25 years ago.
The year was 1999, due to cities being easy to access and a good livelihood, The Government of France decided that every town member would live in the cities.
Andrew was a child who lived in one of these towns, he was a mere 2 years old when this decision was taken.
His father couldn't afford Andrew, so he asked his mother to leave him alone.
But his mother declined. She stayed with Andrew and the father ran to the city leaving both of them alone.
Andrew's mother couldn't afford to live in the city even though the cost was minimal, but she worked in the cities in the morning carrying Andrew with her, no matter what happened. She never left his side.
After a few years, When Andrew turned 7. His mother finally afford a good apartment and Andrew and she started to live happily.
Andrew didn't go to school as it was not something he wanted to do. He wanted to help his mother all the time as she was getting weak every passing day.
When he turned 10, he got a job at a food vendor near his street. His mother was proud of him and happy that she can now rest easy.
Andrew smiled every day with her, he had spent most of his life being with his mom. For him, she was the one person who truly mattered.
But then a tragedy occurred. When he turned 12 he returned from his work. He found his mother lying on the bed.
His mother had died. The reason was food poisoning. From that day, Andrew spent his time alone. He had lost all meaning in life, he started drinking and destroying his body every day. Just waiting for death.
But deep inside his wish wasn't death.
It was "I just want to meet Mom once more"
When he turned 19, he started driving a truck and worked for a shipment company. He had developed a strong addiction to alcohol that never went away.
One day, he was driving near an amusement park. Thinking about his mother, when suddenly... He lost control of his body.
He saw a blonde man beside him. Inside his truck, they vanished away.
Andrew floated in darkness, a darkness that was darker than any sky he had seen.
And his truck crashed with a school bus beside the amusement park.
---
Currently, Andrew wasn't floating in darkness. He was covered with it. An endless pitch that surrounded him.
His limbs were covered with chains. He screamed but only a sound of muffling came.
He was crying as he thought.
"I DON'T WANT THIS... I DONT WANT TO SUFFER ANYMORE"
Suddenly, A rift broke apart the endless darkness.
As a voice erupted, familiar. His mom's
"Andrew, Wake up."
—
At Nova Hospital, room 208.
Ben and Greg push Andrew down as Ben screams at Ken
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?"
Suddenly, Andrew's body stops moving. Ben and Greg feel the force beneath them diminishing.
Andrew stood up, gazing at Ken. Ben and Greg fall to the ground.
"Thank you."
Ken smirked as he stepped forward hugging him.
"Don't worry, I just saved you like you asked."
Andrew chuckled. As he pushes Ken back slowly.
"There is one more wish I desire... Can you fulfill it?"
"What is it?"
"I... Want you to kill me"
Ken's eyes widened
"But why?"
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Andrew sighed as he smiled gently.
"My last wish was to meet my mom, you already gave that to me. I don't have any desire to live anymore. For most of my life, living has only cost me suffering. This is the only way I can achieve peace."
"But what if you get controlled again? What will you do then?"
"I give you full authority to disassemble me."
Andrew laughs "That's actually quite funny when you think about it."
Ken chuckled softly.
"Okay, I understand."
Ken rested his hand over Andrew's chest.
"I hope you achieve a peaceful death like you wanted to."
Andrew nodded. "Ken... Be aware of Z—"
Suddenly, Andrew's body fell on the stretcher. As he pictured his mother for the last time.
He thought. "I love you, Mom"
***
Meanwhile, At a place miles away from Ken.
In Japan. A man sat on a chair, watching a hologram showing Ken's face.
Suddenly, it shut down and turned black.
The nan snickered. "Andrew died huh? Didn't think my puppets could die. I can't control him so I will now officially say 'He is dead', waste of a corpse"
He let out a sigh, it wasn't relief, it was frustration.
"I was having so much fun with him... That's why I wanted to cut more than just his fingers, I could control him so easily."
He snapped, and a woman with pink rose hair walked towards him. Her movements are jerky and unnatural. Her eyes are hollow. She carried a pack of chips in her hand handing it to the man.
