Everyone Underestimate Liam Cross

5: Fractured

LIAM CROSS.

The wind screamed against my face, and through my skin coldly. My eyes were shut tightly. I was supposed to be falling, supposed to finally let the world disappear beneath me. But I didn’t feel myself falling.

Instead, I felt strong rough arms wrap around me, dragging me backward with such force it knocked the breath right out of me.

The bridge’s cold rail bit into my spine. My chest heaved as I blinked through the shock, and through the haze I saw him... an orderly man, his suit slightly undone, he has fierce brown and rugged eyes beneath the night glow. He looked terrified, as though holding on to me was the only thing keeping his own world from collapsing.

“No… no!” The words tore from me, ragged, and furious. I twisted, and kicked, while trying to break free. My voice thundered with every shout. “Let me go! Let me go!”

He didn’t. His grip only tightened, and trembling, refusing to release me.

My throat burned as a sob ripped through it. Tears I hadn’t shed in months came flooding down, wet and bitter, mixing with the catarrh running down my nostrils. “You don’t understand!” I wailed, my words choking between gasps. “I can’t… I can’t live like this anymore!”

The man said nothing. The silence around us was deafening... only the wind, the distant hum of cars, and the shaking of my body between his hands.

“It’s okay, son,” he whispered finally, his voice steady.

“No!” I screamed, pounding my fists weakly against his chest. “It’s not okay! Nothing is okay!” My voice broke into sobs. “I’m tired… I’m tired of hurting, tired of waking up, tired of being nothing.” My body trembled so violently it felt like my bones were rattling apart. “Please… just let me die. I want to die,” I whispered, the words barely escaping my lips.

But he didn’t. He only held me closer, his breath heavy against my shoulder, grounding me when all I wanted was to vanish.

“You’re not jumping, not on my watch.”

His words scraped against my ears, steady but shaking, seems he was scared. I didn’t care. I kept thrashing, kept yelling, my voice torn and wild. “Let me die! Please... just let me go!”

He didn’t flinch. His arms stayed locked around me, the weight of them pressing against my trembling chest. I could feel his heartbeat slamming against my back, matching mine. He was panting, whispering something I couldn’t hear over my sobs.

“I said let me go!” I roared again, as I shoved, and clawed, but my legs... my cursed, useless legs wouldn’t obey me. I could feel them shake beneath me, weak, trembling, dead weight chained to my soul.

If they worked, I would’ve run. I would’ve sprinted straight into the wind, into the light, and over the bridge. But they didn’t, because they couldn’t. They betrayed me, just like the rest of the world did.

“Damn it!” I yelled, punching the air. “Why can’t I just die and end my miserable life?”

The man grunted, tightening his grip. “Because you still matter, son.”

His voice cracked on that last word, and that somehow made it worse. I didn’t want his pity. I wanted release, and peace. And I was a hundred percent certain that peace was me jumping over the bridge.

Then I heard footsteps, several of them. Car doors slammed, and voices echoed. A crowd had gathered, with wide eyes while whispering. Some filmed, while some gasped. And then, the flashing lights came.

“Don’t touch me!” I cried as more hands reached out. Two men, maybe three, pulled at my arms. “We’re here to help you. Easy, easy…”

“Help me?” I spat, shaking my head. “You want to help? Let me go!”

But they didn’t. They surrounded me, their warmth suffocating me, I felt so angry and worthless. The man who caught me still held my shoulder like a vice. My body fought, but my strength was gone. My knees buckled. I screamed again, but the sound came out weak, broken, almost like a whimper.

Then a woman appeared, her face pale, and eyes filled with softness and sadness. She knelt beside me, whispering low, “It’s alright. You’re safe now.”

“I don’t want to be safe,” I croaked. “I just want to stop hurting.”

She nodded, though her lips trembled. “I know, sweetheart. I know.” Her hand moved quick, I didn’t even see the needle until I felt the sting against my arm.

“What... what did you do?” I gasped, struggling as the world began to tilt.

“It’s just to help you rest,” she said. “Just rest, okay?” The lights blurred, the voices turned to hums, and the wind faded into silence.

My vision dim. The last thing I saw was that man still watching me with his brows furrowed, and his chest heaving.

Then everything went black.