Gasoline- Chapter 1

Chapter 1

My heart races as I see him go. What was I thinking? What is he thinking? How could I have been so stupid?
“Robert!” As if he can hear me. I know I should probably be going after him, but my legs don’t seem to be in complying with my brain today.
Suppose there’s a way to take back the past? Maybe then I could travel back in time and set things straight. Wouldn’t life be easier that way, if we could just turn back time and fix the broken? Trouble is, Robert was never really open with his past. As far as I know, he grew up a good kid in some small town miles away. Somewhere between now and then, something must have happened. Good kids just don’t go bad like that…
***
“Robert!”
The sound of his son calling his name simply bounced of Robert as he fled. The sun filtered in through the forest canopy, casting a shadow upon the visitor. Out of nowhere, a thicket of pine trees sprung up, each branch leaving a painful gash in his flesh. Not that it mattered anyways. Why would one worry about pain when they are to numb to feel anything? No, our world is one cruel, picking away at the mortal harvest.
At last, Robert came to rest on the edge of a pond. Staring down at his reflection he saw blood drip from the gashes that bore into his forehead, red ooze matting into his flaxen locks. Deep, dark lines had formed under his eyes. Upon seeing the gruesome face in his reflection, Robert slashed at the surface of the pond. The steaming liquid stirred in choppy waves, then settled back to its original blunt-free form.
Somewhere, a doe let out a wail. The sound echoed through the woodlands, stretching the eerie cry. Robert closed his eyes and sat Indian style at the water’s edge. He allowed for the melody to wash over him, calming the raging beast inside just a little. There he sat, eyes closed, even after the cry had passed.
At last, Robert opened his eyes and stood up. He took two steps, brushed away some branches, and found himself looking down from an overhang that looked upon acres around.
“Why does life have to end this way?” Robert muttered to himself, glaring at the valley below. “All the pain and suffering for nothing. Everything I’ve ever earned just goes away. It’s not as if there’s much left to live for…”
With those words, he took a step closer to the edge.
“I mean, who’s ‘gonna really care if I’m here or not? The only one I got is Mike, and he hates me…”
Yet another step closer to fate itself.
“Heck, I bet nobody even remembers I exist. Time for the pain to go away….”
And with that, Robert stepped over the edge. Time stood still as he plummeted below. The ground got closer and closer, until there was an eruption of blinding light that exploded in his face face. Everything was drenched in the luminosity that seemed to radiate from nowhere. Robert felt as though his soul had lifted from his weighing body. There was absolute peace…
And then came the pain. This was no ordinary hurt, but the feeling of a thousand needles sticking into flesh. Robert tried to open his eyes to see what had become of him, but his eyelids seemed to be sealed shut in a cake of dried blood. He let a moan, or at least he tried, but his body would not listen.
“You there,” A voice called out, “are you alright? You took quite the fall there!”
At last, Robert managed to open his eyes. Above him towered a bulky man, a worried expression cast a shadow upon his face.