(Important Notice: Beware Of Grammatical Errors)

A/N: This Chapter Contains 2.k plus word counts. Hope it was worth of your reading. But the next chapters will be at 1.5k plus word count

Thanks. Happy Reading Guys!

APOLLO

What If darkness rule the world without any light?

What would happen?

Those intriguing questions kept repeating itself inside my mind when I started my quest to hold the last light in my hands.

I never thought of myself as a hero. I was afraid of the darkness, afraid of being alone in the void of oblivion. I could sense danger ahead, so I had to be brave to face this and I know the entire world was depending on me.

To be honest, I hated darkness. I had a phobia of the dark. Ghosts and other supernatural things scared the hell out of me, especially when I was alone in one room. My friends teased me a lot with such annoying names and they played obnoxious pranks on me, like locking me inside the abandoned storage room with no lights.

I didn't know why I turned out to be so scared of things. It only started when my parents had been murdered by a group of killers the time our house was entered by them. They brutally slaughtered my mom and dad in front of my shocked face. I was terrified, my heart beat unnaturally fast, while I watched the horrific scene.

Luckily, they didn't know I called the police before they laid their filthy hands on me. I was saved from the tragedy but the bloody memories still remain inside my chaotic mind. It haunted me every night. I couldn't sleep without a constant light beside me. I don't want any nightmares to ruin my peaceful sleep. Maybe it was the reason why I got the phobia because of that traumatic incident.

I grew up in my Aunt Jonah's care. She was my second mother after my parents died. She treated me as her own legitimate child since she didn't give birth and her husband died from heart attack. She understands what I've been feeling, whenever I got totally afraid in the pitch dark.

She was my beacon of light, my savoir when I was in depths of despair and sadness. Aunt Jonah was the one who could guide me to a better path. Yes. I was thankful to have someone like her.

I have books to keep me company when every time I feel the boredom. They keep me awake until midnight. Since I love reading. Not to be boastful, but I had a big shelf full of books, each one telling a classic and fresh story.

Adventure and fantasy were my favourite genres to read. When I was reading a book, I felt I was the main character of the story. I could feel emotions and physical struggles whenever there's a conflict arises along the way.

I always wonder to myself. What If this time I was the hero?

What if I was the chosen one?

What would happen to me if I ever face the cruel darkness without any light there to save my life?

Would I ever conquer and survive the quest?

Could I make it out alive?

I admit it, I was a weakling and I don't have qualities to be a hero. Why? Because first of all. I had a fear of the dark. A traumatic phobia that pulled me under into the sea of doubts and distress. In short, I was completely powerless.

My thoughts dissolved into dusts when a knock on the door pulled me back to reality. I shook my head softly, as I placed my book down to the side drawer. I stood up from my two feet, and I breathe calmly before I touch the doorknob.

A familiar face showed up in front of me. It was my Aunt Jonah. Her wrinkles are visible when I saw her eyebrows knitted together. She was directly staring at me with pure suspicion. I could tell that she was a bit mad because I was wide awake at this late hour. Again.

"Young man, why are you still awake?" Aunt Jonah started to question me with a frown on her face.

I scratched the back of my head before answering her. "Reading books."

"Again?" She inquiried firmly.

I nodded slowly as a response.

I heard her sigh deeply. I twisted my lips nervously. Oh oh. I'm doomed.

"How many times do I have to remind you dear. Do not read books at this hour? Have you clearly forgotten about it?" She said, as she walked past through me and entered my bedroom without any hesitations.

I followed her from behind, as I saw her picked one of my books from the wooden floor. She shook her head in disbelief when she observed my room is a horrible mess.

"Careless as always," she remarked, while putting the books back in the big shelf, "do I have to repeat myself over again not to scatter your books on the floor?"

"Ah sorry about that auntie." I replied. This time I was the one who heaved a sigh.

"When are you gonna learn to clean your room?" She crossed her ams, dissapointment was written all over her frown face.

