London Sickness

It must be fun to go along to the park with your mother. Or perhaps you don't want to go at all, but you've gone before, at least once in your lifetime. It must be fun to enjoy life for what it is.

The streets of London are filled with carriages, and adults going about their day, buying produce, machinery, and taking their children to school. The buildings of the city stand tall, with gothic towers that seemingly peaked into the sky. Just below them, trees stood in rows, and benches even further beneath. But it's different at night, at night the monsters of the city lurk, the scum of the city roam and conduct their business of illegal trading, monopolization, and the worst of them all, are the murderers.

[Mother: "Matthew?"]

[Matthew: "Mother, is there something you need?"]

[Mother: "Yes, make me some tea please."]

[Matthew: "Of course."]

My Mother, sickly as she may be, we've treatment that's effective enough to cure her, I'm sure of it. I can see her getting better everyday. Yes, I'm sure of it. I boiled the water, and right as it hit boiling, I poured it over the tea. A single tea bag is enough. Afterwards, I let the tea soak for around two minutes, but it's still not enough, so I let it sit for thirty seconds longer, and bring it to mother.

[Matthew: "Mother, you like green tea, right?"]

[Mother: "Oh, yes, thank you."]

I placed the teacup on the bedside for mother to drink. She slowly rises from her bed, and picks up the teacup in both hands, blows the steam from the tea twice, then takes a sip.

[Mother: "It's delicious, Matthew."]

[Matthew: "Thank you, Mother, I'll be back when the short hand on the clock hits five."]

[Mother: "Alright, but do be careful."]

[Matthew: "I will, goodbye mother."{

I place my hand on the door knob, and twist, but it's already being opened from the other side, so it doesn't budge much. The door was still opened, and slowly swung open, standing there, was my brother Sherlock.

[Sherlock: "Oh, you were already here."]

[Matthew: "I'm going to school."]

[Sherlock: "Pick up the mail on the way home."]

Sherlock, genius detective, better than me in every way.

[Miss Johnson: "Hello, Matthew, off to school today?"]

[Matthew: "Yes, Miss Johnson."]

[Miss Johnson: "Well, do tell your mother I said hello."]

[Matthew: "Will do."]

Humans are like tomato seeds, they must nurture themselves into better humans, but they are also the environment for other seeds. The way they act heavily influences how others grow, just like the weather affects how a plant grows. In short, I don't hate my brother, but I'm still envious no matter how hard I try to dissuade myself from this way of thinking.

[Matthew: "It's me, I'm here for the unit test."]

[Exam Proctor: "Have a seat and you can begin."]

I take a seat in the corner of the room, bringing out a fountain pen, that was given to me by my father. The only good thing that was ever given, and the only thing that was ever given.

[Matthew: "Lets begin."]

To best Sherlock is my motivation. There will be nothing else on my mind until I best him, to show him that I have the resolve to become the best.

[Matthew: "I'm done."]

[Exam Proctor: "I'll take it."]

[Matthew: "Thanks."]

I eyed the clock that stood taller than every building in the vicinity, the Big Ben, it was nearly five. I had to be home soon, but needed to get the mail from the post office. It should be just around the corner, but Sherlock usually gets the mail, so I'm not quite sure.

I peer around the corner but there is no post office.

[Matthew: "I must've taken a wrong turn somewhere."]

Something cold touches my shoulder, it takes me a moment to process it, but I know that feeling well, the feeling of my father looking down at me. Only ever placing his hand my shoulder with gloves on, and looking at me as if I were no better than a beast.

I slowly turned my head, and faced the stranger.

[???: "Woah, calm down, I'm just wondering why you were standing there at this time, shouldn't you be home by now, little boy?"]

I saw an officer behind me with a surprise face.

[Matthew: "At this time? It's five o'clock, are you messed up in the head?"]

[Officer: "I should be asking you that, it's damn near midnight!"]

[Matthew: "What?"]

I doubt my eyes for a moment, but the officer wasn't lying, the sky had darken too fast for my mind to process.

[Matthew: "How did this happen? I—I could'v sworn—!"]

[Officer: "Alright, it's time for you to head back home, no doubt your parents are worried."]

This is impossible, how does time pass from day to night within seconds? It doesn't make sense. If I was awake then why couldn't I see it? I didn't even feel it. But...it's so late now, mother would be worried, I'll go home for now, and think about this at a later time.

[Matthew: "Yes, I'll do that, thank you officer."]

[Officer: "Try not to stay out so long next time, you've read the papers right?"]

[Matthew: "Of course, criminals and the like."]

[Officer: "Well, I shouldn't be keeping your time, now that you understand, of course."]

[Matthew: "I'll be on my way then, good day."]

[Officer: "Good day."]

Eerily still, the sky didn't move, the clouds covered the sight of the moon, and the light did not pour through London. It was pitch black. Why did the clouds never seem to move? Everything is still, it's as if everything was stopped in time?

[Matthew: "Wait..."]

There was another officer, but he wasn't moving. Still like his surroundings. I turn around and feel the fangs of a creature driving itself into the side of my stomach.

[Officer: "You're sharp kid, just a little late."]

The creature's lips were smeared with blood and it's eyes glowed crimson red, it's face more hideous than anything I'd ever thought of. Wings had appeared out of nowhere and his entire body has morphed into what I could only call as a visage of satan. I could only stand there and let out momentary grumbles of pain, until the creature's grip on me was finally subdued. I held the side of my stomach, only glancing to see what wounds I suffered; a bite mark that had gone through my flesh and muscle, and nearly reached my organs. But my attention was solely focused on the creature, after a few seconds the blood loss started to affect my eyesight, and as if I was deprived of sleep, I was starting to black out.

[Creature: "Well aren't you lucky? You're still conscious, that's saying something considering the ones I feed upon usually 'pass out."]

[Matthew: "What—are—you?"]

[Creature: "Not like you need to know, you being conscious after all this is already a problem I don't want to make it an even bigger one."]

The creature raised its hands and pointed at the Big Ben.

[Creature: "Come on Frederick, can't you do something about this?"]

[Frederick: "You blasted fool."]

A swarm of bats circled above us, suddenly disappearing.

[Matthew: "...."]

I was in disbelief, how could this happen? I couldn't find words for it. Then a pair of hands enter my view one covered my face, a humans hand, and another lifting me by my neck into the air. I started to struggle, but the pain in my stomach was too much, I could do nothing but let them kill me.

I'm going to die.

[Frederick: "Did you see anything here?"]

I mouthed the word 'no'.

[Frederick: "Good."]

My mind became clouded, my eyes, glassing over as if it were frozen, I was incapacitated, disabled, my vision doubled over, and I fell. I felt the impact of head hitting the floor, I made out a mumble coming from the hands that had dropped me before I was put to sleep.

[Frederick: "I wish you had never come here."]

How...? How could I have possibly known...?