Unstoppable: Revitalized

-26-

Well, that's it. If that thing is feasting on me, I must be dead. There won't be anything left inside of me to put back together. This is the end. I'm dead. And I mean, actually, truly, honestly dead.

Once again, I was floating in the dark abyss, my body not seeming to exist as I drifted through the darkness, feeling nothing at all

This must be what happens when you die. You just end up somewhere like this, forever and ever. I'll be here till the end... This is all there is. No, this can't be. My parents aren't like this, nor is Liam, nor is anyone. This.. This isn't the end. Or maybe this is hell, or my personal hell maybe? A place with nothing in it, no one to talk to, no one to do anything with. It would make sense, there's no way I'd end up in heaven, not after the things I've done. This must be it. The end to all ends. Maybe it's way body trapping me, and I'll die once it's all gone. God, I can only hope.

The darkness didn't budge as I continued to move forward, unable to control which direction I was heading in. I tried to move, to even roll my eyes, but I continued on.

Please. I can't stay here forever, even if it is what I deserve. I still have to find out what happened to me, what happened to my parents, everything to do with The Boss, all of it. Please. Wake up, Adam. Wake up.

It was useless. If anything, the world I was in seemed to darken, despite my best wishes.

"PLEASE!" I cried out to the darkness, begging for some form of sound, of light, an object to come into focus, but nothing. I was still as alone and afraid as ever, with nothing but the sound of my own voice seeming to echo throughout me.

This is it.

I'm stuck here, till the end.

This is all I have.

Now, I'm truly-

"It's time to wake up."

I heard a voice, eerily similar to the creature that just mauled me, before a blinding light came from nowhere, causing me to scream as pain I'd never felt before engulfed me, my consciousness switching off as it accepted whatever came next, living or dead.

I rose to find myself standing, with the creature that ripped me apart now on the floor, split in two, a piece either side of me. Poppy was laying in the middle, also looking rough, but still in one piece. Though barely aware of my state, I noted how the creature's two halves continued to breathe in rough, harsh breaths, green blood pooling from it's new wounds. I crouched over one, unable to compute what just happened, the half I stood by trying to crawl towards the other, sounds of pain coming from it.

"What happened..?" I mumbled out, confused beyond belief, as it finally gave out, it's claws extending out before slumping to the floor.

"It... Woke... Up..." The creature's voice, who'd id heard to be strong and unstoppable, now wheezed and rattled as it laid down, now helpless to move. It's claws twitched for a moment, before laying deathly still, one final exhale coming from both halves. I took a few stumbling steps towards Poppy, throwing my blazer over her as I picked her up and took her into the house, putting her in a room with no windows and leaving her clothes beside her, stepping back outside and looking back to where that thing laid dead, the body now gone.

I've either been drugged, or I've lost my mind. I can't tell which one would be worse right now.

I'd swung up her blazer over me, buttoning it up so it covered the damage it did to my chest. Looking at the rest of me, I was a little battered, but otherwise fine. I sat back down on the path, lost in thought, before something else fell to my feet: A cigarette packet. Looking up, I saw Callum, just as cold and uncaring as ever, lighting up one of his own.

"You need one. I saw how you looked walking out here. Trust me, they help take an edge off."

Realising arguing was useless, and needing something to distract myself with, I opened up the packet, taking one out and catching the lighter he tossed at me, sparking the end until the flame crept onto the smoke, the tip ending up red hot as I dragged in a deep breath, coughing it back up roughly. He took a seat beside me, picking the packet back up.

"Yeah, that happens when you start. Trust me, you get over it." He re-lit his, taking a long drag, before letting the smoke escape his lungs, the mist curling and contorting in the air.

"How'd you know where I was?" I asked, trying to do the same, but ending up spluttering most of the smoke out, causing him to laugh shortly, clearly amused.

"Adam, I'll always be able to find you. I saw you leave and followed you. You were barely alive when you left here, you paid attention to nothing. I saw you walk out here, saw that... Thing attack you, then saw something come out of you to fight it. It was... Well... It was something. I'm glad no one walks these streets around here, the clean-up for this place wouldn't be easy."

"Hello-?" Poppy's voice called from inside as both of us rushed in, finding her dressed and standing, her body shaking as she looked at her hands, more tears rushing from her eyes. She looked up at me, relaxing her fists.

"It's gone... I don't even hear it's voice. It's-" She couldn't contain herself as she ran towards me, hugging me tightly, relieved that the monster that plagued her was now gone.

"Hell, I'll never un-see whatever-" Callum stopped. He was stood by a window after making sure she was alive. Even from another room, I could feel his unease.

"Something up?" I called from the other room, before moving over to see what the problem was.

The body of the creature was gone. No blood, bones, anything. It seemed to have simply disappeared. We all looked at each other, before Callum raised his voice first:

"Take Poppy home. Skip school. I'll tell The Boss you didn't wake up, or you were sick, whatever excuse I can think of." 

"Why? Why do this for us? I thought you worked for him." I challenged, each day spent with him leading me towards more and more confusion. I took another look at Poppy: Shaking heavily, grey streaks of sweat visible, widened eyes, she wasn't blending in.

She wouldn't look out of place here if all the usual junkies were roaming around. Good thing it's quiet.

"I told you: I don't kill when I don't need to, and if The Boss finds out about this? It's over. Take her home, get her rested, and that'll be that."

Clearly finished with talking, he turned tail and headed towards the shell of a door, brushing himself down as he turned for Moresby High. 

"C'mon Poppy" I said, suddenly drained of energy. "Let's get you back home."