Fiction On Odyssey: Errol Is Dead - The Courthouse | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Sports

Fiction On Odyssey: Errol Is Dead - The Courthouse

Part 3 of a 5 part post-apocalyptic mystery series where Errol is dead and it is cold outside.

25
Courthouse

This is part 3 of a 5 part short story series. While they may be read in any order, you can read part one here and part two here.

Errol is dead. And it is cold outside.

It's been getting cold over the last few days. I wanted to go out and look for more supplies, but night was now falling. The days were growing shorter and it frustrated me. When I had something to do, I could distract myself from Errol. If I wasn't working, I was left completely alone with my thoughts and I couldn't bear it. I could endure the rain, the cold, the hunger, the loneliness, but I could not endure my own creation.

I went to the nearest building when it began to get too dark to continue scavenging. It was too risky to go poking around in old apartments when I couldn't see any structural damage to the building or hidden traps set by people that were long dead. Not only that, but the cold would kill me faster than most other things and I wasn't interested in dying today.

As I approached the building, my hands balled into fists. I wanted to run. I did not want to sit still. There was nothing here that could hurt me. I knew that, but I did not feel it. Still, there was some excitement that came with the false sense of fear. The boredom was as bad as the loneliness. Nothing was ever different. There was no danger lurking around a corner, no dark figure behind me that I must be watchful of. There was nothing.

The tall columns and lifeless eyes told me I should run, that this was a terrible place. A place for the condemned and the guilty. It had been, once. There used to be a strict code that everyone followed. If you didn't follow the rules, you would go somewhere terrible. You might even die.

That code had eroded. Humanity and beasts were left to their own ends, indistinguishable from each other. Maybe the code didn't matter. Goodness did not save my generation. Nothing saved my generation. Luck saved me. Nothing saved Errol.

I entered and tried to fight off those thoughts, those terrible thoughts of the last time I had seen him. I was not guilty. It was not my fault. The statues screamed that it was, that it was all my fault, that I could've saved him, that if I was just good enough maybe he could come back, or maybe he wouldn't have died at all.

Could I bargain with the universe? Was this a negotiation? Was there a group of people I could appeal to, that would allow me to plead my case as to why Errol should live and why I- I should what? Die? No. That couldn't be the only solution. I could be a better person, I could pledge my life to whoever or whatever wanted it, so long as Errol returned. Of course, there were no negotiations. There was no deal I could make.

The universe was my judge. Had I been forgiven or was this my punishment? A punishment without Errol. A punishment where I don't know the truth. A punishment where my thoughts don't stop, where my mind won't sleep, where my eyes will not close-

I should sleep. It was always bad at night. Without Errol to comfort me, everything was bad. Maybe I'd take care of another. I'd find a new Errol. The universe might not be convinced to give me back my Errol but maybe I could still have one. I could not exist without an Errol.

I laid down on some chairs. This place is the most untouched building I've seen in months. Maybe it warded off others with its lifeless eyes and cold walls. I told myself I was too used to death to fear it. I stared at the ceiling, avoiding the statues. I did not sleep.

Errol is dead. But I could find another one.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
one tree hill
Wikipedia Commons

If you need a new series to watch, I recommend One Tree Hill. I watched this series three times now and it only keeps getting better. If you need any more reasons beside the fact that all of the seasons are on Netflix for your binge-watching pleasure, here are seven more reasons to watch it.

Keep Reading...Show less
University of Mount Olive
University of Mount Olive

College is the most exciting time of a person's life. It really is. Exciting is not always a positive feeling though. Excited is a feeling that can be associated with nervousness, anxiety and more. Here are some real tips for college freshman that go beyond the typical, "Go to class," lecture.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

The 5 Pros and Cons Of Long Distance Friendships

Being friends with someone thousands of miles away has its drawbacks and perks.

988
friends on the beach

True friendship is incredibly rare, and to find a friend that will be there for you through all of life's curveballs is something quite unique. To add distance into the equation, maintaining a real, true friendship can be a struggle. There are good and bad parts that come with long distance friendship.

Keep Reading...Show less
high school girls
Tori Horne

Friendship. It's defined as the state of being attached to another person by feelings of affection or personal regard, but what really is friendship? Is it that occasional hallway talk with that one person who always manages to cheer you up? Is it that relationship you have with someone where they can be gone for a long period of time, but when they come back, it's like they never left? Is it spending every waking hour with someone, and knowing every detail about their life? Is it the relationship that's filled with fighting, but filled with even more resolution? I've learned that it's all of these things, and every friendship is different. It's a beautifully dysfunctional mess that should always be cherished and never be taken for granted.

Keep Reading...Show less
cousins
Bailey Totten

I've known you your entire life. More than likely I held you in the first three days of it and at least one of us cried. Cousins are truly one of the best things in the world and while sometimes I complain about how many people crowd Grandma's living room on Christmas Eve, I wouldn't trade you all anything.

You are my best friends, the only people who can understand what it's like on Thanksgiving, and you are the spunkiest people I have ever met. But you as so so young, most of you are just now starting your adventures in the public education system. I mean, I'm so very young too. I'm not married, I don't have children, heck, I just started my adult life, but I do want to give you what little advice I have. My dears, these are the things I want you to know.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments