Tyler was outside the room, sitting in those uncomfortable hospital chairs that people used to wait their turn. He looked straight at the ground as he struggled to hold back tears.
He knew this day was going to happen at some point, because of the work they were in. And he thought he would be ready for that moment.
But it wasn't.
Before he could begin to blame himself for being a bad friend, he began to hear the sound of music. He had always liked his friend's music. It was a sound of memories. Of difficult times.
But now, he just hated it. The sound felt unpleasant, as if a hand was pulling you into the darkness.
Still, out of respect for his friend, he remained utterly silent. It was after a few minutes that a note sounded.
This note made him miss the hideous trance he was having, and even if he was a little happy about the remarkable mistake, he knew that his friend never failed.
Remember when a few years ago he started playing the guitar.
I wanted to share something with him. It didn't last long and instead of sharing something funny; I end up full of frustration.
He had asked her how she did so that she would never make mistakes.
'A good head to compose. Good finger to touch what's inside my head... of course, having my godly ears also helps.'
After hearing this, he would beat her every time he bragged arrogantly.
Hearing Lucas start playing again, he went to the bathroom to wash his face. This time there was determination on his face. 'If you're going to leave me, you'd better do it with a nice song! Bastard!'
Lucas, on the other hand, continues to play. Playing music was what I did when I was sad, when I thought, when I was happy or angry. So, it was normal to see him play.
Although inside his head he continues to write the notes of the song for the darkness. I didn't know what to think about it. Here I was trying to make a song so as not to feel bad inside that darkness. However, the closer he got, the more lonely he felt.
Now that Tyler had left him, the feeling was getting heavy. It was funny, that the ugly feeling was what made him finish the song.
Seeing an almost complete song, he started playing again.
He kept playing, very slowly. Making the feeling of loneliness and darkness appear again.
This time the strings were plucked with more conviction. I had it! It was close!
As he continued to play, I noticed that his fingers felt heavier and heavier. His breathing was slowing down and the room was getting darker and darker. He didn't care.
This was going to be his last piece of music!
The song continued very slowly. It was as Lucas approached the last note that Tyler came in interrupting him.
"That song sucks!"
The abrupt noise causes him to press the wrong string. With this, the room lights up a little and a heavy puff of air enters his lungs, Lucas did not notice the change.
He looked at him with an angry face and exclaimed.
"What's your problem? I almost got it!"
Tyler approached him with an angry face.
Seeing his friend so angry and agitated, Lucas stopped. He could feel his face relax, making him think why he was so angry, even so, in a tired voice, he asked.
"What do you want me to play? It's my last day! At least let me choose how I'm leaving!" he said slowly.
He got angry again.
"This is how you choose to leave? I want something happier! I want a song I can show my kids! May I play at my wedding!" he said angrily.
Hearing that, he opened his eyes wide.
"Wedding... are you getting married? Why don't you tell me?" he said, letting out a sigh.
He sat on the chair and sent him an unpleasant look.
"I came here to tell you that! I proposed to Caera yesterday... accepted"
A small twinge appears on his chest, only to leave quickly. He could feel sad about missing his best friend's wedding. But instead, I could give him a gift.
Just as he said. Something to show your children.
The problem was that I didn't know what. His head was a bit messy at the moment, on the one hand, he wanted to finish the song "Darkness" but, on the other hand, giving Tyler something that would make him proud was more important. The problem with these two-faced muses just now was that all he could think of was sad.
Seeing this he did something he had never done in his life and I ask him.
"What song do you want?"
Tyler's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Are you asking me what song I want?...! You!?"
"Yes, he said as he sent him an unpleasant look!
He looked at him with strange shit that made him a little angry, but after thinking a little he nodded.
"I want a song about your life. As if you weren't sick... Something happy!"
"Huh? A whole song of my life?"
"Yes! what if you never got sick! I want you to remember when we were kids!"
Hearing this, he laughed, but did not answer. Instead, he closed his eyes.
It wasn't going to be the first time I imagined a different life. But he never put it in a song.
He was the kind of artist who thought he shouldn't lie to the listener and instead put your real life and feelings on paper. But now that he was passing his last hours, he didn't care about nonsense like that. Philosophies of life were only for the living, right?
When he dies, those ethics and morals that give him foundation as a human would not matter so much. Although he was no one to talk about ethics and morals, when his job was that of a professional assassin.
'People would remember what you left behind,' he thought resolutely.
And the idea of giving a better picture of yourself was quite nice.
He starts composing the song in his head. The sounds of birds, candy wrappers and lots of laughs, I was feeling it. Even from time-to-time sad memories appeared, but he imagined his best friend telling stories to his children, about how funny his uncle Lucas was, how good he played music. Thinking about lies makes it easier to crush those sad moments.
It took a whole hour until he opened his eyes.
Seeing the movement, Tyler watched from his phone.
"Ready?"
"Pass me the electric guitar and connect everything," he said nodding.
He sent her a slight smile and with quick steps went to the back of the room.
First, I took a camera that was connected to a tripod. Then a couple of cables were connected to an audio box. In the end, he had a complete setup.
Seeing the full Midi audio recording and streaming settings makes you feel a little proud.
All this had been bought by him. Although the money was obtained from a 'bad job', but all that did not matter to him.
He streamed music and also has a YouTube account. Heck, I also work from the hospital bed as a producer for some great artists.