The man smiled. "Thanks mom, look at you working so hard even after death."
She walked back towards a crowd behind the man. Almost 100-150 bodies stood there lifeless.
He pulled out his phone and he called someone. 'Zeke'.
"Your plan worked. Andrew died, and Ken used something I cannot figure it out. But it wasn't healing."
"Josh, you don't need to worry about that. Elsa is saying she will go there. So now you can enjoy."
"Can I get his body? To make him a puppet??"
Zeke grins.
"Yes, you can but only if Elsa even kills him"
Zeke ends the call.
"What? Elsa is going to kill him right? I am sure she is stronger than him... Wait... Is Elsa not going to kill Ken? But even if that is the case... How does Zeke know?"
Josh puts a hand in the bag of chips.
"Well fuck it, if not her I will kill him..."
His eyes glistened in excitement as he took a bite of chips.
"Strong... Puppet"
***
At Nova Hospital.
The atmosphere was calm, the only sound being heard was the pounding heartbeat of Ben and Greg.
Ken stood in front of Andrew as he muttered softly.
"I forgive you..."
He let out a soft smile as Ben and Greg stood up
"WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED?"
Greg's body sweats as grabs Ken
"What did you just do, how did this man wake up and die?"
"Nothing, I gave him peace"
He looked at Andrew as he walked up to him.
"It was a gamble really, I wasn't sure i could do it. But I tried it because there was nothing left to do."
He sits beside Andrew.
"When I saw him, his hollow eyes... His tears dropped. I also noticed how his heartbeat was still beating, somehow... He was kind of alive."
Greg's eyes narrowed on him.
"But I didn't hear anything. He was dead, so how is that possible?"
Ken nods
"Because it was very faint. I don't even know how I heard it, maybe because I was so observant and desperate to save him."
Ben steps forward.
"But what did you even do? I understand that his heartbeat might be beating but still... You did something."
Ken pointed at Greg's arm bleeding.
"Remember how I didn't die after the accident? Something did happen which I can't figure out yet... The next day, I had a scar on my arm, and it vanished the moment I blinked. At that moment I thought it was my hallucination due to paranoia but..."
Ken pointed at Greg's arm
"That cut in his arm made me rethink that day... And due to the fact that I didn't die due to an accident, I confirmed that it wasn't an accident and I had supernatural power but because it still could be a hallucination, I wasn't sure if I could even save Andrew or if there would be any drawbacks... So it was a gamble"
Ben and Greg look at each other.
"Okay, that went way over my head. Summarise."
Ken sighed, as he let out a soft chuckle.
"Cut, Scar, Heal, supernatural, Andrew"
Ben raised his thumbs.
"Okay got it."
Greg stepped forward, his breath shaking. For a moment, he forgot about his cut.
"Okay I believe it, because your recovery wasn't biologically possible, I can assume that it was supernatural... But how did you save Andrew? He wasn't injured so you can technically 'heal' him."
"I don't know."
Greg's eyes snapped.
"The fuck you mean 'I don't know'?"
Ken stares at him blankly.
"As I said, I don't really know, I was just thinking if I have supernatural power. I can probably run a miracle."
"..."
The room was silenced, and everyone stayed quiet.
A voice erupted from outside.
"Buy 1 get 1 free folks, cakes for your wife, lover or even your mom, If you are a female then go to my girlfriend's shop, she doesn't allow me to sell to female customers."
Suddenly, the room combusted into laughter.
Maybe it was the shopkeeper's joke. Maybe it was Ken's deadpan explanation.
But one thing was clear. They were relieved.
***
A few minutes passed.
Andrew's body was covered by a white blanket, Greg didn't pursue for further answers as he realized that either Ken didn't know or couldn't answer.
Ken and Ben stepped outside the room as Greg followed them.
Ken looks at Greg, his voice gentle.
"I am sorry for your arm but I really don't want you to explain the Andrew situation to everyone. Can you make a different excuse?"
