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Hearts of Darkness

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Heart of Darkness Essay

Today was the night in which I performed a deed so wicked that no one could ever comprehend. Not after what we had gone through for all these years. Even fear overwhelmed me at the thought this horrendous act.
The nightmare commenced not long past midnight. Wandering along the desolate footpath, Alex and I headed back home after another stressful day as investment bankers. Life was tiring and difficult when dealing with millions of dollars every day. Neither of us spoke a word until we got to an intersection.
Alex revealed, “Hey! Did you hear? I was given a promotion to “associate” by the boss today.”
I didn’t reply. Instead, I could feel streams of emotions being released throughout my body. He had beaten me once again. That bastard was always one step ahead no matter what it was. Back in high school, he would always be prepared for any tests ahead, all confident and relaxed. I was there, sitting in the back row, struggling to understand the concepts being taught to the class. Despite obtaining high marks, I couldn’t stand Alex’s cockiness without throwing up on the spot. Not only that, he was also the popular and good-looking type of person. When a question was asked to the class, although my hand ages before, his “handsome” hand overthrew my presence and was swiftly selected in replace of mine.
As my mind slipped back in reality, my treacherous instincts that rarely emerged began to control the thoughts whizzing through my head. It was then when I plotted of committing the malicious act; to eliminate my eternal rival here and now.
I strongly clenched my fists into a ball, ready for combat. Pulses of blood pumped through my veins as I crept up to Alex. Suddenly, pain shattered across my body and left me frozen on the spot. My hands loosened, its strength being seeped away into the ground. I could hear faint voices wandering around my brain. I turned my eyes towards the sounds and I could see a glimpse of white light being casted ahead of me. It gradually became brighter and brighter until I could no longer endure its glare. Covering my eyes using my arms, I waited for light to subside.
When I opened my eyes, I could see myself floating mid-air inside a classroom. I attempted to move and surprisingly, my body responded perfectly. Drifting towards the back door, I could see two people chattering happily away. As I got closer, their faces appeared to more familiar than ever. I gasped. The two students were Alex and I! My cloudy memory calmly gathered together and I could somewhat remember what happened on that day. It was on October during our last year at high school. The last chapter of the specialist maths book was staring right at my face but the logic behind the mathematical concepts seemed way too bizarre. Only one person went through all the trouble answering my simple problem and it was Alex that did so.
Questions then began to flood my head. Why was Alex there along with my younger self? Why was I hovering in the air? Am I a ghost awakened from the dead? I called out to Alex but he continued his conversation without noticing anything I just said.
Then, my thoughts were immediately interrupted by another surge of brightness. Once again, the white light blinded me and eventually faded into the distance. However, this time, I found myself along the nicely trimmed grass of the school’s soccer pitch. Shouts of encouragement filled the air as I turned to witness two teams entering the field. Meanwhile, I could see the younger Alex and myself planning the right time to intercept the opposition.
The siren wailed and the match was on. Alex dribbled the ball along the sidelines, evading every obstacle around him. As he approached the goals, the soccer ball was delivered to my younger self. He dribbled, aimed and scored, all without an exchange of words. We had known each other well enough that words were not even necessary. In fact, at times it felt like we had the ability to read one another’s mind. All of a sudden, I heard an obscure voice calling out to me.
“Hey, snap out of it!”
Everything around me began to blur out. The last thing I saw was the celebration of the goal from our teamwork before blacking out.
I opened my eyes and slowly focused them, only to see Alex staring at me.
“You have been unconscious for more than twenty minutes. Are you okay?” he questioned.
I nodded my head.
“Let’s go then,” Alex said.
He stood up, facing his back towards me.
“Aha! Now he is off-guard!” I thought to myself.
I sprung up and swiftly aimed for a direct attack towards the neck. Just when I was about to land the hit, Alex spun around and seized me by the wrist.
It was as if he knew what I was thinking all along…

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