Push

Push [chapter 10]

Hey guys! Here's a longer (I think it's long) chapter to keep you guys busy while I work on a few other stuff. Be honest though, is the pacing too slow? Cause even I'm surprised that I haven't killed anyone else yet :|

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this one :D

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Chapter 10

Simply tired, drained, and absolutely in pain, I shuffled my feet sluggishly across the wet pavement on the way to Campbell's. It was kind of hurtful that all the people that walked by me didn't offer me much help even though I recognized some of them. Most of them probably didn't recognize me from the swelling that I was starting to feel building up or thought that I was a hobo. I think I would've preferred the former.

In any case, I got back to Campbell's relatively unscathed (hah, like I would notice in that condition). When I entered, the first thing I noticed was the quiet and then Jamie staring at me blankly. His eyes widened like saucers and he immediately reached for the shotgun Arthur always kept under the counter and pointed it at me. He started shouting something that sounded like gibberish to my buzzed up head. The next thing I heard was Arthur's growling voice before he appeared into my field of vision and yanked the shotgun out of Jamie's hands.

"Crap. Ryan?" was the first words I could coherently make out.

I felt arms suddenly around me, dragging me over to sit at the nearest table. My head hurt. Badly. As did my arms, my face, my gut, and my legs. I don't think there was any part of me that wasn't aching but the headache was the worst part and I think I understood why. Idly, I tried to remember the feel of that familiar pain, weakly grasping at it like a newborn. I thought I could feel something tingling. But then feeling went away when someone water splashed on my face.

"Whu-" I managed to sputter before Arthur interrupted me.

"Can it and drink, kid," he ordered officiously but it was impossible to miss the worry in his tone.

A bottle of something aromatic was touched to my lips. I drank from it greedily, savoring the familiar taste. It was Arthur's own special homemade brew, I realized. I finished the whole bottle and felt the warmth begin to creep around my body, dulling some of the pain.

"Watch him," Arthur ordered again; this time to Jamie. "I'll go get the first aid kit."

"I don't think that'll help," Jamie said, peering at me. "Damn, Ryan, you're a mess. What the hell happened?"

I burped reflexively and wished I hadn't as the pain around my midsection was awakened again, apparently furious at being dulled by the beer.

"You always were a weak drinker," Jamie mumbled. "So what happened?"

"Got into a fight with Sophie," I rasped, surprised at how rough my voice sounded.

Jamie's eyebrows went up. "Damn," he drawled. "Remind me never to piss her off again."

Before I had a chance to correct myself, I doubled over, nauseated suddenly, my head throbbing even more painfully. I started getting chills, sweating and just feeling sick. I lay my head down almost absent-mindedly on the table and waited for the pain to stop, or for the world to stop spinning...whichever came first.

I heard Arthur's footsteps but resisted the urge to lift my head from the relatively more comfortable position it was in. "What now? Jamie, what in God's name did you do to him?" Arthur said as he put something down on the table (probably the first aid kit).

"I didn't do anything! He did that himself," Jamie said defensively, gesturing at the puddle of vomit on the floor. "Ask his girlfriend. He had a fight with her."