Alorah Reagen

"You know, I never knew how wonderful the feeling is of having a child of your own," I whispered as I admired the lovely face my baby was making while sleeping in my arms. My husband wrapped his arm around me and laid his head on mine.

"It really is. I hope he'll grow up to be a loving person," he said, kissing the side of my head. I felt happy knowing that I have a family of my own, and I hope time will stop so that I can savor this moment.

"Alorah, how's Elijah doing?" The sound of Mom's voice snapped me out of my trance. I noticed she was standing by the doorway with Dad beside her, gazing at us. My heart twinged as I could feel the pressure forming in my eyes when I stared at them.

The two people I loved dearly standing before us didn't look the same as I remember them. Though they still had that same energetic smile, they had aged quite a lot. I glanced at the child in my hand and bit my lips to control my tears.

If I have a child, that means that my parents were...

When I looked back at them, the scene started shifting from the baby's room to a new place. I could hear cries behind me and music playing in the background. My whole body began to shake as I refused to look down and accept reality. Yet, my body betrayed me as what I saw next created another crack in my heart.

Two coffins were laid in front of me, and I saw my parents lying there with peaceful faces.

"This can't be happening. Please tell me this is not true. I-" My legs weakened, and I fell to the ground as I held my head. I blocked out the cries, yet I couldn't silence my heart.

Make it stop, please.

I have to stop this.

Let me out!

My body jolted, and I held onto my desk to stop myself from falling off my chair. It took me minutes to regain my thoughts before realizing I was back in my room.

It's been a while since I've had these thoughts. Was it because I'd been so busy the last few days that these thoughts didn't have a chance to wreck me again?

"Yeah, that sounds like a logical answer," I murmured, letting out a sigh before getting up to grab a glass of water in the kitchen.

When I opened my bedroom door, I felt fear creeping up slowly inside me. The hallway was dark, and the only light source was coming from my room. I slowly scanned my surroundings, and the fear was overwhelming. It was to the point that I may have seen something or someone lurking in the corner.

"Maybe I'll wait for the sunrise to come and then get a glass of water," I considered, but I knew it was impossible because my mouth was dry.

I took a step forward and felt a shiver run down my spine, which was all it took for me to run toward the nearest light switch by the staircase. The feeling that someone was chasing me from behind was evident, and I hated how it felt because it caused my body to slowly tense up and made my alertness go wild.

By the time I made it to the light switch and turned it on, I was overwhelmed by the amount of fear I was feeling. Why does walking in the dark, knowing there's no one in the room, cause so much fright?

I sigh with relief because of the light and begin heading down the stairs. With every step I took, a sound echoed across the room, which I used to distract my mind, stopping me from looking behind my shoulder every minute to check if someone magically appeared without me knowing.

My mind drifted to that same place again, but this time, instead of fear, I felt empty and sad. I could see Dad and Mom by the door, doing one last take on their attire before saying goodbye to me and then heading out. I shifted my attention to the living room, memories of us sitting on the couch together, watching movies or any sports game being aired live flooded my mind.

Dad focusing intently on the game and then jumping up and down, either yelling or cheering for his team, made me and Mom chuckle at the sight. My eyes lingered on every room in this house, and each memory was the best. However, there was one common thing that happened whenever I went down memory lane. It was that both of them were gone, and I was left alone in this empty house.

I grabbed a glass of water from the cupboard, filled it with the remaining water left in the kettle, and slowly drank it all. I sat on one of the stools, a single tear escaped, and I felt it trailing down my face to my heart.

What a depressing thought. Especially at night.