The night didn't feel like night.
It felt like something waiting.
Not peaceful.
Not calm.
Just… still.
Taye sat beside the bed, his elbows resting on his knees, his hands loosely clasped together.
He hadn't moved for a long time.
Didn't feel the need to.
Because everything he needed to see…
Was right in front of him.
His father.
The rise and fall of his chest had become uneven.
Unpredictable.
One breath came.
Then another.
Then a pause,
Too long.
Then another breath again.
Each one felt like a decision.
Not something natural.
Something forced.
Taye watched carefully.
Not panicking.
Not reacting.
Just… observing.
Because somewhere deep inside him…
He already knew.
This wasn't going to last.
His mother sat quietly in the corner of the room.
Hands clasped together.
Eyes fixed on the same place his were.
Neither of them spoke.
There was nothing to say.
Not anymore.
The clock on the wall ticked softly.
Each second louder than it should have been.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Taye exhaled slowly.
Then leaned forward slightly.
"Dad," he said quietly.
No response.
He tried again.
"Dad."
A faint movement.
His father's eyes opened slowly.
They were weaker than before.
Clouded.
But still aware.
"Taye…" he murmured.
Taye nodded.
"I'm here."
A pause.
His father looked at him for a long moment.
As if trying to memorize something.
Or maybe…
Trying to understand something he hadn't seen before.
"You stayed," he said softly.
Taye didn't respond.
Because this time…
That sentence meant more.
His father's gaze shifted slightly.
Toward the ceiling.
Then back.
"I thought…" he started.
Then stopped.
His breathing hitched.
Taye leaned closer.
"What?"
A pause.
"I thought I had more time," his father said quietly.
The words landed.
Soft.
But heavy.
Taye swallowed.
"We'll get you help," he said.
But even as he said it…
It didn't feel real.
His father gave a faint shake of his head.
"No," he said.
A pause.
"Just… listen."
Silence filled the room.
Taye nodded slowly.
"I wasn't strong enough," his father said.
Taye frowned slightly.
"Don't say that."
But his father continued.
"I should've done more," he said.
A pause.
"I should've protected all of you better."
Taye's jaw tightened.
"You did."
But again…
It felt incomplete.
His father's eyes softened slightly.
"You're going to carry this differently," he said.
Taye froze.
"What do you mean?"
A faint breath.
"You're not like me."
Silence.
"You see things…" his father continued.
"…faster."
A pause.
"Just don't let it take everything from you."
That line…
That line hit deeper than anything else.
Because Taye knew,
It already was.
He didn't respond.
Couldn't.
His father exhaled slowly.
Then,
"I'm proud of you."
Everything stopped.
Not the room.
Not the clock.
Just him.
Because those words…
He hadn't heard them in a long time.
Taye looked down briefly.
Then back up.
"Don't talk like this," he said quietly.
But his father didn't respond.
Because his breathing had changed again.
More strained.
More distant.
Taye leaned forward sharply.
"Dad?"
No answer.
"Dad."
Nothing.
The pause between breaths stretched.
Too long.
Taye's chest tightened.
"Dad."
And then,
A breath came.
Weak.
Barely there.
Then another pause.
Longer this time.
His mother stood up suddenly.
"Call someone," she said, her voice trembling slightly.
But Taye didn't move.
Because he was watching something.
Something very specific.
His father's chest.
It didn't rise.
A second passed.
Then two.
Then three.
Nothing.
The clock ticked.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Still nothing.
"Taye!" his mother's voice broke through.
But he didn't move.
Because now…
There was no confusion.
No uncertainty.
No "maybe."
He knew.
Slowly…
Very slowly…
Taye reached out.
Placed his hand gently on his father's chest.
Nothing.
No movement.
No breath.
Just stillness.
Complete.
Final.
His mother's voice broke.
"No… no… no…"
She rushed forward.
Shaking him.
Calling his name.
But Taye didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Didn't react.
Because something inside him had gone completely silent.
Not broken.
Not shattered.
Just…
Switched off.
He stood there.
Looking at the man who had just been speaking moments ago.
Now…
Gone.
And instead of emotion…
A thought surfaced.
Clear.
Sharp.
"This wasn't natural."
The room filled with his mother's grief.
Her cries.
Her shaking hands.
But it felt distant.
Muted.
Because Taye's mind had already moved somewhere else.
Back to the bottle.
Back to the missing label.
Back to the man at the gate.
Back to everything that didn't add up.
He turned slowly.
Walked out of the room.
Not rushed.
Not confused.
Focused.
The house felt different now.
Empty.
But not just because of loss.
Because something had been taken.
And Taye was no longer thinking like someone who had lost.
He was thinking like someone who had been wronged.
He stepped outside.
The night air hit him.
Cool.
Sharp.
He exhaled slowly.
Then reached into his pocket.
Pulled out his phone.
Dialed.
She answered almost immediately.
"Yes."
Taye's voice was calm.
"He's dead."
A pause.
Then,
"I see."
Silence.
Taye's eyes hardened slightly.
"The medication," he said.
A longer pause this time.
"What about it?" she asked.
"No label."
Silence.
Then,
"That's not unusual."
That answer didn't sit right.
Not anymore.
Taye's grip tightened slightly.
"I want to know where it came from."
A pause.
Then,
"I'll look into it."
The same calm tone.
The same controlled response.
But now…
Taye heard it differently.
Not as reassurance.
As deflection.
"Do that," he said.
Then ended the call.
He stood there for a long moment.
Then looked back at the house.
At the place that had once felt like everything.
Now…
It felt like something else.
A starting point.
Taye exhaled slowly.
And in that moment,
Something inside him settled completely.
Not grief.
Not anger.
Something colder.
Something clearer.
A decision.
If this wasn't natural…
Then someone made it happen.
And if someone made it happen,
Then they could be found.
And if they could be found…
They could be destroyed.
Taye turned away from the house.
And this time…
He didn't hesitate.
Because whatever he was before,
It ended in that room.
Along with the last breath of his father.