The horror after

 

~*~

 

Gadriel was having an expression of astonishment and unease. After several minutes of walking, he and Jessabiel had both arrived in front of what could be compared to an amusement park. And as one would expect from this kind of place, it was full of cries of joy, but also filled with fear.

 

“When you said you wanted to have fun, I had something else in mind,” the young boy retorted.

 

“Let me guess. You probably thought we were going to go to a quiet place to read some stories?”

 

Gadriel remained silent in front of Jessabiel who seemed to be able to read his thoughts.

 

“You are so predictable, Gadriel. You know, there is more to life than books and knowledge. Sometimes, you also have to take the time to have fun.”

 

At that moment, Gadriel couldn’t help but think that there were better places to have fun, but especially that there were quieter ones.

 

“So, are you coming?”

 

“I don’t know, Jessabiel. I’m not used to setting foot in this kind of place.”

 

“All the more reason to go. It’ll be your first experience. Come on, let’s go!” she retorted, suddenly grabbing Gadriel’s hand.

 

Jessabiel dragged the young boy into the amusement park while he asked her to wait. Unfortunately for him, she didn’t listen to him at all and the two went deeper and deeper into this crowded place.

 

After many minutes of being dragged, the girl suddenly stopped in front of one of the attractions before telling Gadriel that they were going to start with this one.

 

“Are you sure? It looks very dangerous to me,” Gadriel said, frightened.

 

“We have nothing to fear. If it had been dangerous, they wouldn’t have put it here.”

 

Despite Jessabiel’s words, the young boy remained worried. It had to be said that the attraction she wanted them to do was one in which they would constantly fall into the void. He probably didn’t want to experience such a thing, but Jessabiel’s insistence got the better of him. Once again, she grabbed Gadriel’s hand and the two found themselves a few minutes later in a white room with other people waiting for something to happen.

 

“I really don’t feel it, Jessabiel.”

 

“Come on, Gadriel. It’s not a simple attraction that’s going to kill you.”

 

“You…”

 

The young boy didn’t even have time to finish his sentence before the entire room suddenly became dark. And less than a second later, all the people inside began to fall into the void at a dizzying speed. Gadriel then began to scream in panic. And for good reason, their fall was marked by near-encounters with many objects, including asteroids and buildings. Even though he knew that none of this was real, fear had invaded Gadriel’s heart, hence the incessant scream he was emitting.

 

For her part, Jessabiel was enjoying the ride to the fullest. Unlike her friend, she was very excited by this experience, so excited that she couldn’t help but scream with joy throughout the fall. During this time, a mysterious white dot appeared hundreds of meters below their position. And as all the participants of the ride fell, the larger it grew. Finally, and to Gadriel’s great delight, the white dot ended up occupying all the space around them and they all found themselves in the starting room.

 

“That was fantastic! We should do it again,” she exclaimed happily.

 

However, the moment she turned back to Gadriel, she saw that he, along with the others in their group, was on all fours on the ground and trembling with fear.

 

“Gadriel, what’s wrong? Don’t tell me it’s that little attraction that put you in such a state?” she asked as she was approaching him.

 

Despite the gesture that could be considered as someone who was worried about her friend’s well-being, Jessabiel wore her usual smile, as if from time to time her actions didn’t match what she really felt. For his part, Gadriel was still shocked by what had just happened. Even if he tried to rationalize it by telling himself that his free fall had just been an illusion, he couldn’t help but tremble with fear. Everything he had seen and felt had seemed so real.

 

Less than a second later, Gadriel felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around only to realize that Jessabiel was looking at him with a slight smile on her lips, a smile that gradually turned into concern.

 

“Is everything okay, Gadriel?”

 

“Yes, everything is all right,” he replied, straightening up.

 

“Are you sure? You don’t seem okay.”

 

“Yes, don’t worry. I was just a little surprised by what just happened.”

 

“Surprised” was far from describing what the young boy had really felt, but he didn’t want to panic Jessabiel who seemed worried about him. Therefore, he asked his heart to calm down, telling himself that everything was over now.

 

“We’d better go then. We still have plenty of other attractions to try,” Jessabiel retorted happily.

 

At that moment, Gadriel couldn’t help but be worried about what would come next. He didn’t want to end up on another ride like that, it was way too much for him. However, he was unable to share his problem with Jessabiel. All he could do was nod and follow the young girl.

