GyllenHolland: Chaos Walking

Better

Tom's birthday was approaching soon. He would be turning twenty five. He didn't even want to celebrate it. It felt like a death wish, in a world of chaos.

He hadn't moved from bed all day, and had no motivation to do anything. His depression was heavier than normal. He thought about using his essential oils again, knowing that they helped. But what's the point? It only worked for a few hours.

He tried reading over his script for Chaos Walking, but his brain was too exhausted to take in any of the information. Then he tried to play his guitar. But that quickly ended when he got frustrated with himself for messing up too many times.

He wanted Jake here with him. But he was out buying and planning stuff for his birthday. Jake was a birthday fiend, always wanting to go all out. Especially when it came to Tom.

He found it pathetic how he couldn't even go a few hours without having Jake with him. He should be able to take care of himself. He's grown.

Then again, quarantine has them both attached at the hip. Meaning, being apart isn't going to be easy. Still, he thought it was sad.

Hours passed, and he still hadn't moved from the bed. He didn't even get up to let Tessa out, meaning he would probably have a pile of shit to clean up later. He scrolled through his phone for hours on end. Watching Tiktoks, snapping people, reading sweet Instagram comments. He was doing all the things that he thought would make him feel better. Nothing did.

"I'm back!" Jake yelled.

"Okay." He responded, not even getting up to greet him. Nothing was making sense to him anymore. He expected himself to run and jump into Jake's arms, but he was too depressed. Too broken down.

Jake came into the bedroom, a huge smile on his face. "I think you're going to like your birthday."

"Cool." His voice had no hint of excitement to it. He flipped over in the bed, staring out the window. The weather reciprocated how he was feeling. The skies were gray, and showers of rain poured down from puffy clouds.

Jake scratched his head, a little confused as to why he wasn't happy. "Baby?" He sat next to him. "What's wrong? I thought you'd be excited?"

Tom shrugged his shoulders. He was still facing the window, knowing that if he looked at Jake he'd break down into tears. "Just tired."

"It's 1:00 in the afternoon though."

He shrugged again.

Jake began rubbing his back. He bent down and kissed him on the forehead. "Do you want to talk about it?" He hoped he'd say yes, seeing him in this mood was crushing.

Tom shook his head. "I'm just gonna sleep."

"Okay." Jake said. He got up off the bed, and pulled his shirt over his head. He kicked off his shoes, and stripped down to his briefs.

Tom sat up. He looked at him with curiosity. "What are you doing?"

"Going to sleep with you." He coo'd. He climbed into bed and scooted closer to him. He pulled Tom into his chest by his waist, his back against his body. He kissed up and down his neck and shoulder, showering him with love. "Talk to me when you're ready. Okay?"

Wetness leaked from Tom's eyes. He choked back a stutter. "Okay." He whispered. He turned his head and kissed Jake before laying back down. He felt him pull their bodies closer together right before his brain finally shut off.

Tom ran as fast as he could. Something was chasing him, but he couldn't figure out quite what. It was a dark entity, that wanted to swallow him whole. It was powerful, and at this point he was running a never ending race. He ran and ran, watching as  everything containing light was absorbed by this dark force.