Coldness woke Him with its unforgiving claws breaching from the opened window. His pale skin was covered by a sheer coat of sweat glistening in the early sunlight. The birds chirping outside mocked His sorry state while he lay completely still on the tiled floor. The shy winter sun rays warmed little to nothing of His slim figure.

Unhurriedly and painfully, He stirred and rose to his feet. Stumbling to the bathroom and throwing himself in the shower box he barely managed His daily wash up.

It was cold.

Everything was cold, even the scorching water seemed icy on His white pallid skin. He let his head lay on the wall and His mind free to wonder about the chilling nightmare.

It wasn’t the first time He dreamed about taking His pills to then wake up and find them perfectly untouched where He previously threw them.

Insomnia and restless nights had been unwanted guests in his life for long, excruciatingly painful years but He always felt that paper-thin reassuring confidence that He would wake up. As feeble as it got in the worst blood-filled nights, that was all that separated Him from madness.

Madness.

Was that the case?

His whole life He was told that power wasn’t everything there was in life. Nevertheless, He sacrificed countless friendships, relationships and everyone who got in His way just to reach His goals.

Had His greed for power finally driven him to it like all the puny whiny bastards predicted it would?

“Well, unfortunately for you little shits I’ll carve my way onto the top of the pyramid even in a fucking mental hospital”

He spat the bloody taste away and turned the shower off.

**************

He was in a terrible mood and His employees worked restlessly, the air was thick and tension oozed from His office. It wasn’t unusual, He wasn’t known for being the happiest person roaming the earth but ticking-bomb-days, as they liked to call them behind His back, were the worst.

Suit clad men and high heeled women came in and out of His office asking, reporting, mumbling like scaredy cats or stuttering like damned preschool kids.

One, in particular, was most likely going to be today’s sacrificial lamb, standing in front of His mahogany desk that with no doubt, cost more than him along with his whole family.

“Tell me, Nathan” He emphasized his name and waited to see him loosen up his collar to ventilate.

“Why did we lose the deal with the Swedish company?”

“Well Mr.Wright, last week’s meet-”

“What did you just call me?” He interrupted him. Was He imagining things or did that schmunk just mess up His name?

Nathan fidgeted with the files in his hands, eager to get out of the room as soon as possible.

“Mr.Carter?” he asked unsure of what was happening.

First Wright and now this damn Carter, was it so hard to remember your own boss’name, for fuck’s sake. It wasn’t even a hard one.

He pointed one long dainty finger at him accusingly.

“Listen here you dipshit, my name is not Wright nor Carter. It’s damne-”

Everyone in the room stilled, the pin-drop silence was brusquely interrupted by His hand coming down on the wooden desk.

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

It’s “damned” what, human?

What’s wrong, can’t even remember your last name? What about your first name then?

It was back. The disembodied voice from His dream was back loud, clear and mocking in His head.

Ahh I see, nothing huh. What a pity.

It faded away with a hideous dry laugh leaving Him shaken up and sweating.

People had started whispering, asking if He was alright.

A glass of water sir?

Are you feeling good, sir?

Should we leave you, Mr-fucking-Allen?

All He wanted was to slam someone’s head right into the wall but what He did instead was demanding everyone to leave with a swift hand gesture.

Nathan lingered, hoping to gain back approval.

“We can still negotiate the terms if we contact them now” he announced with fake confidence.

He lifted his gaze from the wall which was burning under His glare and shifted it to the pimply face of the lanky intern. The files in his hands started changing color, slowly melting from his grasp and dripping down on the floor. His eyes turned black and thick, crimson blood started pouring endlessly from his nose and years.

It’s not real.

“Should tell Sarah to call the CEO’s assistant, sir?” His voice came out gruff and thick, unlike the previous tremulous one.

The short satiny locks of chestnut hair grew rapidly rolling down his shoulders to the ground till reaching his desk.

It’s all in your head. Calm down, breathe.

They slipped under His desk and started climbing His legs like a swarm of bugs crawling to His waist. They attacked His fabric clad limbs, penetrating the expensive material and sucking blood from His veins.

His body didn’t respond to Him, petrified He sat still while the hair feasted off Him.

He could hear His crazed heartbeat pounding blood in his ears, sweat dripping down His forehead down to His bearded chin.

Stop.

I don’t think I will.

Stop.

So you think you can just order me around? You’re nothing but a weak spineless human.

I. said. Stop. Right. Fucking. Now.

He fought the pressure preventing from moving His limbs but it was too strong and just drained Him of energy.

Air is wasted on you. Tell me, how would you like not having any?

He felt something hard slam His abdomen making him cough and bend over. The air was squeezed from His lungs and He was left gaping like a fish out of water. His eyes enlarged, bulging like they wanted to come out of their sockets.

The instinct to bring His hands to His throat was blocked by It gluing His fingers on the armchair. All He could do was scratch the leather with His fingers, open and close His mouth in silent agony and wait for His life to fade.

His head started pounding faster and faster and His sight blurred and filled with dark spots. Pain, strong and unforgiving.

Then nothing at all, He had lost consciousness.

Until next time, human.

****************

“We should probably leave him rest, he’ll bite our heads off if we bother him”

“Are you kidding? What if something happened to him and they find out we just left him to die?”

Two familiar noisy voices argued not too far from Him. He shifted and groaned when His neck ached from its uncomfortable resting position.

“Leave”

He rasped out just to hear them scatter off like Satan was on their asses. It happened again. He hardly ever slept during working hours, it was most likely that nightmare’s fault. Fatigue was playing a bad one on Him.

It had the same realistic feeling the previous one had had.

Was He hallucinating?

Impossible. Wonderland’s effects never delayed so much.

His number one drug, the very best and most dangerous on the planet.

It put a dent in most people’s bank account. But He wasn’t most people, had never been and never will.

I’ll make more research when I get back.

He drowned himself in paperwork until 8 pm when He chose to call it a day. There were still a few people rushing to finish their tasks, eager to get home to their families, pets, or just like Him, to their quiet peace.

“Sir”

Not this kid again.

I need to have a word with who hired him.

He arched a slim eyebrow not pausing his pacing towards the elevator.

“I was wondering if you wanted me to tell Sarah to go on with the negotiation with the Swiss, Campbell was supposed to swing by your office this afternoon but after you’ve been unwell we didn’t want to bother”

His hand, which was laying on the elevator’s button stilled.

“What did you just say?” He asked with an obvious fake calm.

The intern looked sickeningly pale, most likely not so keen on the idea of informing his boss of what happened.

“You’re already on the verge of being fired so help me God if you don’t start talking now..” He threatened, which was enough to send the young one in a desperate flow of words.

“You started acting rather strange earlier, sweating and yelling and slamming things. Not for long, you passed out but we thought you were fine when you kicked out Clark and Perez”.

Chills ran up His spine. So He was hallucinating.

Shit. This is the last thing I need right now.

He punched in the ground floor.

“Don’t negotiate anything. We don’t go asking for second chances. Ever. Keep that in mind if you want to keep that badge” He spit out acidly.

The metallic doors were almost completely close leaving little of Nathan visible when He looked up at him with pitch-black eyes.

“Yes, sir”