And suddenly it was over. The last thing Tom remembered was his confrontation with Alex, and the searing pain of a bullet ripping through his neck. He remembered falling to the ground, thrashing, and then nothing
( ... )
"Yeah." He worried his bottom lip. "A lot of them, actually." How was he supposed to say this? How had they gone this long without her finding out anyway? He should come with a label or something. Warning: Bat shit crazy with a heart of gold.
Tom shook his head.
"I have been for a while. It's not- I mean." He could see what would happen already. She'd freak out, he would feel terrible and leave as fast as possible, and they would never see each other again, leaving all those good memories shattered.
"This." He gestured between them. "Us. I'm no good for you."
That… wasn’t exactly the answer Eileen was hoping for, and the disappointment was apparent on her face. Monsters and mysterious killings, for the most part, were a thing of the past. What could be standing in their way now?
Well, aside from Tom himself. He always kept everyone at arm’s reach in World’s End, and Eileen could understand the reasoning behind it. It was a precarious thing getting too close to anyone in case they were killed or vanished altogether, but that was all over, or so she hoped. They were both free to see how things developed. Right?
“Why would you say that? You were one of the only people I could truly rely on in that awful place. Just-“ Eileen closed her eyes and drew a deep breath, bracing herself for the worst. “This is going to sound pathetic, but please don’t tell me you came all this way just to turn me down.”
"What? No-" Oh god, she was going to start crying, huh. "I- I want to. I do, really. Eileen you mean...so much to me. I just-"
He hadn't thought this far ahead. Behold, a man completely unprepared. "I didn't even know if you'd be here." It was almost easier to get by in World's End. There were good reasons to keep away from people. With the thread of death and the battle of survival hanging over their heads, there were more important things to do than acknowledge feelings.
"I'm not...well. And I'm afraid you could get hurt."
There it was. The truth more or less. Half of him was urging to get the hell out of there before something happened, the other half didn't want to be anywhere else. It was difficult, but he had learned the consequences getting too close, and there wasn't a reboot switch now. This was real life, and you only had the one shot.
Eileen struggled for something to say that would make it alright, but she knew he had problems. The specifics weren’t entirely clear, and she could just barely recall his first stint in jail back in World’s End. After they became friendly, the topic was never brought up, though questions lingered in the back of her mind; and for every unasked question, there was conjecture. Stalking, murder, insanity. Words Eileen was uncomfortably familiar with.
Unconsciously or not, she’d always linked Tom with Walter Sullivan. At least, the Walter she met as a girl in the subway terminal. She could still smell the dirty blanket as he shifted under it to keep warm and the way his blond hair was matted to his skull. He was like a sickly stray animal. Tom struck her as just as helpless, lost and pitiful as Walter was then. Eileen only ever wanted to help them both.
“You think I’ve never heard that whole ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ speech before?” she joked, trying to lighten the mood and maybe coax a smile out of him.
He snorted, wishing it was that simple. She was too much. Every word out of Eileen's mouth was perfect. she was smart, funny, put up with all of his shit. and here he was fucking it all up.
"Do you remember Axel Palmer?" He asked, rubbing the knuckles of his left hand, not able to face her. "He wasn't in town long, but he had a lot of things to say about me."
“I think so… oh, he was the cop, right? We spoke once over the communicators, and that was enough for me. I didn’t like him at all.”
Then again, there wasn’t a lot to like at the time. Bodies had started piling up as the 21 Sacraments were claiming lives left and right. Eileen rarely left her apartment, and not without Claire, Henry or Alex (or some combination of the three) to escort her. Axel was quick to accuse Tom of being behind it all, but the rest of World’s End spoke up in his defense. From what she could remember, nothing really came of it and the murders stopped. But not before half the population had been decimated. It was small comfort that they all eventually came back. She couldn’t imagine the hell they’d gone through; at least, not until later when Walter’s spirit possessed her a second time and-
God. It would take her years to process everything that’d happened, wouldn’t it
( ... )
Tom nodded when she remembered who Axel was, but didn't say anything as to cut her off. He watched her as she thought and tried to place the look on her face. It was the same look he got thinking about that place. Their demented home for two whole years. Someone could write a book about that time and sell it on as a number one selling fiction. Remembering World's End left him numb. Too much had happened. Too many bizarre, unimaginable trials
( ... )
Eileen wouldn’t consider herself an overly emotional person. She was composed, at times unnaturally so, even in the face of monsters and maimed ghosts. She never cried, never screamed and never raged about how unfair it was that she was drawn into Walter’s head, or World’s End later on.
So why now did she suddenly feel so angry? At Tom?His kiss was sweet and gentle, mouth barely moving against hers. It was like she’d always imagined it would be. But it was also meekly apologetic, and Eileen struggled not to push him away. Not a moment ago she said it was fine if he needed time alone to think and recover, but it wasn’t fine. When she first arrived in World’s End, she thought it had robbed her of the chance to leave South Ashfield and pursue a new life when, in fact, it had granted her wish. Only when the city booted her out for good was she truly left with nothing. Rowen hadn’t come with her, she couldn’t reach any of her friends and Henry was still gone. Then, by some freak miracle, Tom had shown up on her doorstep just to turn
( ... )
Tom pulled away immediately, startled by Eileen's punch to the arm. That wasn't exactly the response he was looking for, here. Even if he wasn't sure exactly what he thought would happen. It beat a punch to the face, though.
