The Broken Ones

Chapter 12

Felix:

Dammit, what was I doing. This was a dream. The trees as thick as a house, the constant snapping of twigs off in the distance, the occasional whine from Kat's lips as we continued deeper and deeper into the density of the forest. Away from safety, or what we knew as safety. All a dream. Several times I contemplated whacking myself in the head with a stick just to make sure I was here. Several times I pushed the idiotic thought aside. Aside from the Zelda quest we seemed to be on, my withdrawal symptoms were creeping in on me. And fast. My hands twitched every now and then and I could feel sweat forming on my brow. My tongue lusted for the taste of just one cigarette. Afterall, smoking had been in my life since age thirteen. Sickening, I know. But it helped in the moment.

Taylor seemed to notice my behavior by the looks she threw me every now and then. They were reassuring looks, but I could still tell she was worried for me. I couldn't blame her. I was a complete mess. Not to mention these jeans making everything ten times worse. I looked like a freaking action figure.

As we ventured deeper into the forest in silent observation, things began to grow darker. And not just the darkening of the light, but it was as if I could actually feel something swelling up inside of me. Something dark-evil. I hated it. I thought about Taylor's hand, the way it felt against mine when I was holding it, the comfort it brought, how she would gently circle her thumb over my skin every now and then. At the thought, my hand twitched even harder, causing Kat to glance up at me.

"You alright?" she wondered. Her white eyes seemed to illuminate her whole face, along with wherever she was staring. Usually, I had no problem with them. They never phased me. But with my senses being increased by what seemed times one hundred, they forced me to look away.

"I'm alright." It was a lie, and probably obviously so. But I didn't want to be an even bigger burden in this already messy situation, so I kept quiet for a few more minutes.

Nicotine. The one word raced through my mind over and over again.

Nicotine. I needed it.

Nicotine. I didn't need it, I wanted it. I was just too weak to control my urge.

These woods were unfamiliar, so who knows what I would lure if I were to yell right now. At the moment, however, that's all I wanted to do.

I bit down on my lip. Hard. The taste of blood met my tongue. Still, it was all I had to keep from exploding.

Kat attempted to start a conversation in order to lighten the dark mood. "So, think we'll still have to take finals?"

"God, I hope not," Taylor replied. Her voice shook slightly but it held its ground in a firm manner that, like always, helped with my nerves slightly. It was amazing how the simple sound of her voice could affect me. I kept quiet as I listened intently to their words. Anything to keep from yelling.

"Think anyone will miss us?" Kat asked.

It was almost amusing. "Miss making our life a living hell, yeah, probably."

"I'm going to miss those bleachers."

Taylor looked at her sternly. "Kat, we're not going to die here."

"How do you know?"

"Because I won't let that happen. This could be a dream for all we know."

Kat didn't say anything. I watched her fiddle with her thumbs for a moment, something she always did when she was deep in thought. "We're just kids," she said quietly.

For some odd reason, her words hit me hard. They almost physically hurt. Because it was true, even if we never admitted it. We were just kids, kids who have barely even got anywhere in life yet. We were just kids with the same need for affection. However, we were the kids who never got much of that. So maybe we were no different in the real world and in this fantasy world. Still, the thought hurt.