 

*

 

After getting out of this ride that he considered to be hellish, Gadriel accompanied by Jessabiel set off to conquer the rest of the park. They tried many attractions more or less trying than the previous one without really taking the time to breathe. The young boy then had the impression that she was not doing this to have fun, but rather to torture his poor heart which was doing its best to endure all that. Indeed, each time they finished a ride, she always came to ask him if he was okay while having a slight smile on her lips before suddenly switching to an expression of worry. He often had the impression of dealing with two completely different people, which was very trying for him.

 

After more than an hour of going from attraction to attraction, Jessabiel finally decided to make a quick stop at a stand that was selling food. Her stomach was screaming with hunger, which was completely normal after spending so much energy. Gadriel, who was still by her side, also took advantage of this moment to take a break and let his body and heart have the rest they deserved. The young boy absolutely did not understand how people could appreciate this kind of place full of noise and not at all suitable for the body. For him, this place had nothing to do with a place of fun or relaxation, but was rather a place of torture for people like him.

 

“Gadriel. Gadriel, are you listening to me?” Jessabiel retorted, trying to get her friend’s attention.

 

The first attempt unfortunately ended in failure, the young boy being too focused on his thoughts. Gadriel’s behavior greatly frustrated Jessabiel who felt obliged to raise her voice with him.

 

“Gadriel!” she screamed.

 

“What?! What’s going on?”

 

“How many times have I told you to stop behaving like that?! It’s not okay to ignore people.”

 

“I’m sorry, Jessabiel. I had…”

 

“You were distracted as usual. I came here to have fun and you’re not making any effort.”

 

“I’m sorry, Jessabiel. I’m not used to this kind of place.”

 

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. You only have those words in your mouth it seems. Anyway, if I called you, it was to ask if you wanted something.”

 

At that moment, the young girl pointed at the stand which they were both standing in front of and added that their dishes looked absolutely delicious. However, Gadriel refused her offer, telling her that he wasn’t hungry.

 

“Are you kidding me? I haven’t seen you eat anything since we left your place. You really should eat something or you’ll lose your strength and pass out.”

 

“That’s not going to happen, Jessabiel. I’m not hungry.”

 

The boy really didn’t have an appetite. In fact, he hadn’t for several days. However, it didn’t seem to bother him or affect him. He was simply in great shape, at least by his own standards.

 

“Too bad for you then. You don’t know what you’re missing,” she said before placing another order.

 

While she and Gadriel were waiting for what she had ordered to arrive, Jessabiel received a message on her bracelet-screen. At first, the young boy didn’t pay attention to it, seeing it as something trivial. However, that changed a few moments later when she furiously let out a “what?!”

 

“What do you mean you lost contact with the first team?! What the hell did those idiots do?!” she continued.

 

Jessabiel continued to read the message she had just received and grew more upset with each line she read. It was at this precise moment that Gadriel noticed for the very first time the change in color of his friend’s eyes. He was then very intimidated by this discovery, especially since she really seemed to be very angry.

 

“Jess…Jessabiel…”

 

“What a bunch of incompetents!”

 

Jessabiel suddenly ordered Gadriel to stay put before moving away from the stand. Meanwhile, the young boy couldn’t help but wonder about the cause of this sudden spike in anger. On top of that, he also wondered how she had managed to change the color of her eyes. He found it so cool even if it was still very intimidating.

 

A few minutes later, the young girl returned to Gadriel, wearing her usual slight smile. He then had the impression of dealing with the Jessabiel he had always known, the one who had always been very kind to him.

 

“Is… is everything okay, Jessabiel?” he asked when she was finally at his side.

 

“Yes, why?”

 

“You seemed very angry a few minutes ago.”

 

“Ah! You’re talking about that. It was nothing serious…”

 

Gadriel doubted Jessabiel’s words. If it hadn’t really been something serious, why had she gotten so angry? And especially why had she left him all alone at the stand? It was obvious to him that she simply didn’t want to discuss it with him, which she could have simply told him.

 

“Just to check, are you sure you don’t want to eat anything? It’s really delicious.”

 

“Sure. I’m not hungry at all,” he replied.

 

“Okay. We can go then.”

 

“Where are we going? Please tell me we’re leaving here?”

 

“No, we’re staying. I’m not done having fun yet.”

 

At that moment, Gadriel couldn’t help but express his disappointment. He wanted so badly to get away from this place. Unfortunately, he had to take it upon himself and accompany Jessabiel on her adventure through this nightmarish place.