"Ow, what?"
Nothing he was saying or doing was coming out right. It was frustrating, and everything felt muddled. Like he couldn't quite keep on top of what was going on. Not that this was a new feeling. He hadn't been the pilot for a long time.
Maybe he should go. Maybe this whole thing was a mistake. Hell, maybe it wasn't even happening and all this was just some fucked up mind trip.
But it really wasn't. And he knew that despite the million explanations he could come up with.
“I’m sorry! I-“ Eileen pressed a hand to her cheek, breathing hard around the lump in her throat. “I don’t know where that came from.” She couldn’t cry, not now. Tom would be out the door before the first tear squeezed itself out. But she couldn’t bear shouldering both his hang-ups and her own anymore. It was time to put herself first for once.
“Dammit, I can’t do this anymore, Tom. I won’t do this anymore! For months you were just a voice, a ghost that I worried myself sick over more times than I can count. And now it’s like you… you materialized and everything I feel for you is completely justified. But you’re ready to leave again, just like that,” she snapped her fingers for emphasis. “If this is always how it was gonna end up for us, I wish you hadn’t come looking for me at all
( ... )
Reply
Tom shook his head.
"I have been for a while. It's not- I mean." He could see what would happen already. She'd freak out, he would feel terrible and leave as fast as possible, and they would never see each other again, leaving all those good memories shattered.
"This." He gestured between them. "Us. I'm no good for you."
Reply
Well, aside from Tom himself. He always kept everyone at arm’s reach in World’s End, and Eileen could understand the reasoning behind it. It was a precarious thing getting too close to anyone in case they were killed or vanished altogether, but that was all over, or so she hoped. They were both free to see how things developed. Right?
“Why would you say that? You were one of the only people I could truly rely on in that awful place. Just-“ Eileen closed her eyes and drew a deep breath, bracing herself for the worst. “This is going to sound pathetic, but please don’t tell me you came all this way just to turn me down.”
Reply
He hadn't thought this far ahead. Behold, a man completely unprepared. "I didn't even know if you'd be here." It was almost easier to get by in World's End. There were good reasons to keep away from people. With the thread of death and the battle of survival hanging over their heads, there were more important things to do than acknowledge feelings.
"I'm not...well. And I'm afraid you could get hurt."
There it was. The truth more or less. Half of him was urging to get the hell out of there before something happened, the other half didn't want to be anywhere else. It was difficult, but he had learned the consequences getting too close, and there wasn't a reboot switch now. This was real life, and you only had the one shot.
Reply
Unconsciously or not, she’d always linked Tom with Walter Sullivan. At least, the Walter she met as a girl in the subway terminal. She could still smell the dirty blanket as he shifted under it to keep warm and the way his blond hair was matted to his skull. He was like a sickly stray animal. Tom struck her as just as helpless, lost and pitiful as Walter was then. Eileen only ever wanted to help them both.
“You think I’ve never heard that whole ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ speech before?” she joked, trying to lighten the mood and maybe coax a smile out of him.
Reply
"Do you remember Axel Palmer?" He asked, rubbing the knuckles of his left hand, not able to face her. "He wasn't in town long, but he had a lot of things to say about me."
Reply
Then again, there wasn’t a lot to like at the time. Bodies had started piling up as the 21 Sacraments were claiming lives left and right. Eileen rarely left her apartment, and not without Claire, Henry or Alex (or some combination of the three) to escort her. Axel was quick to accuse Tom of being behind it all, but the rest of World’s End spoke up in his defense. From what she could remember, nothing really came of it and the murders stopped. But not before half the population had been decimated. It was small comfort that they all eventually came back. She couldn’t imagine the hell they’d gone through; at least, not until later when Walter’s spirit possessed her a second time and-
God. It would take her years to process everything that’d happened, wouldn’t it ( ... )
Reply
Reply
So why now did she suddenly feel so angry? At Tom?His kiss was sweet and gentle, mouth barely moving against hers. It was like she’d always imagined it would be. But it was also meekly apologetic, and Eileen struggled not to push him away. Not a moment ago she said it was fine if he needed time alone to think and recover, but it wasn’t fine. When she first arrived in World’s End, she thought it had robbed her of the chance to leave South Ashfield and pursue a new life when, in fact, it had granted her wish. Only when the city booted her out for good was she truly left with nothing. Rowen hadn’t come with her, she couldn’t reach any of her friends and Henry was still gone. Then, by some freak miracle, Tom had shown up on her doorstep just to turn ( ... )
Reply
"Ow, what?"
Nothing he was saying or doing was coming out right. It was frustrating, and everything felt muddled. Like he couldn't quite keep on top of what was going on. Not that this was a new feeling. He hadn't been the pilot for a long time.
Maybe he should go. Maybe this whole thing was a mistake. Hell, maybe it wasn't even happening and all this was just some fucked up mind trip.
But it really wasn't. And he knew that despite the million explanations he could come up with.
Reply
“Dammit, I can’t do this anymore, Tom. I won’t do this anymore! For months you were just a voice, a ghost that I worried myself sick over more times than I can count. And now it’s like you… you materialized and everything I feel for you is completely justified. But you’re ready to leave again, just like that,” she snapped her fingers for emphasis. “If this is always how it was gonna end up for us, I wish you hadn’t come looking for me at all ( ... )
Reply
Leave a comment