Unstoppable: Revitalized

-24-

'Ring. Ring. Ring.'

No, not yet...

'Ring. Ring. Ring. RING. RING'

Piss off...

'RING! RING! RING!'

Quietly sighing, I turned over, grabbing my device. My phone screen lit up, the date being Wednesday, and the time being Six thirty-three. I yawned, hitting snooze and rolling back over, not interested in waking up just yet. The warmth of the covers stretched it's way over me, numbing my mind to my reality, even if it was just for a little longer. My eyes soon found solace again, closing themselves as the world became dark, my body settling down once again.

Maybe today will be a simple day. I could just get through it, get back home, and return to normal life. I hope so. It's about time I got a little bit of peace back.

"Only you could stay in bed that long."

I sprung up, bedsheets entangling themselves around me as I frantically looked around, finally catching Callum leaning against the doorway, that same stone look on his face, although a small smirk did emerge as he saw the state I ended up in. My mouth moved faster than my brain did, producing a flurry of words not even I could decipher. It soon turned into a sigh, clearly disappointed in my reaction.

"Come on, get up. School's starting soon."

He left, shutting the door behind him, allowing me to catch my breath and lower my heartbeat before leaving my bed, throwing some clothes on and heading into the bathroom. It took me a while to scrub the stress off of my face, clipping the few small hairs that started to appear. Heading back and putting my uniform on, I headed down the stairs, pouring a cup of coffee from the already hot kettle and taking a seat at the table, noting Callum sat at the edge, face buried in his phone.

"Where's Charlotte?" I asked, pulling my own phone out, hooking my headphones under my shirt and out through my collar, leaving them loose.

"Asleep, I assume. And let's leave it that way." He gave me a low stare, and I fidgeted, feeling my skin crawl against my bones.

"What's your issue? Charlotte can stay here, and you aren't going anywhere. There's a spare key by the way, it's-"

"Under the doormat, second brick. I know, I found it. When's it going to stop?" Callum still hadn't raised his eyes, using a spare hand to sip his own coffee, clearly mesmerised by something.

"When's what going to stop?" I questioned, confused. Another sigh left him as he looked up at me, staring into my own soul.

"The killing, Adam. Look at how crazy the last few days have been. You've beat a man to death, then killed Poppy by crushing her head with a rock. Both are covered up, and I get that, but not by you. What are you gonna do when The Boss decides enough is enough, Hm? What if he goes back on everything, takes every bit of blood out of you, and leaves you in a hole somewhere forever? You can't die. You'll stay there until the end of time, and even that you'll live through. Start using your brain, for gods sake. It makes me sick, watching human life go to waste."

"I didn't mean to kill either of them! Liam was an accident, and Poppy was- She deserved it." I backtracked, almost tripping over my own words as Liam rose, putting his cup in the sink and leaning on it.

"No one deserves to die. Not even you. If I didn't think you'd come back, I never would've done anything to you." He moved over to the window, his body more rigid than ever as he fixated on something important, his gaze hardening. "I've put my life on the line to protect Charlotte. I won't do the same for you. Get it together, before I throw you back to The Boss." He briskly left, not letting me get another word in as I stayed frozen, mulling his words over.

I did what I had to do. I know I did. He wasn't there, he didn't see how Poppy tried to slice me into pieces. He didn't see Liam's beatings. He saw none of it, he had The Boss as protection. He had no idea.

I finished my coffee, leaving a small bit in the bottom before washing both cups and leaving them to dry, throwing a coat and a pair of shoes on. It was still early, a few steaks of sunlight emanating from the crust of the world, lighting up the city half-heartedly as I went through the door, not saying a word to anyone.

I put some random playlist on, letting the music help me to escape as I strolled through the empty streets, the occasional car and person drifting by, my mind miles away. It felt as if I was passing in and out of consciousness, parts of my journey seeming to stick it's way into my daydream, finally ending up in a more abandoned part of the city. A few times over the years, out city government tried to recreate or expand, setting up shells of houses, half built walkways, paths that led to nowhere, all sorts. And every time they tried, the money always dried up, and these places ended up forgotten. Only a couple were around here, but they were always home to those without one, or those drugged out of their minds, walking and stumbling all over the place. Yet today, the area was completely silent. No one lay dormant, no human stumbled into me, nothing. It was the exact quiet I was looking for, taking a seat outside a barely finished home on the sidewalk, taking in deep breaths. My eyes ended up looking at the various stones laying around me, all of which oddly shaped, none sticking out. I kept running over them, as if I was looking for something, or trying to bury the memory.

I did what I had to do.

A soft sound suddenly came from next to me. Not too concerned, I tiled my head, trying to locate whatever caused it. Again, eyes glued to the floor, seeming to cast over the same stones, until I came across one, still gently rolling on itself. I stood up, getting a closer look, before noticing how similar it looked. Picking it up, I turned it over, realising why:

The bottom of it was stained red. Red with blood. Red with Poppy's blood. My eyes widened and my heart was in my ears, blasting inside them as I dropped it back down, panic climbing back into me. I stumbled back, truly believing I'd lost it, as I rubbed my eyes, a tear breaking free from them.

"I was hoping I'd find you here."

I didn't need to open my eyes to know that voice:

Poppy.