"I understand, if this gets revealed to the outside world then it will become a problem. I will take care of the CCTV footage and make an excuse about a dog biting my hand or maybe a patient who was mentally ill bit it"
Ken smiled gently. "I am thankful, you want me to help you somehow?"
Greg looked at Ken, his eyes pleading. "Ah yes, heal me if you can."
"I did try to... You know when I pointed at you, I don't think it works on others."
Greg sighed. "What a fucking drag. Whatever, I am just really glad... Now I know that the choice I made that day, was to not let the media or government know about you... Was a correct choice."
Greg extended his left arm.
"I hope we meet again."
Ken shakes his hand.
"I don't. Unless it's for research."
Ken and Greg stood there blankly.
Ben pulled Ken away.
"Bye, doctor."
Ben whispers to Ken. "You made it awkward."
Ken stares at Ben confused "What?"
They reach outside the hospital.
"Forget it, Let's go."
Ken shakes his head.
"No, I will walk to Jack's school for now... I need to get my car too, and I want some fresh air."
Ben sighs. "Well then, inform me when the next supernatural arrives... Detective Ben will be ready. Specialized in crime cases."
Ken laughs "I sure will."
Ben gets to his car as he drives away right.
Ken walks left as he looks at the cake shop.
"I should get some cake for Sophia... She really helped me today."
As he walked towards the cake shop.
He wondered...
"What was that voice?"
---
Approximately 30 mins ago...
Ken was trying to hold down Andrew, as he gazed towards Greg's arm bleeding.
The cut reminded him of his own scar vanishing.
Suddenly, as he blinked. He found himself not in the real world. He was somewhere else.
He looked at the surroundings. A serene atmosphere, the sky gradient blue. He sat on top of a mountain filled with grass blades that stretched out for what seemed like an eternity.
Behind him a tree where he rested his back. Suddenly, a voice echoed in the sky.
"Ken, you can save him"
"What are you? Where am I? I was at the hospital just now—"
The voice was calm and serene like the surroundings.
"This is no time for questions... but still because you are curious... I am the reason you healed."
"You mean the scar?"
"I mean the accident and scar both but yes."
Ken's eyes narrowed.
"Are you some kind of God then?"
"That's a pretty overstatement if this passage of realm didn't exist outside of the real world. I wouldn't be this sincere in answering your questions. I am not god, I am something but I don't think you are ready to hear who I am yet."
"So why am I here? Can't you answer that?"
"So that you can save him. You can do it, there is only one way to do so. You have supernatural abilities. You can manipulate his blood flow and make it explode, and if you do it correctly... He will be conscious."
"But isn't he dead?"
"No, he isn't dead... There is a bit of heartbeat in him suggesting he is being controlled at best. Just gamble it. If it doesn't work... Well, you always wanted to die now you have a reason."
Ken didn't understand what was the reason he heard that voice, he didn't understand what was it saying and what it meant.
But he wanted to do one thing... Saving Andrew, so he did.
"Okay, I will gamble, will I ever see you again?"
"Not really, I wasn't supposed to interact with you yet... But because I can choose when to, I did it right now. Because you needed it."
Suddenly the realm began to collapse
"That's what we get braking system. Until we never meet again Ken."
---
Currently, Ken walks towards Jack's school.
Holding a bag in his hand, filled with rose velvet and a dark chocolate cake.
"Was that voice, the organization? But no... It couldn't be, why would they help me?"
Suddenly, his phone rang. 'Sophia'.
"Hey, is everything okay?"
Ken smiled gently
"Yes... Yes, it is."
Sophia sighed.
"I am so glad. I want you to explain everything when you get home."
"Of course"
He hung up the call.
"No matter what that voice was... I got help. That is the most I could ask for at the moment. I can't tell the blood thing to others, I don't know how it even works. I will tell them when I am sure."
"And She helped the most, That's why I love her."
He gazes upwards, the sun shines over him as if welcoming him.
"The Sun feels much warmer today."
