I woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for air as my heart pounded against my chest. Another heart attack. They had become a regular occurrence in my life, haunting me like a demon lurking in the shadows. Doctors said it was a miracle I was still alive after all these years. But sometimes, I wished for the sweet release of death. The pain was unbearable, both physically and emotionally.
My name is Jack Fitzgerald, and I’ve been plagued by these heart attacks ever since I witnessed a horrific crime several years ago. It was a dark and stormy night when I stumbled upon a burglary in progress. I had been on my way home from work, unaware of the dangers waiting for me just around the corner.
As I turned the corner of an alleyway, I saw a figure dressed in black, sneaking through an open window of a nearby jewelry store. My instincts kicked in, and I knew I had to do something. But just as I was about to intervene, pain shot through my chest like a lightning bolt. I collapsed to the ground, clutching at my heart.
The thief must have heard my struggle because he emerged from the store, his eyes filled with malice. He looked down at me writhing in pain, a sadistic grin spreading across his face. “I guess you won’t be calling the police,” he sneered before disappearing into the night.
Since that fateful day, I had been plagued by these heart attacks, each one more excruciating than the last. Doctors couldn’t explain it. They ran countless tests, prescribed medication after medication, but nothing could bring me relief. It was as if the thief had cursed me, condemning me to a life of perpetual torment.
Despite my failing health, I became obsessed with finding the thief who ruined my life. I became a recluse, spending hours in front of my computer, scouring the internet for any clue that could lead me to him. I combed through police reports, news articles, and even dark web forums, desperate for any information that could help me seek revenge.
Months turned into years, and my search became an all-consuming obsession. I became a shadow myself, lurking in the underbelly of the city, gathering information, and slowly piecing together the puzzle. The thief had a name – Victor Davenport. But he was as elusive as a ghost, leaving no trace of his existence.
One stormy night, as lightning lit up the sky, I stumbled upon an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. Something inside me told me that this was where I would find Victor Davenport. It was a gut feeling, an intuition that I had learned to trust over the years.
Heart pounding in my chest, I cautiously entered the dilapidated building. The air was thick with an eerie silence, broken only by the creaking of rusty machinery. With each step I took, my heart threatened to burst out of my chest. But I pressed on, driven by a mix of vengeance and survival.
As I reached the heart of the warehouse, I found myself in a dimly lit room filled with stolen treasures – a hoard of jewels, rare artifacts, and priceless paintings. In the center of the room stood Victor Davenport, his eyes widening with surprise as he saw me. “You… you should be dead,” he stuttered.
A surge of adrenaline coursed through my veins as anger replaced fear. “You think you can ruin my life and get away with it?” I roared, clutching at my chest in pain. But this time, it wasn’t just a heart attack. It was something more sinister.
The pain intensified, spreading through my entire body like a wildfire. I fell to my knees, gasping for breath as black spots danced before my eyes. Victor Davenport took a step towards me, a mixture of fear and fascination in his eyes. “What did you do to me?” I managed to choke out.
He knelt down beside me, a twisted smile on his face. “I didn’t just steal from you that night, Jack. I cursed you with the heart attacks, a punishment for interfering with my plans.” His words echoed in my ears, and I could feel the darkness seeping into my very soul.
With my last ounce of strength, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small vial. It contained a potion that a mysterious old woman had given me years ago, claiming it would grant me temporary relief from the heart attacks. I had saved it for a special occasion, and this was it.
As Victor Davenport lunged towards me, I smashed the vial against the floor, releasing a blinding explosion of light. The pain vanished, replaced by a sense of calmness and clarity. The curse was broken.
I watched as Victor writhed on the floor, clutching at his own chest. The heart attack had claimed him, just as it had claimed so many innocent lives before. As his body went limp, a weight lifted off my shoulders, and for the first time in years, I felt free.
But the horrors I had witnessed, the pain I had endured, had taken their toll on my fragile body. As I stumbled out of the warehouse, gasping for breath, I knew that my time was running out. But I had found closure. I had avenged myself and all those who had suffered at the hands of Victor Davenport.
As I collapsed onto the wet pavement, my vision fading, I whispered a silent prayer of thanks. The thief may have played a central role in my life, but he had ultimately become the instrument of my salvation. And as darkness swallowed me whole, I embraced it, for it was the only solace I had ever known.
No more heart attacks, no more pain. Just peace at last.
Author: Opney. Illustrator: Stab. Publisher: Cyber.
