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All proceeds go to no one, because there aren't any.

Chapter

5

Gregor's feet drummed against the pavement. Running was pretty much the only way to get some alone time anymore. His parents were obviously skeptical about letting him wander off in times like this, but what could they do?

Gregor paused at a stoplight for a breather. As he stood there, feeling his heart steady, he caught the eye of a cute girl walking alongside her mother. She was about his age, he figured.

Gregor had the odd urge to smirk at her, but fought it back as a wave of sickness engulfed his stomach. A slew of images attacked his senses. Luxa. What would she say? She'd probably get all moody if she caught him checking out other girls.

He shook his head, confused. Why was he worried? It's not like he'd ever see her again.

But that was just it; he wanted nothing more than to see his Underland friends again. He peered down the road. Central Park was only a few blocks from here. He could easily slip under the stone and…

Gregor turned and jogged back home. Underland? Fat chance.

Gregor pushed the door open into his house. The first thing he saw was his father asleep on the couch. The man had looked tired for the past few days. Gregor got the distinct feeling that that was his fault.

He walked into the kitchen and plopped down into one of the seats at the table. His mind wandered back to the girl he saw. What was his problem? Every little thing brought back fresh memories of the events that took place below the city.

Gregor sat there thinking for a long while before finally picking up the bottle on the table. He wasn't quite sure what these pills were, but he had shot down his mother's attempts to get him to take them.

He contemplated taking them now. Hell, he had already eradicated his emotions with pure rage. Maybe a few antidepressants would help. He read the directions on the bottle carefully. No point dying on accident.

He fished out one of the tablets and poured a glass of water from the sink. He caught himself waiting for the pipes to clean out, sneered, and filled a cup. After a moment of glaring down at the unassuming pill, he tossed it back and took a draught of water.

The war raged on. Anger fighting ferociously with complacency. Gregor stood in the middle of the fray, feeling the force of every blow. Pain wracked his entire being. He could feel himself begging for the release of death, but neither party obliged. In fact, both seemed to be keeping him alive solely for the torment he now endured.

What was this? Was it the medicine? Or was it simply his own halves tearing away from one another? He did not know. He knew very little in these moments.

From the barren south came another army. His other emotions had banded together to take back his mind. Gregor realized that the only way to be free was to fight as well. But who would he ally himself to? Anger? Contentment? Or perhaps love and sadness…

The indecision exacerbated his pain. He collapsed into a mental ball and tried to wait it out. Hopefully the drug would leave his system soon. But when he looked at the clock in the kitchen, it had stopped. Time wasn't moving… Or was it going faster? Time was running out… tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick…

"Gregor!" He couldn't tell who had called his name, but he dragged his gaze down. It took what felt like days, but his eyes finally stopped on his mother's face. Her expression was one of fear and anxiety.

He tried to answer, tell her he needed help, but no sound escaped. He simply stared at her with a blank face, unable to express the anguish that he felt.

He stood and patted her shoulder. Was he reassuring her? He didn't know.

He brushed past her and made for the door. Before he could open it, a hand caught his wrist. He turned to see his father, stern and sad. But his expression changed when he saw Gregor's soulless eyes. Exasperation caused his father to step back and freeze in place. He had never seen his son so dead inside.

Gregor turned back to the door and threw it open. He trotted down the stairs, then sprinted as the outside air reached his lungs.

Well this is embarrassing.

Sorry for… Well, it wasn't a "wait" so much as a complete disregard of my responsibilities.

Thank you for reading. I'll try to pump these out quicker.

This is the end of the first part. Two more left! You ready?