Intoxicate [❌]

2 - Stranger...?

[Anatox]

I ran my hand along the barrel of the silver pistol, making sure every part was in working order. My index finger rested on the trigger, the rest of my fingers curled around the grip. My gaze landed on the person in the open window, the Jennifer girl. Her blonde hair fell in front of her as she looked down in the sink, doing some dishes by the looks of it.

Three minutes. Three minutes before I needed to move.

I looked down the barrel, closing my left eye as I pointed the gun at her head.

I took a deep breath. I held it for a moment, listening to the streets for a moment.

The trigger came back with my hand on the exhale. A loud bang rang out, the deluge of a semi truck's engine drowning the sound almost immediately. The girl in the window fell backwards, a bloody hole in her forehead.

I fled immediately, sticking the gun facing to the ground in my pocket as I ran across the rooftop. I didn't know if there had been anyone in the apartment with Jennifer, but I wasn't taking any chances.

I ran until I was a good distance away from the scene. I was tired and sweating, but I couldn't stop. I didn't want that pain, the burning agony...

I shook off the memory, wiping sweat from my brow. Can't think about that now.

I stood for a moment, catching my breath, when I suddenly heard shuffling in the alley off to my left. Wary, my hand instinctively reached for the gun in my pocket.

My gaze darted around, looking for any sign of life besides myself. The only sounds were the distant city streets, accompanied by the occasional scurry of a raccoon in the shadows of night. I relaxed a bit. The sound was probably one of the raccoons.

My hand didn't leave the grip of my gun, though. In fact, I held it tighter.

I cautiously made my way forward, into the alleyway, my finger brushing the trigger, ready to come out and fire at the slightest disturbance. There it was, the shuffling sound again. It wasn't feral, but human. I didn't know how I knew, I just did.

I blinked, and another vision crossed my sight.

-x-

The sounds, they're too loud, everything hurts, my head, oh my head...

I clutched the side of my skull, gritting my teeth so hard it made it worse. But I couldn't stop. I knew I needed to move, needed to get active somehow. But the pain, the pain was unbearable, I could barely breathe. It felt like my insides wanted to explode. I knew they would at some point. A bitter metal taste began to rise in my throat, followed by a burning agony that made me want to scream. The blood dripped from my mouth, my breathing was heavy and shallow.

I hear someone... someone's here. Someone's coming.

No, I have to keep them away. Have to make sure they don't die, don't die like the others, those people... I didn't want them dead, they were just trying to help, oh I have to warn them...

-x-

My eyes widened as my vision came back to me. There was the sound, now more of a strained, gargled panting.

Coming from right up ahead.

My pace was quicker now. Something in my mind, a small voice, the voice that had actually listened to the vision, screamed, screamed at me to go back. To run away, go back and continue my life. But my curiosity got the best of me as I rounded the corner.

There, sitting against the wall, was a man with a white lab coat. Or... I think it used to be white. Most of it was dirty and stained with dark, dark crimson, and torn in several places. His eyes were squeezed shut as he clutched his head with hands that almost looked like claws. His brown hair was tied back in a low ponytail, and his clenched teeth were sharp as knives. Blood dribbled from his mouth.

The man opened his eyes, which widened when he saw me.

They were bright glowing green. Just like mine.

"No," he mumbled. I think he was trying to move away from me, but was struggling. "No, stay away... stay away!"

His tone was edged with fear, aggressive fear that made me step back a bit.

"Stay away from me!" He repeated, louder this time. He groaned as he shrunk back, seeming to be in pain from his own voice.

My hand that rested on my gun loosened slightly. This man was no threat, that I could tell.

I showed both my hands. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."

"No, no, you don't understand!" He was desperate now. As he spoke, tears welled up in his eyes. "Stay away! I don't want anyone else dying!"

I froze. "What... do you mean?"

"Look, I don't know what it is, but when I get close to people or they touch me, th-they end up dying," He pleaded, "So PLEASE, just STAY AWAY!"

His groans turned to an agonized cry as he curled up on the ground in writhing pain.

I think I could feel what he was talking about. There was this... this aura that surrounded him, I could feel it from where I stood. Like waves crashing against me, trying to push me back, but failing as they bounced easily off of me.

And there was something familiar about it. I'd felt it before. I know I have.

I remember... I remember now...

-x-

The pain took a moment to register.

I was running around a clearing. My parents were sitting on a blanket with some snacks, cheerfully chatting and laughing as they watched me. I was hungry, so I skidded to a stop and turned, running to get a sandwich or a bag of chips.

Then the explosion, the explosion whose force knocked me to the ground, coughing as I tried to regain my breath. Screaming, my own, my parents', writhing agony that made me want to die, bury my head in the ground like an ostrich, do anything but sit there and let it happen.

And then... darkness.

When I woke up again, the air tasted almost ashy. Heat caved in on me on all sides. It's like the forest was on fire, like I was on fire. Something bitter came out of my mouth, with a coppery metal taste. Blood. Why did it burn? Why did it hurt like a fiery agony from my insides?

My head, it's pounding, where's Mom and Dad? They were here... they were here, I was sure of it.

I vomited more blood. My legs and arms were shaking as I pushed myself to my knees.

I want to go home... I want to go home...

-x-

My breathing became shaky as the memory took hold. I didn't understand it, I didn't understand what my child brain had been thinking. But something clicked in my mind.

I knelt down in front of the man. He was too weak, too agonized to plead for me to stay away any longer.

"What's your name?" I asked.

His breaths shuddered, he looked at me with glazed eyes. I could see the pain he was going through with that one look.

"T-Tonix," He managed to finally stutter, "C-call me Tonix."

-x-

TONIX BOIIIIII

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