Insomnia

Chapter 3: Waking

I lit a candle.  Funny how long I've been living without the electricity and internet and social networks that used to eat up most of my life.  It felt weird at least, that I wasn't doing what I used to do, but then again, this was something else.  A life without these things made me understand something: I felt more alive, more human and somehow, the sanest.

The fire danced and it played around our faces, casting eerie shadows at first--until it became our kind of entertainment.  Kit Kat made shapes from her fingers, then the giggles followed and Mikael started talking about his life.  It was nice, knowing for the first time who we were traveling with.  Especially that I wasn't on hostile terms with him.  So he kept on droning on and on and on and since I couldn't really do anything but listen, silently fell asleep.

It was dark, and I was sure that the silence was eating up my surroundings until Adrian came to view.  My whole body tingled, but I didn't feel the least glad, more like worried to be truthful.

"Hey," He said.  His voice...his voice I noticed, sounded different, not the Adrian I used to know.

"Adrian," I hesitantly said.

He nodded once and smiled, he then blinked and that's when I noticed his eyes, when before it was blood red, it was now maroon.  A dangerous kind of reddish maroon hue that meant his looks would kill you within the first glance.  And no, that wasn't a joke.

"What happened to you?" I asked him, now approaching him, but taking the first step hesitantly.

He grinned wider and his teeth, they were more uneven--sharper to be exact.

My breathing hitched.  "Did they do this to you?" I asked.

He nodded, but he seemed happy about it.  In fact, he gave a breezy laugh.  "Yeah they did Caleb, and I've never felt so alive!" He exclaimed, not looking like the Adrian I once knew.

"I don't get you." I said cautiously, flatly.

"Their experiments, it was all dad's! Sure they were stupid enough to test it on me, but hey! Look at me now Caleb!"  He gave another breezy laugh that it started to scare me with this airy attitude of his.  "I mean, it was hell at first, too much pain, too much injections.  And when I knew I couldn't take it anymore, this happened!"

I stared from him head to toe.  Realizing while trying to contain myself that this wasn't Adrian at all.  "But, what happened really?"

He pointed to himself.  "A lot.  Hell, I don't even know where I should begin with.  I'll tell you this though, I heard you we're coming over.  Do come and see what I've done, you'll be beyond shocked!"

My eyes grew wide.  "What did you do?"

"That's a surprise.  Besides, it serves them right.  Don't worry though, I am quite enjoying myself and the new changes." 

"Are you saying that you like what they did to you? To us?"

He scoffed.  "As I said, at first it seemed better to die, but as time dragged along, I appreciate all those inhumane experiments Caleb! In fact, they thought I was a goner, the first one to give up between the both of us, but they got results from me! And with that--"

"What? Why would you Adrian? Why? You almost died!"

"Well, with power comes sacrifice." He cockily said.  "You of all must know that, you loved spider man didn't you?"

"That's not the point!" I said, almost yelling.  He sounded worse than crazy it was enough to drive me insane! He eyed me out, puzzled.

I breathed in, trying to contain the urge to choke myself and hear Adrian say that he was just joking.  "What I mean is, you're not you at all..." I said, my voice leading towards a whisper.