Running Amok

Chapter One

Thuds of multiple pairs of boots hit the dusty ground, caused from so many people treading through the grass as a shortcut. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as we all seemed to get a high off of the rebellious act.

A reassuring, rough hand clasped around my shoulder and a smile spread across my big brothers face.

Isaac Code is the man who seemed nearly identical to myself in looks, but no where's near the same internally. We may share the same last name, but he's the last person who could calm me down. Isaac sported the same black hair as me, but nobody would ever know he's got any hair, since it's in some ridiculous buzz cut. His build was too muscular, but short, and he had a rounded face shape that held blue coloured eyes. Nothing out of the usual. Not that I'd ever consider anyone special.

The closest thing in my life to special is my best mate, Danny, or Silk as the lot of us like to call him. He was tall, though shorter than me, and wore tanned skin over the perfect amount of muscle. Nobody could get near his hair, though, as he always kept it swept up and neat away from his face. He somehow made it quite sexy, since the girls constantly were tempted to run their fingers through it.

Silk'd cut the bitch that tried to touch his locks, hence the nickname.

"Axe!" My name was shouted and I glanced up in time to catch the hammer that was thrown carelessly in my direction. My body jolted at the impact, and I silently thanked my reflexes.

I was a different story. I had this lanky type of body. Legs that girls admired for a reason I don't understand and a torso that went on for miles.

"You grab the windows, so the flames will spread through 'em faster, yeah?"

I nodded, a strand of black loose curls falling in front of my eyes. Everyone stated that my eyes were different. An unusual colour of pure emerald, but only I knew they morphed to a shade of grey when anger sparked. I hoped that side of me would stay hidden, where I knew nobody could see.

With a hard swing, the thin glass shattered into pieces along the floors, and my boots. I wondered what it felt like to be the glass. To be be broken by a stranger, and to beg to be put back together again, by the same person who broke you. Maybe that's what heartache feels like.

Not that I would know. I have this thing I like to call 'my switch'. Where one turns it off, and all the emotions and feelings and shit shuts down. The only down side is sometimes it gets so dark inside, I can't find the switch to turn it back on.

The echoes of glass splintering into shards entered my thoughts, but I pushed that away too.

Maybe if I just convince myself nothing ever happened, it would stop.

I slunk under the metal frame of the window and opened the classroom door from inside, strolling into the empty dark halls of my haunted memories. My fingers gently brushed over the cemented walls as I walked continuously. Stopping at the open entrance to the locker rooms, I could vividly remember the groups of labeled students. Some would laugh and kid, jumping on each other and giddily sharing kisses. Others would share a blunt instead of kisses, because, well, they had nobody to love with. The quieter, shy boys sat in a corner with laptops in hand. There was also the odd loner; one who simply didn't find the need to please other people.

Then there was us. The people who didn't fit in anywheres, so the misfits joined together. And together, we were number-less, never ending. We were absolute.

"Some crazy memories in here, huh?"

I turned my head to meet Silks eyes, before looking back at the empty room.

"I'll say. Maybe I'm crazy, but I miss this," I muttered, "You spend all your teen times praying to get out. To get away from all the stupid people,"

"Only to wish it wasn't over?" He ended, nodding his head in understanding. "We all feel it, Axe. You wouldn't be normal if you didn't."

A small smile crossed my lips and even I couldn't tell if it was from the adoration of my idiotic friend, or the absurd thought of wanting it all back.

I slid my back down the wall and crossed my ankles, unable to take my eyes off the firmilliar space.

"Do you have any regrets?" He questioned, mimicking my actions.

A small hum buzzed through my lips, pondering on my answer.

"I wish that I could wake up with amnesia. Forget all the stupid little things," I muttered, quoting one of my favourite song lyrics. He and I had fairly different taste in music, so I was glad he thought I was talking from the heart and not from the already spoken words, or better yet, sung words.

A loud, shrill crackle seeped in the hallways beside us, scaring me in it's progress. I looked over to Silk, seeing the blaze of red and orange flames reflecting in his widened eyes. His pupils expanded in fear, but at the same time they shrunk into little slits at the bright light that seemed to devour the tile floors.

He grabbed my over-sized jumper and drug me towards the other end of the locker room, forcing me out of my trance.

"Axe! Snap out of it!" He shouted at me, and I felt a sting on my cheek from where his hand impacted on my skin.

His eyes met mine before he flicked his head toward the empty halls.

Reluctantly, I raced after him, while the fire chased us through the never ending corridors. Both of us pushed at every door we came to, me pushing first and Silk pushing after just to be sure we didn't miss a way out. I happened to spot a heavy, metal door that led outside and ran faster to reach it in time. The fires soared through the school faster than we could run, and for a split second, I was scared. Not scared of the fire, or of dying. But of loosing my best friend.

The shocking cold of the doors shot through my body as I shoved it open, reaching back to grab Silk's hoodie and forcing him outside in front of me.

The older boy collapsed down to his knees in a gasp for breath. It was rumour that he had asthma, but no way on this earth would he admit such a weakness until it was spoken in his last breath. I didn't think it was that weak. I thought it was stupid, actually, to hide a part of who you are, especially if it's something that's un changeable.

"Axeton! What are you doing?" Isaac yelled, and before I knew it, I could see scruffy sneakers appear in front of my face before all the world seemed to fall apart and crumble down onto my back.

"Axeton!"