Post by Adam Stanheight on Dec 22, 2020 20:47:13 GMT -6
He was bleeding.
Bleeding and sitting.
What else could he fucking do? He had a hole in his fucking shoulder and a chain on his leg. There was no other option than to bleed out, alone. He knew Lawrence wouldn’t be coming back. He accepted that the moment he crawled away, and that sick motherfucker pried himself off the floor in front of him. He tried not to think about how… Jigsaw, he guessed, left the same way Lawrence had. There was no point worrying about him.
They may as well both die down here. Only seemed fitting.
He closed his eyes. Yeah, that was something else he could do.
And then he was moving. He didn’t open his eyes. He didn’t want to know why. He only cracked an eye when he felt rain hit his head. It was raining. He was outside. Being dragged outside, granted, but outside. He couldn’t contain the gut punch he felt when he laid eyes on the one dragging him. The words fell out, quietly hitting the concrete with the rain.
“...Rockstar? From the stairwell?”
The woman, tired, gaunt and shaking, tilted her chin towards him and grimaced. She looked like she’d been crying. He stared for just a moment more, and looked away. He didn’t want to know. He didn’t want to understand why she was there, saving him. There was only one way, and she wasn’t going to be his white knight on a shining horse.
He felt his back lean against cold, wet metal.
Maybe a rusty horse, then, as he rubbed a hand on the back door of a car.
“Are you going to kill me?” He muttered as she lifted him into the passenger seat. “Guess not, right? Stupid question. Ignore me.” He cleared his throat. “Do you have a cigarette?”
“Do you always talk this much?” She spoke softly, placing a cigarette in his mouth as she buckled up.
“Only when I’m bleeding to death in a shitty,” he scanned the car for a minute, squinting at the dash. “mustang. Thanks for asking.”
She laughed. It was a nice enough sound that he could ignore the fact that he didn’t have a light. He chewed the filter.
“Let’s play twenty questions. I already know you’re not going to kill me, so are you taking me to a hospital?”
She didn’t answer. She clenched the steering wheel a little harder. Adam pretended not to notice. He kept his mouth shut after that, staring out the window, ignoring the way the rain seemed to fall in circles in his dizzy vision.
“Good talk.” He muttered, cozying his good shoulder against the door.
And when he opened his eyes they had stopped. He had no idea how long the car had been idling, just that he was… cozy. It was warm in here. Warmer than the bathroom, and warmer than his shithole apartment. She was standing against the passenger side of the car, staring upwards at the grey clouds as they passed. She had raindrops resting on her cheeks, but she made no move to wipe them away.
Adam wished he had his camera. But the moment passed, and he knew he couldn’t sit in some stranger's car while he bled on the seat. He nudged the door open, and placed a bare foot on the wet gravel.
“Hey. Is this our destination?” He said, getting out and placing a hand on the car door for leverage.
He looked down the road both ways, seeing nothing but empty fields. A thought rattled in his head, and he wasn’t quite in love with it.
“You’re not dumping me here, right?”
The woman tensed.
Oh.
“...Oh. Alright. Mind pointing me in the direction of the nearest hospital, so I can at least bleed out in comfort?”
She looked away from him.
“Jigsaw. If he found out I brought you to a hospital. If he finds out you lived at all.” She shrugged. “I can’t take you. You’re not as far as you think.”
Adam was painfully aware of her refusing to look at him. Refusing to acknowledge the truth of it. Was probably easier for her that way.
“Cool. Great, yeah. Alright.” He closed the door, and it slammed shut louder than he meant. He noticed her jump when it did. “Get going then. Right? You gotta get back to that asshole at some point.”
She nodded, silently, as she walked back around and got into the car. He rolled the cigarette between his fingers as she drove away.
Right. Okay. What now?
What the hell was he supposed to do?
Adam looked out into the fields that walled the road. He dropped the unburnt cigarette to the ground, and trudged into the mud.
He accepted his death in that bathroom, hours ago. No point in trying to salvage what’s left of his life now.
