Chapter 5: An Obstruction Overload

Chapter 5: An Obstruction Overload

A Chapter by Cameron Lockhart
"

Monica finally completes the agonizing trek to Trevor's apartment, but the outcome isn't what she expects.

"

The morning after the duo's detour, Monica busied herself getting ready for the day in the hotel bathroom. Styling her caramel-colored hair into a half-ponytail while simultaneously gargling mouthwash, before throwing on the spare outfit she'd packed with her. Today was expected to be the last day of her menstrual cycle and it was typically her heaviest, so she applied both a panty-liner and a tampon, wincing and hissing as she inserted the latter.


"This would be so much easier if I weren't a virgin," she grimly muttered to herself.


As soon as Monica finished freshening up, she stepped back into the bedroom to see Balthazar slowly waking up, albeit barely able to do so at all. Clearly all those thoughts plaguing his head had been keeping him up all night.

"Morning, Balt," she greeted him as she repacked her bag.


"Morning," Balthazar replied sleepily. "Sleep well?"


"Wouldn't have much of a problem saying I did," Monica answered. "I'll bet if I hadn't been exhausted from all that traveling, I wouldn't have been out like a light."


"Understandable." Balthazar nodded as he climbed out of bed. He was tenting in his boxers something fierce, but he didn't bother to hide it. Maybe if his friend were to notice it, she'd get the hint in regards to his love for her.


"So, uh, once you get ready, we can get going then?" Monica asked. "The station opens up in about ten minutes."


"Yeah... yeah, I'll be right out." Balthazar picked up his discarded clothes and shuffled into the bathroom.


Monica raised an eyebrow as she watched him turn around, once again noticing that strange, ominous shadow following her friend around.




Unfortunately, the next couple of months were not free of complications. The two friends managed to board that morning's train, but it ended up getting into an accident as well, as did the next several trains and buses afterwards. No matter that ride they were on, their time together on the train was often interrupted by obnoxious strangers who constantly kept advancing on Monica, only to be socked away by Balthazar. Even during the times when they were forced to walk around in the various cities they passed through, such occurrences never let up.


Soon, all of those detours and obstructions quickly piled up and interrupted Monica's journey, extending it until it was roughly two months long. It wasn't often that the two remained in close proximity to one another for such an extended period of time, so Balthazar wanted to make sure he left as memorable of an impression as possible on his love interest. Specifically by acting as her savior as much as possible so she would eventually give in and be with him.




Eventually, in mid-December, the last of such train rides came to and end as the two got off at a station in Manhattan. It just so happened that this station was situated right at the top of a parking garage, which was positioned right next to the condominium building that Trevor, Monica's donor, lived in according to the letter she received.


"Phew, well that was excruciating." Monica rolled her eyes, adjusting the winter coat she'd purchased along the way. "Welp, at least we finally made it."


"Tell me about it," Balthazar said, faking his sincerity as he held one of the thugs they'd encountered in an ankle-lock.


After letting him run off, he watched his acquaintance walk away for a bit, but not for the sake of ogling her. If anything, he was furious. He'd spent nearly a sixth of a year bending over backwards just to impress Monica, only for her to take his acts of heroism for granted and seemingly not reciprocate his feelings for her at all.


Really? That's it? No thank-yous? No 'I owe you a lot'? Nothing?! he grumbled as he slowly followed her, pulling out his knife and petri dish again.


He took the time to draw a fresh pentagram in blood, summoning his demons once again as he quietly and angrily prayed to them. If Monica's heart wouldn't give into him on its own, then he would make her regret shunning him as much as he could, even if it meant draining every last drop of blood from his system.


Still walking ahead of him, Monica noticed that the elevators in the parking garage were all out of order. Though slightly curious as to how they'd all be shut down at once, she ultimately shrugged and took the stairs down to ground level instead, picking up her pace while she was at it. She was so close to meeting the man who helped give her life, and she wasn't about to let anything, especially a malfunctioning elevator, get in her way.


"Say, I should probably take today's treatment before I forget," she realized.


Without halting her movements, she pulled out that large orange bottle her mother had given her and popped a single pill into her mouth, washing it down with nothing but a little saliva. However, before she could put the bottle away, she found herself tripping at the top of a flight of stairs and tumbling all the way down to the bottom. She grit her teeth as all four of her limbs started to ache, though thankfully nothing was broken, not even her glasses. What really concerned her was the fact that her medication had spilled onto the concrete during her fall, and every last pill fell down a nearby floor grate.


"Oh no! This isn't good!" she moaned.


"Oh my god, Monica! Are you alright?" Balthazar showed up seemingly out of nowhere and helped her back to her feet.


"I'm fine... but I just lost the rest of my kidney dialysis pills. At this rate, I have to get that transplant pronto!" Monica explained.


"Well then there's no time to lose," Balthazar proclaimed, taking her hand as he escorted her the rest of the way.




In time, the two finished their quest towards the lobby of the condo building, and by this time Monica felt comfortable walking independently.


"Well we're here. Now go do what you came here for," Balthazar said, plopping into one of the armchairs.


"Will do." Monica nodded.


With that, she briefly spoke to the man at the front desk to ask which suite was the correct one, and once she got her directions she made her way there. The condo in question was all the way up on the fifteenth floor, which seemed to have dimmer lighting compared to the lobby. She didn't let this get to her as she finally found the correct room number and knocked on the door.


"Ugh, it's three in the afternoon. People are trying to sleep!" a voice grumbled from the other side.


The door eventually opened, revealing a rather diminutive, curvy woman in her late forties who was still in her pajamas. She had bronze skin, her jet-black hair contained platinum-blonde highlights, and each of her eyes was of a different color.


"Uh, hey. C-Can I help you?" she asked, her accent an idiosyncratic Brooklyn-New Orleans hybrid.


"Well actually, yes. My name is Monica Lloyd, and I'm here to see Trevor Bordeaux. It's kinda' important," Monica introduced herself.


Roxanne didn't even bother to question her motives and instead let her own face drop in sadness.


"I-I'm so sorry," she said morosely, struggling to speak. "He's... H-He's gone..."


"Oh..." Monica's voice trailed off as she nervously backed away, an equally sad expression on her face.


Before long, the door was shut, separating the two females once again as a fit of hysteria could be heard inside the condo. Monica couldn't believe her ears. Was her mystery donor truly dead? For all this time, it had never occurred to her that he might not be available due to the ongoing war, and of course she just had to relearn this the hard way.


"Just my luck..." she said, almost on the verge crying herself.



© 2022 Cameron Lockhart


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Added on July 26, 2022
Last Updated on July 26, 2022
Tags: medical, adventure, action, supernatural, suspense, road trip, family


Author

Cameron Lockhart
Cameron Lockhart

Charleston, SC



About
I've loved writing ever since I could properly hold a pencil, and I currently strive to become a published author someday. In 2021, I earned a BA in Creative Writing; I primarily focused on prose and .. more..

Writing