The Deletion- 16th Hour

We were thrown out from the hole.

I took a few minutes to catch my breath.

'Instantaneous Transportation and Untraceable' Sarah said, helping me get up to my feet.

'Where are we?', I motioned, unable to speak

Sarah smiled.

'You're lucky that you didn't die in there'

I looked at her.

'Don't look so shocked. Travelling through black holes take time, even though it seems instantaneous to us. I guess around 3 minutes are lost'

'3 minutes?' I guestured.

'Yes. Not a lot of time, but enough to knock out a person'

'You guys really need to carry around oxygen cylinders', I said, finally regaining my breath.

'We already do.', she said, taking out a small bubble of clear liquid.

'We use these in cases of emergencies only. And we always have one around. Just in case.'

'What is it?'

'It's a sort of liquid. Not sure about the exact specifications. We have to put it in a special device in front of our nose and breath normally. Lasts for hours.'

'Well that sure is convenient.'

'It also gives you terrible headaches. So, not a perfect science.'

'Oh. That's sad.'

'Well, now to the important part. Why were you chosen?'

'I have my doubts.'

'Okay...'

'I think this is revenge to the man who killed his brother.'

'But why you?'

'What if I am related to the man?'

'But Michaels brother was killed so long ago!'

'Yes, but what if I am the last living descendant or something like that?'

'Makes sense.'

'I think we should meet the chief.'

'That too, makes sense. I'll call it in.'

She took out a device and spoke something into it.

'We can leave in five minutes'

Suddenly, a portal opened up in front of us.

Michael walked out of it.

Sarah took a gun she had and shot it at Michael.

He fell down, paralyzed.

I looked at her.

'You had this the whole time?'

'Only usable for Emergencies. Team Rule.'

We saw as another portal opened a bit farther away.

'Run, Kid. Run!' Sarah screamed, as another foot stepped out of the portal.

It was Guy.

'Come with me!' I screamed

'Run!', she screamed, firing a shot at Guy.

He seemed to not mind it, walking forward.

As I ran towards the new portal, I felt a wave of air breezing against me.

I saw a black hole open up and Sarah pushing guy into it.

'Bye Kid! Be safe!'she said, as she pushed Michael into the hole and jumped into it.

I ran into the portal, walking out at the other end. The tears flew freely, falling into the portal.

I slumped onto the floor, as I felt someone catch me.

'There, there', a strong male voice said.

'You're safe now', a reassuring female voice said

'Where's Sarah?' a third voice asked, worry tinging their voice.

I sat on the ground, the floor taking my tears.

The Deletion - 17th Hour

I did not expect that.

'Who killed him?'

'His friend. A man he trusted like a brother.'

'And for what did he kill him?'

'Fame. Glory. Power. He knew. Somehow, he knew.'

'He knew? He knew what?'

'That's enough for now.', Michael said, getting up.
I saw him wiping away his tears.

Michael motioned at the guy.

He came and caught me like I weighed nothing.
He carried me over to my room.

And there I sat, in my bed, like the prisoner I was.

The book had disappeared. It seemed that Michael was playing some sort of game with me.

I lay down. And slowly, everything faded and ceased to matter.

A loud sound woke me up.

Someone was hitting against the door.

I sat up. I looked around to find some sort of weapon. There were none.

As I stared, the door crashed and fell on the pristine floors.

It was Sarah.

I felt happy seeing her.

'Come here you idiot!' she screamed.

I got off the bed and ran fast outside.

'Come! Quick!', she continued screaming

Only when I came out did I see why she had been screaming.

The floor had started turning into liquid.
The door had started to regrow.

I looked around. Vin was still in his cage. He looked at me pleadingly.
I could hear rumbles coming from far. Michael was sure to find out I had escaped. The guy would come now.

She took my hand and said,'Hold your breath.'

Before I could, she pressed a button and we were sucked into a black hole.

The Deletion- 18th Hour

'Michael!'

He turned around.

'Answer me!'

'Answer what?'

'This Jack. Was he your brother?'

