[5]: A Shivering Night (1)

Chapter 5: A Shivering Night (1)

Marco's eyelids shut tightly when the sudden burst of sunlight hit his eyes. He got blinded by the sudden light coming from the windowsill. It was too bright for his eyes to handle.

He frowned, showing distaste for the sunbeams, and then tilted his head to the other shaded side of the room. He squints his eyes to adjust to the brightness, but both immediately closed after a while.

'Gah! I'm still sleepy…'

Marco groaned while scratching his cheek. He's typically not this huffy on a peaceful morning. But something just quite feels off when he woke up from his slumber.

Despite his off mood, he still decided to be up for the day. He placed his hand on his sides for support as he lifts his body, his back leaning on the headboard of the bed.

His forehead immediately creased when his palm felt the mattress of the bed.

'Why does the sheet seems thinner than how it usually was? Did they change it?' Marco pondered but crossed out his conclusion instantly, 'Nah, it's impossible. No one even comes to my room.'

He wondered why it feels different, but he didn't do anything else. Though he wants to know, he was too tired to even open his eyelids and check on them.

"Ugh! I feel so drained…" Marco grunted, frowning even more.

His eyebrows narrowed when he felt the aching pain all over his body, reminiscent of being pinned in a pile of sharp nails and pierced by thousands of needles.

'What the bloody hell did I do yesterday to this messed up?!'

"Seriously, Marcus?" he whispered to himself while massaging the bridge of his nose, exasperated. 'What the flying fuck is wrong with you?!'

Marco sat wide-eyed when he remembered what had happened yesterday. It came to his mind like a sudden flashback rolling every event that has transpired. He was overwhelmed by the flashing scenes inside his head but tried to remain calm to absorb them properly in his mind.

'Well, if I recall the happenings yesterday correctly…'

'I ran away. No, not really. But it can be said like that.'

'I drove my motorbike for more than seven hours, I guess?'

He made some side comments to his own thoughts, whining and giving his opinion to his past actions like some commentator.

"I handled that long?" he quietly asked in disbelief while blinking consequently. His eyes were irritated by the glaring sun seeping through the window.

'Good heavens, that was totally tiring. So that's the reason why my legs hurt, explains a lot.'

He remembered having been at a loss. He was literally lost. It was not really that uncommon since he has always been a directionally challenged person. The thing was, he was lost, not knowing where he was heading to, and completely directionless.

It was to his pleasure that he had found such a beautiful place by chance. He noted that it was a nice spot to stop by when he saw the scenery at the cliff.

"Hmm… That was really magnificent," Marco thoughtfully praised. He was satisfied with his own decision, worthy of a pat on his back.

'I then saw a girl near the woods who actually went on in. Then I followed her and saw that she was on the edge of the cliff. My bloody brain misunderstood such a situation and tried to be a hero even though she doesn't actually need saving.'

'I asked her a stupidly inconsiderate question which made her cry, and that's totally my fault.'

"Ugh, I feel bad all of a sudden," he muttered to himself as he digests his own quick summary of recollections.

Marco could vaguely make out his and the young lass's little introduction to themselves.

'What was her name again? Ah, was it Yesha? I'm not sure.'

He recalled that he had asked her for directions before they part ways. The girl hopefully headed back home safely while he hit the road. Then the remnants of his night clearly resurfaced on his mind.

---

After fighting with the cold night air for a few minutes of driving, he finally reached the heart of the town that Ayesha was talking about. Marco didn't catch the town's name on the signage because of the darkness, not that he cared for it that much.

He just continued driving and found that the town was unusually quiet at such an hour for him.

'Maybe I was just used to the crazy popped-up noise of the city.'

The place was rather peaceful, and there weren't many people loitering on the streets. Each house passing was neither that big nor extravagant and has a few distances away from each other. Some establishments were still operating at this time around, but it mostly consists of those associated with the food industry.

Marco parked his motorbike right in front of a convenience store. He stormed inside with a hand in his pocket while the other was gripping the strap of his bag.

The smell of the air freshener lingered in his nose, and the existence of the air conditioner doubled the coldness he has gone through. It was totally not helping him in any way.

As soon as he entered, his head started throbbing, and his vision became unclear.

Marco grimaced at the sudden pang on his head and tried massaging his temples to ease the pain. He got dizzy and almost lost his balance if not for the table he held onto that's supporting his weight.

'I've had too much for today.'

His head hurts like hell, but he managed to go and buy what he needs as of the moment while dealing with it and his blurry vision. After he paid at the counter, he immediately swallowed the medicine pill and drank the water that he just bought without leaving the premises.

Although Marco saw the cashier eyeing him across the counter, he did not put it into mind.

After a couple of minutes, his headache felt lighter, and his vision returned to its normal state.

He was glad that his sight was not fuzzy and his not as dizzy anymore. It almost made him want to puke earlier.

Marco started roaming his eyes inside the establishment, and it immediately stopped on the displayed easy-to-cook foods. If he can see himself at the moment, he could figure his eyes sparkling animatedly, jaw dropped and mouth-watering. But contrary to it, his face remained blank, and his eyes just hinted a glint of joy.

It was just a simple convenience store food, but the sight of it made his stomach grumble and made weird scorching sounds. That was when he realized that he was hungry.

"Oh, right… I haven't eaten," Marco mumbled to himself.

He thought further into it and realized that he hasn't eaten anything today. The last meal he had was actually at yesterday's lunch, and after that, he had nothing to fill his stomach aside from intermittently drinking water.

'Maybe that was the reason why I got dizzy a while ago. Well, other than being worn out, that is.'

The lad did not feel embarrassed when his empty stomach growled. It made him cringe, but he couldn't argue about the churning noises since it was obviously demanding to be filled that instant.

On a normal day, Marco would just walk away from the food and let his hunger pass, but today has been a very stressful and tiring day for him, so he really needs something edible in his stomach to replenish his drained energy.

'It's not like I'm gonna die if I miss a meal or two, so it's just fine.'

It was a mantra he kept in mind that would automatically pop up every time he needs to. An excuse he repeated to relieve and revoke his pathetic state. He got used to it already.

He got used to refraining himself.

The only thing he needs to do is to survive. He doesn't need to live a fine life, and neither does he need to be happy.

Being able to breathe, proof that he was still alive, was already a luxury he had in his life.

'Living like this is fine. It's alright. I can live like this. This is what I need.'

It's a whisper hovering in his mind in an endless loop.

Happiness is something so small but also unfathomable, and not everyone could acquire it.

That would always be a different case. It was within reach, but it seems so unreachable for Marco. Even how far he stretches out his hand, he couldn't touch it.

It was such a luxury he couldn't have.