EXISTENCE

CHAPTER 25: Arrival

Adam was silent. His thoughts were elsewhere entirely - he wasn't sure what he was thinking about anymore. He was no longer in the courtyard, standing in the midst of his dead friends. He was no longer throwing fists and fighting the one thing that had destroyed the life he had come to know. Now, he just sat, silent and secluded from the rest of the world.

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Two Hours Earlier

Adam was unsure what to do. Behind him was Jasmine, holding her boyfriend's dead body, slowly running out of tears to cry for him. Gabriel had become a solid statue, encased in stone, still wearing a smile in the face of death. And then there was Hawa, who died as a girl free from the curse she had to endure.

Adam stood up and gazed at the sky, as it began clearing out. "What am I supposed to do now?" He had a vacant expression on his face. "What exactly were we fighting for...?"

Jasmine slowly wiped her eyes and looked over at the little boy. "Adam..."

He must be taking this harder than anyone...

She repeated his name. "Adam."

He didn't look back. He remained silent.

"Do you think...their deaths were meaningless?"

After a minute that seemed like eternity, the boy responded, "...I don't know. But I don't think we could have won, either. I just...I don't know anything anymore."

"...Do you think they needed to die?"

"...I don't know."

Jasmine nodded. "I see-"

"But."

Jasmine raised her head.

Adam turned around. "I think that those two, especially Juan, would say that it would be stupid to think about that." He smiled. "I think that he would tell you, too, that it didn't matter what happened, as long as you knew that everything he, Gabriel, and I did was to protect you and everyone else we cared about." He walked over to the girl, slowly limping. "And I guess... I guess if you think about it like that... then we did what we were supposed to do... right?"

Jasmine looked at the boy with wide eyes. The boy was covered with black stains on his skin.

"Adam...what happened to you? Are...you okay?"

He slowly started to fall over.

"ADAM!" Jasmine ran for the boy and caught him before he hit the ground.

As Jasmine carefully held on to the little Algerian, she began to hear the sounds of sirens. All around her were students and teachers, coming to check out what had happened after sudden silence. She was surrounded by inaudible whisperings and musings, most likely, she assumed, were confused questions about what happened, and why the courtyard was stained with blood and had three dead bodies, with one of the most popular girls in school holding what seemed to be another.

Jasmine called out, tears in her eyes, "Someone! Someone please, get the nurse!" More tears began falling. "This boy...this boy is dying! He needs to be seen now!"

But no one made a move.

Jasmine went silent. She slowly opened her mouth in an effort to make another plea. "What..what's wrong? Why won't you come help him...?" And then she saw them.

"Well, well, if it ain't Mrs. Freak. What's a pretty girl like you doing in such a scene as this?"

It was the police chief.