Life After Carter

Prologue

"Why are you doing this? John?" 

It was easy to wonder why he was the way he was as he pulled on his shoes, barging his way to the bathroom to spit toothpaste into the bathroom sink.

"Why am I doing this? Why am I doing this?!"

He blinked a few times, looking to the groggy reflection of himself in the mirror as he sighed inaudibly. He was visibly exhausted as he slouched back onto the bed and fiddled with his collar, his eyes wet with tears.

"I can't....I can't take the pain anymore...Kem.."

Kem pushed herself up from the wall, resting her hand on Carter's shoulder. Biting her lip as she looked to the ceiling before rubbing her hand down Carter's back. He held his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes with his palms.

"I'm leaving..."

He fell silent for a moment, lost in his own train of thought as  he rubbed eyes with his palms before struggling an answer from his parsed lips.

"I'm leaving....Because I don't want to hurt you anymore.."

He wiped his hands down his face, pushing himself up and past Kem. Giving her a final kiss on the cheek, biting his bottom lip as he exited the room and made his way to the front door.

"John!...." Kem called, following in his footsteps as she caught the door just as it closed and watched her love, John Carter. Descend the stairs.

"No Kem, it's what's best for you. I caused you this pain." John sighed, running his hand down the wooden staircase rail to move it up to his chestnut brown locks of hair that were messily and hastily slicked back into his signature whiff like style as he disappeared down the stairs. Out of Kem's view and there was nothing she could do to bring him back, not even her tears brought him back.

She slowly pulled herself back into the apartment, silently shutting the door behind her as she leaned against the wooden material of the door and let the tears fall..