Nightmare Part 5

Chapter 18: Nightmare Part 5

Darkness. That was all Noel could see at the moment. Half of his body had been completely enveloped by darkness.

Despite the pain caused by the dark things on his body, he was moving around this vast empty space. Noel couldn't tell the passage of time, but it felt like days since he'd been there. 

"Urgh," a groan escaped his lips as the dark aura began to spread again. 

Suddenly, a figure appeared right in front of him. She was looking down at Noel with her gentle eyes. It was the woman he had first met in this world.

"Mom?" Noel unknowingly called out to her.

The woman's expression changed, and with a look of disgust, she said, "You are not my son. How dare you - you took the soul of my baby that was supposed to be born!"

The woman shouted, her voice filled with rage.

Not knowing what to say, Noel's head hung low, not daring to look the woman in the face. It wasn't as if he had asked to be born again in the first place.

But still, there was a feeling of guilt welling up inside his heart. A mother's grief for the loss of her child was something Noel could understand. After all, he had a family he deeply loved, his only wish was that they could live happily. 

"I...I'm sorry."

At that moment, the figure of the woman blurred. The vast dark empty space suddenly lit up. 

Light illuminated Noel's eyes, forcing his hands to block the flash. 

Seconds passed.

He rubbed his eyes, still hurting from the sudden light. But what he saw next shook him to the core. Noel was inside what seemed to be a modern living room.

In the center sat a plush, cream-colored sofa. A cozy throw blanket draped over one arm. Positioned opposite the sofa, a pair of matching armchairs flanked a mahogany coffee table, its surface scattered with magazines and a vase of fresh flowers.

The room was bathed in soft, natural light filtering through sheer curtains, casting a warm glow over the space. A sleek television screen hung on the wall. The walls were adorned with a mix of family photos and unusual paintings.

"This...how?" Seeing the familiar room, Noel started looking around more. As he looked at the pictures on the wall, he was certain.

"Am I back? Or is this just an illusion?" he pinched himself, testing if he wasn't dreaming. 

As he looked at his hand, Noel saw that it was still covered in darkness. But just as another question was about to pop into his head, the door opened.

A man dressed in a formal business suit and a lady in her casual clothes walked in. 

Noel stared at the two, not moving an inch from where he stood.

"What's for dinner today, honey?"

"It's a surprise."

"Now I'm looking forward to it."

The couple was standing right in front of Noel. He snapped out of his daze and immediately said, "Mom! Dad!"

Yet to his dismay, the couple didn't even look at him as if he wasn't even there.

Realization struck Noel, and he tested something out. He raised his arms and tried to push his father. 

Something unbelievable happened - his hand, as if he was a ghost, passed through his father's body, and Noel fell to the ground.

"Is this a dream? Or am I really a ghost now?" Noel muttered to himself, staring at his translucent hand in disbelief. The realization that he was no longer among the living hit him like a ton of bricks. Panic started to rise within him as he struggled to comprehend his new reality.

The couple continued their conversation, unaware of Noel's presence as he watched them with a mix of longing and despair. He wanted to reach out to them, to tell them that he was there, but the barrier between the worlds seemed impenetrable.

Noel watched in stunned silence as his parents continued their cheerful conversation, acting as if everything was completely normal. A lump formed in his throat as he tried to process their casual demeanor. Didn't they care that he was gone? That their son had vanished without a trace?

The front door opened again and Noel's younger sister bounced into the living room, a wide grin plastered across her face. "Hey dorks, what's for dinner? I'm starving!"

"Language, young lady," their mother chided, though she was smiling. "It's a surprise, but I think you'll like it."

"Thank god, no more of that loser brother's nasty gamer fuel meals," she scoffed, flopping down on the couch.

Noel felt like he'd been punched in the gut. His own sister, the one he'd sacrificed so much for, was mocking him without a second thought. He reached out towards her, desperate for her to see him, to acknowledge his existence. But his transparent hand simply passed through her. 

Tears stung Noel's eyes as his family continued on, clearly not missing him at all. In fact, they seemed...happier. Relieved, even. As if his disappearance had lifted a burden from their lives. Noel's knees buckled and he collapsed to the floor, harsh sobs wracking his ghostly form.

He was utterly alone. Forgotten and discarded by those he loved most in the world. The cruel realization caused Noel's spiritual essence to fracture as anguish consumed him. He had never felt so insignificant, so worthless. His family's indifference cut deeper than any physical wound.

Curling in on himself, Noel wept until he thought his metaphysical heart might shatter into a million pieces. What was the point of existing if nobody cared whether he lived or died? The tragic scene played out in front of him - a family relieved to be rid of the shuttered husk he had become. Noel wished he could simply blink out of existence altogether.

Noel's sobs eventually subsided into a hollow emptiness as he watched his family enjoy their evening without a single thought about him. It was as if he had never existed at all. The cruelest realization was that they seemed better off - happier - now that he was gone.

As if manifesting Noel's darkest fears, his mother began clearing away the dinner dishes with an energetic vigor she hadn't shown in years. "You know, I feel lighter nowadays. Like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders," she mused aloud.

His father nodded in agreement. "I know what you mean. No more tiptoeing around, walking on eggshells with...well, you know." He didn't even have to say Noel's name.

"Thank god that loser finally got the hint and ditched this family!" Noel's sister interjected with a cruel laugh. "Can you imagine if he'd actually stuck around? Moping around the house, being a draining, useless sack of crap like always?"

Their mother shot her a disapproving look. "Don't speak ill of the dead, dear. Regardless, we're better off now. Finally at peace."

Peace. The word pierced Noel's spectral form like a white-hot dagger. His own family saw his apparent death as bringing them peace and tranquility. He was the source of their strife, the dark cloud hanging over their lives. An embarrassing burden they were relieved to be rid of.

As they continued celebrating their newfound freedom from his existence, Noel felt himself growing fainter and more insubstantial. His essence was literally fading away into nothingness. Panic gripped him as he realized his spirit was dissipating, the profound hurt and rejection eradicating him from existence entirely.

He tried to cry out, to plead for them to see him one last time, but no sound escaped his ethereal form. Noel's family showed no indication they sensed his presence as it dimmed and warped. With a final, mournful look at their joyful faces, Noel felt himself unravel into wisps of vapor until there was nothing left. Rejected and erased by those who were supposed to love him unconditionally, he ceased to exist. 

Even in the afterlife, Noel's tragic end was to become utterly insignificant - a shred of memory not worth holding onto. His anguished, lonely spirit diffused into the ether, snuffed out by the cruel indifference of his family.

Just as Noel's essence was fading into nothingness, a strange yet familiar voice echoed through the ethereal plane.

"Wake up!"