 

*

 

After trying many attractions, Gadriel and Jessabiel finally arrived in front of a ride that did not bode well for the young boy. When he saw it, he knew immediately that he absolutely did not want to get on it. Hence, he asked his friend if she did not want to choose something else, something less trying and safer.

 

“What are you talking about, Gadriel? This attraction is completely safe. Look, people go on and off it without any problem,” she replied.

 

Even though people got on and off this ride without any problems, that didn’t mean that would be the case for them. Indeed, the ride in front of them was the complete opposite of the one he had tried first. This time, it was a transparent sphere with two seats that was propelled into the air, so far into the sky that it disappeared behind the clouds. And even if the trajectory of this thing seemed to be controlled, Gadriel had absolutely no desire to get on such a device, not after the experience he had with the first attraction. So, the young boy tried to dissuade Jessabiel, but the latter completely ignored his request.

 

“Don’t tell me you’re scared? You know it’s just a simple ride, right?”

 

Of course he was scared, it was impossible for him not to be scared. This transparent ball was sent high into the sky.

 

“Imagine if something goes wrong?”

 

“Nothing’s going to happen. Stop being so scared. You can see very well that everyone goes in and out of the ride without any problems. Anyway, if you don’t want to come, no one is forcing you. I can enjoy the attraction all by myself.”

 

Jessabiel then walked alone towards the platform, leaving behind Gadriel who was thinking about what she had just told him. He did not want to stay alone, especially not in such a noisy and crowded place. However, he also did not want to get on this ride which would undoubtedly have a negative impact on his heart. Once again, the young boy found himself faced with a choice to make. He could either wait patiently for his friend on dry land, or accompany her on her adventure and experience a terrifying moment again. Gadriel finally made up his mind and rushed to the young girl, much to her delight.

 

“Jessabiel, wait!” he exclaimed as she was about to climb into the transparent sphere.

 

“You made the right decision,” she said, wearing her usual smile.

 

Now sitting next to the young girl, Gadriel wondered if he had really made the right decision. However, it was already far too late for him to turn back, the entrance to the sphere having just been closed. All he could do now was to close his eyes and wait for everything to end.

 

“Everything will be fine, Gadriel.”

 

Gadriel doubted her words greatly at this point. However, he could do nothing but wait for the takeoff that occurred a few moments later. Like a baseball in the hands of a top professional athlete, the sphere was immediately propelled towards the skies at a dizzying speed. Gadriel and Jessabiel were then glued to their seats, but only one of them was excited by the experience. The boy, meanwhile, was screaming as if it were his last day on Exoduus.

 

After several minutes of climbing, the transparent sphere finally reached its maximum altitude. Jessabiel then asked Gadriel to open his eyes, but the latter refused to do so. He was too afraid of seeing something scary.

 

“Open your eyes, Gadriel. You risk missing the show.”

 

The young boy hesitated for a brief moment before finally opening his eyes. He was then greeted by a landscape so beautiful that he could not help but let the word “magnificent” escape from his mouth.

 

“You see what you almost missed.”

 

Gadriel and Jessabiel were both above one of the last cloud layers of Exoduus, floating momentarily with the graceful gamals and observing the starry sky marked by the majestic presence of Geoshia and its gigantic rings. At that moment, the young boy could not help but think that this must be the landscape that the Celestials saw every day whenever they spread their wings and flew above their heads. Gadriel then reached out his hand forward, perhaps hoping to touch the horizon. Unfortunately for him, the moment of wonder he had quickly turned into a nightmare. Indeed, the sphere which the two were in finally began its descent, causing him to have another panic attack. And as before, he began to scream at the top of his lungs.

 

A few minutes later, after a descent just as grueling as the ascent, the two children finally emerged from the sphere.

 

“That was rather entertaining, don’t you think?” Jessabiel asked a completely livid Gadriel.

 

No, it hadn’t been entertaining at all. Sure, there had been some good moments, but that didn’t change the fact that all those rides had been way too much for him. Gadriel now hoped that this ride was the last, but he mostly wanted to leave this hellish place and go to a much more peaceful place.

 

“You seem pretty quiet, Gadriel. Is everything okay?” she asked this time, laughing slightly.

 

“No, it’s not okay. Nothing’s okay, actually. That ride was hellish.”

 

“You say that, but I know you enjoyed the experience.”

