Kopii, broken, came back home. He went down into the basement, and, unable to endure everything he had experienced any longer, he collapsed from the day's events.
– Ah, ha, ah.
Clutching his chest.
– It hurts!
– It hurts!
– What's wrong with you, Kopi?
Kopii's eyes widened at the familiar voice.
«What? It can't be!»
Getting up abruptly and looking at the source of the voice, he could not believe what was happening, but, seeing Raven cooking…
– You're alive?
– What do you mean?
Raising one eyebrow, turning to him.
– This can't be!
– Did you have a nightmare, Kopi? Why are you so pale?
Kopii's eyes widened.
– Yes, yes, maybe it was a dream. Ahahaha, just a dream... Just a dream.
Raven looked at Kopii with a questioning gaze.
– Are you alright?
– Ah!? Yes! Don't worry, I just had a nightmare! Nothing more!
Holding his gaze on him for a couple more seconds, he returned to cooking, humming some melody to himself.
«Maybe it really was just a dream,» – Kopii thought, sitting down at the table and staring intently at Raven. Raven ignored the gaze and continued cooking. However much Kopii wanted to believe it, the memories were too vivid, and especially that pain and emptiness, and how he had torn open Raven's chest.
– Well, it's ready. This is my new dish, I hope you like it, – Raven interrupted Kopii's thoughts.
– Alright, I'll be honest with you, – lowering his gaze to the dish, Kopii replied.
– What? – Kopii's eyes widened. – What's wrong with you, Kopi?
– What is this?!
Kopii froze; he was looking into Raven's empty eyes.
– Raven…
– Why, Kopi? Why? – running up to him and starting to choke him, Raven shouted.
– Ah, what!
– Why, Kopi? You killed me! Weren't we friends? You killed without hesitation the one who once saved your life.
– That's not true! – he shouted, pushing Raven away from him.
– You're a monster!
– No!
– Yes! – Raven shouted.
Kopii's surroundings began to change.
– What?! What's happening?! – His eyes darted from corner to corner.
– Stop, Kopi, please, it hurts! – Kopii's eyes widened in horror; he watched as he killed Raven.
– No!
– IT HURTS… AAAAA… – at Raven's scream, a shiver ran through Kopii's entire body.
– STOP!!! – Kopii shouted, clutching his head. – PLEASE, ENOUGH!!! – he screamed, unable to bear it; he did not want to see this anymore. Suddenly everything vanished, Raven's screams, the tearing of his flesh. Opening his eyes, he saw the ceiling.
– Enough...
«It was a dream! Just a dream and nothing more!»
Staring at the ceiling with glassy eyes, down which tears were streaming, he did not know what to do. Raven's body had disappeared. He was broken, and the more he thought about Raven, the more he felt devastated. He did not know how much time had passed. How long he had been lying there.
He began to get up; a sharp pain in his body told him that he had spent quite a lot of time in one position. Going into the bathroom, washing his face and looking in the mirror, he could not recognize himself. His eyes were swollen, and on his clothes there was his vomit and the remains of Raven's blood.
He undressed and threw the clothes in the trash, stepping into the shower. Under the cold water, he fully came to his senses. Looking at his hands.
«With these hands, I killed him…» – Unable to bear it any longer, he broke down sobbing with renewed force.
– I didn't want to… – falling to his knees, he whispered into the void. Embracing himself.
After a while, he collapsed onto the bed; he did not know what to do. The more he lay, the more he felt the walls pressing down on him. Getting up from the bed, he looked around the room with a weary gaze.
Wherever he looked, everything reminded him of Raven. How he cooked, how he laughed. How he told him what he would do when he became a hero. He could no longer bear it. If he stayed here for even another second, he would simply go mad.
Leaving the basement, he headed in a random direction, step by step, until he came out onto a busy street. The more he walked, the more it seemed to him that they were all looking at him with condemning gazes. He lowered his gaze. He understood that it was all a lie, just his imagination playing tricks.
The more he walked, the worse he felt. He quickened his pace; he wanted to get rid of these gazes as quickly as possible; he just needed a deserted street.
Where there would be no one, so as not to feel those gazes on him. At this pace, he came back to his home. Standing for a few minutes before entering. He was met only by silence, which he had begun to forget. Kopii did not want to return to the Blue Pharmacy, especially in such a state.
«Why did it turn out like this? If only he had listened to me,» – he thought, lying down on the bed, closing his eyes in the hope that this was just a realistic dream, which it was time to end.
With such thoughts, he fell asleep. Opening his eyes, he saw only darkness; after lying a little more, – Ah, – he sighed, getting up from the bed and turning on the light, quickly finding his clothes, which were scattered.
– But did I take them off? – he thought, looking at the clothes in his hand. – Maybe I just didn't notice?
– Well, whatever, – Kopii whispered to himself, leaving the basement. He needed to buy food. Coming out onto the busy street, he caught gazes full of hatred and malice on himself. The deeper he went into the crowd, the more gazes he caught on himself, until he realized that everyone was looking at him. Kopii looked around; whichever way he looked, he saw the same faces of hatred and malice.
– What are you staring at?! – unable to bear the pressure of their gazes, he shouted. – Enough, sto…
But before Kopii could finish, a stone flew at him from nowhere, interrupting him.
– What?! – touching the place where it had hit. This was a signal for the crowd.
– Take that, monster!
– What?! – looking at them in confusion.
– Shut up, monster!
«Monster?»
– That's why even your parents abandoned you; if I had a son like you, I'd throw him in a ditch!
– What are you talking about?!
– Shut up! – a blow flies into his face. Looking at the one who hit him, his eyes widened in shock.
– Raven?
– Don't you dare say my name, monster! If it weren't for you, I could have become a hero. I should have left you to rot back then!
– Don't say that!
– Shut up! – hitting him, Raven said. – You're just a monster!
– No, I'm not a monster!!! It's your fault; if you had listened to me, you would still be alive!
– That's all you can say. Monster.
Monster…
Monster…
Monster…
– Die, monster!
– I'm even ashamed to breathe the same air as you! – someone from the crowd shouted.
– Just die, monster!
– Do everyone a favor!
– No, I'm not a monster! – Kopii shouted. Starting to break out of the crowd. However hard he tried, it was useless; however hard he tried, there were too many of them.
Monster…
Monster…
Monster…
– Noooooo, ah, ha, ha, ah, ah, – getting up sharply from the bed, he clutches his chest. Cold sweat covered his whole body.
– It's just a dream.
– It's just a dream.
– It's just a dream, – Kopii repeated to himself. Hoping to calm down.
– Hahah, just a dream!
He did not notice how tears began streaming from his eyes.
– Just a dream… – clutching his chest, feeling the frantic beating of his heart.
– I'm not a monster…
He got up and headed to the shower. He wanted to take a cold shower again, to think clearly again. Kopii exhaled, stepping out of the shower, and lay down on the bed again.
– Why am I so unlucky?
– Grr, – Kopii's stomach rumbled, but he paid no attention to it; he did not want to eat, or drink, or even move.
– Why did I get this ability!
– If it weren't for it, Raven would still be alive!
– Why!
– Why!
– Why!
– If only I!
– Aaaaaa!
Starting to tear at his hair, trying to drown everything out with physical pain.
Raising his gaze to the ceiling, he suddenly stopped.
– Maybe I really am a monster…