My Own Personal Hell (Open Novella Contest 2019)

Chapter 8 - Mind Games

Narrator's POV

The plans to completely destroy not just Eos' body but also his mind didn't end at throwing him off a building. He saw flashes of his life, picked by someone who had once known him all too well. The worst part, he knew it wasn't real and he couldn't do anything about it. He saw his mum and his dad. Exchanging between looking up at them and seeing the tops of the buildings get slowly further away. Where would he go when he reached the bottom? The human ideas of heaven and hell, would he end up back there again? What about all the people who had died there, where did they go? 

Anything would work to distract his mind. He didn't want to see what he'd lost as he was dying, he'd let all this happen. He was the one that had left the way to get to Earth for Deimos to find. He was the reason the psychopath had been able to defeat his mum. How had he been stupid and desperate enough to invite a demon into his house? Growing up surrounded by the bastards really should've opened his eyes. Falling for the Dark Lord's mind games had gotten him into the position he was in any way, falling slowly off a high building. Wait, slowly? Craning his neck showed both someone very disappointed, and some very terrified onlookers. It also revealed the jailbird that had been in his apartment, seeming making more use of her powers for something other than free air conditioning. 

The injuries he'd sustained were still there, but he also had his powers back. Obviously, he wasn't at his strongest but he could still do something. The demon that had dropped him was still invading his mind, digging around for something to make what he believed to be his victim's final moments worse. Deep in a little corner of his mind was the regret Eos Kuiper felt for leaving and it was centred around one little shit in particular because he never stopped caring. Never did a day go by that Eos hadn't remembered what he'd left behind and now his biggest enemy knew that. In return, all the digging around had brought the same kind of feelings to surface for Mr Cole himself. All the times he'd wondered if his favourite little boy toy was dead. Even a demon felt regret. He should've killed the entire Kuiper family when he'd had the chance but no, the father may have lived. He only got Luna and now her son. He'd only heard the screaming and was cocky enough to believe that was that. It could've been different, but he didn't have a choice. 

The boy landed in a crumpled heap on the floor. Sure, he could've tried to put himself upright, but he didn't have the energy to attempt that, face a lecture from Terra and walk home after all that. A long lecture was certainly coming. 
"What were you thinking? You could've gotten yourself killed, and I told you he wasn't evil." Serious discussions were not something he particularly liked having, especially not in public. Like most people, he actively tried to avoid them.
"Yup well you obviously knew I'd ignore you or you wouldn't be here so whatcha gonna do? Ground me? Just let me go home already." The saviour of the day was not feeling very comfortable or heroic thanks to the conversation going on in front of her but Eos was taught manners. "And thank you for saving my life jailbird." This was not a nickname she wanted to accept, the only thing worse would be the wind farm joke from earlier.
"Gaia's fine."
"Cool," there was that mischievous look, he was gonna do something cheeky, "jailbird." She sighed, that was going to stick.  Nothing could stop him from there. He marched on home, much to the dismay of the woman who had just been trying to keep him alive. To be fair, he couldn't die or get hurt if he was at his apartment, most likely. 

He hadn't felt the same level of hopelessness before. It was almost as if a gaping hole was inside his head and his heart. Sure, the idea of repressing everything worked, but it was only temporary and he was reaching his limit. Everyday things only got harder and harder. He'd been inside his head and honestly, he didn't know all of what his old friend had seen. Probably weak moments like the one he was living. It would end but how long would that take? It would get better? That's what he'd been told when he tried to ask for any kind of help. When? Everyone hated or feared him and he just couldn't take it. He'd previously found a way to help himself get past bad times.