Light & Darkness

Chapter 17: Dark side

'HUH?!' It took a minute for the words to sink in and for me to realise the words that had just hit my ears like an arrow were coming right from his mouth.

'I-I am just... trying to help you' I stuttered out the words softly, still in shock. I hugged my bag and coat tightly against my chest, lowering my head. I couldn't even bare to look him in the eyes.

He must be joking around with me I was thinking this at the back of my head. Please Adrian turn around and laugh at me for getting scared. Please tell me that it is a joke, please Adrian. I was repeating this line continuously in my head and somewhat hoping for it to be a joke. I felt my heart beat speed up.

'I don't need any help,' he growled.

'I was just saying... that you shouldn't---' I didn't finish the sentence, well I couldn't as I lost my voice when he finally turned around. Instead of a smile or mischievous expression that I was expecting, there was a hostile look on his face. His face had turned red from anger, that's what I guessed. He roughly pushed me against the wall, causing me to hit the back of my head against the wall. I whimpered, but was too shocked to even care about the pain. He held me forcefully by my arms, his nails were painfully digging into the flesh of my right arm. One of his fingernails pierced through my skin.

'Huh! Oww!,' I softly gasped and whispered, too scared to make any noise aloud in case it results in Adrian causing me more pain. That would be impossible, I thought.

Wanting to sneak a look, I saw a slight trail of blood as it ran down my arm. However, I didn't feel the pain at all, compared to what I was feeling in my heart, was so much more painful that it numbed everything. The cold, the darkness, the pins and needles due to his mighty grip on my arms, the pierced skin... nothing compared to the pain that was ignited deep within my heart. I just stared at him bug-eyed. My eyes filling with tears. I didn't know if they were due to the physical pain or the emotional one. I just felt myself crumbling from within.

'Who the hell are YOU to tell ME what to do?' he grinded his teeth, looking wrathful. My whole body started shivering, not with cold but with fear. My breathing became shallow. Even though it was a bit chilly, I felt sweat on my forehead, the fire spread within me, starting from the heart, covering my lungs and chest.

'It's not you Adrian,'  I whispered in my head at first but then decided to say it to him. Perhaps he will snap out of it. I whispered hoarsely as the fire spread to my throat and it felt dry, 'it's not you Adrian. What's wrong with you?' My eyes let go of the tears that I was trying to hold in. They flowed down my face, clearing my vision. It wasn't Adrian at all, this man who stood before me, causing me pain, he wasn't the person I knew. The look in his eyes was not of a human, he... he looked like... as if he just turned into a beast.

'Ad-Adrian---' I whispered, my voice a bit stronger again and a single tear roll down my cheek. The fire now engulfed my face and the colour drained out. My body was paralysed but internally I panicked. Adrian's grip then suddenly loosened on my arm.

His facial expression also changed and he looked... woeful. His eyes were an epitome of grief and sorrow. I felt his eyes glisten, I guessed it was due to the presence of tears. I was too frozen to react when he swiftly let me go., although, I wished to just grab him and never let go. Was it weird that regardless of what just happened, I wanted to hug Adrian and comfort him? My legs felt wobbly, like they have lost their life and I could hardly keep myself from falling down.

'Go' he spoke weakly as he turned his head away from me, allowing me to get a side view of his face. He was crying, I could clearly see in the dim light of the alley. I unexpectedly felt all of my fear creeping out of my body, leaving me with a new confidence grow within me.