'Come with me.'

Michael walked ahead of me.

He opened a door and walked in.

I wasn't sure if I should walk in. He didn't exactly have the best track record.

Well I'm dead anyways. Might as well walk in.

I pushed open the door and was greeted with a beautifully set out coffee shop.

There was a guy at the counter, preparing coffee.

Michael was sitting at a corner table, looking out of a window.

I went and sat next to him.
He did not look at me.

I looked outside. There seemed to be children playing in a garden.

'Where are we?', I asked.

Michael smiled again.

'Where are we?', I repeated.

'Shhh... Keep quiet.'

'Where are we?'

'You're watching my dream. Through the eyes of a monitoring system. This place, as I told before, is in my tertiary space.'

'Why am I here?'

'You don't know how important you are.'

'Answer me. Why am I here?'

'I am answering you, Kid. I am.'

I didn't say anything.

The guy bought us coffee. Michael showed him V. He went back and bought us cake.

'Eat up. It's my favorite.'

I looked down. It was cheesecake.

I was about to move away the cake from me, when my stomach rumbled.

I just realized that I hadn't eaten anything in a while.

'Eat the cake Kid. You deserve it.'

I looked at Michael.

'Do you think I can get a sandwich here?'

Michael laughed.

'Ofcourse! Grilled Chicken good enough for you?'

I nodded.

Michael motioned something to the guy. He went into a room behind. Hopefully to prepare my sandwich.

I tucked into my cake in silence. Michael rarely made any sound while he ate. Nor did he speak.
I tried to speak to him. He said, after we finish eating.

So I kept quiet.

My sandwich came. I ate. It was realllly good. I hadn't realized how hungry I was.

Michael was watching me the entire time.

When he saw that I was done, he motioned to the guy to come and clear the plates.

He came, cleared the plates and brought out two beautiful glasses.
He filled it with water and shuffled back.

'What's this?'

'Water. That's it.'

I took a sip. It was indeed water.

Micheal took a sip from his glass. He was still staring outside. Now, it had a family sitting at a dinner table.

They looked happy.

'Michael?'

'Hmm? Yes?'

'Is that your family?'

Michael did not say anything.

'Micheal?'

He looked at me.

'Yes. And No. That is my family. Or that is what my family could have been.'

'Jack?'

'Yes. Jack, his wife and children. Me, My sister, my family. So happy.'

'What Happened?'

'You read what happened.'

'No. I did not.'

'He was murdered.'

The Deletion- 19th Hour

The words seemed to keep on appearing on the pages.

I ran to wash my hand in the sink, making sure that no glass particles were stuck in there.

Wrapping my hand in the bed sheet, I started reading.

This was the Diary of a man named Jack.

As the days passed in his life, he made a new entry into the book.

He wrote about his family. His father, John. His Mother, Katherine. His Sister, Mary and his Brother, Michael.

Michael? Could it be...

Jack never stopped writing, even as he fell sick from a poisoning. He went about seeing friends, once he got well. He talked about his Friend, Thomas. He talked about his lover, Jane. He talked about his town, his home, his work.

He never stopped writing, writing about the grisly murders that happened in the town he was staying in.

He wrote about what he found about the victims, people he knew, people he had seen the very day before.

And on 11th November, he stopped writing.

A voice behind me startled me.

'Ah. I see you found a way to open the diary.'

Michael was standing behind me, watching me read the book.

'There are other ways?'

'Plenty of ways.', Michael said, looking at my hand. He was smiling.

Michael came close to me. He took my hand, removed the sheet and wiped the blood. There were no marks of my hand being cut.

I had more pressing things to ask than healing hands.

'Whose book is this?'

'I am sure that you would have guessed by now.'

'Your brother...?'

Michael smiled.

He gestured at me to walk behind him.

I got up, following him. I took the diary along with me.

As I left the room, I saw Vin in a jail of sorts, chained to the floor.

Sarah was nowhere to be seen.

I walked forward, following Michael as he walked with a purpose in mind.