Aftermath of Agony

[The Aftermath]

Evan had only one friend in the whole wide world - but when he needed them most, they weren't there.

Understandably, the kid was heartbroken by this betrayal of trust. He should have seen it coming, they had done it before. His friend never came during the torturous nights, nor when Evan was trapped and stranded alone inside the parts and service room only the day before. Loneliness and Isolation seemed to wrap around Evan like how blankets swaddle a baby. Unlike a blanket, instead of being comforted, he was choked by its grip around him. In the end, everything he gave his trust to always hurt him.

Evan had not the slightest clue as to why he was subject to this pain. He figured there must be something foul about him - otherwise why did other people hurt him so much? Why out of all the children in the world did the nightmares come for him? Why out of all the kids in his town was he the one picked on? Why out of all the members of his family was he the most hated? He knew it was true, they all despised him, they had to, it was the only way he could explain why they acted the way they did. His only friend told him so.

Once, while cowering under a table in the place Evan had once loved, his friend had told him the truth.

"He hates you." His friend said in his squeaky, cartoony voice.

Evan looked for where his best friend was, unsure of whether he had heard him correctly. His best friend was nowhere to be seen, but he had undoubtedly spoken. He knew who his friend was speaking about, he meant his brother, Michael.

Michael was the meanest person Evan ever knew. Just to make him cry, his older brother always played tricks on him. Mike snickered and laughed while Evan cried - it was the cruelest laugh he had ever heard. If Evan were strong enough, stronger than his older brother, he vowed he would give Michael a reason to never laugh again. But unable to do much of anything, Evan only sobbed. As he cowered underneath the table, he wished, hoped, and dreamed for any form of comfort - but none was given.

"You have to get up."

Then, Evan remembered where he was.

He lifted his head, but it felt weightless. All his sensations felt distant. He was no longer in the diner anymore; he was nowhere and alone. A sob crawled out of his throat as the loneliness choked him yet again. Crying quietly, he accepted his fate to be like this forever. Overhead, he heard a noise break through the sound of his soft sobs.

"Can you hear me?" It distantly called.

Oh god no, it was Michael.

Evan closed his eyes tightly, wanting anything but the company of his brother. Mike hated him. If his older brother were here, then it would only mean he would get hurt again.

He was so sick of being hurt.

"I don't know if you can hear me..."

As Michael's voice continued, Evan trembled. He put his hands on his head, still very much afraid.

"...I'm sorry."

But it was too late for an apology.

Evan's dread turned to anger. How could he just say sorry after everything? All the apologies in the world couldn't repair his broken heart. He believed that nothing could. It would never be the same again. Evan cried harder at how unfair it was, his brother could say sorry, but he couldn't get the revenge he wanted. Everything was so unfair, he didn't understand. The world hurt him, people hurt him, and he couldn't fight back. The cards were stacked against him from the beginning. Any joy he felt in his life up until this point was a falsehood. A cruel promise of hope to pick him up only so that he'd fall farther down when the world's true nature showed itself. The longer the fall, the harder his impact on the ground would be. He could only cry as his ire against everything boiled inside him.