SIDE EFFECTS : THIAM

1. // B U S T E D

"I thought we wouldn't have to meet here again Theo." Sheriff Stilinski kneeled down to his chair and threw down a clear packet filled with a rainbow of pills. The sight of it made the kid in front of him daze with desperation. The dirty blonde boy who sat still in front of the sheriff was good at hiding what he actually felt, the 17 year old just sat still, with a face of steadiness. The silence the Stilinski's office was filled by sounds of the buzz of the Sheriff station.

The sheriff studied him closely, his eyes were bloodshot, dry, Theo Raeken just wanted to grab the pills and run, yet the boy, in his bulky sweater hid his shaky body, and the sheriff couldn't see under the long sleeves his arms drilled with injections that the boy committed to himself.

"What do you want from me?" He finally spoke looking at the sheriff straight at the eyes.

"I want you to get better," the sheriff spoke, " I'm not booking you today Theo. Maybe next time. Now go." The sheriff nodded at Deputy Parrish to come in and drag the boy out the station. Theo ached at those words, he was fine, nothing to be worried about. Unless someone gets in his way at least.

Theo felt a hand grabbed his forearm and lifting him from the chair dragging him from the office the boy stared at the packet he was leaving behind.

*
*
*

Theo reached his apartment, and opened the door. He saw lights were on and the football game was on full bast. Yet no one was on the couch watching. Quickly his body was thrown against the wall and his left arm was bent too much to the right that it felt it would be dislocated. A heavy arm pushed against his neck and he left a musky breath that smelled like a boat loud of beers. "Where were you kid?"

"Out."

"In the station?"

Theo stayed quiet.

"Answer me!" The man behind him pushed out his left arm and Theo heard a crack. He yelped in pain, his eyes are moist with tearing clouding them. "Yes!"
"Why?" The man behind him now pushed into his body. The boy couldn't breath, fear clouded his brain forming words took an effort.

"Drugs." The boy told the older man.

"Did you tell 'em about me?" The older man asked

"No!" Theo told him with the last breath he had. The boy was turning pepper red, "I swear! I didn't!"
The boy tried to breath but his lungs were on fire.

The door opened from the bedroom and a scrawny woman came out "Marc! Stop!" The woman ran toward her son and boyfriend. She tried to pull off the massive man on top of the boy. "Stop! Marc!"

"Okay, Okay." The man let go of Theo's body, and air came into his body like a balloon he could feel relief pour into his lungs, his arms, "Mom," his scratchy voice pleaded. "Please."

But the woman just nodded and followed the man into the bedroom.

With the strength of his legs, the boy limped toward his room. Closing the door behind him, he looked under his bed and saw a wooden box, and he pulled it toward him, as he opened it he grabbed a razor that was on top of his nightstand, and stared at pills. Different colors, sizes, of them. He grabbed a pinky length size of them, and crushed them, again and again until they were dust, just ashes left. Theo bent his body and inhaled. Then he pushed his 'special box' away and his razor down under his bed and he just laid on the floor.

*
*
*

After, his body felt heavy, Theo woke with his room spinning like a roller coaster. After a while he doesn't remember what he does during his 'adventures' but, it leaves him without energy and he feels like his body was a thousand pounds, leaving him just like a zombie, that's what he left like. A dead corpse that walks around to feel something. To be alive again. That's why he does it. He feels alive, happiness, the heart that he doesn't feel races, he escaped from reality.

Then he comes back. To his corpse.

Theo Raeken is a zombie.