Meet Me At The End Of The World

Chapter Twenty-three

Val says that Simon's asking for me yet I don't understand why. Yes, we are dating but that doesn't mean that Simon would ask to see me especially after what happened. After all, while I may devote my entire being to him, Simon is different.

I enter the small office where he's been since the incident to find him sitting against a wall, his head turned towards the huge floor to ceiling windows.

"Hey." I say as a way to announce my presence. He turns to face me and like usual, his expression is miserable with a darkness lingering in his eyes. Why can't he be happy? Why did the world force him to feel so depressed?

"Hey." Is all he says in return.

"How are you feeling?" I press for conversation and he nods slowly before realising that that isn't an answer and actually speaking.

"Fine." He replies. I sit down beside him and watch him for a moment in silence.

"Can I touch you?" I ask, not sure of our boundaries after everything.

"If you want." He responds and instantly I yank him into a tight hug, tears forming in my eyes. He's tense with surprise for a moment before his body relaxes into mine and he weeves his arms around me.

"I love you Simon." I breath, unable to keep it in any longer.

"I love you too Danny." He responds softly.

"Why did you do it?" I almost sob out unable to hide the pain I'm experiencing within my heart. Simon tenses up slightly before exhaling deeply and hiding his face in his hands.

"I just want the pain in my leg to stop. I never thought that I'd..." He stops yet I already know what he's going to say. He didn't know that overdosing like that could have killed him.

Or so he says?

"Do you really think I believe that?" I can't help the question from escaping and when it does, I don't regret it.

"What?" The stark emotion in his voice is confused but I can also hear a thick, throbbing hurt. It's obvious that these aren't the words that Simon wants to hear but frankly that's his problem and not mine. My problem is to protect my boyfriend yet how am I supposed to do that when he's so adiment on destroying himself?

"Your not stupid Simon you know that you could have died!" I scream and he flinches.

"Danny..." He tries, his voice breaking with pain yet I've lost my ability to listen. All I can think about is the way he looked when I found him on the roof. I thought that he was dead.

"Don't you care about the people who love you?" The questions harsh and a small part of me regrets asking it yet I can't take it back now. After all, I truly want to hear his answer. For him to be so reckless would only mean that he acted without thinking over how it would effect me or Honey or Val. All he thought about was himself and for some reason that enrages me.

"What?" His eyes glisten with tears yet despite the devastating sight I can't stop yelling at him.

"What is wrong with you Simon?" I demand. He doesn't respond. At first, all he does is watch me with a hurt expression before standing. I go to call after him yet think better of it.

I remain silent as he limps from the room.

_________________________________________

I hate being Fredrik August's agent. I hate providing information on my friends to him and I hate the sick way he treats people.

"So you've had to leave the school." He pauses for a moment with an odd expression before clapping his hands together as if excited by this. "For a short while I was afraid that those zombies I sent in would kill you."

"What?" I demand, resisting the urge to slit his throat. From day one I've known that this twat experiments on zombies and wants to register more human reactions but I didn't think that he'd go as far as actually putting us in danger. This is begining to esculate into mad scientist crazy instead of the usual disturbing crazy.

"Don't be angry Danny boy. I just wanted to see how humans react to their new equalibriam being destroyed." He replies as though that excuses him for everything. I open my mouth to snap about just how wrong that is yet before I get a chance, I hear footsteps behind me.

Turning around, I find a figure in the doorway to the room, their trembling hand grasping hold of a gun that moves from Frederick August to me every few seconds. My heart drops at the sight and I almost start to cry.

"Simon." Is all I can say.