 

Gadriel admitted that some moments had been enjoyable, but that didn’t change the fact that their last ride had been way too much for him.

 

“That’s simply because you’re not used to it. Today was your first time…”

 

“And my last. I prefer to keep my feet on the ground.”

 

“Anyway, I enjoyed the time we spent together. It was very entertaining.”

 

The young boy also thought the same thing. Even though there had been many times when he would have preferred to be somewhere else, he could not deny the fact that he had enjoyed being in Jessabiel’s company. Shortly after, the young girl received yet another message on her electronic bracelet. Gadriel then thought that she would explode with anger again after reading this one, but to his surprise, she remained silent.

 

“Is everything okay?” he asked, staring at Jessabiel.

 

The latter’s eyes changed color once more before returning to their normal hue a few moments later. She then ended up telling Gadriel that it was time for them to part ways.

 

“Is everything okay, Jessabiel?”

 

“I have to go. See you next time.”

 

Without giving him any further explanation, the young girl suddenly rushed towards the exit of the amusement park, leaving behind a Gadriel who was wondering about what had just happened. Finding himself alone now, he had no choice but to head home.

 

*

 

As he was on his way home, Gadriel’s mind was in overdrive. On the one hand, he was curious about the content of the last message Jessabiel had received on her bracelet-screen. He was wondering what kind of news she had gotten to suddenly take off and abandon him like that. It must have been very important given the way her eyes had changed color.

 

Speaking of the color of her eyes, Gadriel had been very surprised to discover that Jessabiel was capable of doing such a thing. Even in his wildest dreams, he would never have imagined that she would have such an ability. He would have liked to know a little more about it, but he had been too overwhelmed by the various attractions they had both tried. Also, it had to be said that the change in color had occurred at a time when it would have been very difficult for him to approach the subject. Regardless, it had been a very pleasant discovery for him, which reminded him that he didn’t know much about her. But for the young boy, it wasn’t a problem. All that mattered to him was that she was his friend.

 

The sun had been down for several minutes when Gadriel arrived near his home. The young boy was so distracted that he didn’t notice that the street leading to his house was abnormally empty. However, he noticed the presence of a foreign vehicle in front of his residence, but also that the front door of his house was wide open.

 

Without wasting a single second, Gadriel started running towards his home. He was convinced that his mother had finally come home, otherwise how could he explain the presence of this vehicle and the open door. His heart beating very fast, the young boy ran towards this treehouse which was completely plunged into darkness. He had only one desire at that moment and that was to take her in his arms, to hold her very tight, and to tell her how much he had missed her. How much time had passed since the last time he had been able to do that? Weeks, months perhaps? It didn’t matter at that moment. She had come home and that was all that mattered to him.

 

“Mother…! Mother…are you there?!” Gadriel retorted out of breath after crossing the threshold of the door.

 

The young boy was, however, greeted by a heavy silence, at least during the first few seconds. Indeed, a few moments after calling his mother, he heard a noise coming from one of the rooms next door. It was as if a heavy object had just fallen to the ground.

 

“Mother!? Is that you?”

 

This time Gadriel heard an incomprehensible sound coming from the same place. He immediately wanted to go take a look, to know the origin of this noise, but he first asked Eve to turn on the lights. The house was completely plunged into darkness and the young boy had a lot of trouble distinguishing what was in front of him. The young digital woman nevertheless remained silent in front of his request, which prompted Gadriel to repeat his question.

 

“Eve, are you there?” he asked after getting no response from her.

 

The situation was really weird. It wasn’t like Eve to be absent like that. However, he had to manage without her. So, Gadriel used the light generated by the screen on his bracelet and slowly walked towards the source of the noise he had heard.

 

“Is anyone there? Mother, are you there?”

 

Because of the dim lighting generated by his device, but also because of the general atmosphere of the room, Gadriel was very tense. He had absolutely no idea what awaited him, but he hoped with all his heart to run into his mother. However, when he arrived in the room, he couldn’t help but notice that many dressers and cabinets had been opened, and strange stains could be seen on some of them. In addition, many things were lying on the floor. It was as if someone had completely vandalized the room. Nevertheless, the most disturbing thing for Gadriel was the strange scent he had smelled since he entered this place. It was a mixture of burnt meat and something else that he couldn’t identify.

 

A few moments later, as he was approaching the counter, Gadriel this time stepped into a slightly viscous and reddish liquid. It was also at this moment that he saw a person’s feet sticking out from behind the furniture.

