The humming of the air conditioner sounded louder as the night fell deeper. In a silent environment, never-ending tapping sounds from a keyboard made everything monotonous. The little light from the shaded table lamp painted the surroundings into a mysterious yellow, creating a dream-like environment.
The tapping sound stopped abruptly. The person causing such a storm on the keyboard stretched her legs and arms. Her work is finished today. She didn't care to freshen up or eat anything but rather jumped right into the bed next to the table.
"Everything hurts," she groaned as she tossed.
Sure, it hurts. It must. She had been sitting there for almost ten hours. Being a web designer is not an easy task after all. On top of that, it's like sleep had become a guzzle. It ran far away.
So, she stayed awake. Staring at nothingness. Faces kept crawling in front of her eyes. Her brother, her father, her friends, and many strangers, all of them speaking in unison. The noise became louder as she kept staring. A sharp pain raised in her head and she abruptly closed her eyes.
Quite a moment after, every noise subsided. She kept lying with her eyes closed. A drowsiness enveloped her whole being.
In between consciousness and dreaming, she heard someone calling in a sweet voice.
"Remi"
A moment of silence before she heard it again.
"My Rem"
With a lot of effort, she opened her eyes. A pair of hazelnut eyes stared at her from above her head. A faint glow ignited in the eyes as the person above saw her wake up.
"Mother" Remi said, a faint smile on her lips.
The pair of eyes lit up as if they became orbs of fire.
Suddenly, tears started flowing down the eyes. Remi's mother starts weeping.
Remi went blank as she couldn't fathom what was going on.
"I am sorry...
I am sorry, Rem"
The mother started wailing.
Remi's eyes went moist. But then a pair of hands choked her throat, suffocating her. She started struggling violently. But to no avail.
"I AM SORRYY, REM," the owner of the hand started screaming as her grip became more forceful.
"Rem, I couldn't save you..."
Remi's body started to lose strength under this sheer pressure. She didn't know if she was gonna live or not.
"Knock knock"
Someone knocked at the door.
"Could you please shut your mouth up? It's freaking 1 am" a male voice rumbled up breaking the night's silence.
It seemed Remi's scream woke her old neighbor up. But as always she thanked him. After all, his knockings freed her from that state.
She lay down in her bed, drenched in sweat, panting heavily. After half an hour, she forced herself to shut her eyes. She must sleep, and she must attend to her client the next morning.
People were passing by as Remi sat on the bench of the park. A break for a few days as her client wanted the work done within a month.
Remi sat still, staring at the duck roaming in the water. Thousands of thoughts hovering in her head.
Had it been better if I didn't try to live? Had it been better if I never met him?....
Just where did it go wrong?
A red leaf fell into the water as the sun was setting earlier than usual. A cold breeze blew past. An indication that the winter was near.
A blind person stumbled upon a stone and fell. Few people came by to help. That created a huge commotion.
None of these events pulled Remi out of her thoughts. Neither did Remi take any notice of a stranger sitting by her.
The stranger staring at Remi had this curious look in his eyes. Sure he was careful on his steps but the surrounding was noisy.
Another hour passed Remi sitting still and the stranger by her staring at her. It's already night.
The stranger couldn't hold still anymore. He shook her shoulder.
"Excuse me..."
Remi looked at the stranger. A black hoodie and an overused Jeans. An unruly beard. Nothing about him was sharp except his eyes. The pair of green eyes seemed to be glazing.
"Umm... Shouldn't you return home?" The stranger said, hesitatingly.
Another new character? Am I finally going mad? Should I consult a psychiatrist?
"It's late already," The stranger said again.
"Oh," Remi gasped. "It's night already."
She abruptly got up as if she remembered an important task. However, she turned around, looked at the stranger, and asked, "Are you my imagination as well?"
The stranger looked a bit puzzled for a moment. But he grinned the next moment and said, "Yes."
"Strange," Remi said, pondering something.
A moment later, she asked, "What's your name?"
