The End Of The F***ing World (TEOTFW Novel Adaptation)

Episode Four- Part Two.

The police station bustled like a beehive as Eunice sat there at her desk pretending to do work. Her mind was preoccupied. After a deep breath of encouragement, she pushed hard against her desk and spun around.

She collided with her destination with more force than intended.

Teri gestured crossly as her desk got jostled. Eunice blushed. "Sorry... So... His alibi checks out."

"What?" Teri sighed.

"Clive Koch died between midnight and three A.M. The twat in there was at a house party during that time." Eunice explained, nodding to the room Topher still sat in.

"Witnesses?" Teri asked.

"Yep." Eunice confirmed, smirking. "Lots of other twats."

Teri raised an eyebrow. "Okay."

"Listen, I've been meaning to... Can we have a quick chat at some point?" Eunice sat uncomfortably.

"What about?" Teri didn't look up from her work.

"Well, you know, I thought..." Eunice kept trying. "We could talk about what happened the other night?"

Teri sighed and looked Eunice right in the eye.

"You know what? Don't worry about it." Eunice smiled weakly and pushed herself back to her desk.

"Okay, let's put out a request for any sightings or any crimes involving two teenagers in the area. Give them a description of the jacket and put the names 'James' and 'Alyssa' into missing persons. Either they killed him or they might've seen who did. We need to find them." Teri said plainly.

Eunice looked at her computer and took a gulp of air.

I went into the restaurant toilets and looked at myself in the mirror. My heart couldn't take it. Forcefully, I pushed the creaky glass window open and climbed out.

My dress blew in the cold wind and my legs felt frozen. I held back my tears as I walked quickly away, wandering for ages out in the evening, not even sure where I thought I was going. I just wanted to... Go.

I found a bus stop, and I went to sleep in it.

I sat for about half an hour until I realised Alyssa had left. There was no use. Leaving the chips steaming on the plate, I stood up and walked out.

It took me a while, but I found somewhere to sit on my own. A grass verge by some run-down looking homes.

That was the day I learnt that silence is really loud. Deafening.

I think maybe my dad spent his whole life trying to avoid silence. By laughing, telling jokes. Drinking. I thought about him sitting at home with his black eye.

I bent over and cried.

When you have silence, it's hard to keep stuff out. It's all there, and you can't get rid of it. I used to be able to get rid of things. Banish them.

Flashes of Alyssa covered in blood filled my mind: her face terrified. The thought made me feel sick. I thought about the blood oozing from that man's neck. I thought about what we'd done. What I'd done. We hadn't thought about it.

But I knew, after that day, it wouldn't be so easy anymore.

I was never Alyssa's protector. She was mine.

There was a group of boys my age hanging around in the car park, some of them on bikes. I went up to them.

"Alright?" The tallest one said.

"Do you want to hit me?" I asked.

"Are you okay?" The tallest one looked at his friends.

"Please, will you beat me up?" I was shaking. "I'll pay you."

I shoved some money in the tall one's hand. One of his friends chuckled. He looked at me with wide eyes for a moment. I smiled.

And they beat me up.

Having finally murdered a human, I realised something important. I was pretty sure I wasn't a psychopath.

Bleeding and beaten, I called the police on a phonebox. I said I wanted to report a murder.