Walking back home in the empty streets of his peaceful neighborhood at this very early hour is oddly relieving for Carter. The weather is just right; the temperature is perfect, and most importantly, he enjoys this silence. Everything feels so quiet and peaceful that it's making him feel tired for some odd reason.
With hands inside his pockets, he was so focused on the road ahead that he didn't care about anything less than home, something important to him, although he took notice of everyone around him except himself while some passing vehicles came and went.
It's not uncommon for people to go to work during this time of the day; it's fairly normal and pretty common for some people to prefer early shifts as opposed to later schedules. Besides, it's not like there's anything wrong with it, and no one really has a right to judge them for their choices in careers.
Just as he thinks everything is ordinary and peaceful, in the not-so-far distance ahead of him is a young man with a black jacket and pants, sitting on a wooden bench at the bus stop, patiently waiting for the ride to arrive. Carter paid no mind to the person, having no intention to socialize with others.
As he approached him, intending to simply pass through, the stranger quickly turned his intention to him. "Hey, if you are intending to rob me, better give up right now; I have nothing worth stealing other than myself," the strange young man blurted out.
"Excuse me?" Carter furrowed his brows in annoyance. "I wasn't going to; I'm simply passing through to head back home," he tried to explain, but the strange person kept his glare on him as if he were suspicious of something.
"Yeah right, I've seen people like you before; just stay back if you know what's good for you," he warned, despite knowing it was no threat, "but if what you say is true, then do you mind sitting with me? The young man suddenly asked politely and unexpectedly.
"Uhh...sure?" Carter agreed awkwardly, not seeing a reason to decline, even though he intended to walk by him as perhaps this would be an interesting conversation to have. "Might you give me a reason why? Sitting down next to him, he wondered why the person wanted his company.
Shrugging his shoulders, "I'm just bored, is all, wanted some company for a bit. I've been sitting here for 10 minutes already and was hoping anyone would come by so we could chat for awhile. Guess my wish is granted," the stranger chuckled before introducing himself. "Names Sato, you?"
Nodding his head, Carter decided to introduce himself as well. "Randolph Carter, pleased to meet you," he said, greeted with a handshake, only for the strange young man named Sato to quickly retreat from his hand after grabbing his. "Wait a minute, you're that famous billionaire!" His exhausted eyes widened at Carter like he had seen a ghost.
"I'm surprised you didn't recognize me right away," he said sarcastically while putting his hands back into his pockets, "sorry to disappoint if you are expecting me to throw you my money right away, but that just won't happen anytime soon. However, I'll be more than willing to donate them for good causes," chuckling at the person's disappointed reaction.
Waving dismissively at the well-known billionaire, "Oh no, it's nothing like that, but that certainly would be nice of you," Sato responded as he sighed tiredly, "sorry for accusing you of such a thing; it's just that ever since I fell downstairs. My perception became fucked up," he scratched his forehead with his index finger before continuing, "things began to look messed up, objects started to morph, some people and faces became grotesque, and colors would become distorted," he stated as the former psychologist listened intently.
"It's like the entire world became a living nightmare; the world around me is hellish and gruesome. Almost all humans aren't humans no more, not to mention they became freaks and abominations that haunt my life," he said, grimacing with horror and disgust at the image. "I barely sleep and even eat well, but just seeing someone like you gives me hope in this life of mine."
Raising an eyebrow, Carter became curious about this statement in regards to himself: "What do you see me as?" He questioned the other individual, wondering what he meant by that, intending to understand more about this messed-up perception.
"Normal."
Was the answer that Sato gave him as Carter blinked at him confusingly, not understanding what the person meant by that. It took awhile before the former psychologist finally understood the concept that the person was describing to him, and then, after a few seconds, his eyes widen with realization.
"What do I look like?" He asked him in a calm manner, despite the circumstances.
Sato tilted his head in confusion. "Like a human, of course, you aren't monstrous like the rest of these guys out there," he answered bluntly with no hesitation nor fear; only a smile formed on his lips at the thought. "Seeing someone human for once is a refreshing sight to see, and having this conversation with a person who doesn't look like monster is much better than anything else out there," praising the billionaire genuinely.
"Hm..." Leaning back, Carter placed fingers on his own chin, scratching it in contemplative matter. "Have you tried heading to therapy for this or seeking professional help to resolve this problem of yours?" He suggested that it might be worth trying to fix this issue of his.
A single chuckle escaped him: "Of course I have; wouldn't you think that was the first thing I did?" Sato sneered, glaring at the road in front of him with much anger. "My life is completely ruined because of that incident, not to mention that I prefer having those doctors end me instead of dealing with living like this. Even many of my friends and therapists believe life is worth living," grunting in displeasure, "the irony in that, isn't it? Of course those bastards don't have a clue what it's like to have one's brain screwed up," he mutters bitterly with scoff.
A wave of sympathy washed upon Carter, who, understanding the other person's point of view, said, "That's rough." He simply said, while not being able to relate to the other's struggle, "Listen, I may not be the best person to give advice here, but in this case, the only one who has control of their life is themselves; in other words, take matters into your own hands and fight back; whatever it is, don't let it break you."
"Is that really the best you can give to a dying person?" Sato smirked mockingly while closing his eyes, not bothered by what he heard: "Not much of a wordsmith, are you?" He retorted back in sarcasm, "If only it was that easy, then I would've done that by now," snorting at the comment.
