Albert was ecstatic. Words couldn’t begin to explain his state of mind. For years, Albert has been vying to be at the top of the ladder, for years he had suffered again and again, but he had his eyes set on the prize, oh yes, he had his eyes set on the prize. Every moment of torture was worth it for him, well how could he complain really? Now he had made it. Now nobody could stop him. He had reached the pinnacle, the spot he always wanted to be in. Yet there was something ominous about the feeling that was rising in his heart. He shuddered as he felt the thought creeping into his mind, but he put it aside. He couldn’t be sad - he had got what he had been wanting since he was eighteen.

Albert thought to himself as he walked down Saint Avenue,

“What the hell, might as well get some donuts to celebrate the occasion. It’s not like it matters, I have made it.”

Albert left the donut shop carrying…

As Albert turned the corner, he locked eyes with a hooded man down the street. A chill ran down his spine. He had seen that face before, but couldn’t recognize it. That face seemed to freeze the blood of Albert. Albert wanted to look away, but kept staring at the man’s face. He felt like he knew the face so well, yet he couldn’t recognize it. A moment passed. And then another. Albert remained transfixed at the man’s face. The world seemed to dissolve around him. And then he recognized who the man was. He dropped the donuts that he had in his hand. He screamed and turned around and ran away as fast as he could, as fast as his legs would allow him to go. He ran four blocks until his body forced him to stop. Panting, his eyes frantically searched for that man. Fear had seeped into Albert’s heart - and all of the happiness he had earlier had faded.

Albert kept walking, while keeping an eye out for the man that he had seen across the street. He was tall and unnervingly tall. His face was simple yet so transient. The man had not shared his look, yet Albert knew he had been seen - which prompted him to run away. But his fear started to seep out of his body.

“Maybe I was mistaken. Surely he can’t be after me. I have finally done it after all. No no, I must have been mistaken. Poor man, gave me a big fright.”

He said to himself, yet he wasn’t convinced. He was far away from there, however he still searched for the man - hoping that he was right.

Albert was so preoccupied in his own thoughts, that he failed to notice the boy that was walking behind him. The boy had taken a notice of Albert’s fancy suit - and had decided that he wanted one for himself. Albert had noticed, but his fear of that man had guided him to an alleyway, an abandoned alleyway. Albert cursed his luck. He wasn’t even thinking about the man anymore, yet he had walked here.

The boy walked close to him. Albert sensed his presence. The boy was close to him.

“MIster, how does you look so good?”

Albert turned around and looked at the boy. The boy was not older than fifteen-sixteen, his body was frail, yet it looked strong. His eyes had a glaze in them and he walked dragging his feet. He looked like he was consumed with a madness, and it was to get his hands on Albert’s suit.

Albert chose to shoo the boy away.

“Come on now, don’t bother me. Off you go.”

The boy remained firm in his conviction. He wanted the suit. He had hunger in his eyes.

“Mister, I want to look as you does.”

As he said, he removed a knife and held it behind his back. Albert had not noticed the boy’s action. He lost patience. He pushed the boy away as he said,

“I don’t have time for…”

As he said it, the boy used all of his force to stick his knife deep into Albert’s stomach. Albert was first taken by surprise, and then by shock. The force of the blow pushed him backwards and knocked him to the ground. The boy retrieved the knife from deep in Albert’s body.

“Now I can too look like you mister.”

The boy removed Albert’s suit jacket and wore it. He admired his new look for a moment and then left Albert there, weak and helpless.

Albert lay on the floor, staring at the sky. He did not scream, he did not whine. He remembered how joyful he was just a moment ago. Yet now he felt not even a little of it.

“Beware of the golden apple for it is rotten to the core,

Don’t ride upon the titanic it won’t take you up to shore…”

He wondered why that poem came into his mind out of nowhere. He felt dizzy and unaware. He could feel his warm blood seeping from his shirt. He thought of getting up and screaming for help, but he also thought that he was very comfortable. So comfortable. The pain had not come, but his eyes had grown heavy, a slumber upon them. They invited him to close them.

Albert woke up with a jolt. What was he doing? He was the Executive Manager after all. He couldn’t die like this. He just needed to get up and everything would be fine, he said to himself. Yes, everything would be fine. He flailed his legs around, in order to get the life back in them and tried to prop himself up. He managed to stand up. He still felt dizzy from the loss of blood, which was still running down at an alarming rate. A part of Albert was confused about what was happening and the other part feared what was to come.

One hand on his stomach, he started to limp forward, going as fast as he could. The pain came and it came in roaring waves, catching him off guard. Albert wished to scream, but no voice came out. He decided it was time to take a break and catch a breath. He hadn’t moved more than five steps when he fell upon the ground again, this time with less solid of a determination to get up.

“What is the point? Just give up now. It doesn’t matter - you did it. You became what you wanted to become. What was the point in fighting now? Just accept the sweet present of sleep.”

The voice in his head seemed to talk sense to him. He agreed with it. His body decided to give in. The blood continued to flow from his stomach. His senses dulled and he started losing his consciousness. But something changed that. He felt a tremor as the thought came to his mind. He felt his body come back to life as the thought posessed him as a whole.

“Is that all?”

Albert got up. He didn’t limp anymore, but he accepted the pain with a grimace. He realised it. He understood why.

“Is that all?”

Albert’s footsteps grew hasty.

May 5 2021 - thoughts

    • I think I can really do something with this story now - I have some fresh ideas on the table for it. “He expected the world to stop and stare for he was dying but in reality, he was just another drop in the ocean. A mere annoyance to the passers by. It’s like his life had gotten forgotten in the mixture of all the human lives in the blender. “

And then he dies realising he never really understood what life was - maybe it was always a curse, and maybe the biggest curse of it all was that he realised it’s reality and its meaning just when he was dying.

And then he begs for another chance and dies begging.

Wow I love dark plots.

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