I Promise, Part 3

Love isn't always what it seems

“What is it?” I asked.

“If the door is open, there’s usually a light on really bright. The only time it’s not is when Jérôme is locked up in his room shooting up while the others are out making money for him. But that usually doesn’t happen until a few hours from now. Something isn’t right with his picture. Stay close to me, got it?”

“Got it,” I said, obviously scared. I think Harlan was scared, too. We walked up to the door quietly. Harlan poked his head in quickly to try to see if there was anyone in there. He gulped and said, “I think I found Corbin,” he said, shocked and almost in tears.

“What’s wrong? What’s Corbin doing?”

“Nothing. He’s not doing anything. I don’t want you to see this,” he said with a tear going down his cheek.

I started to cry with him. “What’s going on?” I tried to see, but Harlan kept pushing me back.

“You don’t want to see it, you really don’t.”

“Yes I do, let me see,” I said. Harlan stopped holding me back, and I looked into the room. There laid Corbin, surrounded by syringes. He wasn’t moving, and it didn’t seem like he was breathing. “Corbin?” I said. “Corbin, please, no please, Corbin?” I asked and ran to him. By then I could feel that he wasn’t breathing and that his heart was no longer beating. I wept over his body for a good minute or two. Harlan came in and joined me.

“You know, as much as I grew to hate him, I did love him once. I suppose that feeling never goes away, does it?” he said as he cried with me.

“I guess not,” I said. A moment or so later, I noticed the raven from the table in the other room situated on a beanbag chair adjacent to Corbin. There was a note with the raven, addressed to me. I picked it up and began to read it.

 

Dear Erik,

I’m sorry. I assume that when I didn’t show up to theatre, you became worried and talked to someone. I also suspect that Harlan was the one you would talk to. He wanted you to know everything; he just didn’t want you to get hurt. I told him where you would be and for him to wait for you there. I wanted you to know everything too, which is why I let him go. I wanted you to know everything so that you would understand why I did this. I really cared about you, Erik. I didn’t want you to become another one of Jérôme’s slaves for drugs and money. But I had no choice when he came to me and threatened to kill me if I didn’t bring in someone new soon. I panicked, and you were the first one there. I really did love you, Erik. All this time, I wanted to tell you how much I loved you, but I knew that if I did, Jérôme would find out and take you in with the others. You were different from them, Erik. I didn’t want to see that happen to you. I also asked Harlan to take you back here once he told you everything. I wanted you to be the first one to see this note, and to make sure that Jérôme didn’t see it. I wanted to make sure you didn’t end up another of his slaves. This was the only way I could make sure of that. With me dead, Jérôme has no reason to keep hassling me about you, and he has no guards to keep the others from leaving. I’ve already told all the others to go, and to never come back. Jérôme will never take someone else again on my watch. With me dead, maybe he’ll move on to better things. All I know is that you’re safe from his grasp now. So please, know that I love you and I’ll meet you in whatever afterlife I end up in. I promise.

 

I couldn’t stop crying after I finished reading the note. Harlan cried as well, and we both left the home. I couldn’t get something out of my head. You were different from them, Erik. I didn’t want to see that happen to you. It’s a weird thing to know that it was because of you that someone ended their life so that you didn’t make the same mistakes they made others make.

I asked Harlan, “How do you think the others are gonna hold up on their own?”

“Dunno. Jérôme will probably try to find them.”

“Yeah, I suppose,” I said. I picked up the note, and put it in my pocket. I cried for a minute or so longer, than Harlan told me to go. I walked away and headed home.

I never was the same after that. I never did forget about Corbin, and how warm he made me feel even when we weren’t officially together. You were different from them, Erik. I didn’t want to see that happen to you. That line repeated itself in my head for years. I never did hear from Harlan again. I don’t really know what happened to him. Perhaps he got his GED and made something of himself. I hope he did. As for me, I went through my senior year and got accepted into college. College went by and my heart still wasn’t fixed; Corbin was still there in my heart and mind. I went on for a few years as a waiter and an actor when I could get a job. A few years later, I saw an audition pamphlet for a play, A Streetcar Named Desire. As I sit here now with this audition pamphlet, my pen writes this note. After seeing this pamphlet, I realized that I cannot keep Corbin in my mind. Something has to fill the void he left.

Corbin said he would meet me in whatever afterlife he would end up in. I promise, he said. I have come to realize that is the only way the void can be filled. So, with that being said, I’m coming for you Corbin. I will see you in no time. I promise.

 

~Lassen Sie fliegen der Rabe nach dem Zweig wo kann der Rabe seinen Flügel öffnen.~

Author's Note

"Lassen Sie fliegen der Rabe nach dem Zweig wo kann der Rabe seinen Flügel öffnen," translates to "Let the raven fly where it can spread its wings."

Reviews

[Silver DeHalo]

ok, I read the whole thing. wow...thats all i can say

[compositionc]

One word: intense. That was just...wow. He shot himself up?
Whoa. It goes from a sweet lil' romance story to a bloody scarier than hell human slavery to an angst suicide note.
Great plot. Great characters. Loved it.