Chapter Text
Take me with you, take my life!
Take me with you to the other side!
Take me with you, take my life!
Take me with you to the other side!
Take me with you, take my life!
Take me with you to the other side!
Take me with you, take my life!
Take me with you to the other-
"Antony!" My eyes blurred for a second before realizing where I was: the car, in the passenger seat, on a highway. In the driver's seat was my mom, trying to get my attention. My face was contorted in confusion and exhaustion. Where are we?
"Wha..??" I took off my headphones to hear her better; she had her eyes on the road, but her attention was on me.
"We're almost there, had to wake you up so I wasn't the only one carrying boxes." Oh right. A yawn forced its way out of my throat, and my body stretched in the seat. "That tired, huh?"
"You have no fuckin' idea-Ow!!" Before I could even finish, I felt her iron fist hit my arm like a heavyweight boxer.
"Watch it! You're in front of a lady!" Mom scolded, but she was smiling. I couldn't stop the shit-eating grin from reaching mine.
"Well, you ain't that much of a—AH!" Now, I was getting beaten on by a 40-year-old woman who was now laughing at my suffering while keeping the car in the correct lane. "WAIT-I'M SORRY, I SURRENDER!!" I beg, laughing at my own abuse. She stops and points a finger at me with her eyes still on the road.
"You ain't finna do that now! You may be taller than me, but you went up to my shoulder once upon a time, so I have the authority!" I look at her in disbelief.
"You were getting on me like I did something wrong, you can't beat your only son!"
"And I'm your only Momma and the only one driving." I couldn't argue with that. I was 17 years old, and I didn't have my driver's license yet. Why? I don't fuckin' know, don't ask me.
After that, we didn't talk for a good hour, we were not almost there. Looking out the window made me see the nature around us. Even with this pretty sight, I couldn't stop thinking about Dad. I miss him, but I bet he doesn't miss me. I miss my friends back in California, I miss America, I miss everything.
"...Why did we have to move?" I looked at her; her lips were pressed together as if she were thinking of a response.
"I got a job offer here, and Germany was the closest to it." Of course. It was always work with her, even before the divorce. "I know you miss your friend's baby, but this is the best option for us." I could only sigh and nod.
Maybe I'll find new friends, but I barely know German from the last time I visited here at 10 years old. I'm fucked. I have no help in this. I don't even know where in Germany we're heading to.
Without a minute to spare, like it was on cue, I could see a road sign up ahead. It said 'SCHWARZES HOLZVILLE, 3 MELIEN ENTFERNT'. From what I remembered, I could understand what the first part meant: "Blackwood". I looked at mom.
"Blackwood??" Mom smiles and nods.
"Mhm,"
"Is that where we're living?"
"Yes sir, I tried looking for something as close as how we used to live in California, but it was close enough to where I work now," She took a turn onto a road, and immediately there were nothing but trees.
There were so many that looked like there was a void behind the first few rows of them, and the fact that the sun was going down made the 'void' completely black; it was actually quite peaceful. My eyes started getting heavier, sleep was dragging me back, but we were almost there, right?
It felt like an hour before we finally reached the town of Blackwood. The houses were as unique as I remembered; they looked like something out of a monster book, like the ones I read when I was younger. The nostalgia of just seeing this town was almost overwhelming; I remembered the castle, the history, and...them. Fuckin' hell, I can't think about them. I let out a dragged-out sigh, getting Mom's attention once again.
"Are you thinking about them again?" Her sweet voice caught my attention. "I miss them too; they were nice people."
"Mom, please."
"Huh?"
"I don't want to think about them right now, I already feel like shit from sitting down for too long." I felt her eyes on me, but when I looked at her, she was back on the road. Surprisingly, she didn't beat me for cussing that time.
"I know you do baby, we're almost there. But, in the meantime, maybe remembering them can make you feel better. It'll get your mind off of your dad." I only hummed, and then we took a sharp right onto a street with a lonely house at the end of it. Is that our house? Please god no, it looks so creepy-
"Finally, we're here." Well fuck me and my big ass head for thinking shit. "I thought we'd never make it before dark!" Mom parked the car in the driveway and immediately got out, so did I.
It looked ancient; it wasn't a large house, but it did have two floors, and it had what looked like an attic. It was colored a deep olive green with half-timber. The inside was as ancient as the outside, and it smelled like a dead grandma, too. I helped mom get the boxes from the trunk into the house, but it wasn't everything.
"The rest of our things will be here tomorrow, we'll have a full day then," Mom explained while struggling to carry a mountain of boxes into the kitchen. Usually, I would've helped the poor woman, but I had my own tasks to figure out, so I just fucked off to look at our new home.
From what I saw on the bottom floor, we had an enormous living room. It could make an extra-large couch look medium. The kitchen, from what I could get at, was pretty basic; the tiles had good detail, though. Other than one bathroom and a long hallway that leads to the stairs and backyard, that was it.
The upstairs was more interesting. The stairs led to an open floor with two enclosed rooms side by side, which I thought were gonna be our rooms. But apparently, the room on the left was actually a study that can barely fit a twin bed. Which concerned me because-y'know-we both need rooms?
"Mom!" I yelled from the top floor, but there was no response. God damn it.
"MOM!!"
"What?!" Mom yelled back.
"The upstairs only has one bedroom!" As I was saying that, I couldn't help but notice an old bookshelf on the opposite side of the rooms up against a protruding wall. It stuck out like a sore thumb. How did I not see that?
"Really? Hold on, I'll be up there." With that, I walk over to the bookshelf to investigate. It was towering, had no books in it, and didn't look bolted to the wall. When I took a good look at it from the back, there was a door.
"Tony, what are you doing?"
"There's a door here."
...
"What?"