Omega

I.

    Adam sat in his leather armchair, the house dark and it's walls harboring an empty feel. The only noise piercing the silence was the ticking of the clock that hung on the wall in the kitchen, which he hadn't entered lately. Even as his hunger grew, the thought of food and eating only made his stomach churn.

    He had been stewing in his home like this for the past three weeks. His auburn hair was messy and strewn about, stubble was beginning to grow back on his defined jawline. His once bright and and lively hazel eyes were now sunken, hazed over in a cloud of gray, dead as well as void of any possible joy. His complexion was now ghastly pale, the only color left was a faint red not yet drawn from his cheeks.

    Adam was miserable, but his voice was taken from him.

    It wasn't until a brash knock on his door that Adam turned his head, lifting an arm to rub his stiff neck.

    "Adam, it's me, Liam. I get it if you don't want to talk right now, but some of the guys were wondering if you'd like to go out to eat tonight or something," a masculine voice called from outside.

    Adam's mouth was dry, he didn't feel like speaking up. Something, however, compelled him to. Something stupid, at that, or at least in his mind. He took a shallow breath before regretfully standing, feeling his legs tremble beneath him. His head throbbed as he slowly walked over to his front door, ignoring the cold of his tile flooring.

    With a shaking hand, he grasped the chilled door knob, and with his free hand, he unlocked the door, sighing as he slowly opened it. A warm summer evening's air washed over him as he scanned over who stood at his doorstep.

    Before Adam was one of his oldest friends, Liam, and two of his other friends from work, Reese and Simon. He gave a brief nod towards his coworkers as Liam smiled sadly at his friend's appearance.

    Right now, just to match his poor physical state, Adam was just in his boxers and a grimy T-shirt, an old jacket hanging from his shoulders unzipped.

    "Man," he sighed, fitting his hands in his pockets. "Are you sure you're doing alright?"

    Adam stood for a second, silent, before speaking. "Why don't you come in,"  he sighed, turning back into his cold house and flicking on the lights.

    "Adam, really," Reese uttered sympathetically.

    Still, Adam remained silent. He didn't wish to talk about this at the moment.

    Simon smiled hopefully. "So, I assume you're coming?" His messy, dark hair fell into his eyes as always.

    Adam shrugged. "Sure, I guess," he nearly whispered.

    "If that's the case, then seriously... Change into a better shirt and at least throw on some shorts," Liam said with a smirk.

    "At least some cologne might help," Reese mumbled.

    Adam nodded. "Yeah, okay," he murmured as he took hesitant strides to his bedroom.

    As he approached it at the end of the gray hallway, he came to a standstill, staring at the peeling paint on the door forlornly. His lips parted only slightly as he couldn't pull his eyes away from a horrible reminder of what once was. The pain that for only a second had submerged now resurfaced, clawing at him from inside of his chest and weighing down his limbs, urging him to curl up in a pathetic heap on the floor and sob until there was nothing left inside of him. Tears brimmed his eyes, and he wanted so desperately for this wretched, miserable feeling to end and leave him now and forever. He hated looking back on his past at what once was, though he found that he couldn't help himself.

    Because he was happy.

    Where had that gone?

    "Adam, hurry up!" Liam called, jarring Adam from his thoughts just as a single tear trailed down his cheek.

    He forced his hand to work, opening the creaking door into the room, specks of dust visible through the light pouring in through the slits in the blinds that hung before the window. He made his way over to his dresser, pulling out a pair of shorts and a faded Marvel T-shirt.

    Quickly, he slipped into them, not particularly enjoying the cold air touching his bare skin. He had been meaning to turn down his AC, though hadn't found it in him to complete such a mundane task. He grabbed a piece of gum, not caring if it wasn't enough to help his breath, before slipping on shoes and walking out to his three friends, being sure to close the door behind him.

    "Ready?" he asked quietly.

    Liam smiled, walking over and patting his friend on the back. "You're sure you're fine?" he questioned him solemnly.

    Adam wanted to say no, to start shouting and bawling over how nothing at the moment could ever be fine, but somehow, a serene presence came over him. Flashing a meaningless smile, Adam replied, "Yeah, I'll be fine."

    However after the last word slipped his tongue, he began to debate whether or not that was really true.