This scene is always repeats everytime my aunt caught me reading late at night. Though I'm getting used to it. I found reading books are relaxing, and they are my personal sanctuary. So I don't really blame her for that. I was just neglecting her daily reminders. That's all.

Well, actually it become a routine every night. I couldn't help myself to open my books and ended up reading it.

Talk about addiction of reading books.

Her expression softened when she saw the crestfallen expression on my face.

"Apollo, next time, please try not to stay up late," Aunt Jonah said, she patted her hand into my head slowly and then she kissed it with her sweet lips.

"I'm sorry." I said, staring at the wooden floor in embarrassment.

We both sat in the bed. Aunt Jonah took my other book from the side drawer, and she started to flip some pages. I  remained silent, while I watched her reading. Minutes later, she closed the book with a warm smile on her face.

"Tell me, is this your favourite book?" she asked out of the blue, while holding the book between her delicate fingers.

I blinked in surprise. "How do you know?" then I straightened up to level her posture.

"Well it's easy to guess since I saw the title of the book and this was always on your bed. Everytime I caught you reading it." Aunt Jonah answered almost in automatic like she already knew what I was reading every night.

"Yeah. I couldn't get enough with its suspense! I mean it was a story a worth of reading." I chirped happily.

"No wonder you stay wide awake all night." She said jokingly.

"Yeah." I mumbled. My cheeks flushed with color.

We both jumped in surprise when we heard a loud bang that came out from the window. I immediately hugged my aunt tightly since I was afraid also of loud noises. Aunt Jonah could feel my heartbeat accelerated so fast and then she laughed her heart out at my unmanliness.

"Apollo will you calm down? It was only a bolt of a lightning." she continued to laugh like a mad man.

I mentally rolled my eyes with irratation. Great.

"Easy for you to say. That lightning scared the hell out of me!" I exclaimed.

"Oh don't be so overdramatic dear." She chuckled.

I love my aunt with all of my soul and euphoria, but at this moment I would like to grab a rope and strangle her neck with hatred.

"Can you please stop auntie? You making me less a man." I pouted.

"Did I? You're very funny dear, though I didn't laugh this hard for ages!" Aunt Jonah said, while she wiped the tears in her eyelids.

"Well good for you. I am blessed," I sarcastically said.

"Apollo I think you should go to --"

Aunt Jonah's next word was cut off in instant when the light bulb in my bedroom was turned off in a sudden, as we both engulfed by the darkness. None of us didn't dare to utter a single word.

My entire body started to tremble while my breathing is rapidly heavy. I couldn't inhale some air like there are vines constricted inside my fragile lungs. Not that I have an asthma but my phobia did made a surprising comeback.

"Apollo dear? Are you alright?" I could sense a concern in her voice.

"Auntie! I can't see anything! What happened anyway!?" I asked hysterically.

"I guess dear there's a black out this evening," she replied, those terrifying words came out from her mouth made my world crumbled into pieces and was enough to send electric shivers into my spine. This couldn't be happening!

"Oh my! Can you please find some light? I'm starting to freak out here!" I tried to look left and right, I found nothing to visual an image and I was been blinded by blankets of darkness.

"Hold your wild horse young man, I understand you have a phobia since that traumatic incident, so please control yourself, don't panic will you?" Aunt Jonah snapped angrily at me when she saw my worried expression.

"I'm trying my best Auntie," I assured her with a comforting smile on my face.

"Apollo just stay here, I will find something to light up this dark gloomy room," Aunt Jonah stood up from my bed. Then I heard her footsteps creaked on the wooden floor, and the sound of her movements seemed scary to me like she was one of those bad guys in the horror books I had read before.

I tried to be stable as I could. A bead of sweat started to form on my forehead, as they streamed down to my pale cheeks. My heart pumped fast because of the fear I began to feel along with my emotions had rise and fall like a roller coaster.

A flower of suffocation slowly bloomed inside of me, the feeling I felt had doubled when my shaky hands rattled like crazy. I couldn't control of myself and every second I was lack of air. That moment, I was about to die. Damn this stupid phobia and damn those serial killers who took the life out of my parents.

