A Series of Unfortunate Events Part: 33

[Two stories up above Sergeant Reaver watches as Render is incapacitated at Daniel’s feet. The sound of the impact and the crackle of electricity slightly echo towards him. Satisfied, he heads down to retrieve his latest guinea pig.]

2008

The sound of an alarm clock breaks through the silence of the room. Jason rolls over in the bed from his side onto his back and lays his hand on top of the source of the noise depressing the button to turn off the alarm. The early morning sunlight is piercing through the gaps in the bedroom window blinds. As Jason settles his face rolls into direct alignment for of the streams of light to land on one of his eyelids. There's no use fighting it. It's time to get out of bed.

He rolls over in the sheets to lay eyes upon Monica. A small smile falls upon his lips as he gazes at her sleeping face. A few strands of her hair drape across the smooth olive skin of her face and are lightly being teased with each breath she takes in slumber. Jason lays a soft kiss on her forehead before quietly sliding from under the covers and out of bed.

It's about 7:45 am on a rather cold October morning. The hardwood floors of their apartment feel icy under Jason's feet as he sleepily makes his way to the bathroom. Trying to make the least contact with the cold floor as possible as he stands, Jason scratches his head and yawns standing before the toilet preparing to relieve himself. His fingertips brush across the scar on the top portion of the back of his head. A sudden flash recollecting on the crash occurs in his mind as his fingertips navigate the uneven surface of his skull. Jason is constantly plagued with these brief but startling flashbacks of what happened that day.

Jason flushes the toilet and begins to wash his hands. He stares bleakly into the mirror as the cold but slowly warming water is pouring across his hands. He notices his right eye is beginning to twitch. It is the tell of an impending massive migraine headache. Yet another painful side effect of the accident. He closes his eyes and clenches onto the edge of the sink bowl bracing himself for the headache. The pain seems to slowly creep from the base of his skull and move towards his forehead where it seemingly explodes with ripples of pain radiating outward within his skull. Jason opens his eyes to find something in the room to focus on to drive his mind away from the pain. He fixates on the rusty steel chain attached to the stopper for the sink, trying to pilot his mind into thinking about the length of the chain, the shape of the loops, the color of the rust, and the steel the chain is
made from. As the thought of steel passes through his mind, Jason can feel his grip slowly making indentations in the sink. The pain in his head surges higher and the porcelain sink bowl explodes under the force of the grip of his hands. Shocked, Jason stares down in disbelief at what just happened. The water is pouring out of the remaining portion of the sink bowl and spilling onto his feet and broken debris. Noticing this, Jason quickly grabs the lever to the faucet and turns the water off sheering off the lever as he reaches the closed position of the valve. He is in complete awe as he slowly raises his left hand to more closely examine the broken handle in his hand. As he stares at the handle in his periphery he can capture the reflection of Monica in the mirror standing in the doorway behind him. Her hands are covering her mouth as though she were attempting to muffle a scream. Jason slowly turns around to her stammering.

“I – I- Don’t know what this is…”

Monica slowly lowers her hands and tears start to well in her eyes.
“Oh my god. Your skin…”

Jason stares down at his hand with the faucet handle still in it. Starring for a moment at the jagged edges of the handle where it was torn from the rest of the faucet, then noticing the inside of his hand. His skin, while still maintaining its natural color has taken on an eerie metallic sheen. He slowly closes his hand around the handle and begins to crush it with ease. Suddenly the pain begins to subside. As it retreats back towards the base of his skull, the metallic sheen fades away to reveal the normal texture of his skin and the pain of the remaining jagged edges piercing into his hand began to grow. A small stream of blood begins to flow from his closed fist causing a light “pit pat” on the floor in the near dead silence of the situation.. He looks up at Monica’s fear stricken face and into her tear filled eyes almost as if silently begging for help moments before he collapses onto the bathroom floor unconscious.