The people outside room 10 love his art and he loved to play online for them, there was a big reason why the hospital allowed him to play their music. Playing good music wasn't good enough.
No, he was a famous artist and with him came advantages. It was a pity that he stopped broadcasting after his body deteriorated so much that he couldn't talk much or even sing.
But this was his last song and he wanted it recorded.
Tyler connected everything like an expert, and after finishing I passed him the electric guitar.
"Are you sure you have it? I put on the professional microphones. I don't want your last song to sound like shit," he said, smiling.
After finishing all that, he looks to the side and just sees a nurse who had been silent all this time.
"Tyler, do you need help?" the nurse asked gently.
Hearing this, Tyler's face becomes embarrassed.
"Sorry for ignoring you, Carla... I didn't even say hello to you," he said apologizing for her.
Carla smiled softly at him and as she got up from the chair she said.
"Don't worry, I know their minds are not here right now, do you want something to eat or drink?"
"Please a coffee and some cookies would be fine, leave it outside the room"
After Carla left the room, Tyler looked at Lucas with an annoyed face.
"You should treat her better!" he said annoyedly.
"I don't want him to feel too sad after he's dead," Lucas said lightly.
"People will still get sad, whether you like it or not. It's not your choice. Anyway, let's start recording!" said Tyler as he made his way to connect the last wires and microphone.
Tyler finished connecting the microphones and turned on the stream. Focus the camera on Tyler.
After a couple of minutes, the channel started to have a lot of viewers.
Thirty minutes later they had more than 50,000 spectators. I wanted to wait a little longer, but Lucas destroyed the idea.
"I'm getting worse and worse... let's get started"
Hearing this, attended while watching the broadcast chat, the entire chat started asking questions.
Viewers could see that Lucas felt unwell and paler than normal.
While Tyler had swollen eyes from crying before.
Seeing the chat messages about their appearance, you decided to turn off the chat.
"Sorry for turning off the chat, Lucas doesn't have much time... so he's going to do his last song."
As he spoke, tears began to fall from his eyes.
Seeing Lucas, his best friend, like that and now doing the streaming made him feel the reality of everything.
'I guess q is karma, eh'
If he had to choose, he would probably close the broadcast right now, but Lucas didn't have any family members visiting him or other friends. He knew that his listeners were like his family who... better not to think about it.
I take a deep breath and focus more attentively on the figure of Luke.
"Hey guys and welcome to room 10!" he said in an enthusiastic voice
"Today we have the last song of the skinny, crying and bone... Jonah"
"Lucas! What's the name of the new song?" asked Tyler.
Lucas closes his eyes for a second and says.
"Epitaph of the imbeciles" he replied with a smile on his face.
The number of spectators was increasing more and more and now they were at 80,000. Many of them were really concerned about Jonah's (Luke) health. And after hearing the name of the new song, some of the biggest fans started crying with sadness.
One viewer, in particular, was inside his room staring at the screen with longing and sadness. Their confusion was interrupted after an old woman entered the room.
"Zoe! You need to tidy up your room and-" the woman stopped talking after seeing her daughter cry while looking at the screen.
"Honey, what happened?" I ask worriedly.
Zoe stopped looking at the screen and instead looks at her mother with hateful eyes, causing the old lady to step back.
"Lucas is making his latest broadcast! He's dying! And I never met him! My brother is alone!" he said screaming, as he got out of bed and walked towards his mother.
Hearing this, the woman's eyes become cold, and as a robot says.
"You are an only child, honey, I don't know who this Lucas is. Now stop being silly and clean your-"
*Slap*
The mother looked at her daughter with disbelief in her eyes.
'My daughter slapped me!?.
Seeing again the hatred in her daughter's eyes made her take another step back.
"I hate you! Leave me alone! A mother throwing her child away! You are disgusting!" he said angrily.
The mother left the room like a robot without saying anything. And with slow steps and still with my cheek burning from the slap, I walk into his room.
Inside the room, there were photos of a little girl and her family. A small family of three.
He sits on the bed and opens the last box of the light table.
He had to make a lot of force to open it since the drawer was stuck, something that happened due to its lack of use.
Once opened, I grab a small picture book. Inside were photos of a small child with his family. The boy looked healthy, with a face full of curiosity.
As the pages turned, the baby was becoming a boy with long, messy hair and a little tanned.
He kept looking at the photos.
Each page would have a note with the date and a final birthday photo.
It was until the end of the book.
The last photo was 13 years old. I was in a hospital bed. The healthy tan and messy long hair that was normally dirty from the adventures and laughter were gone.
Not only the child in the picture was injured, but also some people around him. They had sad faces.
The old lady keeps looking at the last photo and mutters.
"Sorry, my son... I just couldn't... living with a monster... sorry *sniff* sorry... sorry" the woman was now crying on top of the picture book.
Meanwhile inside room 10 of the hospital, a transmission was happening.
The skinny man looked and spoke slowly to the camera.
After saying goodbye to the onlookers, he felt that his body was slowly losing strength. And decided it was time to play his last song.
"This is my last song, I hope you enjoy it"
Lucas closed his eyes, his fingers began to caress the ropes.
Before pressing he took a deep breath, bringing the last drop of strength that his body could take and a little more.
Tyler looking at Lucas says.
"... 3... 2... 1... Action"