A small light came into my view and made my heartbeat slow down a bit. I sighed in pure relief. Corners of my bedroom was been lightened up by a tiny candle, which my Aunt Jonah held it between her hands. Finally I could breathe some fresh air.

Thank goodness. If I didn't have auntie by my side all the time, maybe I wouldn't see another day and maybe I was a lost pathetic soul wandering alone in the dark room. Everything she had done good for me since I was a child was enough.

I was very lucky that there's another beacon of light in my life. Without her, I was nothing but a faded ghost.

"Oh dear, I deeply understand that you are afraid of the dark, I could see it through your tired eyes," she said softly, while staring at me with her apologetic eyes.

"Auntie I missed my parents so much," I sighed, and the tears began to spilled out from my eyelids. I found myself crying helplessly like an abandoned baby in front of my Aunt Jonah.

"Shh, don't cry Apollo dear, I knew this is hard for you to take so much pain," she whispered right into my ear, "your phobia made you felt hopelessly weak, and the memories of your past still haunts you whenever you are in the darkness, please be strong enough to face it, Apollo conquer it with bravery, I knew somewhere deep in your heart, there's a spirit of hope sleeping, and I wish someday you would wake up the spirit within you," Aunt Jonah later added genuinely.

With those encouraging words from my auntie, I felt refreshed and motivated. A light of chance dawned upon me. She's absolutely right. I needed to face all of my demons with bravery and I had to do at this moment is to pray for my soul that I could hold on with that strong feeling, a feeling to break free from my bloody past, also from the darkness that chained my life for so many years. If I ever conquer it successfully, I would thank Aunt Jonah wholeheartedly.

"Auntie, can you lay with me until I fall asleep? I need someone to keep me company tonight," I said to her with my cute pleading eyes.

"Oh Apollo don't give me that look!" She warned me, then later on she sighed in defeat.

I guess I couldn't blame myself for having a handsome face.

"Thank you! This the only way you can help me to get through this," I exclaimed happily with joy.

"You know I love you so much dear, but try to be at your own, there are times I'm not always by your side," Aunt Jonah explained to me, as she covered the blanket over our body, "Apollo learn to stand independently, face the world at your own two feet, no matter how cruel our life is, you must do it alone and do whatever it takes to stay alive."

I don't know but those words were final but it left an great impact at me like a bolt of realization. It made me realised that the following chapters of my life without my Aunt Jonah's guidance would be really at my own.

"I will mentally take a note of that auntie, don't worry, this young man will conquer anything someday!" I stated proudly.

"Even the whole world lost its brightness?" she questioned doubtfully, "even if the darkness ruled without any light? will you ever do it at your own my dear Apollo?"

It took me five seconds to answer her questions.

"Auntie, whatever it takes, I will be brave enough to stay out alive in the dark, I promise you," I replied her calmly with a smile on my face.

With that, Aunt Jonah wrapped her arms around me and gave me a warm hug. I saw she sobbed painfully into tears.That moment I knew, she saw something courageous at me. I felt she truly believes in me that I could conquer the darkness without any fear. That night the vicious storm still make a heavy rainfall outside, though the cold what I've been feeling didn't bother me anyway, since I had my auntie by my side.

I stared at the tiny candle that sat quietly on top of the side drawer. I smiled. No matter how small as it looks, it could still give light into the darkness. I wished I could be bright as the candle.

END OF CHAPTER ONE!

December 6 2019 (2516 words) Unedited

A/N: Hi guys. I hope this first chapter is worth of your time.

I choose the name Apollo since I love Greek mythology and I included his flaws, like he had a phobia in the dark.

You guys can think on how he will conquer darkness if he had a fear inside of him?

Lately I saw myself at him and anyone can relate to him also because within us there's always a hope for us to be brave.

Last Light was inspired to the game I played before. So this short story was created with inspiration.

Show your love and support by using the #last light whenever you comment in each chapter. I will be thankful if you guys did.

You can also help me improve as a writer if you guys can trace my errors in this first chapter. It will be a great help!

See you guys at the next chapter!

---MmTt11