couple of hits to the punching bag, his eyes went over to his bag sitting on the bench.
"What's up mate-"
"Markus move around before I snap your fucking neck." Jackson spit, eyeing Markus with dark eyes as Markus sighed, and moved away with his hands up in surrender.
It had taken years for Markus to come around to Jackson, years of finding Jackson first off. Tracking him down, while also moving around with Paris was hard. Especially considering the mental state she was in.
But something about the way he acted just now, reminded him of the past, eight years ago.
"Jackson I'm trying to put some sense into your mind man. Ebony is dead, she's not coming back and you know this. The dead do not rise, speak, or anything. So stop telling yourself that you'll meet eachother again one day-"
Jackson jumped up from the hospital bed, wrapping his hands around Markus' neck as he squeezed with all of his might.
He'd kill him today and go to jail for the rest of his life where he'd finally end it there. Where no one like Markus would be able to save him.
He'd finally be able to see her again. See everyone he had lost again. But most importantly Ebony, and his mind would be at ease.
But then he thought about Paris on the other side of the door. And as his eyes zoned in on Markus' strained eyes, as he tried prying away Jackson's strong fingers, he couldn't imagine how losing two more people she depended on, would make her react.
It would be too much. And as he thought about it, he thought about Ebony, and his fingers slowly loosened their grip around Markus neck as he choked, taking in large gulps of air.
All the while Jackson could only think of Ebony's soft voice, and even gentler nature. Telling him that Markus didn't deserve any pain, just as Jackson didn't either.
"Jackson-"
"Leave." Jackson said, grabbing his pillow from behind his head, as he set it over his face.
"Jackson, I'm always here man. Always-"
"Just go." Jackson's voice cracked, as he felt the hot tear slip from his eye, rolling down his cheek as he saw ebony behind his eyelids.
He saw her smiling at him, laughing, as well as remembering their last night together. He felt the pain he had felt the day of losing her, all at once.
How could he live like this? He thought to himself, day in and day out.
For eight years.
As Jackson landed another punch into the punching bag, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket, and turned off his ten o clock alarm, letting him know it was time to head back to his apartment.
Markus had left, possibly running back to Paris, if not stopping at what Jackson knew was some other place in the middle of the night.
He shook those thoughts away, and focused on his own problems, as he had been doing for years. Unwrapping the bandages from his calloused hands, he threw them into his bag while digging around for his water bottle, and instead he felt and heard the pills that sat at the bottom of his bag jingle.
He then felt around for the water bottle and brought it to his lips, taking several large gulps and throwing it back into the bag as he headed out for the night.
He kept his head down, and hoodie low as he walked the streets back to his apartment. Money was always low, so he never took the bus when walking saved him more money, and space.
Being around too many people for even a few minutes was too much for him.
As he walked past an alley he could hear scuffling, and muffled voices threatening a man for his wallet. The man must've seen Jackson because he tried to scream for help from Jackson, but Jackson kept his head down and continued to walk as if he had not heard the man.
Nothing within him felt remorse.
He had arrived at his apartments and stepped into his own dark one, feeling the cold of the room hit him like a wall of bricks.
Seething through his teeth he kept on his boots and walked straight into the kitchen, feeling around for the switch he flipped it, and waited for the broken light to flicker on.
And after a few seconds it did, and with it he noticed a note on his fridge as well.
From his landlord.
Rents due tmrw, pay up or get put out. -Kels
He sighed at the note and grabbed it off the fridge as he crumbled it into his hand and tossed it into the trash.
She'd come around alright.
"Mesh." Jackson barked, slapping his thighs with both hands as he heard the jingle of a collar, and a limping Mesh come from out of the room.
"Did you eat girl?" Jackson asked the dog, as she raised one ear out of curiosity, and the other, half bitten off, stayed down. "Come." He said, walking back into the kitchen to check her doggy bowl, as it was empty, scraped to the bottom.
"You did didn't you." He said, noticing how she went to the bowl and sniffed it. "You're getting pudgy, I'm not feeding you anymore." He said, turning back off the kitchen light as he made his way back to the door to take off his boots.
But Mesh began to whine in the dark, practically begging for more food as Jackson rolled his eyes, not falling for her tricks.
"Not gonna fall for it." He said, as she came from the dark kitchen, and went back into the room.
