Breed and Burn: Faceless

Chapter 19- Message Man (II)

"What are you doing, Axel? This isn't you. Pray it's Seven?" His voice was shaking. Thorne's temper was like an explosive- once it began sizzling there were only seconds to take cover. Thorne knew this and he knew Axel knew. What the hell was he doing? Only moments ago, Axel was the quiet boy who only spoke when he had to. "You need to stop. Now."

Shrill voices could be heard from the hallway. "It's working," Axel responded, hoping Thorne wouldn't figure out what he was doing. "Trust me."

It had to be real.

"Answer me," stated Thorne, gritting his teeth. "What are you doing?"

"Doing what you couldn't. Doing what you still can't. Saving our arses. I can't believe we trusted you enough for you to be a leader. All you've done is let Noble and Haven die and then sit around and feel sorry for yourself. Were we stupid or what?"

"Do you think you're being brave because it just seems like stupidity to me," he spat. There was a snarl in his voice. "What's a broken nose and a couple bruised rips going to do? Kill you off quicker? Sounds like a great plan to me."

"Was that a threat?"

"A warning."

"Feel that anger you live in? Release it. Let it explode. Do something useful for once."

"No. Leaders...leaders...lead by example...not by force." Every couple seconds he would take in a deep breath to reorder his thoughts and repress his anger. "I'm the leader. Not you. Don't you dare challenge by authority? We don't know what we're up against and here you are behaving like a child."

"Leaders are only leaders when they have followers, Thorne. Or did no one tell you that? What? Are you offended by what I'm saying? Imagine what I'm holding back."

He was on the verge of mentally snapping but he kept his jaw wired shut. Silent and withdrawn just like he practised. Every word was fueling a dangerous fire inside of Thorne. He needed to calm the inner hurricane to prove himself.

"Calm down, Thorne. I could fry a bloody egg with the steam coming out of your ears and our friends are literally dying of hypothermia and you're not doing anything about it. Think this is bad? They're a lot worse off than us and at least I'm trying something instead of moping around and feeling sorry for myself. Get off your skinny ass. I know you hate yourself and I would to if I were you but no one cares. All we care about is you getting us out alive. And you're doing a great bloody job at that. Clearly. I know your fears. We don't care about you, Thorne. If you hadn't stepped up the moment we woke up then you would be a nobody. Replaceable. Sacrificial. Expendable. The only friend you have is your anger. Calm down."

"You have a lot of nerve to tell me to calm down! Don't make me bloody angry and tell me to calm down," Thorne growled, lunging forward. It took everything in him to keep his fists by his sides. Clenched and quivering. "It's like fracking stabbing someone and telling them to stop bleeding. Or telling someone with depression to cheer up. You would get that, wouldn't you, airhead. Someone just shot him himself. Give me a moment. You of all people should fracking understand. Don't act like you weren't talking to me when your best mate decided to rip Noble's throat."

"Let's just stop dying from hypothermia and plan a bloody funeral, mate. Why didn't we think of this before? You're a bloody genius," said Axel, sarcastically, punctuating each word with emphasis so it hung in the air a second longer than it should do.

Silent and withdrawn. Feeling his chest tighten into a knot as the quiet rage continued to build, Thorne looked away. He looked at the entrance of the dark room and focused his attention on the flickering shadows that were so thin and empty they looked more like distortions of light.