The man they called insane

I finally found you

Damien kept walking long after the fire disappeared behind him.

The rain had stopped, but his clothes were still soaked. Cold wind hit his skin, yet he barely felt it anymore. His body moved on its own, one weak step after another, while his mind stayed trapped inside that living room.

His mother's blood on his hands. Her last breath. The way her fingers went cold inside his. He could still hear her voice.

Run.

Damien pressed the earring tighter into his palm as he walked down the empty street. The sharp edges dug into his skin, but he welcomed the pain. It reminded him that he was still alive, even when he no longer wanted to be.

Cars passed him slowly. Some drivers stared. A woman standing outside a small shop covered her mouth when she saw him. A man sitting near a bus stop shook his head quietly as Damien limped past in a torn hospital gown with dried blood on his chest and bare feet covered in cuts.

Nobody stopped him. Nobody asked if he was okay. Maybe he looked like a madman. Maybe he was one now.

His chest hurt badly. Every breath felt heavy, like someone was pressing bricks against his ribs. At first he thought it was because of the explosion, but after a while he understood it was something deeper.

Grief.

Real grief did not stay only in the heart. It spread through the whole body like poison.

His throat burned from trying not to cry again. Tears still slipped down his face anyway. Quiet tears. Tired tears. The kind that came from a place too deep for screaming.

He thought about the last time his mother had called him.

Three years ago.

He remembered staring at his phone while Serena sat beside him on the couch. Serena had rolled her eyes and laughed softly.

"Your mother treats me like I'm stealing you away from her," she had said.

Damien had believed her. He remembered pressing decline. Now he would give anything in the world to hear that call one more time.

A broken sound escaped his throat. He covered his mouth quickly, but another one came out.

People walking nearby turned to look at him. Damien lowered his head and kept moving.

Hours passed.

The city slowly became quieter. Shops closed. Lights went out one after another. The streets emptied until only a few cars remained.

His legs were shaking badly now. He had not eaten properly in days. The drugs from the hospital still clouded his mind. Twice he almost collapsed.

Still, he kept walking. he had because if he stopped, he'd have to start thinking and thunkkng meant remembering it all over again.

The sound of footsteps suddenly came from behind him.

Damien barely reacted.

Three men stepped out from a dark alley. Young. Thin. Dirty clothes. One of them held a knife.

"Hey," the tallest one called out. "Stop there."

Damien stared at them without speaking.

The shorter man frowned. "This guy looks homeless."

"He still got something," the one with the knife muttered.

They walked closer.

Damien should have been afraid, but he felt nothing. Fear needed energy, and he had none left.

"Give us whatever you have," the tall one demanded.

Damien slowly opened his empty hands except for one.

The hand holding the earring stayed closed.

The man with the knife noticed immediately.

"See?" he said. "I told you he's hiding something."

"It is nothing," Damien said weakly.

The tall robber grabbed his arm roughly. "Open your hand."

Damien tightened his fist harder.

"No."

The men exchanged looks.

The shortest one laughed. "Must be expensive."

"It is mine," Damien whispered.

The knife flashed near his face.

"Open it."

Damien shook his head.

The tall robber punched him hard across the mouth. Damien stumbled and hit the wall behind him. Pain exploded through his jaw, but he still did not open his hand.

The earring was all he had left now.

His parents were dead.

His home was gone.

The woman he loved had destroyed his life.

But this small piece of metal connected him to the people who did this.

As long as he still held it, revenge was still alive.

The robber with the knife grew impatient. "Cut his hand off," he snapped. "Let's see if he still wants to hold it then."

The shortest man hesitated. "Seriously?"

"You want money or not?"

Damien closed his eyes.

For one strange moment, he almost wished they would do it.

Maybe then the pain would finally stop.

The tall robber grabbed Damien's arm and slammed it against the wall. The knife gleamed under the streetlight as the other man stepped forward.

Then suddenly—

Headlights.

Bright white light flooded the street.

A black car swerved around the corner at full speed, tires screeching loudly against the road.

The robbers cursed.

"Police!" one shouted.

The car sped straight toward them. The men jumped back immediately and ran into the alley without looking back.

The black car stopped so suddenly that smoke rose from the tires.

For a second, nobody moved.

Then the driver's door flew open.

An older man rushed out.

He wore a dark suit, now wrinkled from travel, and his hair was streaked heavily with gray. The moment his eyes landed on Damien, his whole face changed.

Shock.

Disbelief.

Then pain.

"Oh my God," the man whispered.

Damien blinked slowly, struggling to focus.

The stranger stepped closer with trembling hands.

"Young master?"

Damien frowned weakly.

The man's eyes became red with tears.

"Young master Damien... after all these years... I finally found you."

Damien stared at him in confusion.

Something about the man's face felt familiar, but his mind was too exhausted to understand.

The older man looked at Damien's bleeding feet, bruised face, torn hospital gown, and shaking body.

And then tears rolled down his cheeks.

"What did they do to you?" he whispered brokenly.

Damien tried to answer, but no words came out.

His vision blurred.

The pain in his chest became unbearable.

His knees finally gave out beneath him.

Before he hit the ground, the older man caught him.

"It is okay," the man said quickly, holding him tightly. "You are safe now. I swear to you, nobody will touch you again."

Safe.

Damien had not heard that word in a very long time.

His fingers slowly loosened around the earring for the first time all night.

Then darkness swallowed him whole.