 

“Who’s there? Show yourself… Law…law enforcement officers will be here soon.”

 

Gadriel was more than nervous at the thought of knowing that behind this counter there might be a person who had broken into his house while Eve was away. He was then very surprised when this individual suddenly said his name in a very weak voice.

 

“Who… who are you? And how do you know my name?”

 

“You… must…”

 

The young man finally found himself in front of this person and discovered with amazement that the latter was in a very bad state and that she was bathing in the same liquid which he was walking on. But the most horrifying moment arrived shortly after when he finally lit up the face of this individual. At that moment, his eyes widened in fright and tears began to form in them. His mouth then began to tremble, having a lot of difficulty letting out what he wanted.

 

“M… M… M… Mother,” he finally said.

 

The person in front of Gadriel was none other than the woman he had been desperately trying to find for many days, the one who had raised him, Arya. However, he would never have imagined that their reunion would take place in such conditions, even in his worst nightmares. Indeed, the young boy’s mother was in a more than deplorable state in addition to being completely unrecognizable. A large part of her body, including half of her face, had been burned and she had a very serious wound on her stomach, a wound which the reddish liquid which he walked on was escaping from.

 

“Mother! What…what happened to you?” the young boy retorted as he rushed towards Arya. “Eve! Eve, call for help! Eve! Don’t worry, Mother, help will arrive soon. Eve!”

 

Once again, there was no response from the young digital woman. With tears in his eyes, Gadriel called out to Eve again and desperately asked her to call for help, but seeing that she was still silent, he tried to do it himself.

 

Gadriel tried to use his bracelet, but with the blood on it, the task proved to be much more difficult than usual. On top of that, his communication device seemed to be malfunctioning, which had never happened before. Why did this have to happen to him when he needed it the most? At the same time, Arya was trying to speak to her child, but her voice was so weak that he was afraid he would lose her at any moment. He then began to scream for help, hoping that one of his neighbors would hear him and come to their rescue.

 

“Ga…dri…”

 

“Yes, Mother,” the young boy replied, grabbing her hand. “I’m here. Help will arrive soon. They’re on their way.”

 

Right after that, Gadriel shouted for help again. He even begged whoever heard him to come to their aid.

 

“They…are…coming…”

 

“Yes, Mother. Help will arrive soon. Don’t worry.”

 

“Run…and…find…your…father.”

 

Gadriel didn’t understand what she was getting at. Why was she asking him to find his father? He didn’t even know what he looked like or where he was. Could it be that she knew his identity and where he was? The young boy was confused and scared. He had been screaming for help for many minutes now, but no one had come to their aid yet. He wanted to go straight to one of his neighbors, but he couldn’t leave his mother alone like that.

 

“I… love… you…Ga… dri… el,” Arya retorted one last time before gently closing her eyes.

 

“Mother, please, hold on a little longer. Help will be here soon. Mother. Mother! Don’t leave me alone… please.”

 

Arya finally let out her last breath and Gadriel burst into tears immediately after. Life was so unfair. He had spent so much time looking for her, and now that he had found her, life was tearing her away from him. It was so unfair.

 

As he was crying hot tears while shaking his mother slightly in the hope that she would open her eyes again, the young boy suddenly heard footsteps in his house. People were in his house, and these people were making a huge noise as if they were going through all the rooms of his home. Thinking that it was the help he had called, Gadriel shouted for help once more. Finally, a group of armed and masked men then entered the room he was in and immediately surrounded him.

 

“Please help her. I’m begging you, help Mother. She’s not breathing anymore,” he exclaimed as he rushed towards one of the men.

 

Another man came towards Gadriel’s mother and confirmed that she was indeed dead.

 

“We found the prisoner. She’s dead,” the man retorted after abruptly pushing Gadriel who fell quite violently to the ground. “We looked everywhere and found no trace of the previous teams.”

 

Gadriel understood at that moment that these men had no intention of helping him, and his situation worsened further when the same person who had pushed him suddenly asked what they should do with the child. The young boy had to find a way to escape. Unfortunately for him, his chances of succeeding were very low. He still had to try something.

 

“Roger that.”

 

Without expecting it, Gadriel suddenly received a violent punch in the face, a punch that sent him straight to the mat. And the last image he saw before losing consciousness was the lifeless body of the person he loved most in the world, Arya.

 

To be continued!!!