Twisted

Chapter 42: Please Tommy, Please

Newt.

My heart shattered. It took everything in my not to sink to my knees in historical sobs.

Newt looked horrible. His hair had been torn out in patches, leaving bald spots that were nothing more than red welts. Scratches and bruises covered his face; his shirt was ripped, barely hanging on to his thin frame, and his pants were filthy with grime and blood. It was like he’d finally given in to the Cranks, joined their ranks fully.

But he stared at Thomas, and me as if he recognized that he’d stumbled upon friends.

"Newt!" I whispered, my hands held over my mouth.

Thomas didn't say anything, he just stood frozen to the spot. This was the boy his heart loved. It broke my heart to see the dispare in his eyes.

I slid my hand into my pocket. I felt the syringes. I gripped them tight. I had to. I had to try! What's the worst that could happen? It doesn't work...and he's no worse off.
Freaking awful happy thought. .but if I don't I'll regret it for the rest of my life!

Newt stood alone in the middle of the intersection. Away from the other past gone cranks. I took a few cautious steps towards him. I walked half the distance to Newt, then stopped. The worst part about my dear beautiful gentle friend was the wildness in his eyes. Madness lurked behind them, two festering pools of sickness. How had it happened so quickly?

“Hey. Newt. It’s me, Charlie  You still remember me, right?”

A sudden clarity filled Newt’s eyes then, almost making me step back in surprise.

"I bloody remember you, Charlie. You just made me jump out a buggen' window, rubbed it in that you ignored my note. I can’t go completely crazy in a few hours."

Those words hurt my heart even more than the pitiful sight of Newt. I continued talking I quiet tone, my hand still holding the syringes tight in my pocket.

"Then why are you here? Why are you with … them?" I indicated with my head at the group of wild Past Gonners.

Newt looked at the Cranks, then back at me.

"It comes and goes. I can’t explain it. Sometimes I can't control myself, barely know what I’m doing. But usually it’s just like an itch in my brain, throwing everything off-kilter just enough to bother me—make me angry."

"You seem fine right now." I gave him a small smile.

"Yeah well ..."

"Newt, come with me, right now. We can take you somewhere safer, somewhere better to-"

Newt laughed, and when he did his head twitched strangely a couple of times. “Get out of here, Charlie. Get away."

By this time Thomas finally joined me at my side. His whiskey brown eyes filled with unshead tears.

"Newt? Come with me, come back with me. Please." Thomas begged. "We’ll tie you up if it makes you feel better."

Newt’s face suddenly hardened into anger and his words shot out in a rage.

"Just shut up! Charlie, you shuck traitor! Didn't you read my note? You can't do one last, lousy thing for me? Gotta be the hero, like always? I hate you! I always hated you!"

He doesn’t mean it! He doesn't mean it.

He turned his wild eyes into Thomas, and with a twisted sneer spat some butter words at him, "And you! You coward! Can't ever do the hard things! Making everyone else make the decisions for you! Did you know I didn't trust you enough to give you that shucken death wish note! I had to give it to your sister!"