Eddsworld Oneshots

Addict

I hung my head in shame and disbelief.

It's been 2 years since the incident and my smoking habit had gotten worse. I can bet there's  not enough nicotine in the world that could dull my pain.

My mind was clouded with images of my friends' fearful faces. That day, it plagued my memories and haunted me wherever I went. A horrendous mistake.

The physical trauma I had suffered, the countless surgeries I underwent.

I lightly ran my finger tips up the sleeve over my prosthetic arm. Each scar that lined my body was a reminder of that day, the day I betrayed my only friends. My grip around the metal limb tightened.

I sat at my oakwood desk, staring at the papers that were strewn across its scuffed surface. The tiny black letters formed foreign words as I wandered aimlessly through the fog behind my eyes. Tom, Edd, and Matt were my friends.

Tom.

He was my friend and I tried to kill him.

I'm such a horrible person. As the clouds in my mind thickened, I decided I needed another smoke and I stretched my mechanical arm across the table to snatched a cigarette from an almost empty box. The edge of the glass ash tray sitting idle under the light, tipped under the careless weight of my arm. It briefly danced on the wood, spilling flecks of grey from its delicate rim.

I shakily drew the gold lighter from my pocket with my other hand and lit the end. Bitter fumes burned my throat, as I inhaled.  Smoke seeped out from between my lips and nose.

My head was finally settling down and I picked up the next folder. Before I could blindly check the documents inside, my office door creaked open.

I perked up.

A tall, lean figure appeared in the entrance. The man stepped past the threshold, his parted brown bangs swaying with the breeze from the closing door. He then turned to face me, quickly pushing his hair behind his ears.

"Did you need something, Pat?"

Pat's face softened into a sorry expression. "Sir.... I regret to inform you the army is disbanding."

"How come?" It was a question I already knew the answer to.

The soldier's brow furrowed and all sense of formality melted away. "Take a look out there, Tord. The place is barren. Nobody has been around here since the last failed invasion of an enemy base!"

He had a right to be angry.

I had been neglecting my duties as a leader, I haven't been right since the accident. The fact that I had almost killed Tom was too much for me to bare.

Pat took an aggressive step forward. "We can't keep going like this. The other officers and I all agree."

I solemnly nodded having fully expected this argument. "It's for the best." I gently closed the Manila folder in my hand and let it fall onto the desk.

"I'm very sorry, Red." He said in a calmer tone, trying to regain whatever composure he had left.

My tired eyes burned. "It's fine. I will probably stay in this building for a bit though....until the government comes to take me out." The old door hinges squeaked again as another figure entered the room.