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watched as a week later, the fan continued to run.

And that frustrated him because he was so sure that the fan was coming to an end.

But each day, it's as if its life was renewed. Giving it more time.

To do what...Maddox wasn't sure. Maybe it was a way of giving him more time. But what did he need that time for? The day Maddox had decided to end his life when the fan stopped, he scratched his bet down on the wooden pillar beside his punching bag. Just tiny enough to go unnoticed, but if you were close enough, you'd have the pleasure of seeing a broken boy's suicide plan.

And what Maddox didn't know, was that someone got a close enough look.

And that person didn't want his death to come so soon.

So without a second thought, the person chose to renew the fan's time each day. Making sure it worked just long enough for it to come to a stop only after Maddox left the gym after late hours in the night.

Maddox was annoyed.

He knew that it wasn't Pain letting the fan's lifespan continue. It couldn't be. Because Pain was too brutal. She wouldn't care enough to let it continue. And a thought entered Maddox's mind. Maybe it was his monsters who kept it going.

Because when his eyes were closed, nothing could get to him. His monsters would scream and claw to get into the deepest, most personal parts of his mind. But they would fail each time. It was too hard.

When he's awake though, the monsters find it much easier. And they would torture him. Haunt him. He couldn't chase them away. Because they were already chasing him. And he was running. Running faster than ever. A ragged breath each time he felt he would trip and succumb to their intentions.

But Maddox had Resistance. And Resistance was a funny little thing.

She was innocent but strong. Quiet, yet brave. And Maddox thanked her for helping him. Sighing, Maddox sat down against the cracked and peeled wall in the abandoned warehouse. Continuing to chip away at the paint, he ignored the throbbing pain in his bruised knuckles.

Pain did something right. She reminded Maddox that things are fixable. Pain comes and goes. She shows that things are not permanent. But Fear disagrees. Because it's his fear that keeps him from wanting to stay alive.

Maddox was afraid.

To let himself feel happiness. After what he did, the closest thing to happiness he would ever encounter was the final moments of his last breaths.

And who knew how far away that was?

Closing the lights to the warehouse, Maddox stood. Frozen. Undisturbed.

The darkness was something he welcomed. And he welcomed well, that darkness preferred to greet him as much as it could.

And as Maddox left, he never took notice of the girl waiting around the corner for him to leave so she could enter. As she walked into the abandoned building, she looked over at the fan, watching as it came to its final turn.

But in case Maddox came back to see its end, the girl rushed to renew its life.

For Evelyn Moreau was too kind to let Maddox Lohan die.

☙❦❧

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