Nothing happened suddenly. Those who lost their family, those who divorced, those who went to jail, and those who were left alone and without affection could not say, "This happened to suddenly."
Everyone had different pain thresholds. So people, with a simple stomach infection, realized they needed to change their eating habits, exercise, and lead a healthier life; a small stimulus was enough for them to reflect and change...
Others, on the other hand, paid no attention to soft warnings and required being on the brink of death with acute cirrhosis or angina to say, "Damn, now I really need to take care of myself..." It was a matter of how one was... of how one reacted... We always had gradual warnings until reaching the pain threshold.
There were people who reacted to the simple voice of their conscience or to reading a book, and there were others who turned a deaf ear to everything, and only when they were sunk did they realize it was ti to do sothing.
I was one of those who did not move with a small stimulus; one of those who waited for greater warnings. The days passed, and the pain did not diminish.
Upon waking the next morning, the bedroom was flooded with light. I got up from the bed like a machine about to explode. Today was the day. Today was when that man would be judged and sentenced to prison.
I looked at the ti: it's 11:50.
That man will be in front of the court at 13:00. I had no ti to waste. Today was the day when everything would end. I grabbed my gun and tucked it behind my pants. The house door was still open.
I looked one last ti at the house that Alessia and I built together. This house that once harbored so much joy, so much hope, so many dreams... Now it was just a constant reminder of what I had lost.
—This is for you, Alessia —I muttered, arming myself with courage.
The daylight burned cruelly in my eyes when I went out. I got into the car and started it. A few minutes later, I parked the old truck a few steps from the court building.
Before getting out of the car, I observed the bustle near the courthouse for a mont. I saw passersby and curious onlookers mixed with so journalists. A mother was casually walking with a pink stroller, and through the car's open window, I heard the joyful laughter of a small baby. The sound pierced like a knife.
I got out of the car, the gun firmly hidden behind my pants. The hot air was full of slls of gas, dust, and asphalt. I advanced with difficulty towards the building, limping slightly. I stayed at a good distance so as not to draw attention and waited patiently for the ti when everything could finally end.
It was 12:54, just a few more minutes.
I wiped the sweat dripping from my forehead, feeling a sticky humidity under my armpits. I noticed a young journalist looking at curiously, and for a mont, I feared being discovered. Suddenly, I heard the murmurs of the small crowd gathered in front of the building grow. I saw protesters waving signs and shouting slogans in unison.
In the distance, I saw him. That bastard who took everything from , coming out of the palace of justice accompanied by two police officers. I could see the shine of the gun handles hanging from the two officers' belts. It was too late to back out; it was too late the night that bastard ca to tear away my reason for living, leaving only a breath laden with alcohol in his abominable wake.
It was the mont; I advanced towards the center of the stairs. No one paid any attention; all the surveillance of the small group now was centered on the accused descending the stairs with a somber face. I carefully observed his fat and tired face. The man laid his eyes on and looked at with curiosity. When he ca within a few ters of , I could see fear invade his gaze at the mont he recognized .
I put my sweaty hand under my shirt and grabbed the hot handle of the pistol. With a quick movent, I pulled out the revolver and pointed it at Alessia's killer.
I saw his surprised and frightened face when he saw the brilliant barrel of the weapon. I fired a clumsy shot that managed to hit him in the knee. The police had already put their hands on their pistols and were preparing to shoot.
Screams of fear traversed the crowd like a wave crashing noisily against a concrete shoreline. With no more ti to waste, my second bullet hit the bastard in the head. A stream of blood spurted behind his skull, and he imdiately collapsed to the ground like a lump of lead. Just at that mont, I felt a burning impact in my chest. A bullet had gone through , and I fell backward onto the hard concrete.
Blood flowed abundantly from my chest. The screams and tumult of the crowd gradually faded into a soft silence. Darkness enveloped softly, like a mother's embrace.
A stream of blood ca out of my trembling mouth as I exhaled my last breath.
—Forgive ... Alessia —I thought as life escaped .
Like a sequence of hallucinations, I heard Alessia's soft and lodious laugh. I saw her very clearly, throwing water in my face while she laughed in the bathtub. The echo of her laughter resonated far away and stirred my insides, like the last note of a lancholic symphony.
Ti stopped, and the film of my life beca the moving image of immobile eternity. I saw Alessia in front of , smiling, in a beautiful ivory dress. I slid a ring on her finger in front of a full room, bathed in light.
Then, I saw her aureolated by a light glow, walking in a small forest, giving tender looks. In an instant, she was in front of with her beautiful face bathed in tears, holding a positive pregnancy test in her trembling hands.
Now, Alessia was lying down, singing a lullaby to our unborn baby while I caressed her belly. As if my entire life was recorded in a fictional film, I witnessed, stunned, its final and grandiose reproduction.
I relived my monts of joy, my sorrows, my mistakes, and the intense and magnificent monts of happiness, but also the small sweet things that filled our daily life.
Suddenly, I felt my body softly elevating, like steam escaping from boiling water. I saw my body collapsed on the ground, surrounded by a large pool of blood.
I heard a small buzz and saw circular waves forming in the air. The waves gradually gathered at a single point before instantly transforming into a blue fragnt.
The fragnt fell softly on my forehead like a lover's kiss. Soon, the fragnt slowly sank, as if subrging under water. Then, I found myself in front of an imnse tunnel whose walls undulated as if under the effect of a breeze.
I was dragged by an irresistible current, like a leaf floating in a fevered river; an intense and white light, whiter than a thousand suns, approached with benevolence.
***
Volu 2 - New Heights - End
Hey, this is the author :)
Thanks for your ti and esteem!
If you've made it this far, let take this opportunity to congratulate you. You have no idea how grateful I am for you. It's not easy to get hooked on a story, especially one like this, which is at best passable, written by a totally unknown rookie author.
I'm happy—truly happy. Writing this story has been quite a feat. It went through many revisions and rewrites. As you can see, it has many errors because English is not my native language, so I understand your frustration and dissatisfaction. Let apologize if it's not what you expected. However, I beg you not to judge too harshly. Forgive the live!
The reason for this ssage is to let you know that this story will be on pause for a month or two. I'm ashad to say this, but I'm going through a tough financial situation right now... I've created a Patreon in hopes that those who truly appreciate my work can support if they like this story and if it's in their hearts. Frankly, I didn't write this novel to make money, but now its existence depends on you.
But I'm not here to elicit pity, so if you have the opportunity, I'd love for you to leave a review for this story. It doesn't matter if it's positive or negative; you have the right to give your opinion objectively, and I'm not one to judge you. However, I would like you to advise , tell what I can improve, how you felt when you were reading it, and what your recomndations are. This story is as much yours as it is mine, so I'd love to know what you think. Thanks in advance. Have a nice day.
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