"Shouldn't you know that?" The stranger had the same grin on his face.
Remi frowned. "I don't remember you."
"I know," He said. "Because I don't remember my name as well."
How come an imaginary character doesn't have a name?
Remi was getting more confused.
Maybe the stranger could sense her confusion.
He shrugged and asked, "How about giving me a name?
I mean if you try to name me you may remember a bit."
"Yeah, I can do that... How about..." She stopped midway.
"You know, you talk too much for an imaginary character."
The stranger laughed. A ripple of laughter echoed in an almost empty park.
His laughter made Remi remember someone.
"Lucas?"
The stranger stopped laughing. He stared at Remi. If it was daytime, Remi might have been scared by the face he was making. But now, in this shadowy environment, all Remi could see was the stranger nodding his head slowly.
"Yes," he said softly, a bit of sadness coating his voice.
"I am sorry," Remi said as she remembered her childhood friend who died miserably in front of her that year.
Lucas Albert, a person Remi should never forget. He died at the age of twenty.
"Blood Cancer... Lucas..." Remi whispered. "How did I forget him?"
Remi looked at him again.
So unruly, he is not twenty at all.
Remi pondered.
Well, it's been a long. And it's my imagination...
Remi decided to not talk anymore. She started to walk towards her home.
He will disappear soon...
I need to feed the cats...
Why am I remembering him after this long?....
Remi walked as her head got cloudy once again.
She stopped before her apartment building. As usual, the stray cats were waiting for her in the shadows nearby, looking all cautious.
She went inside the apartment as fast as she could and returned with the food she stocked for the cats.
This neighborhood used to be famous and prestigious. Even a studio here would cost a fortune. A park, a school, a shopping complex, all the features made this place desirable. All the people living here would have a sophisticated vibe to them.
Then nine consecutive murders, one after one, in a pattern, made this neighborhood infamous.
The first murder was of the famous movie director, Nolan. The murderer split his neck. It created chaos in the entertainment world. The police searched high and low. No traces of the murderer.
A month passed after that. People were about to forget about this murder. Yet again, there was another murder. This time, a columnist was murdered in the same way.
In nine months, nine people were murdered. But the police found nothing.
Meanwhile, almost all residents left the place, selling their apartments at the cheapest rate.
This could be defined as a fortuitous event for Remi, as she could buy an apartment. Many people may flinch at the thought of living in such a neighborhood but for a runaway girl, the danger was nothing to be afraid of. And in the case of Remi, she didn't even think of this as a danger.
So, Remi started living in an almost empty neighborhood with a lot of stray cats and dogs.
After a few years, the neighborhood once again filled with people, but this time not so sophisticated. Rather people here were known for breaking laws, quarreling with each other, and poor maintenance.
So, even after living for seven years or so, Remi knew only a few people: the old couple downstairs, the widow across the street, the single mother living two buildings next to her, and the woman with her paralyzed husband. The common thing about these people was all of them pitied Remi.
Remi's life was simple. No family, no friends, only stray cats... and all these imaginary characters. Every day was the same, everything went by the routine.
As the cats ate, Remi stood there, a satisfied smile on her face. This was her favorite pastime.
I need to take a bath and eat.
Another day was about to end as well. Nothing special happened, except having a new imaginary character.
Yup, I gotta work a lot...
Remi headed to the apartment sluggishly, thinking about working to keep all the thoughts away.
Bath, dinner, and searching for new clients... and sleep... Yeah, it's a normal life.
She ran the water in the tub, preparing for a bath.
"Clunk"
Before she could sink in, a loud noise rang in the apartment.
Remi paused. Obviously, there was no one in the apartment except her.
"Clunk"
Again...
Remi stepped out of the bath, wrapped a towel, and walked toward the source of the noise.
It's from the kitchen.
There stood a black figure in the kitchen, holding a knife.
"Lucas?" Remy exclaimed. "How?"
Lucas smiled. "Remember? I am your imagination."