Furrowed his brows in displeasure. "Maybe so, but in the end, you are the only person who has control over your life, and if you want to fix that brain of yours, you gotta keep moving forward and never stop no matter what happens. Your life isn't over until you decide it is," Carter explained in a deeper perspective of this subject, trying to bring sense back to the other individual's mind.
"You do have a point," admitted the young man in black clothing before letting out a weak laugh. "Man, life can be cruel sometimes, isn't that right?" Carter simply nodded in agreement to the rhetorical question, "And what if I want to die instead after all options are lost? Asking the obvious question, "What would you do if every choice was taken from you?"
"Then you kill yourself."
The answer caught Sato off guard from being blunt, staring at the billionaire like he has grown two heads," Is that what you really think?" He murmured with a conflicted expression, being unsure about that, "because if it is, then I may reconsider and go through with that option after all." He weakly chuckled at the thought.
"That is not what I meant," Carter corrected himself as he averted his gaze to the sky. "Yes, suicide can be an easy way out, but it is not the solution. You've got to remember that even in your darkest hour, there is still hope; not everyone can see it, though. Only at last resort, if there is truly nothing left, would you consider ending your own life?" Explaining his opinion to him, "you should not give up yet; you still have chances to turn things around and get better," smiling reassuringly.
Sighing deeply again, I thought, "What a strange way to phrase that; you made it sound like suicide is not such a bad option to choose. But yeah, thanks; I'll try to keep that in mind," he said, thanking him sincerely for the advice while keeping his opinion in mind at all times.
Carter shrugged, not caring about the details. "Just telling what I think," he said honestly with a blank expression. "Just remember, the world isn't a hopeless place. We are capable of achieving great things, both good and bad; it just depends on who wants to reach those goals, not to mention that all of us are imperfect in our own way."
"Besides, there are things in life worth fighting for. So whatever you do in the end, you can either be strong and accept your fate or be cowardly and deny it. It's entirely up to you in the end, and no one can choose your path except yourself," he said, ending his sentence, allowing Sato to think about what he said while waiting for the bus to come by.
Only a long silence occurred between them; nothing more than that was exchanged as both young men patiently waited for the vehicle to arrive. Then suddenly, as Carter looked at him, he could see tears pouring out of his eyes. Confusion took over him as he stared at the person, wondering the cause of his reaction, though he realized that the boy next to him was silently weeping to himself.
"You...okay?" He hesitantly asked him, feeling sorry for him in a way, knowing he just has to endure this curse and there's nothing he can do to fix him: "This may be hard for you to hear, but I promise you, you're not alone, and as long as you're still alive, there is a reason to keep on living. Maybe not now or tomorrow, but one day you'll realize and see it," he gently assured him as the young man patted the boy on his back.
Sato sniffed as he rubbed his eyes, wiping all the tears off of his face. "Yeah, I guess so. Sorry for being a bother here," he apologized in embarrassment, not liking being vulnerable like this in front of someone he just met. "Sometimes I just forget, no matter how much it sucks, life goes on, and I can't just abandon it no matter how much I hate it."
"Understandable, but it's a part of being human," Carter said with a soft voice, comforting the individual as much as he could. "It's not fun or all good; we all experience loss and grief. Sometimes, we lose ourselves in the process of becoming lost to the world as life itself, but that's why we make the most of it and carry on in living, or else life has no meaning and we're no different than mindless puppets dancing for their masters," he informed as he closed his eyes, looking away.
Suddenly, a bus with white wheels finally came to their location as the engine was shut off by the driver, who parked in front of the bench, showing itself as the door was opened widely for passengers to come in and out of the vehicle. A signal bell was pushed by the driver and pulled back again, alerting passengers to enter the bus and take their seats.
"Guess it's your bus," standing up from the bench, Carter glanced at the vehicle, then to Sato, who looked at him as well, "I suppose I'll be seeing you around then? He offered with a small smile, looking towards him to see if he had anywhere else to go or do.
"Just having someone to speak with is enough for me. The brown-haired boy smiled back in return while standing up on his own. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but is there any chance we will meet again at this bus stop? I'd like to speak with you again in the future," he said, kindly requesting the other individual.
Blinking his eyes for a moment, Carter thought about it and shrugged, "Perhaps, maybe, who knows?" Answering with uncertainty, though he highly doubts he will see him again due to his busy schedule, "Just take care of yourself, kid; you know what they say, when life throws you lemons, you make lemonade," he reminded him with a slight smirk, hoping his advice would do him good.
"Gotcha, I will," Sato agreed to it while walking to the bus, waving the back of his hand at him, "hopefully I get that thing fixed. See you, Cart! He said as he entered, not even daring to look behind Carter's bewildered name.
"Cart?" Whispering to himself, he was about to call out for him, only for the annoyed bus driver to honk his horn while looking at him with an unamused stare, impatience visible within his features from seeing the customer standing outside.
"You coming in or what? The bus driver angrily exclaimed while shouting loudly to alert his presence, causing Carter to roll his eyes before responding with a simple no at the man, in which the driver simply raised his middle finger at him in return.
"Asshole," mumbling to himself quietly, Carter watched the bus drive off before it disappeared into a corner, leaving him alone. The billionaire continued to stare at the road ahead of him, reminiscing about something he had forgotten.
"Oh, right; home, I forgot about that," he muttered to himself while walking ahead to head back, having completely forgotten about going home earlier, though he didn't mind his trip being prolonged for a bit; after all, it's not like something catastrophic happens every day.