May as well just find somewhere pretty to die.
Bleeding and sitting.
What else could he fucking do? He had a hole in his fucking shoulder and a chain on his leg. There was no other option than to bleed out, alone. He knew Lawrence wouldn’t be coming back. He accepted that the moment he crawled away, and that sick motherfucker pried himself off the floor in front of him. He tried not to think about how… Jigsaw, he guessed, left the same way Lawrence had. There was no point worrying about him.
They may as well both die down here. Only seemed fitting.
He closed his eyes. Yeah, that was something else he could do.
And then he was moving. He didn’t open his eyes. He didn’t want to know why. He only cracked an eye when he felt rain hit his head. It was raining. He was outside. Being dragged outside, granted, but outside. He couldn’t contain the gut punch he felt when he laid eyes on the one dragging him. The words fell out, quietly hitting the concrete with the rain.
“...Rockstar? From the stairwell?”
The woman, tired, gaunt and shaking, tilted her chin towards him and grimaced. She looked like she’d been crying. He stared for just a moment more, and looked away. He didn’t want to know. He didn’t want to understand why she was there, saving him. There was only one way, and she wasn’t going to be his white knight on a shining horse.
He felt his back lean against cold, wet metal.
Maybe a rusty horse, then, as he rubbed a hand on the back door of a car.
“Are you going to kill me?” He muttered as she lifted him into the passenger seat. “Guess not, right? Stupid question. Ignore me.” He cleared his throat. “Do you have a cigarette?”
“Do you always talk this much?” She spoke softly, placing a cigarette in his mouth as she buckled up.
“Only when I’m bleeding to death in a shitty,” he scanned the car for a minute, squinting at the dash. “mustang. Thanks for asking.”
She laughed. It was a nice enough sound that he could ignore the fact that he didn’t have a light. He chewed the filter.
“Let’s play twenty questions. I already know you’re not going to kill me, so are you taking me to a hospital?”
She didn’t answer. She clenched the steering wheel a little harder. Adam pretended not to notice. He kept his mouth shut after that, staring out the window, ignoring the way the rain seemed to fall in circles in his dizzy vision.
“Good talk.” He muttered, cozying his good shoulder against the door.
And when he opened his eyes they had stopped. He had no idea how long the car had been idling, just that he was… cozy. It was warm in here. Warmer than the bathroom, and warmer than his shithole apartment. She was standing against the passenger side of the car, staring upwards at the grey clouds as they passed. She had raindrops resting on her cheeks, but she made no move to wipe them away.
Adam wished he had his camera. But the moment passed, and he knew he couldn’t sit in some stranger's car while he bled on the seat. He nudged the door open, and placed a bare foot on the wet gravel.
“Hey. Is this our destination?” He said, getting out and placing a hand on the car door for leverage.
He looked down the road both ways, seeing nothing but empty fields. A thought rattled in his head, and he wasn’t quite in love with it.
“You’re not dumping me here, right?”
The woman tensed.
Oh.
“...Oh. Alright. Mind pointing me in the direction of the nearest hospital, so I can at least bleed out in comfort?”
She looked away from him.
“Jigsaw. If he found out I brought you to a hospital. If he finds out you lived at all.” She shrugged. “I can’t take you. You’re not as far as you think.”
Adam was painfully aware of her refusing to look at him. Refusing to acknowledge the truth of it. Was probably easier for her that way.
“Cool. Great, yeah. Alright.” He closed the door, and it slammed shut louder than he meant. He noticed her jump when it did. “Get going then. Right? You gotta get back to that asshole at some point.”
She nodded, silently, as she walked back around and got into the car. He rolled the cigarette between his fingers as she drove away.
Right. Okay. What now?
What the hell was he supposed to do?
Adam looked out into the fields that walled the road. He dropped the unburnt cigarette to the ground, and trudged into the mud.
He accepted his death in that bathroom, hours ago. No point in trying to salvage what’s left of his life now.
May as well just find somewhere pretty to die.