"Fuckn animals." He said, finally getting his sock from out of his boot as he went back into the kitchen, and turned on the light quickly as he poured a bit of dog food into her bowl, and quickly turned off the light before she could run back into the kitchen too notice.
He headed into his bedroom and plopped down onto his bed, staring up at the decrepit ceiling, and thinking of the day he had just had.
The sound of light thunder rumbled outside his small window, reflecting the battle within him as he had remembered that woman, and his eyes drifted over to the bag now sitting at the door.
Something within him felt compelled to return the pills to her, as it wasn't out of sympathy, or even pity, but more like a longing to see her for some odd reason.
At those thoughts he remembered the warmth of her skin, and how his heart jumped at the touch of her fingers on his chest. How even though he was covered in cloth, her fingers still electrocuted his skin, at the slightest touch.
And he thought about Ebony. It was just for a split second that he did, and immediately he pushed those thoughts away, burying them just as she was.
That's how he continued to keep living for the past eight years.
Closing his eyes, as he began to drift off he felt his phone buzz in his pocket, and as he dug to pull it out, the bright screen caused his eyes to hurt and he squinted at the name that had texted him.
Jessica: We haven't seen eachother in weeks Jackson, call me when you get the chance, please. You are important in my life.
Jackson rolled his eyes at the vulgarity of the woman, sighing as he had regretted day in and day out their three second relationship. Practically feeling how clingy she'd be before even lying in bed with her.
Which forced him into being in a relationship with her.
He tossed the phone onto the chair beside his bed, and turned over, pulling his sheet over himself as he let sleep take him away.
As his mind dreamed of dreams he'd always remember.
——
The woman searched through her bag with shaking hands, as the sweat beads on her forehead, and her heavy breathing reflected the night she had.
The dreams, the traumatic flashes behind her eyelids of the dangerous past she had been through.
She needed those pills. Needed them to sleep, needed them to live, to breathe normally.
But she couldn't find them.
As she brought her hands up to her hair out of frustration, she remembered what her doctor had said about taking deep breaths when these nights came around, or whenever she ran out of her pills, God forbid she had also said.
The severity of the woman's night terrors were intense, to the point where the dreams became reality, as she saw shadows in the dark, and familiar faces.
She heard voices calling her name. Screaming her name out of pain, and she'd hear her tormentors evil laughs as they abused her.
And the ones she loved because of her.
With shaking hands she grabbed her phone from the wall, and dialed the one number she knew by heart.
Luckily she picked up on the first ring.
"Evie, darling are you alright?" The soft voice said on the other end as Eve gulped, as she felt like the walls were closing in on her.
"M-My medicine, I-it's gone and I-I can't find it. I can't b-breathe Jess-"
"In and out Evie. In and out. Remember what I told you in the occasion that you've misplaced the pills?" Evie listened to the woman on the other end, with her eyes closed as she breathed in and out, remembering their meeting and her coaching her to relief.
"Think of the good things. Think of the good memories you've had. Think of your spark, your reason to push forward and through this night, onto that warm and sunny tomorrow." The doctors voice calmed Eve, as she closed her eyes and thought about the good, and she saw a familiar pair of bright eyes smiling at her, their deep chuckle and warm hands touching her.
"How are you feeling sweetheart?" Eve listened, and sighed, opening her eyes to see that the sun was rising, and her living room had an orange glow to it now.
"Better. Thank you." Eve smiled, as she hung up the phone after a small check up and let out a shaky breath, as she picked up the fallen items from her purse, and put them away.
She grabbed a picture that had fallen out, and stared at it with a sigh. The other half had been ripped off, and she remembered the man from the cafe.
Putting the image away, she shook her head from those thoughts, as she just knew it couldn't be true.
Her past could not have found her that easily, coming back to haunt her for what she had done.
"Think of the good things." She said to herself, as she went back to her bedroom, climbing in bed and cuddled up next to him.
Her good thing.
——
Okay but like, did y'all enjoy this chapter or what? Two updates in one week? Am I back on a roll?
I'd appreciate any feedback, and any type of constructive criticism, to help this story grow.
Also, if y'all had any theories as to what's happening please don't be afraid to comment them, ask questions if you must. I'm always open to chatting with you all, and settling things or clearing things up.
Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to continue coming back whenever I update! I appreciate it sm sm sm, and I appreciate all the love y'all continue to show despite my brief hiatus from this story.
Much love, and only positive energy being sent your way,
- Ellipticall