I stared quietly into thin air. Silent. Unspeaking. Thinking.
I really didn't want to have anything to do with this boy, or his family in that matter, ever again.
The past week felt like an eternity, and a moment for me. Ever since that dreaded day since I first saw that image, I've been having... nightmares. Horrors that invade my sleep, and sometimes, even my imagination while I'm awake.
I couldn't concentrate on work, nor in my research.
It's even beginning to take its toll on my health, and yet it barely been a week.
Who knows, what other horrors I may find, as I continue looking into this boy's condition.
But for some reason...
I just couldn't stop.
I wanted to know more, research more, find the reason.
It was like an addiction.
I analyzed every single pixel of the image I saw before, memorized every detail, calculate ever—
Daryl's mother narrowed her eyes at my probably, perspiring face, "Doctor?"
I snapped out of my trance, "A-Ah Yes... I'm very sorry, I was just thinking to myself." I shook my head gently and put on a fake smile to remove any trace of doubt. I looked towards Daryl, or was sitting in front of me, "Now tell me, has the 'Lights' you see... disappeared?"
Daryl bowed his head and mumbled, "No, but... they seem to come less than before..."
I lifted my head up in surprise, "Really?"
Daryl nodded sadly.
"But if they seem fewer..." I tilted my head, "Then why do you seem so sad?"
"Because when they do come..." Daryl put his hands to his eyes and rubbed them hard, "They hurt so much!!"
Daryl started bawling his eyes out, crying and sobbing as if he had experienced a tremendous amount of pain.
I clasped my hands together, dumbfounded. "How much do they hurt, if you don't mind me asking."
"It's.. like." Daryl sobbed in between words, "Someone poking my... eyes again... and again. And... I want it to stop!" He flung himself into his mothers arms. His mother hugged him close.
I sat there, speechless, helpless.
From all my years of experience as an ophthalmologist, I have never encountered a condition such as the one this child has.
The fact that this child even HAS view disrupting objects like eye floaters at this age is baffling.
Usually, eye floaters only occurs after the age of sixteen, and become a tiny nuisance to those over the age of fifty. This is caused when the vitreous humor inside the eye has been changed in a certain way, and the vitreous thickens and liquefies, and collects surrounding microscopic debris and deposits, until they are large enough to obstruct light from reaching the lens, hence casting a shadow and creating these 'floaters'.
The image showing the number of potential 'floaters' in his eye would have been impossible to create through this method, especially since he was at such a young age.
I hypothesized that a bug could have laid eggs on the surface of his eyes. But I eventually discarded that idea. While there has been cases of bugs laying eggs inside the eyes of some people, there was no bug that could lay eggs that small, much less have larvae that look like those... things. It simply wasn't possible.
I itched to know the truth. I itched to end my suffering.
I had to know what caused those lights on the walls...
And I had to destroy it.
"Daryl..." I said sternly to him, "I know how to stop your pain."
"You... do?" He asked.
"Yes..." I said, "After doing some research, I'm confident that the apparatus I've ordered will cure your condition."
His mother looked grateful, "Really Doctor? Oh thank y—"
"But to do that, I would have to do an operation." I admitted grimly.
She now looked quite worried, "Oh, but we may not be able to afford the cos—"
"Don't worry." I put up a hand to assure them, "Since this may be a new scientific breakthrough, all cost has been covered ages ago. You need not fret at the costs."
The mother sighed in relief, "That's a relief. Thank you Doctor. When does is this operation scheduled?"
"Today actually." I lied. There had never been any operation scheduled. I had never ordered any apparatus. I was actually meant to see another patient in half an hour, but—
This. Was. More. Important.
"In fact." I put on a slight smile. "I may have time to do it right now..."
--
"Umm..." Daryl shifted uncomfortably, "Are you sure that this will make me good, Mister Doctor?"
"Of course Daryl..." I finished strapping his left arm and proceeded to work on the other one. "You will feel heavenly after this... I assure you."
I pulled tightly on the strap, tightening to ensure that Daryl couldn't escape.
This caused a small yelp to escape from the young boy's lip, "Mister Doctor... I don't feel right... Please... I just want to see my mom!"
"You WILL see your mom." I suddenly grabbed his head and forced it down on the head of the bed, scaring him and causing him to freak out more. But because I had strapped his arms and legs to the bed, he couldn't escape. I began strapping his head as well, so he wouldn't shake his head during the procedure. "You will see everything."
"I-I'm scared." A tear dribbled down his check. My eyes widened with amazement as I watched his eyes started to get blurry, and misty. As if whatever that was inside his eyes knew what I was going to do it, and was trying to escape.
Such intelligence...
"It's okay... just listen to what I'll say and you're be alright..." I reached out a dragged a machine of my own making in front of Daryl's face. With a push of a button, two red laser beams turned on and started charging before his eyes.
The boy gasped at such a sight. He started struggling even more than before, but his little arms and legs couldn't escape his leathery captors.
"Now... whatever you do..." I positioned my finger on a small switch on the side of my machine. The word 'On' labeled on the top, and 'Off' on the bottom. The switch was currently turned Off.
"Don't. Close. Your. Eyes."
I turned my machine On.
...
...
...
.......................................
My ears were filled with this high-pitched screeching.
...
...
...
I felt drops of liquid spatter on my face and coat.
...
...
...
"GAHHHHHHHHHGAGAGSHHAHAGSHSHGAHSGHGAHHAGAHHGAGAHHAGAHAHA!!!!!!!!"
...
...
...
I watched with amazement and awe as the lasers dug into Daryl's eyes. Boiling his cornea, burning his pupils.
Blood splattered all over the place, covering his face, covering mine. I felt his blood and remains of his eyes stain my tongue as it entered my mouth.
I loved this.
I loved this.
This was amazing, wonderful, phenomenal. I loved every single moment of—
BRAKKKKKKKKKKK!!!
All of a sudden, these red, disgusting tentacles sprouted from Daryl's eye sockets, and stabbed through the machine that tortured it.
Within seconds, the machine blew up in a burst of light and heat, blasting me towards the wall.
KAKK!!!!
I felt the back of my skull smash into the wall.
Before I lost my consciousness, I used all my strength to look up one last time.
The tentacles were now flinging around madly. Spasming, convulsing, twitching rapidly. Trying to ease the pain that had overwhelmed them.
Daryl, who laid lifeless on the bed, had long stopped screaming.
My lips ever so slightly curved into smile.
I had finally found it.
I had finally found the reason.
I had finally found... The Lights On The Walls
*Lights On The Walls: End*