english,
Literary: Oryu Fulta
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Wouldn't you say the same of fear?
I was relaxing on my couch after a long day of work, idly paying attention to what was on the nightly news.
The reporter, prim and proper onscreen, started to deliver the headline news. Something about a burglar named Oryu Fulta on the loose. He was a dangerous man, stealing from his victims with terrifying, almost inhuman-like precision. The latest victim had been a mailman on duty just the other night and with the careless actions of the impulsive burglar, the police were already hot on his trail.
Looking at the information on his whereabouts, I noticed they stated he was in the vicinity. I sighed heavily. Looks like I'd have to install more locks on my doors and windows, anywhere where it looked like the guy could get in. The police were already onto the killer, so I shouldn't have to be too worried for long.
If it wasn't obvious enough, my biggest fault was my intensive paranoia, a fear that, as shallow as it was, my precious material belongings-- which were the only objects that kept me company in this lonely world--would be snatched away from me in an instant. The not so great outdoors had plenty of that to offer. So in the end, the ultimate solution I came up with was to lock myself in my room, only going out when absolutely necessary. It would be a year tomorrow since I'd started this lifestyle, and to be frank I was enjoying it very much. Luckily my work as a programmer only required me to be on the internet as much as possible, which wasn't hard for me to do at all. And friends you ask? Not a single one.
So you see, the cat burglar situation was a dire one.
All the while I'd been thinking, the robber’s name stayed fresh in my mind. Oryu Fulta...a very uncommon name for people around these parts. In my head, however, the name had a familiarity that I couldn't place.
I was shaken from my thoughts by the sound of muffled shuffling from upstairs. A rat? No, it couldn't be. With the amount of cleaning I did daily you could practically eat from the floor. The shuffling started to grow louder.
I started to panic, my fight or flight instincts kicking in. Immediately I ran to check my locks, barricading the doors and blocking the windows for extra protection. There's no way that man was getting in. I was completely locked in my own house, unable to get out nor anyone unable to get in.
Despite my actions, the shuffling did not cease. Instead, it began to get louder. It was coming from my upstairs bedroom. Shaking in fear, some strange urge pulled me to the sound, as much as I knew it was probably the least safe route I could take, it was the one that would give me the most reassurance.
All the while, facts from the report echoed in my head.
Mailman...in the vicinity... terrifying, almost inhuman precision... Oryu Fulta.
I approached the room one step at a time, cautiously bracing myself for the worst. My heart was racing in my chest, every footstep feeling like my last. Mentally preparing myself by the door, I quickly flung the door open.
Silence.
I huffed in pure relief. I'd been working myself up for nothing, my paranoia would be the death of me. Chuckling at my stupidity, I turned to leave the room.
And then that's when I saw the watch on the floor.
It was the same, expensive one I’d seen the last night I had my mail delivered to me.
I knelt down on one knee, catching a glimpse of under the bed, seeing a locked wooden chest. I quickly grabbed my heavy keyholder, desperately trying each key until finally, one of them clicked. A small, worn out key I’d never used before until now.
My entire body suddenly felt like jelly. No. That was absolutely impossible. It couldn't be.
Oryu Fulta...Oryu Fulta...Your fault.
I stared blankly ahead as I heard the police sirens start to ring throughout the deadly silence, and I knew I'd be unable to escape, resigning myself to my fate.
0 comments: