After long conversation with Miller and his dog following him the whole time; Adam munched on his meal, feeling rather satisfied than ever, "thank you for the meal," he said in between of his eating, "it really hit the spot," he grinned happily, knowing it has been long time since he last ate something.
The food was simple and plain but nothing too delicious or disgusting that made him want to throw up, "glad to be of service," the afro young man responded, "I figured that you must be hungry since it has been long while," he uttered, taking a sip of his glass of water.
"Woof!" Pumpkin barked while whining in hunger, expressing his desperation of wanting food for himself. He wagged his tail, staring at Adam's plate, hoping that his owner would give in the temptation of taking pity on his loyal pet.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Adam said with a soft smirk, "here," he took a piece of bacon and dropped it onto the floor for his dog to eat, "make sure not to choke on it, okay?" Saying in regards of the small size of bacon, "and if you're still hungry after that, come and tell me," he added, "I'll prepare another meal for you."
As the moment it dropped, his quickly swallow it up within instant; savoring the delicious meat that he hasn't eaten for almost entire day or more, "woof!" Pumpkin barked in thanks, running around in joyous celebration of finally getting fed.
"Hehehe," Adam giggled from the sight of his pet being happy after being feed, "alright, I'll prepare you one," before he stood up, his boss called out to him, stopping him from moving anywhere in getting the meal for his precious dog.
"We don't have dog food," admitting his fault and weakness while looking embarrassed, "the food that eats are from human foods," he said, "you shouldn't feed him anything that might be harmful for his health, you should be careful," telling him with concerned tone in his own voice.
Sighing after hearing Miller's warning, "then I'll go to pet store in buying them," stating the fact, "I can't let him starve," every pet owner knows that, "mind allowing me to borrow your credit card?" Standing up with his hand stretched towards him.
His boss nodedd with surprise, "sure man! Just don't lose it okay?" Grabbing his wallet out and giving him a card from his pocket, "also don't take too long," advising him in his own terms, "there's a lot of work that we need to do," showing his concerns.
Adam smiled with sigh, "I won't take long," he told his friend as he held the credit card before walking away, causing Pumpkin to follow suit from behind, "you want to come with me buddy?" Turning around as he put away the card, kneeling down to gently pet his dog.
Pumpkin answered with bark, wagging his tail in form of yes, finally thrilled to walk alongside his beloved owner for the first time in a long while, "alright, then let's go," Adam smiled while standing back up, "come on," he began walking with his dog trotting on his right side.
Exiting the door with the corgi at his side, Adam released a breath of fresh air with the moonlight shining onto the night sky, "I miss being outside," he muttered as he walked down the stairs, "I'm actually amazed that I'm still alive, well, more or less," quietly saying to himself in disappointment.
The calm blew on his skin and clothes, feeling colder than before but it didn't bother him one bit; Adam didn't care, he enjoyed the tranquility of silence and solitude he needed for the rest of the night, "it feels like everything is just fine," he muttered softly, "just fine..."
Few pass him in the sidewalk while the roads are filled with cars and trucks, making honks at times to other drivers or pedestrians who happened to cross the streets without being careful, focusing on their phones or each other; "safety is important," he mumbled while eyeing them, "morons," shaking his head in disapproval.
Whatever the case, he needs to move forward and taking short glance at his side, Pumpkin is seemingly happy and enjoying the peaceful atmosphere of the night, being at his owner's side. Seeing that made him smile for a moment, "at least I don't have to be alone anymore," chuckling at this notion.
Everything is so peaceful, quiet and calming despite the people passing through, yet his mind is in a turmoil of worry and fear, "what if she finds me?" He thought as he stared ahead of his path, "she can sense my presence or smell me, or even just being nearby," feeling anxiety and panic surging through his veins.
That woman...that vile and evil woman who took away everything from him, who destroyed his life and left nothing but ruin, pain and suffering, "no," he shook his head and slapped his cheeks, "don't let her win, she has already taken enough from you, you can't let her take control of you anymore," his inner conscious told him, speaking these words to himself, "fight back," he knew that was right.
Revenge, he wants—no...not anything but that. Deserving as it is, killing her won't change anything for him as the trauma he suffered would still remain in his head and heart. But forgiveness will help him transcend all of the shit he went through and find peace.
That is why he doesn't want to kill her, Adam has moved on, he doesn't care about Lilith anymore. "But she cares about you," his conscience added, "you're the one she is obsessed with, she is not going to stop until she gets what she wants," the voice of his own made him shudder in fear, "she won't stop, not until she breaks you."
