PARACIDE

Chapter 13: The Weight Of Silence

Sam stumbled back into Jen's house, his limbs heavy and his heart pounding in his chest. The walk back from the store had been a blur, the memory of seeing his parents lingering in the back of his mind like a haunting dream. He had replayed it over and over—how they had walked right past him without even a glance, how they had moved on as if he were never part of their lives.

He shut the door behind him quietly, the house eerily silent. Jen and her mom were likely in their rooms, unaware of his return. That suited him just fine. The last thing he needed was more questions, more forced smiles, more pretending that everything was fine.

His head throbbed as he trudged toward the guest room. The pressure behind his eyes was growing again, sharper this time, as if his skull was being squeezed from the inside. He didn’t know how much more of this he could take.

Once inside the small, dimly lit room, Sam collapsed onto the bed. The tears came almost instantly, flowing hot and unchecked down his face. He buried his face into the pillow, trying to muffle the sobs that wracked his body. It was as if all the pain, all the confusion, and all the loneliness of the past weeks had come crashing down on him at once.

His mind swirled with emotions—anger, guilt, sadness, and a deep sense of rejection that gnawed at him. How had it come to this? He had left to protect them, to escape the monster inside him, but now it seemed like they had erased him completely. Maybe it was better that way, he told himself, but it didn’t stop the ache.

The sound of footsteps outside the room startled him. He quickly wiped his face, but his red, swollen eyes gave him away. The door creaked open just slightly, and Jen’s mother, Mrs. Carter, stood in the hallway, staring at him.

For a moment, Sam thought she might say something. He expected her to ask if he was okay, or at least offer some sort of acknowledgment. But instead, she just looked at him, her expression blank, her eyes devoid of concern. Without a word, she turned and walked away, her footsteps echoing softly down the hall.

Sam stared after her, his heart sinking even further. Not even Jen's mom cared. No one did. He was truly alone.

The tears began to fall again, but this time he didn’t bother wiping them away. He curled into himself, his body trembling, his head pounding relentlessly. The pain was getting worse, sharper with each passing minute, until it became unbearable.

The throbbing reached a crescendo, and Sam pressed his hands to his temples, trying to dull the intensity, but it was no use. His vision blurred, the edges of the room spinning in and out of focus.

Then, everything went black.

The world around him vanished, and Sam slipped into unconsciousness, the last thing he felt being the relentless hammering in his head.