Chapter 11: Snapping Out

Jake sat slumped against the remains of a crumbling wall, staring out at the wreckage around him. His hands were shaking, his body stiff and cold, but he couldn’t seem to move. He could hardly even think. The air was thick with smoke, the sky darkened by swirling clouds of ash and debris. It was like the whole world had fallen apart, reduced to nothing but rubble and ruin.

But Jake couldn’t process it. He couldn’t wrap his mind around what had happened. The explosion, the destruction—it all felt distant, like it had happened to someone else, in a place far away. His mind kept drifting, refusing to latch on to the reality in front of him. This can’t be real. It couldn’t be.

His fingers dug into the cracked ground beneath him, his knuckles white as he struggled to breathe. His heart was pounding in his chest, his pulse thundering in his ears, but everything felt numb. There was a hollow, empty space inside him, like something had been ripped out, leaving him broken and lost.

What have I done?

Jake’s eyes flickered over the ruins of what had once been a city. Buildings were reduced to twisted metal and rubble. The streets were cracked open, fires burning in the distance, the air so thick with smoke it felt like it was choking him. This was Galewood. His home. And it was gone.

Gone, because of him.

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block it out, but the images wouldn’t leave. The flash of energy. The deafening roar of the explosion. The city—his city—crumbling in an instant. The lives snuffed out like they were nothing.

“No,” Jake whispered, his voice shaking. “I didn’t mean to—”

But the words felt empty. Meaningless. He hadn’t meant to do it. He hadn’t meant to lose control. But he had, and now the world around him was nothing but ruins. And Levi—

Levi.

Jake’s heart stuttered in his chest as the memory hit him. Levi getting shot. The sound of the bullet, the way Levi’s body had crumpled to the ground. The pain in his eyes. Jake’s breath hitched, his throat tightening as he squeezed his eyes shut tighter, trying to push it away.

He had snapped. He had lost control. And now everything was—

A sound cut through the haze in his mind. A scream. Raw. Desperate.

Jake’s eyes snapped open, his heart pounding as he scrambled to his feet. He stumbled over the rubble, his legs shaky beneath him, but the scream pierced through the fog in his mind, cutting through the denial that had kept him frozen.

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It was Levi.

Jake’s breath hitched, panic and hope clawing at his chest as he ran toward the sound. He tore through the ruins, his feet slipping on the broken ground, his heart hammering in his ears. Levi was alive.

Another scream echoed through the wreckage, and Jake’s stomach twisted. It was Levi’s voice—but it didn’t sound like him. It sounded wild, terrified, like someone who was trapped in a nightmare they couldn’t escape.

Jake pushed himself faster, the smoke burning his lungs as he ran. His legs felt like they might give out, but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t. Levi needed him.

When Jake finally spotted him, his heart dropped into his stomach.

Levi was running, his body jerking violently as he stumbled over the broken ground. His face was twisted in a mask of terror, his eyes wide and unfocused, his hands clutching his head as if he was trying to tear something out of his mind. He was screaming—long, desperate cries that sent shivers down Jake’s spine.

“Levi!” Jake shouted, his voice breaking as he ran toward him. “Levi, stop!”

But Levi didn’t stop. He didn’t even seem to hear him. His eyes were wild, darting around as if he was seeing something that wasn’t there. His body shook violently, his breath coming in ragged sobs as he screamed again, his voice raw and broken.

“Levi!” Jake’s voice was frantic as he reached out, grabbing Levi’s arm. “Hey, hey, it’s me! It’s Jake!”

Levi flinched violently at the touch, his body jerking away as if Jake had burned him. His eyes flickered toward Jake, but there was no recognition. Just panic. Raw, unfiltered panic.

“Levi, it’s me,” Jake said again, his voice softer now, desperate. “Come on, man. Can’t you recognize me?”

But Levi wasn’t listening. He was too far gone, too lost in whatever hellscape of emotions he was trapped in. He screamed again, his hands clutching his head as he stumbled backward, his body shaking uncontrollably.

Jake’s heart twisted painfully in his chest. What’s happening to him? He had never seen Levi like this. Never seen him so completely broken. It was like he was being torn apart from the inside, like something was eating away at him, and Jake didn’t know how to stop it.

But then it hit him.

It must be his emotions.

Jake’s breath caught in his throat as he realized what was happening. Levi could feel emotions—other people’s emotions. And if the explosion had killed as many people as Jake thought it had, then Levi was probably feeling all of them. The fear. The pain. The terror of hundreds of thousands of people, all dying at once.

It was too much. No wonder Levi was losing it.

“Levi,” Jake said, his voice firm but gentle as he stepped closer. “Listen to me. You have to focus on my voice. It’s Jake. I’m here. I’m going to get you out of here, okay? But you need to focus.”

Levi’s body trembled, his breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps as he stared at Jake, his eyes wide and wild. For a moment, it looked like he might break through the fog of panic. His hands loosened their grip on his head, and his eyes flickered with something—something close to recognition.

But then the emotions hit him again, and Levi screamed, his body convulsing as he stumbled backward, collapsing onto the ground.

“Shit!” Jake cursed under his breath as he rushed forward, grabbing Levi by the shoulders. “Come on, man! You’ve got to focus!”

Levi’s body shook violently in Jake’s grip, his breath coming in short, desperate gasps. His eyes darted around wildly, his mind too shattered to focus on anything. But Jake didn’t let go. He couldn’t. He wasn’t going to lose Levi again. Not like this.

“Levi!” Jake shouted, shaking him gently. “We have to move! I’m not leaving you here!”

He didn’t know if Levi could even understand him, but he didn’t care. He needed to get Levi out of the city—away from the wreckage, away from the death and destruction, away from the emotions that were tearing him apart.

Jake gritted his teeth, wrapping an arm around Levi’s waist and hauling him to his feet. Levi’s body was limp, trembling uncontrollably, but Jake held on tight, his heart pounding as he started moving. Every step was a struggle—Levi was almost dead weight in his arms, and Jake’s own legs were shaking from exhaustion—but he didn’t stop.

He couldn’t stop. Not until they were safe.

“Stay with me, Levi,” Jake whispered, his voice strained as he dragged Levi through the ruins. “Just keep going. I’ve got you.”

Levi didn’t respond. His eyes were wide and unfocused, his breath coming in shallow bursts, but he didn’t fight Jake anymore. He just let himself be pulled along, his body trembling, his mind still trapped in the storm of emotions.

Jake’s heart ached as he looked at his best friend. Levi wasn’t just broken. He was shattered. And it was Jake’s fault. He had caused this—caused all of it. The destruction. The deaths. The pain. And now Levi was paying the price.

But Jake wasn’t going to lose him. He wasn’t going to let Levi drown in the emotions of the dead. Not if he could help it.

“Come on,” Jake muttered under his breath as they stumbled forward. “I’m going to fix this. I promise.”