Genuine true statement, she won't change or move because shes well...not human to begin with; the only thing she can do is to kill her. End this woman's existence and move on. "No, I don't want that," he replied to himself, "I don't want to become what she wanted me to be," the feeling of wanting to break her, to destroy everything she holds dear, to make her suffer is so tempting to do.
If he does that then part of him will trigger a domino effect, "no, no, no," shaking his head in disagreement, "that'll only prove that she is right about me." "But you're not," his conscience shot back, "you're strong and will fight her no matter what," his inner thoughts were trying to convinced him, "its the only way to stop this madness from continuing onward."
"Your right...your right," breathing heavily as sweat drops formed on his forehead and cheeks, "you're right." He repeated again and again until his heart settled down and stopped racing like wild horses running out of control, "this isn't about revenge anymore," admitting his new found goal of life in this world, "if I'm going to live then I need to start over again and focus on myself," his voice deepened with determination.
"This time, I'm not going to be controlled by anyone again, especially her," nodding his head while walking further and further away from the streets with Pumpkin mindlessly following at his side, "revenge and hatred won't bring me peace, it will only drag me to the lowest part of myself," acknowledging his own flaws and mistakes.
"Yes," his inner conscious agreed with him, "focus on yourself," the voice spoke with authority, "only you can determine what kind of person you want to become and how to start anew," "but she will never rest, stop and move on; this demon must be put down!" Adam's inner conscious told him, "and you are the one that needs to stop her, if not you then no one will ever do so and more people will suffer for it."
Gritting his teeth, "this isn't about anyone but myself," cruelly shutting his eyes tightly as the visions of his dead wife, his deceased family and friends flashed before his eyes, "I need to focus on myself now, I need to get away from her," he knew that was impossible,but that is the only way he can do it.
"She will always find you, she has been with you all these years, she knows everything about you and how you think," Adam understood this well enough, "the only way to move on from this is to start over, become someone else, a different person and leave your old life behind."
Feeling exhausted he went to nearby wooden bench before sitting on it, causing Pumpkin to jump on his lap and sleep; he couldn't help but smiled as the corgi is so adorable with his cute eyes closed and tail wagging back and forth, "good boy," patting his dog's head lovingly, "you really are my best friend aren't you?"
Exhaling out a breath of air, Adam closed his eyes and leaned his back against the bench; relaxing and enjoying the cold breeze of the wind that brushed across his skin before opening them, seeing his new surroundings of where he landed himself into.
"Huh?"
This part of the city was a different contrast to the bustling streets he walked through earlier. This area was a maze of ordinary, apartment buildings and stores that were separated by parks, community centers, and other amenities.
Moreover, the place doesn't look like one of those advanced looking places; in fact, this looks like a seemingly normal neighborhood just like New York. A surprising sight for someone like him who had seen much of Hope City when he first arrived in there.
A pleasant surprise for a man like him who wanted to go somewhere and have some fresh air for a bit. And so far, this seems like the perfect to relax and spend time with his canine companion; the peace and quiet is good for both of them as Pumpkin just laid down on his lap, enjoying the cool breeze of the night.
He wants to smoke, the feeling of having nicotine entering his system and giving him a sense of relief is what he wants right now. But Adam couldn't do it, not when he has his dog taking long nap on his lap; task seemingly impossible of not wanting to bring the chemicals in his body.
Gently caressing his dog's back fur, the sight of the calm canine brought him into a tranquil state. Enjoying this moment with his furry companion as they both stare up at the night sky; admiring the beauty of the stars that glows bright in the heavens.
Peace; wonderful concept to experience even if it's just for a short time, however, Adam can't help but feel somewhat nervous about tomorrow. What type of obstacles will he face in this troubling world? Everyday, its always the same.
Tragedy after tragedy; never ending cycle of death and sorrow, expressing his exhaustion with no more tears to shed, having done everything in his power to stop this madness and failed, leaving him to be a coward for life and forced to continue living.
"What a world we all live in," sighing tiredly from having to survive and endure every day of his life, Adam wonders what will be of humanity, and the future of all the things they once cherished and held dear; long gone the ancient artifacts of the past, the beauty of nature, the purity of innocence and joyous of lifetime, nothing but relics of a bygone era that humans destroyed.
Is living even worth it? Does anything matter in the end? He isn't sure, and can't help but question himself every passing moment he walks in this world. Is life truly a blessing, or a curse? Is there no other way for him to escape this misery other than to die?
"Adam?"
Feminine and familiar voice broke his concentration, turning to see no other than the very woman he had sex with in the brothel; Meridiana, dressed finely in her casual clothes; wearing her long-sleeved coat with long red ponytail.
