Good Things Never Last

Chapter 86

The wall was awfully interesting.
I could see a lot more stroke marks from when it was last painted, which seemed to be long ago. Time seemed to move slowly when I had my eyes trained on the dried paint, and I wasn't complaining. I was so concentrated on the markings that I didn't even blink when a bright light was cast over my curled up figure.

The sound of whispering gradually reached my ears, but I didn't pay much mind to it after the constant yells of my thoughts ringing out in my head. It wasn't till a hand on my shoulder began to shake me gently that I realised I wasn't alone. I slowly turned around, my empty eyes meeting those that belonged to the prosthetic mask.

"You need to get up Y/N"
I just looked at him with my eyes glazed over and I smiled a little.

I hadn't seen him in so so long.

His voice was different to the constant noises in my head.

It was nice.

"You need to get out"

"Y/N I'm not leaving you alone until you get out"

I just looked at him, completely lost for words, in a trance like state. So when he reached for my hand and dragged me to my feet, all I could do was nod. I walked quietly after him as he moved around the house, admiring how the man before me had managed to silence the voices without even trying. I only snapped out of my daze when a cool breeze sent a shiver down my spine, alerting me that I was outside.

"Where are we going exactly?"
At my words, Clay came to a halt, slowly turning to face me before beginning to speak.
"Not we. You"
I raised my head up at the boy, only to see him turn away and let out a long sigh.
"Your brother needs you. I don't know why it took me so long to do the right thing. And I owe you an apology for my behaviour, and how much of a self-centred bastard I've been..."

His voice faded away as his first statement continued to ring out in my head.
'Your brother needs you'
Of course Tommy needed me. He had always needed me, even when he didn't want to admit it. Yet I hadn't been there for him when I should've, but then again, it wasn't really my choice to leave.

With a little shake of my head, I was able to detach myself from the inner ramble that took place daily in my head and returned my attention to the awkwardly standing masked man in front of me.
"So what I'm saying is. I'm letting you go, and you don't have a choice quite frankly"

My lips parted as I quickly found myself lost for words. For months, I'd been praying to hear those words, yet I didn't know how to react.
"Seriously?"
The male before me could only briefly nod before I pulled him into the tightest hug known.
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you"
He chuckled as he pulled away, his masked face looking down at my own.
"There's nothing you should be thanking me for. This was all my doing in the first place. But what the fuck are you waiting for?"

I just nodded before turning and sprinting as fast as I could in the same way I'd gone when I initially found my brother a few weeks ago.

I'd been searching for nine hours.

Nine fucking hours.

He was nowhere to be seen.

The place was like a minefield. The grass blow to smithereens as well as the buildings that were once sat upon it.