Twinkle's Story: Chapter 15

Hey guys! Before I begin this chapter, I would like to say a few things.:
*Be prepared for Chapter 15!*
*This is quite an emotional chapter- so prepare yourself if necessary.*
*This chapter is meant to be rather sad. No offense to anyone, but I think commenting stuff like "WHOOHOO!!!", "XD", ":D", etc. doesn't really go with this post. You can still comment what you think of it, of course!*
*WARNING: Contains some violence.*
~Without further ado, here's Chapter 15!~

DUKE

A few hours have gone by. A few minutes ago, a hospital worker approached me as I was sitting in the therapy room's chair. I was staring at the clock that hung on the wall, watching each agonizing moment pass by. A few hours ago, the same hospital worker came in and told me, "'Hello, Duke. I'm allowing you to see Twinkle. But be careful though. She's not feeling too well, and she's in critical condition.'" Eh, whatever that meant. I really wanted to see Twinkle. The last time I actually saw her was when we argued on the Tall Tower's roof. Oh, I really wanted to take back what I said back then. Now, he was leading me down a hospital hallway towards the room where Twinkle is. For some reason that I can't explain, I feel anxious as we head down the hallway towards the room Twinkle's at. Over the past few days, I've realized that this particular hospital has a strange sense to it. It just makes me feel uncomfortable. The silvery white tiles, the glass-like walls, all the plain whiteness. It's like if something goes wrong, the hospital is stained and scarred- for eternity. We silently walk down the hallway. Something tells me that he's keeping something from me. Some important information. Something. Then, we stop at a door. The room where Twinkle has been for the past days.

Then, the hospital worker that escorted me to Twinkle's hospital room, clears his throat and immediately goes in front of the door. I sigh as I try to push past him to open the door. I grumble to myself, each attempt failing me. He's like guarding the door, or something. I say, frustrated, "Yo! You told me I'm allowed to see Twinkle. I can't really do that because... you're in my way! Move it!" Instead, he looks down at me and says calmly, "No can do. You're not allowed in anymore. Only her parents are allowed in." I shout at the tall hospital worker, flames of fury roaring inside me. "What the... You literally just led me all the way here, just to tell me I can't go in. That's complete poop! What's wrong with you!? Let me in, you creep!" This time as he looks down, it looks like he's snickering at me. I struggle as I try to kick him out of the way. I fail every time. Suddenly, he turns completely black with glowing red eyes. Then, the lights dim, leaving me in complete darkness. I can't really identify where he is anymore. I mutter to myself. A voice cackles off to my left- a devilish laugh. The voice is vaguely familiar to me, somehow. Then the demon-like fox turns toward me, red eyes blazing intensely.

He, or it, gives me a sly grin and laughs. A horrendous laugh that hurts my ears. Then, he speaks. "Hahaha!  Duke. Look here. As everything you've ever known and loved vanishes before your very eyes. You're gonna lose everything!" I gulp and quiver as I say, "H-how do you know my n-name?" The demon-fox before me just ignores the question. "You are going to lose everything- ha! Your father... Oh yes! Remember what happened when you were four? When you lost your Auntie and uncle. Huh, Duke? Wah, wah! Such a crying loser you still are. How sad." He gives me a pretending-to-be-sad look. I become furious again. "For the past ten years, I've kept that horrendous memory inside of me. How dare you let me remember again that day! Now I remember the bad memory I had when I was four! I was only four! How dare you." I start crying at the memory of what happened to my Aunt and Uncle. This is what happened.:

I had a close relationship, a bond, between my Aunt and Uncle. I try so hard to forget them, but they seem to never go away. Remembering them is just too sad. No, more than just sad- excruciating pain. They used to give me the best birthday presents.

 The biggest gift boxes. The most colorful wrapping paper, the gift boxes tied around with bright bows. It was so much fun opening their gifts in front of the warm fireplace. Giving it a place of warmth; security. Aunt would give me the warmest hugs; always made me smile. A loving smile. I would call her 'Auntie' instead of 'Aunt'. Uncle would tell me the best stories imaginable. Some stories that weren't real, such as that 'fantasy world' one. Some that were real. And those were the best. Uncle would go on the most epic travels; places filled with adventure. They all left me wonderstruck. The days that I'd spent with them were the best. Almost made me forget all the fights my parents had in my house. I think sadly, remembering that those memories are long gone. They can never happen again. I'll never be that kind of happy ever again.

