At the End

2: Exanimum

         His body felt like lead. The ground was consuming his limbs one by one, like an animal taunting its prey, circling it over and over again to wear it down. The thirst was unquenchable.

         Neo was unable to scream, his vocal cords shriveled up long before, his insides dry like ash.

         Hands started to come up from below, claws digging into his skin, red covering his body as it made its way up. A figure with its eyes gouged out stared at him, black dripping from it, lingering parts of its soul as dark as night as it flickered in and out of existence.

         The chatter from outside his window had inevitably woken him up. The dream, once fresh, was already starting to fade, mind spinning and barely functional. Another nightmare he would soon forget.

         Yelling and cursing could be heard from outside his window, distracting him. The neighbors at the end of the complex were at it again like rabid dogs.

         With a loud sigh, he wondered why the hell he thought living on the ground floor of an apartment building was a good idea. The only plus was that the city was only a few subway stations away, and while he assumed living in the suburbs would provide some peace, he was obviously wrong.

         He sat up in bed, immediately regretting it when his abdomen roared in pain. It had been weeks since his last fight, yet he still hadn't fully recovered. The sheets tangled around his feet as he stood up, almost tripping him as he made his way to the bathroom.

         "Shit."

         Why did everything have to be so difficult?

         He lifted up his white T-shirt, holding in his breath as the fabric brushed his wound. While it was healing "nicely" as the doctor had said, it was still pink and irritated. That was probably because he didn't rest like they said. There was no time for that, not when he had to work two jobs and constantly watch his back. He was never safe.

         A quick shower burned his sore body, and after bandaging up his cut he was ready to head out to work. A pair of jeans and some shitty band tee were all he had to wear. He needed to stop at the laundromat later.

         He grabbed the keys from the counter and put his hood over his head, messy hair now hidden from view. It was too early in the day to have the sun scorching his skin. The key scratched the steel as he fumbled to get it in the lock. His hands were shaky, body craving the caffeine he had yet to consume. He needed to buy a coffee pot, but he was cheap.

         "Excuse me, sir?"

         Neo turned around, wondering who the hell was bothering him so early. Who even said sir anymore? God he needed that coffee.

         "Yeah?" was his annoyed reply, eyes meeting with another guy, hazel orbs boring into his own black ones. The dude next to him was thin and lanky, hands folded in front of him like he was nervous. He stood in front of the apartment next to his, the door wide open with cool air gushing out.

         Of course it had to be the new guy that just moved in.

         "Um...," his voice trailed off.

         "What?" Neo snapped, his patience thin. Was the guy high or something?

         The guy scratched the back of his head, eyes darting around before finally looking at the ground.

         "N-nothing," he said. It was so quiet that Neo almost missed it.

         His new neighbor gave him one last look before running back into his apartment. The door slammed shut behind him.

         "What the fuck is his problem?"

         There was something strange about him.

         "Shit. I'm gunna' be late."