Adrenaline

⌊Chapter 14⌉

Everything I once saw is all dead

Rotting below with their bones

Behind the mask is a perfect disgrace

Of a man named 'Alone'

Take it from the golden age

That everyone lies in their own special way

Breaking the ties and snapping the chains

As the world crumbles into decay

Wake up.

I gave up my life

To the gods that pulled my strings

That made me dance

That made me sing

All this time the truth had to be

Right behind us, rooted in the past

Yet the answers to the questions of 'why'

Never seemed to last

Wake up, dammit!

Of course. It happened again. It was always the same. People knew Anthony's weaknesses and they took advantage of them. He hadn't slept well in days, leaving his mind foggy and his body completely exhausted. Just like a sand castle destroyed by water, he was brought down by waves around him in which he couldn't control. He couldn't survive the way he was, but he was beyond stubborn and hated himself more than anything else in the world.

The world spun around him as he pulled himself to his feet by the railing of the stairwell. His temporal pulse burned in pain that felt all too familiar. It took him a minute to be able to stand on his own and he let go of the railing and glanced around him before remembering how he had gotten there in the first place. He swore colourfully, punching the metal walls of the stairwell until his knuckles bled. He dropped his arms to his side, shutting his eyes for a moment, trying to get used to the fluorescent lights.

Eventually he made his way down to the ground floor, stumbling over a few stairs on his way. Not only was the world spinning around him, but he felt physically unbalanced as well, leaving him disoriented and angry. He couldn't remember the voice that knocked him out, but he knew they were a cop. He could rat them out for protecting a murderer, but Blake would find some way to say it was Anthony's fault that Rich got away again. When, in reality, Anthony was very well aware that someone was being disloyal to the cause - and possibly working with Andy to keep Rich out of prison. As he pushed open the stairwell door, he was hit with a chorus of voices in the main lobby down the hall. He could still hear the sirens in front of the tower.

Straightening his posture, Anthony made his way into the front where there were cops talking to aides and visitors to the tower. The two that Anthony had found Rich with were there too and looked over to him, recognising that Rich had gotten away. Anthony weaved through the crowds of people, trying to leave the tower before Blake saw him. His shift ended a little over half an hour from that point, and the last thing he wanted was to deal with Blake complaining about Rich. He didn't like how Anthony did his job, but he wasn't helping the cause at all. Instead, he just treated the sovereign aides like puppets on strings to do what he pleased.

Anthony couldn't see Blake in the area, but he still went through the crowds to get to the exit so that if Blake was present then Anthony wouldn't be so easy to point out. Yet, it seemed nothing went his way.

"Winters!"

Dammit.

Anthony turned around to be met face-to-face with Blake. How he got there so quickly without Anthony seeing him was a strange, unanswered question. Anthony kept to a deadpan expression, not wanting Blake to somehow use emotions against him, which he did a lot, Heaven knows why.