One day, when I was four years old, tragedy struck. Aunt and Uncle's house was set on fire. I like to think of those flames as being the same as the flames of 'world on fire'. Different from my own. Those bright red-orange flames rising higher and higher. The firefighters were late- too late. Afterwards, I remember Aunt saying that Uncle ordered me (Aunt) to jump out the second story window first, and he would follow her next. But then the walls of the room caved in, leaving Uncle trapped underneath the fell down walls. It brought him tons of cuts and bruises. That room in the second story was the only room that the fire hadn't entered from. The walls who fell down brought a new fire into the room where Uncle was trapped. One of the caved in walls blocked the window- the only way of escape for my poor uncle. The door of the room would only make the situation worse- more fire was there. And to make matters worse, the fire first spread to the window. The fire kept on going closer and closer to where Uncle was. He tried his best for the fire not to reach him, but he failed. Even trying his best to stay small didn't stop the fires from reaching him. Yes, fires. The fire that was originally out in the hallway found a hole in the door, and crept in that way. The two fires mixed, creating a larger fire. After a while of struggling with the fire, he gave up. Then he got covered in the flames. The next thing that Aunt told me about the fire was that then, Uncle died. From being burned alive.

 I'm not sure if it's entirely true or not. Of course, Uncle died a miserable death. But that's what Aunt told my parents about the fire. She didn't tell me herself, obviously. I was only four! I just eavesdropped. Oh, how I wished I hadn't. Aunt also died a few weeks later. Ever since the incident, she became very depressed. One day, she couldn't take it anymore. She became suicidal. She jumped off a cliff close to where she moved to after her house burned down, and into the steep waterfall below. Below the waterfall, the water is way too deep for any land creature. Before she could try to swim to shore, big waves hit her, sending her drowning. And then to her death.

 I shudder at the memories. I didn't even say goodbye to them. They were more like parents to me than my own. How did I know this? Well, one day I visited her house. I was beginning to worry about Aunt. I had to pass by the water to go to her house. As I did, I saw something odd in the water. Washed on the shore, I saw her dead body. I shrieked and cried when I recognized what and who it was, and then I ran all the way back home. Only to be scolded by my mother, and then hearing my parents argue yet again.

I was only four when all of that happened. I tried so hard to avoid remembering them, but this demon-fox before me has brought back all those memories. The fox continues, sending shivers down my spine. "Oh look. You're crying. Oh no, this is awful. But guess what? Too bad. Ha! You lost your aunt and uncle, your father, and now Twinkle. Looks like not all stories have happy endings. You're losing everything.  And now... your love! Your life sure is miserable. Ha, I don't care! Losing everything, everything, everything." The voice fades away slowly as it says 'everything'. I become angry again. I stand up bravely at the demon-fox in front of me. I say, "No. You're wrong. She's not dead, and I'm not going to lose everything. Because you did. Go back to where you belong!" My claws are retracted out as far as they can go. With a swift motion, I punch the fox's nose, my claws still extended out. My other paw, claws extended, goes down the fox's face. From the ear tip to the snout. Then suddenly, I realized this was another hallucination. A different one than all the others. No wonder I didn't recognize this as one. Twinkle wasn't bleeding to death because of me in it. I blink open my eyes again, and I notice I'm back to where I was before. In front of the door to Twinkle's room. I see drops of blood covering the floor between me and the fox who escorted me here. Another drop falls on the white tiles.

 I look at my claws on both my paws, and notice that that's where some of the blood originated from. But wait. How did my claws get so bloody? Before I get up, I hear the same fox as before say, "Hey! What was that for?" The voice is a bit muffled. I look up, confused, and stare shocked at what awaits me. I actually did punch the fox and all. He covers his nose with one paw, but the blood still drops onto the white floor. His head is rested on/leaning against his other paw. I look around me wide-eyed. I open the door to Twinkle's room. And this time, the other fox doesn't stand in my way. I haven't been so shocked in my life as I go inside.

TWINKLE

As I try to open my eyes, they still seem surprisingly shut to me. It looks like a 'fork in the road' through my vision. On one side of it, there's this creamy white with a faint hint of yellow. On the other side of it, there's still the same remaining darkness as where I am now, in my vision. "Pick one!" I hear a voice in the distance. Panicked, I head towards the side with the light.