Armageddon: The Broken Man - ACT 1

Chapter 8 - Anger Issues

Chapter 8 - Anger Issues

>NIXON DAMES

Some days I woke up pissed. It didn't even take a spilled cup of coffee to set me off; I was just mad as hell.

The rest of the time I was either really grumpy or a step and a half away from flipping my shit. I never knew why, exactly. I was just angry, constantly.

Whenever I talked to Keira, I was instantly set in a good mood that lasted the duration of the call and then either until I saw Cadmus or 10 minutes afterwards. Usually it was whatever came last.

I'm stuck in a loop. I wake up, sulk a little to build up the teenage angst, go eat, and fall back asleep within half an hour. I haven't had a decent night of sleep for 4 days, and that really ruins the appetite; but believe me, that hunger comes back eventually, and it hits like a hammer. I'm legitimately on the verge of drugging myself just to sleep a full night.

The smell of half-baked pancakes is what forces me to realize my intense hunger. Someone must be cooking, because as far as I know, Counselor's still stuck under paperwork until noon.

"Hey, I smelled some-" I yawn, but stop myself before I can finish. I don't know why I surprised to walk in on Rachel and Cadmus smooching it up. He backs away from her when he notices my presence, and I only scoff. "-pancakes."

I would say something, but I'm afraid this isn't my problem. Cadmus is damn lucky I'm not Verena, because she would've probably electrified his ass.

He seems to be completely oblivious to Keira's absence, and so I enlighten him. He freezes, and I have to hold in a chuckle as I take a bite out of one successfully cooked pancake. He takes off without warning, probably towards her room. Rachel doesn't get the chance to react before he's long gone.

"Getting a little romantic, Griff?" I muse, scarfing down her cooking; the taste isn't the best, but I'm starving, I don't care. She looks down at her feet, and I nudge her shoulder with an elbow.

"Come on, I'm joking." I scoff, and she lifts her head again. "Just lighten up, yeesh. We already have enough grumpy bastards around here." She smiles weakly, and glances sideways at me.

"I'm sorry, I just keep hoping that-"

"There's no need to be sorry." I cut her off, setting down the plate. I turn to face her and lean against the counter; she shuffles her feet and straightens herself out before even attempting to speak.

"You don't get it. Everybody else has someone, a-and I guess that I'm just the odd one out." She blurts, fixing her position again and again.

"You honestly think that you need-" I drop to a whisper, and restrain the urge to touch her. If I lay a hand on her, I know she'll flip; I can see it the way she glares at me.

"Hey, guys, what's up?" Doctor Russell chirps, and completely ignores the thick tension present in the room. "Ooh, pancakes. I'm taking some of these."

Rachel and I watch Doctor Russell hum as she grabs a plate and fills up on food. She doesn't seem to notice or mind the considerable mess that's been made. She just keeps humming her song and slowly makes her way towards a stool and countertop, where she sets her plate.

"So, how are you guys doing?" She chirps, and takes a bite of her pancakes before continuing. "Oh, and in case you're wondering, Counselor does want me to keep an eye on you guys while he's buried under paper."

//TIMESKIP//1.5__HRS//

"I really don't see how it's magically my fault that Keira's gone." Cadmus hisses, and I roll my eyes. "Tell me exactly what I did wrong."

"Nixon." Doctor Russell barks, before I get the chance to respond. "Do not answer that."

"Go ahead, oh, mighty, all-knowing Nixon." Cadmus drowns out the rest of her sentence. "Make my day, smartass."

Rachel and Verena's pleas to stop pound in my head, adding on my already skull-splitting headache. They try to pull the two of us apart in vain; they're about 100 pounds too light to pull it off.

"You were a damn crybaby over your 'big problems' and decided to attempt suicide." I scoff, and he weakens a little; at this rate, I'm set straight for success. "Of course, you were too much of a screw-up to pull it off, and she ended up barely saving your dumb ass." Doctor Russell screams something in the background, and I wave her off. "And of course, you proceed to do this again, of course right after a massive shitstorm against her. And may I mention, a shitstorm that you set off."

He doesn't know how to respond. His dumbstruck expression is the best part; he looks like he's just been asked to write a five-paragraph essay in Russian, with 15 minutes to do so.

"Don't you have anything to say, Liddel?" I spit, shoving him back into the wall. He bounces back a few steps, but backs up again. "Can't you deny the truth of what I'm saying?"

He just stares back at me, terrified. The room drops to silence, and I could almost laugh.

"Nixon Dames, knock it off, or I swear I will-"

"You'll what, Doctor Russell?" I cut her off, turning towards her just enough to see her expression. "The public might buy the whole 'training break' lie you threw together to cover up Keira, but what if you kick me out too? I've only been in the team for what, two or three weeks? They'll call your bluff, Doc-"

A left hook to the stomach slams the limp mass of my body to the floor. The punch draws the oxygen out of my lungs, packing one hell of an aftershock. I can't breathe until after I hit the ground, and I can't move for a few seconds afterwards.

//SEQUENCES//PLAY//CONFRONTATION__1//

Cadmus looms over me, with his chest heaving under the folds of his half-closed jacket. His eyes tell me all that I need to know; he does have a response, but he talks with his hands.

He doesn't even get to touch me before Rachel sneaks up behind him and punches the base of his skull; a move like that won't kill him, but it'll stop him from fighting back for a solid minute.

Verena throws herself at Rachel, screaming insults faster than I can understand. I jump off the ground and step in between them; Verena slams into me, regardless, tearing at anything she can reach. Doctor Russell screams for us to settle down, calling us a few creative PG-rated insults in the process. Verena drowns her out with her indecipherable babble, glaring at me all the while.

Eventually Counselor shows up and tries to pull Verena away; he's obviously trying pretty hard not to make any sarcastic comments. After the second failed attempt, Counselor gives in and resorts to picking her up by the waist. Of course, she whirls around to slap him before she realizes what she's about to do.

He slumps to the floor; she actually knocked him out with a slap. I didn't think it was possible, but hey, it's Verena.

Rachel can't help but snicker. I smirk and glance back to Doctor Russell; her face expresses how done she is with life in general, at the moment.

Verena turns to look at us. The puzzled look on her face finally does me in, and I collapse in laughter.

//SEQUENCE//END//