Buzz...Buzz…
Hunter was lying in his bed when he heard his phone ring, he slowly opened his eyes and rubbed them a bit before picking up the phone.
“Yawn—who is it?” He spoke sleepily.
“It’s Matt,” a man on the phone spoke in a hoarse voice.
“Who Matt? Are you sure this is not the wrong number?” Hunter sat up in the bed and asked.
“You idiot! How can you forget me? I am Eryna’s doctor! You spent half of your childhood with me you piece of a stupid turnip!” The man on the other side was boiling up.
“Oh!! Matt!! How is it, man? I was half asleep and I didn’t realize it was you,”
Hunter switched on the lamp beside him and got out of bed.
“So how is it going? Why did you call me so late at night?” He asked.
Did Eryna call you before I did?” He asked.
“No why do you ask?” Hunter yawned and spoke.
“I have bad news for you,” Matt finally got to the point. Hunter’s open mouth paused in the middle of the yawn. His expression became serious.
“What happened to Eryna?” His voice was filled with worry.
“I saw her at the hospital today, she was picking up her reports—“ he paused.
“What was in the reports? Why aren’t you saying something?” Hunter lashed out in anger.
“Her cancer—it’s back,” his voice was almost a mumble.
“What?!” Hunter’s eyes widened in shock and his limbs lost their strength.
His hand trembled and he felt breathless, his knees gave upon him, and he landed on the ground on his knees, the phone crashed into the floor. He felt his mind going numb. He lost all the ability to think.
“Hunter! Hunter are you still there?” Matt spoke into the speaker but he had no response from Hunter.
‘If someday I am not there—keep her safe, she is very delicate. Try to protect her from getting hurt—will you do this for me?’ The soothing words of Simba echoed in his ears.
‘What are you talking about? Why wouldn’t you be there for her?’ Hunter’s carefree voice replied to Simba.
The sweet soothing memory changed into a dark and miserable one when Simba’s pale body lay on a morgue table. His cheats pierced and the blood clot in the wound. The scary memory flashed before his eyes making goosebumps appear on his body.
‘Brother!! Brother!? Wake up? It’s not funny anymore! Your wife is waiting for you!!— Get up God damn it, it’s no time to sleep!’ Hunter clenched to Simba’s ice-cold body hoping his pe would get a response but the only thing he received was dead silence.
“I failed—I failed you brother! I couldn’t keep a small promise—I am useless,”
……………………………………………….
It was already morning and Eryna woke up as she felt she was about to get choked to death. She opened her eyes and looked at the face a few inches away from her with surprise. She pulled herself out of his arms and stared at him for a long time before she heard a vibration on her phone.
“Hunter? Why is he calling me the first thing in the morning?” Eryna knitted her eyebrows and slipped out of the bedding and walked out the door, her pain had ended and she could walk with ease for now.
“Hello, what’s u—“
“Come to the mansion gate! Right now!” Hunter ordered her.
“What happened? Is it something serious,” she acted as if nothing was wrong.
“You come down or I am walking into the mansion and the. You can explain that to your husband,” Hunter spoke in a plain voice.
“Okay! Okay, I am coming!!” Eryna replied and walked downstairs. And sneaked out of the mansion, she was out of breath because she had an empty stomach and also because of her declining health. It was early so she didn’t bump into anyone on the way and smoothly went to meet Hunter who was waiting for her outside his car,
“What is it?” Eryna asked.
“You tell me!! What is it?” Hunter repeated her words,
“Calm down! Why are you so boiled up the first thing in the morning,” Eryna spoke in her usual carefree tone?
“Stop acting, at least stop doing it in front of me!” Hunter’s voice grew angrier with each word he uttered, Eryna gulped in her saliva and asked, “hah! What are you talking about?” She asked with a smile.
“Matt called me!”
Eryna’s eyes widened,
“You wanna know what he said?” Hunter walked up to her. “he said Eryna’s cancer is back!” He drew nearer. “ you know what else he said? He said she declined to take the treatment!!— wanna explain this to me?” His aura grew colder and colder as he got near to her.
Eryna’s shoulders were trembling but she breathed in and parted her lips. “Yes! I did that, I said I wasn’t going to get the treatment! So what?! It’s my choice, it’s up to me to decide!” Eryna selfishly muttered.
“Up to you to decide? Do you think you have a choice like that?” Hunter growled.
“Why not! I don’t want to get treated, And no one can push me to do something I don’t want!” She heartlessly spoke, her eyes dead and silent. Hopelessness had taken over her, unlike the Eryna who was positive, this Eryna had no more strength left in her weak bones to go through all the pain just to find out that a stupid illness would never get completely cured.
Hunter looked at her with hatred, his eyes were bloodshot and she grabbed into her shoulder lethal great force.
“Listen to me! You are no one to decide about your life and death! You have no right to die!” Hunter spoke with clenched teeth.
“Who ARe you to tell me that! You are no one!! I decide for myself! And I have already decided! I don’t want to live—“
“Shut up!! I said Shut Up!!—not another word!” Hunter grabbed her body and opened up the car door and pushed her inside. He was no more the person who was calm and caring, one could see the madness in his eyes.
He started the engine and drove before Eryna could get off, he drove in full speed through the empty roads.
“Stop the car! I want to get off!!” Eryna shouted.
“I won’t, I had one promise that I had to keep and I am not going to let it break just because of your stubbornness! Simba asked me to take care of you and that’s exactly what I am doing!”
“Simba is dead!!—(SCREECH!!)” Hunter applied sudden breaks when he heard those harsh words from none other than Eryna!
“What did you say?” He asked staring at her with anger,
“I said he is dead! He left us! He left us alone...he didn’t even think about us for even a second!! So why should I think about anyone else? Why should I care if people die after they hear about my death!” Eryna screamed like a retard,
“ I too want to be that much selfish! I too want someone to feel that much pain because of me!! I want someone to suffer as I did!!” She screamed out her anger.
“WHY DO O HAVE TO SUFFER ALONE? WHY SHOULDN’T I END THIS SUFFERING AND SET MYSELF FREE?” Eryna was red because of the effort it took her to express herself, her innermost pain came out in a go, Hunter looked at her with a broken expression and pulled her into a hug.